This weekend, a friend and I left our little Ocean Beach bubble down here in San Diego and ventured over to Mission Valley for dinner and drinks at Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill. The whole experience from drinks to dinner to dessert (which we were way too stuffed to finish) was excellent. I will definitely be back to visit whenever I have meat-loving visitors in town!

Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill
7510 Hazard Center Drive #215, San Diego, CA 92108
http://www.woodranch.com

After being seated, we followed our waitress’ drink recommendations, as we both had a hard time choosing. I opted for the Tennessee Peach which combined Gentleman Jack, peach schnapps, house-made simple syrup, mint, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. This drink was perfectly sweet and refreshing and really hit the spot. I also loved munching on the alcohol soaked peach once I reached the bottom!

 

 

My friend Courtney decided on the Sizzlin’ Margarita, combining roasted jalapeño and cilantro with El Jimador Reposado tequila for a deliciously spicy twist on a beloved classic. We had both been eyeballing this one and it definitely delivered! There was a perfect amount of spice to compliment the traditional margarita flavors we all know and love.

We were both pretty hungry upon arrival and jumped at the opportunity to munch on some of the fresh baked Garlic Rolls our server offered. These rolls are so fluffy, light, and perfectly buttery… and they disappeared far too quickly. We also opted to try their Famous Shredded Onions, which were thin and crunchy and a perfect snack to start our meal!

As someone who doesn’t eat red meat, a BBQ place is not usually my first choice. I tend to end up sadly munching on a dry piece of chicken while everyone else enjoys amazing food. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the menu at Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill, where the wide selection of delicious salads and fresh seafood options made it hard to choose what to order! I decided to go with their Grilled Vegetable Salad and I added chicken. This salad combines mixed greens, yams, red bell pepper, zucchini, corn, basil, carrots, scallions, tomato, asparagus, avocado, and radicchio all tossed in a champagne vinaigrette. So much goodness packed into one salad, not to mention that our server offered fresh ground pepper on top. This salad was perfectly crunchy and so satisfying, I did not want to stop eating it. I practically licked the bowl clean!

My friend Courtney, who is much more of a carnivore than me, decided on the Double R Ranch Brisket with coleslaw and mac & cheese on the side. She loved the chipotle-cherry BBQ sauce this was served with, and we were both really blown away by the coleslaw! Even though I’m definitely not a coleslaw eater, this one was so good, featuring peanuts that added extra flavor and crunch.

We were both stuffed but knew we had to check out the dessert menu, and ended up settling on two different choices… because there’s no such thing as too much dessert!

I tried Mom’s Deep Dish Cobbler to keep on with my peach theme, and was so happy with my choice. This cobbler took Freestone peaches, whole grains, cinnamon, and brown sugar and turned it into a crispy, warm, gooey dessert topped with vanilla bean ice cream. The only disappointment was being too full to finish it!

Courtney knew she had to try the Oreo Cookie Crunch, three balls of vanilla bean ice cream rolled by hand in crumbled Oreo cookies. This dessert was so unique and we were both really surprised by it! It was like eating ice cream-filled Oreos… a dream come true!

Wood Ranch definitely exceeded my expectations as a non-meat eater, and I was so happy with everything that we tasted. The cocktails, garlic knots, and delicious desserts alone would keep me coming back for more!