On a sun-soaked summer day in Western New York, it’s hard to resist the lure of the charbroiled hot dog stand. And often—maybe too often—the temptation to indulge in one of Buffalo’s premier summer culinary traditions has us fleeing the city for the likes of Old Man River, Mississippi Mudd’s, the oldest-surviving and definitively best Ted’s (the one on Sheridan Drive in Tonawanda), or any of the other burger-and-footlong joints in suburbs to the north, east, and south.
I am not about to suggest that you don’t go to these places. They are nostalgia-inducing and awesome, and well-worth the drive or bike ride beyond the city limits. But sometimes change is good, and a little adventure can bear delicious fruit. For that reason, I pose a hot dog stand alternative that I implore you to try at least once this season: Ranchos Latin Food.
Located on Niagara Street not too far from Resurgence Brewery and Community Beer Works, Ranchos is a casual, quick-service restaurant that specializes in homey Venezuelan cuisine. Venezuelan food, which draws influence from indigenous, European, African, and Caribbean cultures, is not inherently spicy but deeply flavorful thanks to its deft application of savory aromatics like onion, garlic, and sweet peppers. Seafood, slow-cooked meat, beans, rice, yucca, plantains, potatoes, and corn are also staples of the coastal South American country.
If you are reading this thinking that nothing about my admittedly underwhelming description screams “viable Ted’s substitute,” I don’t blame you. But hear me out. There are a handful of reasons why Ranchos has the potential to occasionally scratch your summertime itch for al fresco porcine and bovine fare.
- Carb-Encased Pig Meat
There are no hot dogs at Ranchos, but there are homemade arepas filled with juicy, tender pulled pork. Arepas are a traditional Venezuelan food made from dough of pre-cooked, dehydrated corn flour (not cornmeal), salt, and water. They are similar to pita pockets in terms of functionality. Which is to say, once cooked, they can be split open and stuffed with anything from cheese to vegetables to fish.
Arepas at Ranchos are softball sized and can be ordered grilled or fried. On the recommendation of the gentleman behind the counter who carried the authority of an owner, we went with the latter. It arrived stuffed to the gills with shards of buttery pork and was accompanied by a small plastic container of red bell pepper sauce that brought a dose of additional umami to the table. The arepa itself boasted a thinly crisp exterior and soft, pillowy interior (i.e., it was divine). It is worth noting that the total effect of the dish’s components was decidedly salty, so if you are sodium averse, this might not be for you. But then again, maybe you shouldn’t be eating hot dogs either…
Ranchos’ arepas can also be had with beef, chicken, or—what I’ll be ordering on my next trip—black beans with sweet plantains and avocado.
- A Burger-Like Thing!
Like your favorite hot dog stand, Ranchos does have a burger on the menu, but I suggest branching out a little and ordering the beef patacon instead. A patacon is a sandwich that relies on fried green plantain patties instead of a bun or bread. At Ranchos, you get two the size of baseballs to an order. They come with tender braised beef, lettuce, tomato, and a schmear of deliciously garlicky aioli that was just a little too heavy handed for my taste. Next time, I’ll order it on the side so I can control the application, which I suspect will allow me to better taste the expertly cooked but delicately seasoned meat. I may also try it with the ketchup Ranchos makes available at its condiment bar. I learned after the fact that it is a common patacon add-on.
Fair warning, eating a patacon is a gloriously messy affair. The fried plantain patties do not yield easily to your first bite, so things get a little wild. Juices will run everywhere. Your fingers will get greasy. You WILL get aioli on your mouth. Maybe don’t order it if you are at Ranchos on a first date. But a third date? Go. For. It.
- Fried Stuff
What Ranchos lacks in French fries and onion rings it makes up for in fried empanadas. If you are unfamiliar, empanadas are handheld pockets of dough encasing sweet or savory ingredients. Practically every Latin American country riffs on the empanada, changing up the dough, fillings, and cooking methods from place to place. For its part, Ranchos offers two distinct styles.
One is more pastry-like and made with wheat-flour; the other is a corn flour version native to Venezuela. The former puffs and bubbles in the fryer, producing a crunchy, flaky shell. It can be had with fillings like sausage, ham and cheese, spinach, or pizza. The corn flour of the latter reacts differently to the hot oil, resulting in a paper-thin layer of crispness that belies a soft, moist crumb inside. Both styles are meritorious.
- Liquid Dessert
If milkshakes are par for the course at your favorite hot dog stand, you’ll be relieved to know you don’t have to forgo a sweet beverage at Ranchos. I didn’t see them on a printed menu, but a young man working the cash register tipped me off to the restaurant’s line of tropical drinks in pineapple, mango, and peach flavors. According to him, any of the drinks can be made with juice or a combination of juice and dairy, but he recommended going the dairy-free route.
I did, in pineapple, and was happy to receive a frothy, fresh-tasting drink reminiscent of something you might get at Jamba Juice. Ranchos also has true milkshakes, which they call merengadas, and, according to their Facebook page, a horchata-like rice beverage called chincha, so there is plenty of opportunity to get your liquid dessert fix.
- Patio Seating
At Ranchos, there is no need to enjoy your meal indoors. Ample outdoor space offers diners the chance to bask in the summer sun while they chow down. You might argue that Niagara Street isn’t exactly a picturesque vista, but I would argue neither is Niagara Falls Boulevard or Transit Road, and we’ve all sat there eating our Ted’s pretty contentedly.
- The Extras
Ranchos has a number of things you’ll never find at a hot dog stand—among them, sweet and strong Cuban coffee, a range of Latin American sodas, rice and beans (very good cold the next day, with Frank’s, FYI) and Nutella-drenched churros. Yes, Nutella-drenched churros.
So the next time the charbroiled hot dog stand of your suburban youth beckons, consider giving Ranchos a fair shake at least once. Maybe we can launch a new summertime culinary tradition that embraces the growing diversity of Buffalo food scene.
Ranchos | 1516 Niagara Street | Buffalo, NY | (716) 882-2800 | Facebook