Wednesday, September 24, 2008, I spent the day doing what a person can do best at Meling Ranch, which is a whole lot of nothing.  Thai's what is so nice about Meling Ranch is that there is no structure, nothing planned, and you can do whatever you want to do.  I had planned to jump into the truck and visit Andrea's Uncle Manuel, who lives at the Coyote Ranch a few miles to the west, but it didn't happen, as I just spent the day exploring the area around Meling Ranch, and soaking up the fresh mountain air, and the gorgeous scenery.  When the dinner bell rang precisely at 7 o'clock, I was ready to eat!

Photo:  Jicelia, who is the master chef at Rancho Meling, dices cucumbers for the salad.  Behind her on the counter are the potatoes, wrapped in aluminum foil, ready for the wood-fired oven.

Dinner at Meling Ranch is a big affair, as it's the main meal of the day, when guests and staff come together.  In keeping with my curious and journalistic nature, I hung around the kitchen to observe the work in progress.

Preparation for dinner starts around 5 in the afternoon, as ranch hand Sam delivers wood to the wood box, and the girls fire up the wood-fired range in the kitchen.  The kitchen is where the action is, as Antonia and Jicelia begin a marathon of preparation for the evening meal.  The girls put a lot of work into the meal, and I attempted to stay out of their way, but I did manage to sneak in and ask a few questions, and take a lot of photos.

Photo:  Antonia takes a break, as Jicelia prepares the salad.  Note the screened windows in the background, and the lovely view outside.

Photo:  Here comes the gravy!

When you walk into the kitchen annex at Meling Ranch, an absolutely heavenly aroma greets you.  The aroma is a mixture of wood smoke and bacon, and it permeates the kitchen annex, the kitchen, and the dining room.  It's a very rustic and earth smell, and thoroughly intoxicating.  Like everything else at Meling Ranch, its wonderful...

Tonight, I had three dinner companions, Chuck and Steve, from the night before, and a third guy, David, who arrived during the afternoon.  These guys are from the Los Angeles area, and they were spending a few days at Meling Ranch fishing, and exploring the area.  Like the night before, they produced a couple of bottles of wine and offered me a glass, but I declined, as I prefer beer and tequila.  When I'm in Mexico, I drink a lot of tequila.

Photo:  Jicelia stirs the pot of fried zucchini and corn.

Photo:  Here's the dinner spread for the four of us.  The food at Meling Ranch is not only delicious, but it's plentiful and features an attractive presentation.  They also set a very attractive table.

Jicelia and Antonia really outdid themselves, as tonight's meal was simply delicious, and certainly filling.  The main course was roast beef, cooked in the oven of the wood stove, which was cooked to perfection, as it was juicy, moist and practically melted in your mouth.  Antonia made beef gravy from the drippings, which was gravy to die for.  Side dishes included baked potatoes, refried beans, a zucchini and corn dish, sliced bread and a huge tossed green salad. Condiments included red and green salsa, butter, sour cream and ranch dressing You'll never go hungry at Meling Ranch!

Photo:  A plate of melt-in-your-mouth roast beef, covered by some of the best beef gravy that I've ever eaten!

Photo:  My dinner companions, three good ol' boys from Las Angeles, from left to right, Chuck, Steve and David. Over dinner, the four of us enjoyed pleasant conversation about fishing, exporting, and the great outdoors, in beautiful Baja California.

I found it quite interesting that, with the exception of the refried beans and the salsa, this meal was about as un-Mexican a meal that I've ever had the pleasure to enjoy during my travels to Baja California, or Mexico in general.  But I didn't have any complaints, as everything served at Meling Ranch puts a smile to my face!

Photo:  As per the custom, I talked Jicelia into snapping my photo at dinner.

Photo:  My first plate for the evening!  I had seconds, and ate myself silly, as tonight's dinner was one of the best dinners that I've ever had the pleasure to enjoy.

Maybe it's the wood stove, perhaps it's the skill of the staff at Meling Ranch, or maybe it's the fact that they treat their guests like family, but whatever it is, the food served at Meling Ranch is some of the best that I've ever eaten. The food alone is worth the price of admission to Meling ranch, and the friendly and caring staff makes the food taste even better.  Tonight's meal goes into my record book for one of the best meals that I've had the pleasure to enjoy during my 50-something years on this planet.  

---

Copyright(c) 2008 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since January 19, 2005.