Fantastic thanksgiving feast for my family. Food and service was excellent. They served all 22 of us flawlessly. Great vegan menu too. Thanks for an amazing thanksgiving and thanks for doing the dishes! read more

Always good, both food and service. My companions dessert (baklava) wasn't up to the standards I've come to expect there, but everything else was very good. read more

This restaurant did not live up to expectations. The food was fair at best. Everything was over sauced and the portions were tiny. The restaurant itself was worn out. The drinks were terrible, bad ingredients and just poorly made. The service was excellent. We were greeted at the door and shown to our table by a very friendly person. The waitress was attentive and very knowledgeable of the menu. I wish this place was better but it is outclassed by the newer restaurant in town. read more

Pleasant, outdoor garden type setting. Staff friendly and helpful. We had the 5 course selection. Bottle of house cabernet for the table, nice. I had the Pork Bellie appetizer, basically a couple of 1 inch strips of thick bacon on well seasoned sauteed oinions (this was the best seasoning of the meal). Water Crest salad was fresh, but lacked a remarkable dressing or garnish. I had the Tortilla soup, very good. The main plate was Cherry Duck, reasonable portion with a few green beans, I was not impressed. The desert was a small dollop of cream, two quarters of a strawberry, a couple of blueberries and two mini chocolate brownies with a dab of berry sauce. At the price point of this meal I would only rate this a 3 star experience, mostly for the setting. read more

The Ranch House - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Ojai, California

We left the Ojai valley inn to save money and ended up here - not realizing they ONLY serve a set menu at $50 each so plus the cheapest bottle of wine it comes to almost $180 for 2 people minimum. The restaurant is very very quiet as they play no music and there isn't much of a buzz so if you want to feel like sitting in a garden at your grandmas this is the place for you. The food was nice but very small portions. The wine was warm and we had to put ice in our drinks. When we left We found our waiter fixing up the toilet and he didn't wash his hands . He also collected our plates and put our dirty silverware back on our tables to use for the next course. The table mat was a paper sheet. The female waitress however was fabulous and super friendly. Nearly $200 later and I woke hungry in the night. read more

The setting of The Ranch House is beautiful so you can't help but enjoy that part of your visit! Unfortunately, our food was mediocre and our waitress was quite inattentive to our party of 11. Considering the high price and low quality of the food here, there are many better restaurants in Ojai and nearby Carpinteria or Ventura for a special occasion. Also, be forewarned the menu is pre fixe and you either pay $60 or $75 per person depending on how many courses you want. The food was not worthy of this price so you're mainly paying for the atmosphere. read more

I hadn't been to the Ranch House in over 20 years (I live in Huntington Beach so I don't head out to Ojai very often) but decided to bring my friends here for a dinner during a girl weekend. I remember the ambiance being amazing and when we walked in my memories flooded back. It is lovely, romantic, tropical, and just lovely. The Ranch House has a pre-fixe menu where you can have 3 courses or 5. We each decided to do a 5 course dinner. I didn't take pictures of the food but I wish I did. The appetizer I chose was a mushroom strudel in filo dough. OMG I could have had a dinner of just this! The soups and salads were fresh and delicious. I ordered butternut squash ravioli that was beyond amazing and my friends ordered chicken with brie and said it was heaven. For dessert we had cheesecake with mango and warm lava cake with ice-cream. We were stuffed but so happy. I also have to say the service and staff were beyond amazing. They had live piano playing that helped create a mood. We didn't want to leave because the location was just so perfect. We will definitely be back and with friends and husbands. read more

Nice Drive, restaurant has been here for some time, it's still nice, but the building and grounds could use some remodeling. The ambiance and food were in good accordance to start the romance, but could have both been taken up a notch. Service was amazing, and parking was also a breeze! But won't be back. read more

Absolutely best date night. Love their service, greeted and seated Great food and drinks. Best scenery! read more

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I loved my birthday dinner here. The service and ambiance were phenomenal. I couldn't have asked for a better night.

Had a great time today visiting the maître d' and Manager Hustle Russell my old friend from Chicago. I was very impressed with the layout of this restaurant super romantic atmosphere where you could also have your own private setting or enjoy the modern bar and lounge. A great find in this beautiful magical town. read more

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Amazing!!! Went here for dinner and would highly recommend! The atmosphere is absolutely beautiful and romantic. But even better - the food and staff are spectacular. Everyone is so kind and friendly! We had the NY strip butchers special with blue cheese sauce and potatoes! Wow - it was delicious and filling! read more

We celebrated our 10th anniversary last night and had a wonderful experience from beginning to end. My salmon, and husbands' fillet, was super creatively prepared, presented, and delicious. Service was perfect, just the right amount of attention, and of course the ambiance cannot be beat. We had our own little romantic cabana nestled in the bamboo. So lovely. The flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce was divine as well as the semi-freddo. This is truly a special occasion place. Love it! read more

We came here for our anniversary, and it was wonderful. We both had bad head colds and weren't drinking, so we were apologetic to the waitress and explained we were sick. She sweetly asked if we wanted some hot tea and brought out a nice selection. We ordered the three course meals. I had the soup of the day-a cream of mushroom, the rack of lamb and the dessert of the day--a lemon cheesecake with blueberry topping. It was all absolutely delicious! My husband had the lamb shawarma, a New York steak and chocolate mousse. He said he really enjoyed his meal as well. The pacing was just right. We didn't feel rushed, but the food came out right when it felt like it was time. Our waitress was so warm and thoughtful--asking all the right questions and making great suggestions. The gardens were lovely. We were there on a chilly December evening, but they had plenty of heaters and blankets on request. We didn't need one, but we did have jackets. The inside seating is very limited, so dress and plan for outdoor seating when you visit. We will definitely recommend this place to friends and family and will return if we ever make our way back to Ojai. read more

Lovely atmosphere for a nice dinner date. You can take your time and enjoy your meal. Service was great plus the timing during each course was perfect. Some dishes we tried were the pate, mushroom curry, lamb shank were good. Get the cheesecake with pomegranate sauce, it is heavenly. We'll be back soon :) read more

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Our favorite place to go for special occasions food is excellent wine is excellent and staff is friendly and attentive .

I have been coming to the Ranch House for over a decade and have never been disappointed. They have a prix fix menu which changes with available local ingredients. Last night I went for my husband's birthday and the food was amazing, the service was bar none, and the ambiance was romantic and beautiful. I ordered the salmon entree which was heavenly. My husband had the short rib which was also delightful. Each course was more delicious than the last! Special shout out to our waiter Matt who took extra care in ensuring my food allergies were not represented in our meals. Can't wait to come back! read more

I was very excited to come here. Great potential given the location and ambience. The service was lacking as was the food for the pricing. You would have thought that given the limited nature of the prix fix if would have been stellar. I felt scammed and very disappointed. read more

My review will probably be different then most and focuses on the owner. A couple of days back I found myself on the side of the road with a broken down car and no cell service. I knew I was at least 5 -10 miles from help and it was going to be night soon. Despite my bad fortune it ended up being my lucky night. I flagged down a vehicle that was being driven by the owner of The Ranch House, Russ. He immediately offered me a ride to his restaurant where I was given a comfortable place to sit and offered a glass of wine while I contacted AAA. While I didn't have the chance to try the food, based upon my experience with Russ I will be back and am Looking forward to eating here. Thanks again Russ. read more

IT SHOULD ALWAYS BE SERVICE, SERVICE, SERVICE... i try to give everyone a fair chance and hate to leave this review,AND ONLY DO SO WHEN IT REALLY NEEDS TO BE DONE,AND I feel it must be done HERE, PLEASE READ,you will understand why.... i took my wife to the ranch house for her birthday as it has always been one of our favorite places and really wanted to enjoy a meal together, NOT A GREAT IDEA ANYMORE. we got there and they sat us at a table the was lop-sided, so we asked for another table. when we got to the table there was crayons and paper on the tables, like the macaroni grille, not very romantic at all. we looked over the menu, which you can't ask for changes AT ALL, AND EVERY THING HAD DAIRY IN IT, my wife, like alot of people cant have dairy. so we ordered something the waitress suggested for her and i ordered the steak medium rare. my wife looked at menu again and it seemed like her meal was going to have dairy, after that she asked the waitress who said yes it will have dairy in it. so my wife had to change the meal to pork. the pork and my steak come out, first my steak was rare,I MEAN BLOODY RED RARE, and worst of all my wifes pork was pink inside, LIKE RAW PINK, we asked the waitress about the pork and the waitress told us, thats how the pork should be cooked and didnt even offer to do anything about it, just tells us thats how it is cooked,WHAT??? by this time the meal is ruined, her birthday is ruined and we just cant believe the service and quality of THE RANCH HOUSE, at this point. final my wife decides, ok i will try a dessert, that always makes things better ,so we ask the waitress what the best dessert without dairy, and orders us the custurd. after it gets to the table my wife tries a couple of bites and feels really sick, being she also had a few bites of the PINK PORK AS WELL, we look it up and custurd has dairy in it, we ask the waitress over and she says, oh yeah that has dairy in it. SO EVERYTHING IS RUINED, 150.00 later, my wife is sick from dairy and pink pork, and i took her to a place the ruined her birthday. before i wrote this i called THE RANCH HOUSE, and talked with the GM about the experience and he seemed to really want to make it up to us, and i felt a little redeemed, like ok things happen, so he said he wanted to have us come back and give it a try again and would get us a gift certificate to try it again on them. I WAS SHOCKED,when one day about a week later, under my door at my store was a gift card for the ranch house for 50.00, I GUESS I COULD SHARE SOME BREAD AND A GLASS OF WINE WITH MY WIFE FOR THAT AMOUNT, our meal was around 150.00, i was so disappointed that i sent the card back to the GM, and even asked the GM to call me about the situation if he wanted to talk about it, THAT WAS A WEEK AGO, NO CALL. so long story short, THE RANCH HOUSE IS A NO GO, you will be very disappointed ,dont waste your time. read more

If they get a new chef I'll be back. The restaurant itself is very pretty! Even though it was cold we sat outside by the creek surrounded by bamboo, it was lovely; the heaters were on so we were fine. Our waitress was fast and very sweet. The problem is the food- it's simply outdated and not that good. We started with the pate appetizer which was nothing special. We also tried the mushroom strudel- tasted like a frozen appetizer from Costco. But the biggest disappointment was the scallops. My plate was drowning in a cream sauce that was just too sweet and completely took away from the scallops. Disappointing. The rest of our party felt the same about their plates and we were in agreement- should have had dinner at the Ojai Valley Inn. read more

The Ranch House was the most wonderful restaurant in Ojai with amazing service, exquisite garden ambiance, and a masterfully prepared menu. It has long been Ojai's treasure for a guaranteed beautiful experience. Now that is has sold, all of this has changed; the chef, wait staff, menu, and decor are under-going a devastating down grade. I will miss what it once was and will not give out of towners directions to what is now a vulgar misrepresentation of Ojai. read more

Just got back from an awesome meal and evening at the Ranch House! My wife and I are both dairy and gluten free. As we drove off my wife commented to me that she thought that the meal was one of the best if not the BEST she's ever had at a restaurant. The menu did not include a gluten free, dairy free dessert option, so we were quite surprised and pleased when our server Cora, who was helpful and kind, came with a special dessert that the executive chef, Logan De Bone had prepared for us. Usually our only dessert option is sorbet and fresh fruit. This dessert was both creative and fantastic! We so appreciate the care shown to us, and the delicious food of the Ranch House. Very highly recommended!i read more

Going back and forth between 2 and 3 stars. Settled on 3 because while it wasn't an awesome dinner, it was OK, and that's what 3 stars is all about, yes? Specifics: lots of staff mistakes, both at our table and others: mis-cooked steaks, reservation issues etc. We felt hurried from the moment we arrived (20 minutes early and completely willing to wait, but the restaurant was not full and they seated us), right through getting the check along with our dessert. No-one was waiting, for our table, and we weren't dawdling, so I'm not sure what the point was. All could be forgiven if the food was great, but here I think we find the Ranch House's biggest issue: a menu that is functionally unchanged in 20+ years, and being cooked as if it were 1985. (A customer near us commented on this, and said that when he came 32 years ago, the menu was much the same.) Chicken Kiev? Sure, but it better be full of flavor and not overcooked and insipid. Perfectly cooked sides? Great, but the same for every dish? The pasta was al dente, but under-seasoned. In fact, that could be the biggest issue: the chef isn't tasting what he/she's serving to make sure it's properly seasoned. And management is overwhelmed: The sommelier is also the owner, I believe, and a wine distributor during the day! That's at least 2 full-time jobs. From reading the reviews, and talking to a few locals, I think the Ranch House could regain it's former glory by firing 1/2 the staff and getting some people who really understand that it may be your Friday, but it's my dinner; making sure the chef(s) really get the whole flavor issue; and generally tightening up the process. THe basis is there, now you have to execute. read more

Come in first time there. Service is to aggressive Food is sheet - overcooked and not testy Appetizer- ,, Putin" or some hove - not eatable. Chocolate cake has pease of cooking paper inside and around Table was like 15-20 degree down heel and couple more table around also One good think - interior , so one star read more

This restaurant has great history, nice staff and pretty darned good food but it's all for not because the manager, Russ, is the biggest jerk in the business. My wife and I have been dining at The Ranch House for years. On our last (and I do mean "last") visit, we witnessed Russ berating all of the employees to no end overtly in front of the guests and the other employees (when he wasn't drinking and eating at the bar that is). He didn't even seem to make any effort to hide it. We witnessed him being so hard on one of the waitresses that she was tearing up as she tried in vain to make this jerk happy and wait on the guests, and all for no apparent reason that we could see. We watched in horror as this blowhard conducted all restaurant business in the front of the house and walked around like a tyrant shouting orders at a staff who all looked miserable and downtrodden. Russ is so obviously from somewhere on the East Coast it's ridiculous. He has no clue what is and is not ok here in California and runs the place like it's some Jersey deli where people expect to get yelled at every five seconds. It would be comical to see such a fish out of water if it wasn't so tragic to see how poorly the staff are treated in what was once a family oriented business. They looked frightened of him and scampered away trying to look busy whenever he was around in an obvious attempt avoid his overt anger towards everyone who works there. The food was good and the service was very good considering what the staff has to deal with. Regardless of how good the food is, we will never dine here again as long as Russ is employed with this business. We left there with a sick feeling that this place is under a dark cloud as well as feeling sorry for each and every person there who has to work with this idiot. Our advice? Check when making reservations to see if Russ is still the manager. If he is, run (to some other restaurant). read more

I heard a lot of hype about The Ranch House, so I finally decided to give it a try last night to see for myself. I was looking forward to nice ambiance, a great dinner, and hopefully something that resembles great customer service from the restaurant staff. The ambiance was lovely, the dinner was just okay, and the customer service from the staff was definitley sub par. Way sub par. I do not ask much from restaurant staff when I go out to dinner. We were there for just over two hours. It took 30-40 minutes before we received our appetizer (mind you nobody has checked in with us during this time to see how things are going, give us the courtesy "Your food will be right up" mention. It was another 15-20 minutes until we got our salad, and so on with the rest of the meal until we received our check...which was the wrong check by the way. The food was good, not great and not terrible. However, for the price, I expect a lot more in all areas. What was supposed to be a "nice" dinner out was a long night over average food. Needless to say I will not be returning. The only reason I didn't give this place one star was because I think the one star rating should be reserved for the worst of the worst, and the nice scenary was able to bump them up to the two star rating. read more

While on vacation this past week by Boyfriend took me out for a celebratory dinner to what he had always called one of his favorite places. His family has dined at The Ranch House for many years and always had wonderful things to say. Because of our travel plans we were dining on a Sunday night, which working in a restaurant/hotel I do know is a slower night for most places. When we arrived I was so impressed with the beauty of the place, the gardens are truly a beautiful setting and so unique. The food and service however was a bit more lacking. Our waitress was perfectly nice, but very casual, and seemed to not be very knowledgeable about items on the wine list or the menu. All of the staff just had a very unprofessional look and feel about them, coming from such an upscale restaurant. If I am going to pay top dollar I just expect the service to be up to that standard, and it felt as though I could have been at any neighborhood bar and restaurant. I ordered the short ribs, which were very good,John ordered the tenderloin. The waitress asked what temperature he would like his steak cooked to, and as an admittedly picky eater he asked for medium well. The steak came out BLOODY. Why ask what temperature he wanted if you were not going to listen at all? We sent the dish back, and it came back out to us with the sides all haphazard, the bacon smooshed into the polenta, and the steak still RARE. Why offer a temperature and then make it the customers fault when you don't deliver? If the manager on duty had taken the steps to make us feel as though he was apologetic about the problems, everything may have been just fine in our minds. But he came and thanked us for coming in the most insincere way, not eve looking us in the eye, and so obviously just wanted us to be finished. He then went right back to sitting on his bar stool perch with a bored look on his face. I love the style and character of this place, but I unfortunately do not think I will return. read more

An amazing outdoor setting with plenty of trees and greenery. A friendly waiter who made wonderful recommendations. Very attentive staff and most importantly THE FOOD IS AMAZING. This gem is also just a short walk from home. Perfect for any special occasion. read more

I photographed a wedding here about a year ago and I was so in love with it that we came back for our anniversary dinner. We were already planning on coming, and then I stumbled on a Groupon for the 5 course meal. Some places treat you less than kindly if you use coupons but we had an amazing experience all around. The host (who I believe was the owner or manager) personally seated us and was very kind. Our waitress explained the process and specials. Everything was AMAZING. My husband loved his filet mignon so much. The atmosphere was spectacular as I remembered it, and it was a perfect anniversary dinner. read more

We have enjoyed the beautiful setting and food at the Ranch House many times and looked forward to spending Valentines Day there. We were very disappointed to find a expensive and boring fixed menu when we arrived and were even more unhappy with several of the dishes. Nothing worse than spending a good deal of money on bad food and ruining a special night. read more

The Ranch House - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Ojai, California

A total shame. Menu has all the entrees listing you would expect (beef, duck, scallops, chicken, fish and lamb) but no hint of intrigue or creativity. Service professional but perfunctory. A Yelp reviewer suggested the mushroom strudel appetizer which turned out to be a bunch of spinakopita on a little bed of sauteed mushrooms. Most reviews talk about the views of the garden or the ambiance which is all allot better than the food itself. For what its worth, the photos of the food posted by enthusiastic Yelpers look exactly like the stock photos they use in local magazine advertisements. I lingered a bit at the bar as I was leaving in hopes that the owner standing there doing paperwork might feel the urge to say something like "thanks for coming" or "enjoy your stay in Ojai," but he never bothered to look up. read more

I don't understand the love affair with this place! We were not impressed, especially when the bill came! The only thing I enjoyed was my glass of Rose.....the scallops were HORRIBLE and I was really disappointed. They almost tasted microwaved?!?! They were out of a lot of things....we tried the quail salad - was okay but way too gamey. Husband liked the steak but...can't really go wrong on that. I had initially gone for the ambiance....it was okay but the heaters were super hot so we were sweating even after they turned them off! There were some private seating areas which were cute but it was too cold that night to sit in any of those.... The way people make this place sound sets it up for disappointment....food was NOT good and NOT worth the price read more

Amazing vibes. A gem in OJAI/ truly magical and romantic and the food is out of this world.

Fantastic service, extremely accommodating. went here for a bachelorette and could not be happier with the food, service and kindness we were shown! Thank you for a lovely time. read more

Came here last week on a Groupon deal for myself and my partners three year anniversary. Food- very good Atmosphere- romantic Service- great Upon arrival we were greeted by the owner and taken inside to what looked like a large, beautifull backyard garden. My partner and I were seated immediately even though we had made reservations at 7pm, we arrived an hour early with no problem. Food was so delicious, 5 course meal, I ordered the veggie sope (very tasty) and my partner ordered the steak with potatoes which was also delicious. Overall would visit this wonderful place again read more

I am only giving them 2 stars because they downgraded the groupon deal and I am really ticked about it! The food is excellent the service is pretty good but it's a pricey place. I only go there when they have the groupon deal and let's be honest business do coupons because some business is better than no business. They used to do 2 of everything. Now they do one appetizer and it's not even any of them, you get a choice of two (out of the five they have) AND now you have to pay 15 bucks as a "groupon tax".... so I paid for the better deal (Sun-thurs) and not only do I get less but I also still have to pay money?! Not cool. Hahha I just did the math I paid 109 for the grpupon and if they charge $35 for the wine normally I only saved about 40$, that's not including the "groupon tax". That would make my savings about $25 on the groupon it says a 200 something (206?) Value. Lies. Lies. Lies. read more

I would give a solid 5 stars for ambience... But being a restaurant, you also have to rate their food =/... so here we go... As soon as you walk in (I did it at night).. I was amazed with the intimate lighting, the koi pond, the surrounding bamboo, etc etc. It all made for a very beautiful setting. It's definitely going to score you some points if you're looking for a date spot (especially if you're not from the area and completely surprise your significant other). The service was very good as well. They weren't giving me any attitude for bringing a bottle of wine (which is a significant bottle for the girlfriend and I), they moved the heater closer and even offered a lap blanket, and we didn't feel rushed at all as other guests have mentioned. Ambience, service... 5 stars. Then came the food portion. I HATE HOW THEY PUSH THE FACT THAT CAT CORA MENTIONED THEIR SCALLOPS ON THE FOOD NETWORK right on their menu. really?!??! Sure, that was one of the reasons I had to check this place out... I happened to catch that episode, and living on the central coast a few hours away, I had to try them out. There's no need to advertise it on your menu. Word of mouth will eventually get the word around... and to me, advertising it on your menu is borderline desperate for cheap attention, especially at a place that had already built such a solid reputation (until recently it looks like). I ordered those scallops, and the girlfriend ordered the special rack of pork. As I usually do, if crab cakes are offered as an appetizer at a new restaurant, I have to give them a try. This place had crab cakes so I started with those. The crab cakes are ok, nothing special. The breading overpowers the crab and it tastes like a tempura mystery patty of some sort. The scallops and rack of pork came out. The scallops were PERFECTLY cooked, but didn't have any flavor that wowed me. They were rather plain other than the slight char on the outside that gave it some substance. Almost no flavor at all, though again, they were cooked perfectly. The corn sauce or whatever is underneath it... meh. Then you get this giant piece of broccoli... meh. I would rather have a serving of mixed steamed veggies. The mashed potato really tasted like, and even had the consistency of.... dun dun dun... straight out of the box mashed potatoes. Unless they purposely mashed the heck out of them, to almost a puree. As for the rack of pork... it was ok. Another under-seasoned entrée that had nothing going on for it. It looked great with the grill marks and everything... but uhmm... no flavor other than the char from those grill marks. The food was pretty much a disappointment. I would almost put this place in the "TOURIST TRAP" category... as it looks like they're leveraging their solid history and prior reputation... but at the same time, forgot what it was that got them there to begin with. I mean cmon... you're advertising a celebrity chef's word on your menu rather than just serving up a damn good scallop every time and letting the yelp world spread the word for you. gahhh read more

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My wife and I went for a romantic dinner. The spot is beautiful, a funky NorCal feeling patio, a little grotto up a small flight of stairs. The tables are spaced out nicely, even though there were plenty of other people it didn't feel like we were on top of each other. The service was perfect. The food is what it is really about. We started with a beet salad and a watermelon salad which were both delicious and creatively presented. Our salmon and chicken entrees were both perfectly prepared. The Ranch House is a very special spot. Perfect for a nice romantic dinner. Highly recommend it. read more

First, I will say the place is beautiful, if not terribly well lit, and the staff is great. But this food is simply not worth what they're charging. Let's take the courses in order. For the appetizer we got the mushroom streusel. It basically tasted like dirt. Tasty dirt, I guess, but not exactly great from a food perspective. The salad was very arugula heavy, and the dressing correspondingly extremely tart. It worked okay for me, but I'm not sure this is a salad most people would enjoy. Certainly not what I'd expect for this kind of money. The soup was good. They billed it as a black bean soup, which made me expect a purée, but it was more like a vegetarian chili. Good, though. Nothing wrong with the soup. My entree was a coffee chipotle braised short rib with polenta and asparagus. Creative and quite tasty, if a bit dry. My SO had the chicken, which was very juicy and served with fluffy mashed potatoes. The only real misstep with that was the surprising amount of lemon. Chef must have a thing for sour flavors. It was odd, but not bad. Finally, the desserts: a pair of vanilla crèmes brûlee. These were very good, but they would've been very good anywhere. This is the problem with the Ranch House in s nutshell: The food is good, but it's absolutely, positively, ridiculously overpriced. It's not that good, plain and simple. For half the price (of the coupon price, already half the normal price),. Sure. But this food basically costs three times what it's worth. Recommendation: pass. read more