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Friday, July 28, 2000

Floyd's Ranch House has comforts of home

Ingleside eatery that's popular with the locals offers plenty of stick-to-your-ribs cooking

 

  For the folks in Ingleside, dining at Floyd's Ranch House Restaurant is a tradition among neighbors.
  Located just off State Highway 361, this two-story cinder-block building has been a regular stop for many for at least 25 years. The familiar rough-hewn, wooden-planked font spelling out Ranch House and the disembodied steer head painted on the outside has have become a landmarks of sorts.
  Just a quick drive across Nueces Bay the Harbor Bridge from Corpus Christi, Floyd's Ranch House serves up southern comfort food with a mild bit of South Texas spice. Simple, good and overwhelmingly fried food that's what you can call stick-to-your-ribs eating.
  Case in point: on our recent visit, we sampled a never-before seen menu item for us but staple food for regulars, an item that could serve as an example of what Floyd's has to offer - Mexican Chicken Fried Steak.
Smothered and topped
  Basically a hand-breaded, deep fried piece of steak, smothered in beef chili and topped with melted cheese, this dish is not for those keeping an eye on their waistline or too worried about their cholesterol. The plate came served with Spanish rice and refried beans and some corn tortilla chips stuck in around the edges to complete the presentation.
  The combined effect was almost like a sedative, the kind of meal you eat and then have to lean back and unbutton the top button of your pants. The chicken fried steak was good, fresh fried and sturdy but tender and juicy. The chili was Hormel-esque, and while not spectacular, it made a fine gravy to top the steak once they melted some cheese on it.
  To top it off, they nearly killed me with two slightly sweet homemade diner rolls for which I somehow managed to make room.
Relatively lighter
  My dining companion opted for the relatively lighter and more mainstream dish of fried stuffed crabs with fried shrimp, hush puppies and fries. (A manager at Floyd's Ranch House said they have a bank of four fryers working back in the kitchen). Initially, my dining companion was disappointed by the salad that came out, which consisted of rusty, wilted lettuce dished into a plastic bowl with some carrots, croutons and ranch dressing. On the side came some garlic bread.
  We also tried a fried cheese appetizer, which was served with another side of ranch dressing. The fried cheese was the typical frozen fare that's deep fried and served in chain restaurants nationwide.
  The stuffed crab, however, was very good - fresh gulf crab with the shell broken open and the meat scooped out, mixed with breadcrumbs, green onion, red and green pepper and other spices, then stuffed and battered in corn meal and deep-fried. The stuffing was mild and flavorful and not at all fishy. And the shrimp, battered in cornmeal as well and fried, were great.
A familiar crowd
  But perhaps the most notable aspect of the meal was the neighborly quality inside Floyd's Ranch House.
  There was no canned music or noisy talk inside the dining room, just the friendly murmur of talk between friends at different tables enjoying a meal. Most everyone in there seemed to know each other. (In a throwback to an earlier era time, the smaller smoking room was jammed with people and the non-smoking section had plenty of space). But even outsiders like us were made to feel at home.
  Over at the pie counter (they make all of their pies from scratch there) a woman who had stopped in to pick up dinner struck up an easy conversation about the hot weather and chasing dogs. It just felt good to be surrounded by friendly folks.
  And the pies looked so good that we picked up a piece of the cherry variety on the way out. It was old-fashioned and real and wonderful - just like Floyd's Ranch House.
  

Floyd's Ranch House 2144 State Highway 361 Ingleside, Texas 361 776-3511 Hours: 6 am-10 pm daily Entrees: $3.75-$15.95 Checks: yes Credit cards: all major Alcohol: beer Wheelchair accessible yes Food 2 star Service 2 star Atmosphere 2 star

  

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