Tuesday night dinner at Meling Ranch

Prior to leaving Meling Ranch to take in the breathtaking scenery at Parque Nacional San Pedro Martir, and after enjoying a delicious breakfast on Tuesday, October 2, 2007, Andrea Meling asked me what I would like to eat for dinner. I was taken aback, as I'm not used to having meals custom prepared for me, so I told her that I love everything, and whatever she could cook, I'd love it and probably request seconds. Basically, I said, "Surprise me; I'll love it!" That's me, simple, to the point, and a lover of any food that is placed on the table in front of me.

Photo: Jicelia and Julie are busy in the kitchen, preparing the evening meal.

When the dinner bell rang, I wasn't surprised, as I knew that outstanding food awaited me, as my place was already set in the dining room. On this Tuesday evening, I was the only guest at the ranch, so I suppose that the staff went a bit out of their way to prepare a delicious meal for my enjoyment, but basically the only difference between my meal, and the meal that the staff enjoys is that the meals prepared for the ranch guests have an elegant presentation and are served in the dining room, while the staff's meals are, shall we say, a bit more basic.

Left: The blender is ready to produce salsa for the evening meal. Salsa is served at every meal at Meling Ranch. Note the walkie-talkie that is used for communication with the outside world. Right: Corn tortillas, cooking in an iron skillet on a wood-fired, iron kitchen range. How rustic is that?

I spent much of the time before dinner lounging in the kitchen, talking to Andrea, Jicelia and Julie, and wandering around the ranch taking photos of the breathtaking scenery of the Sierra San Pedro Martir mountains in the late afternoon, when the sun is low on the horizon, and the scenery is bathed in a warm, golden glow. As a photographer, and a person who appreciates natural lighting, I always gravitate towards morning and late afternoon shots, as the natural light from the sun low in the horizon makes for superior photos. Tuesday evening, October 2, 2007 didn't disappoint me, as I was able to many photos of Meling Ranch, and the beautiful nearby scenery. After hiking around the ranch for a couple of hours, taking lots of photos, I was ready to eat when the dinner bell ranch.

Left: Julie cooks corn tortillas on the wood stove. Right: Julie serves me a delicious meal of tostadas.

The meals served guests at Meling Ranch feature a mixture of American comfort food, and traditional Mexican fare, and tonight's meal was a total surprise to me, as Andrea and the girls had prepared a delicious meal of tostadas, cooked on their cast iron kitchen range, just for me. I mention surprise in a nice way, as I had raved to Andrea about the previous meals served to me, and how much I love everything, and especially how much I love Mexican food. Andrea and her staff serve true, authentic tostadas, unlike the loose copies that you'll find north of the border.

Photo: I grin, as Julie takes my photo, yet I haven't touched my delicious meal of tostadas.

Tostadas served at Meling Ranch start with a fried corn tortilla, topped with delicious refried beans, carne asada, shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, grated cheese, with sour cream and salsa on the side for topping. Like all other entrees served at the ranch, they're cooked on the wood-fired stove, with lots of care from the attentive staff, and feature a delightful presentation. Of course you can't eat presentation, but you can enjoy flavor, and Andrea's tostadas are perhaps the most delicious tostadas that I've ever had the pleasure to eat. I enjoyed three delicious, very filling tostadas; although I was offered seconds, I declined, as three tostadas were enough to keep my going for the rest of the night.

Photo: Evening meals just don't get any better than a meal of tostadas enjoyed at Meling Ranch. This photo illustrates the beautiful presentation of the meal, offered by the staff at Meling Ranch.