I've heard quite a bit about this BBQ place from friends and coworkers. I've even seen them referred to a time or 2 on the food channel. So it was with great expectation that I visited the Ranch House. My Garmin has them listed on Kennedy Creek Road. Fortunately I looked them up on the Internet before leaving my house and had discovered that their old location was destroyed by a mudslide and that they had relocated to downtown Olympia into a vacant restaurant at the Governor Hotel. They are just downhill from the Capitol complex and across the street from the park. Very easy to find and from first impressions, not a bad location at all. I showed up around 10:45 and waited until 11:00 for the place to open. A very helpful waitress "sold" me some change so I could feed the parking meter. I was able to park right in front of the building that both the hotel and restaurant are located in. The hotel lobby, right outside the entrance to the restaurant, was covered in newspaper articles about the Ranch House.
Taste: I ordered the BBQ plate lunch special. It came with 1/4 chicken, riblets, 2 sides (slaw and beans) and a corn bread muffin. I also had a Fish Tale Organic IPA at the suggestion of the bar's waitstaff. The chicken was moist and tender with little indication it ever was close to a grill or smoker. The riblet was 3 pork bones surrounded with tasty meat that just fell off the bones. Not much meat though. The beans were spicy and sweet, just perfect. The slaw was wonderful. The dressing was honey based with a touch of vinegar, herbs and spices. The corn bread muffin was cold and dry, but went down ok once I mixed some of it into the beans. The IPA was a great touch that countered the sweetness of the pork, beans and slaw. 7 stars.
Value: 9 stars. Top notch. For less than 15 bucks I enjoyed a nicely sized lunch that fit in perfectly with a day of riding.
Staff: 9 stars. Very friendly and helpful (see change comment above). The staff at the bar had no problem with me bellying on up and ordering lunch right there. The bar was well stocked with a nice selection of beer on tap. The IPA was a perfect touch with BBQ. I was even engaged in small talk by the staff as to where I was riding to.
Ambiance: I'm really sorry I didn't get to visit this place at the old location. I realize that you gotta deal with whatever fate throws your way (I'm referring to the destruction of the original building). The ground floor of a hotel just isn't the "right" place for a top notch, award winning BBQ joint. The feel of the Ranch House wasn't firing on all cylinders. To me, it was more of a upscale bar with a menu centered around BBQ. You have my kudos for "making do" until you can rebuild, but that won't be enough to get you more than 5 stars. The air conditioner being broke didn't help your score either I'm afraid and the air flow through the place was downright pitiful.
Friends: 8 stars. I would and will recommend your place for a nice meal. Its close enough to my home (Shelton) that I could get filled up with BBQ and still have a short ride home.
Overall I award the Ranch House 8 stars. The food was good, the staff was great and I hope that your rebuild of the old location is completed soon. Good job!
Later...
Taste: I ordered the BBQ plate lunch special. It came with 1/4 chicken, riblets, 2 sides (slaw and beans) and a corn bread muffin. I also had a Fish Tale Organic IPA at the suggestion of the bar's waitstaff. The chicken was moist and tender with little indication it ever was close to a grill or smoker. The riblet was 3 pork bones surrounded with tasty meat that just fell off the bones. Not much meat though. The beans were spicy and sweet, just perfect. The slaw was wonderful. The dressing was honey based with a touch of vinegar, herbs and spices. The corn bread muffin was cold and dry, but went down ok once I mixed some of it into the beans. The IPA was a great touch that countered the sweetness of the pork, beans and slaw. 7 stars.
Value: 9 stars. Top notch. For less than 15 bucks I enjoyed a nicely sized lunch that fit in perfectly with a day of riding.
Staff: 9 stars. Very friendly and helpful (see change comment above). The staff at the bar had no problem with me bellying on up and ordering lunch right there. The bar was well stocked with a nice selection of beer on tap. The IPA was a perfect touch with BBQ. I was even engaged in small talk by the staff as to where I was riding to.
Ambiance: I'm really sorry I didn't get to visit this place at the old location. I realize that you gotta deal with whatever fate throws your way (I'm referring to the destruction of the original building). The ground floor of a hotel just isn't the "right" place for a top notch, award winning BBQ joint. The feel of the Ranch House wasn't firing on all cylinders. To me, it was more of a upscale bar with a menu centered around BBQ. You have my kudos for "making do" until you can rebuild, but that won't be enough to get you more than 5 stars. The air conditioner being broke didn't help your score either I'm afraid and the air flow through the place was downright pitiful.
Friends: 8 stars. I would and will recommend your place for a nice meal. Its close enough to my home (Shelton) that I could get filled up with BBQ and still have a short ride home.
Overall I award the Ranch House 8 stars. The food was good, the staff was great and I hope that your rebuild of the old location is completed soon. Good job!
Later...
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