WEDNESDAY'S WANDERINGS: RANCH 616

We did it! We finally did it! We finally managed to be at Ranch 616 in Austin at a time, and on a day, when they were actually open, and let me tell you, it was love at first sight! I read an article about Ranch 616 -- patterned after the south Texas ice houses, and featuring cooking from the gulf coast to the border towns -- shortly after we bought this house. We drove over Austin to try it one day, but it was closed. It's kinda off the beaten path, tucked away in the warehouse district on Nueces, so I pretty much forgot about it after that. Then one day this summer John was scrolling around online, looking for something new to try for lunch, and it came up again. Guess what? It was closed again! But this time we finally got lucky.

I loved every little thing about it, from these funky little Catholic-candle-thingy glasses they served our water in...

to the snakeskin (faux, I'm sure) covering on these booth seats.

The only thing I wasn't too crazy about was the food. I'm hesitant to even show you what my hubby chose, for fear you will accuse me of trying to hasten his death, but hey, he is a grown man, and I am not his mommy.

I, who thought I was being virtuous, chose the smoked salmon...

which came out sitting on top of a beef-stuffed enchilada! I actually ended up eating the enchilada, which was pretty tasty, instead of the salmon. There was something about the salmon's smoky flavoring that reminded me of the way my grandmother's house used to smell. Weird, huh? It was probably just me. John's skinny little onion rings were to die for, but not something I need to be eating on a regular basis. Still, it was worth the trip just for the decor. I mean, how often do you get buffalo heads, crystal chandeliers, longhorn toilet paper holders and a disco ball, all in one spot?