{"id":63568,"date":"2023-05-05T00:01:33","date_gmt":"2023-05-05T06:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=63568"},"modified":"2026-04-05T19:48:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T01:48:08","slug":"ranchos-plaza-grill-ranchos-de-taos-new-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=63568","title":{"rendered":"Ranchos Plaza Grill – Ranchos De Taos, New Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"
The Ranchos Plaza Grill Under Towering Deciduous Trees<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you’ve read or studied the history of New Mexico, you’re probably aware that life wasn’t easy for Spanish colonists. As with other efforts to colonize North America, Spanish settlers quickly found themselves insufficiently provisioned for the agrarian lifestyle they sought to establish and maintain. Wholly dependent on water to produce and maintain crops and farmland, they quickly found out rainfall in the desert Southwest was fickle and unpredictable. When winter came, the harsh realities of a poor crop yield set in. Settlers often had to resort to taking the food of their Indian neighbors, often by duplicitous means.<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout the seventeenth century the Spanish population in New Mexico never exceeded more than 3,000, about one-sixth the number of Pueblo residents.\u00a0 Clashes between Spanish settlers and soldiers and various Pueblos were largely predicated by the indignities Pueblos suffered at the hands of the Spanish. Then came severe drought, higher than average temperatures and very little rainfall.\u00a0 Significant crop losses, livestock death and starvation made life tenuous. These conditions were exacerbated by raiding Navajos and Apaches seeking to supplement their own dwindling foodstuffs by preying on other inhabitants of the colony. Ultimately these events contributed to the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 when the Spanish were driven out of the Land of Enchantment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
The patio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After the Spanish “reconquest” of New Mexico, fortified settlements began to spring up in areas replete with good fields, waters, pastures, and timber. Communities built a Church (usually the first structure to be completed) government buildings and homes. Settlers worked together to build corrals, dig irrigation ditches and plow and plant field.\u00a0 Spanish laws required settlers to configure settlements as a plaza which became\u00a0 a community’s religious and social fulcrum.\u00a0 These plazas consisted of contiguous houses built around a central open area that could be entered only through a fortified side gate. At Ranchos de Taos the plaza enclosed over two acres to hold all the community\u2019s livestock in the event of an Indian attack.\u00a0 Individual families were prohibited from going out and settling the land.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 1760 Ranchos de Taos was attacked by Comanche Indians who kidnapped 56 women and children and killed 17 people. Those Hispanic survivors who remained in the area took refuge at the Taos Pueblo for their mutual protection. Over the next 20 years, the settlers cautiously returned to their farms and plazas. In 1772 a mission church was begun with Franciscans supervising the construction.\u00a0 That church–The spectacular San Francisco de Asis Church, which was completed in 1815 and still dominates the Ranchos Plaza.\u00a0 It has long been acknowledged as one of the most beautiful buildings left by the early Spanish in the entire United States. Painted by Georgia O’Keefe and photographed by Ansel Adams and many others The Ranchos Church remains one of the most photographed buildings in the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
The “Lobby” – This is Where You Wait To Be Seated<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today much of what was once a central open area is a parking lot facing the back of the <\/span>San Francisco de Assisi Mission Church, a large, sculpted Spanish Colonial church with massive adobe buttresses and two front-facing bell towers.\u00a0 The contiguous houses built around the once central open area are now occupied by art galleries, small shops and the Ranchos Plaza Grill, one of the premier New Mexican restaurants in Northern New Mexico.\u00a0 From the Grill’s north-facing open-air patio, your views afar are\u00a0 of spectacular snow-capped mountains, including Wheeler Peak, the highest mountain (13,127′) in New Mexico.\u00a0 Towering deciduous trees provide sun-shielding shade and lend to the beautiful ambiance. For al fresco dining, you can’t beat it…and you might just be tempted to abscond with the beautiful red chile ristras hanging on the patio.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Both from an experiential and culinary standpoint, you can’t beat dining inside the venerable restaurant.\u00a0 Uneven flagstone flooring in- and outdoors means you should watch your step.\u00a0 That’s challenging to do when you step inside the spacious front room where intriguing artwork festoons the walls…and watch out for the rack of antlers at eye-level for most New Mexicans of average height.\u00a0 A distressed blue trastero with a traditional sunburst design and a petaquilla (trunk) are reminders of yesteryear when the restaurant may have served as a family home.\u00a0 The main dining room is actually smaller than the front room with four four-tops flanking a table for six.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
One of the Dining Rooms<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While the building in which Ranchos Plaza Grill is situated may be over a hundred years old, the restaurant itself is relatively new.\u00a0 Adam and Rae Lynn Medina opened the traditional and authentic New Mexican eatery with the help of Adam’s late father who was in the restaurant business.\u00a0 Adam’s graduation from culinary school coincided with the space on the plaza becoming available.\u00a0 Cooking duties were shared between Adam, Rae Lynn and Adam’s mom and dad.\u00a0 Today Adam is at the helm with other family members lending a hand.\u00a0 Though both red and green chile are featured fare, it’s the red chile whose story is told on the menu.\u00a0 No ordinary red chile is this.\u00a0 It’s chile Caribe, dried red chile pods ground to a crushed form and reconstituted.\u00a0 It’s absolutely delicious! A vegetarian chile is also available.<\/span><\/p>\n

Having grown up in Penasco, some 25 miles or so south of Ranchos de Taos, I was familiar with the Ranchos Plaza Cafe though had never visited until Guy Fieri, host of the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives program visited.\u00a0 In an episode titled “Beef and Bird” which aired on Friday, 4 November 2022, Fieri and his son Hunter lavished the restaurant with praise (though the Food Network’s Triple D website <\/strong><\/a>refers to the cuisine as “Mexican.”)\u00a0 For a restaurant that prides itself on Northern New Mexico cuisine, that’s almost an insult.\u00a0 So is the spelling “chili” on other Food Network sites featuring New Mexico’s sacrosanct cuisine. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Chips and Salsa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Northern New Mexican cuisine means carne adovada made the Taos way\u2013marinated pork medallions topped with chile caribe and ground red chile. It means making everything in-house (except for sour cream). The Plaza Grill is renowned for its \u201cbigger than your head<\/em>\u201d sopiapillas which are available as an entree (stuffed with chicken) or dessert (with honey). Guy Fieri jokingly chided his son Hunter for \u201cshoveling<\/em>\u201d his food, saying \u201cit\u2019s like trying to eat with the Tasmanian Devil<\/em>.\u201d Shout-out to my fellow Pe\u00f1asco Panther and captain of the state champion basketball team Clarence Vigil for managing to appear on camera several times and even getting in a good quote.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

As Fieri noted, the menu is “so big I have no idea what we’re going to order<\/em>.”\u00a0\u00a0 Part of the fun of a restaurant dining experience is perusing the menu and trying to figure out whether to have one of your favorite dishes or something entirely new.\u00a0 It’s easier for my bride who can’t eat anything piquant, but for my 39-year-old mom and me, there was no doubt whatever we ordered had to have chile.\u00a0 Growing up I don’t remember many meals in which red and (or) green chile wasn’t incorporated into a meal.\u00a0 So, when I say I was weaned on chile (Gerber red chile anyone?), it’s not too far from the truth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Bean and Beef Burrito<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Appetizers include nachos; homemade salsa and chips; homemade guacamole, chips and salsa; chile cheese fries; and a bowl of beans and chile with a sopaipilla.\u00a0 While my preference would have been nachos (beans and cheese with sour cream and guacamole), I was outvoted…not that salsa and chips <\/strong><\/em>are a consolation prize.\u00a0 The salsa is fresh and lively…too lively for my mom and for my Kim.\u00a0 Once upon a time my mom’s heat tolerance was even greater than mine, but at 93 years young, her tongue and taste buds are no longer lined with asbestos.\u00a0 Crispy blue and yellow corn chips proved a worthy accompaniment to the jalapeno-based salsa, one of the freshest and tastiest I’ve had in a while.<\/span><\/p>\n

While my mom may once have been able to match my heat tolerance, she’s never been a trencherman (trencherwoman?) Her appetite is much more dainty now. When her beef and bean burrito <\/strong><\/em>was delivered to our table, she immediately knew she’d be taking most of it home. This burrito covers the plate and looks as if it’s swimming in a lagoon of crimson red chile.\u00a0 It’s thick and tall with white Cheddar atop making it a doppelg\u00e4nger for Wheeler Peak.\u00a0 Seriously, this is one large burrito!\u00a0 A generous portion of rice is served next to the burrito.\u00a0 Mom (with a little help from her favorite son) put a dent on the burrito, finishing maybe a fifth.\u00a0 The burrito was terrific though the chile could have had more bite (my opinion only).\u00a0 Unlike at so many New Mexican restaurants “beef” means shredded beef, not fried hamburger.\u00a0 It makes a difference.\u00a0 So do the beans–New Mexico’s “other” official state vegetable, the pinto bean.\u00a0 These beans were absolutely perfect!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Blue Corn Enchiladas with Chile Caribe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A typical dining experience with me includes watching your favorite restaurant review guru vacillating between several items on the menu.\u00a0 Ordering quickly is a rare experience.\u00a0 When it looks as if servers are ready to strangle me, my go-to selection at New Mexican restaurants is enchiladas. The Ranchos Plaza Grill offers everything from seafood enchiladas to carne adovada enchiladas, five choices in all. Three of the five enchiladas are of the “rolled” variety. As a Norte\u00f1o, “stacked” is always my choice.\u00a0 So was three enchiladas instead of two. Blue corn enchiladas <\/strong><\/em>stacked and topped with beef and red chile was an excellent choice though like my mom, I struggled to finish my plate. It would have been easier had the beans and rice not been so good. Yes, even the “Spanish” rice was excellent. The beans are poster worthy exemplars of New Mexico’s official state vegetable. As far as the blue corn enchiladas, these are among the very best I’ve had across the Land of Enchantment. That chile is as enchanting as any culinary ingredient you can have.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Beef Fajitas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My Kim’s go-to choice-courtesy of a prescription change that ruined her tolerance of piquant foods–has become fajitas<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 Not that that’s a bad thing.\u00a0 Besides, fajitas allowed us to experience the “Grill” portion of the restaurant’s name.\u00a0 You may not know this–and hopefully it won’t ruin an illusion for you–but what gives fajitas their smoke and sizzle is the strategic spritz of liquid onto a plate. \u00a0At the Ranchos Grill, you won’t experience that manufactured experience of the cloud of smoke and angry sizzle that sometimes accompanies fajitas.\u00a0 No sizzle and no show doesn’t mean no flavor.\u00a0 In fact, these fajitas are superb.\u00a0 My Kim is especially enamored of the nearly caramelized and translucent onions.\u00a0 They’re sweet and delicious, a perfect foil for the savory, meaty beef (or is that beefy meat?).\u00a0 Sour cream and guacamole are served with the fajitas as are thick, homemade flour tortillas.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Hot, Fluffy Sopaipillas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Guy and Hunter Fieri were introduced to stuffed sopaipillas during their November, 2022 visit to the Ranchos Plaza Grill.\u00a0 Guy commented on each sopaipilla being the size of his son’s head.\u00a0 None of us ordered the stuffed sopaipillas, but we did enjoy (immensely) the sopaipillas<\/strong> <\/em>accompanied by real honey.\u00a0 These sopaipillas are puffalumpable pillows…indeed formidable.\u00a0 Tear them open and steam wafts upward just beckoning for honey.\u00a0 For most people, a sopaipilla or two with honey makes for a sizeable dessert, a magnificent melding of sticky sweet honey with light, crispy fried pieces of pastry dough.\u00a0 Culinary historians believe sopaipillas originated in Albuquerque.\u00a0 They were certainly perfected at Ranchos de Taos.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Sopa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My mom and I couldn’t resist ordering sopa even after polishing off our sopaipilla desserts.\u00a0 You may be aware that in Mexican restaurants, sopa translates in English to “soup.”\u00a0 There’s a second definition you may not be aware of.\u00a0 Sopa is also a term for “sopped bread; a piece of bread soaked in broth, milk or wine<\/em>.” \u00a0What Taosenos call “sopa<\/strong><\/em>” is what Penasqueros know as capirotada, a bread pudding made with cinnamon, piloncillo, cloves, raisins, bread, and cheese.\u00a0 Yes, cheese.\u00a0 It’s integral on a great capirotada.\u00a0 My mom’s capirotada is the very best I’ve ever experienced.\u00a0 Ranchos Plaza Grill’s rendition would make my top five.\u00a0 It’s outstanding even though crushed walnuts are used in place of raisins.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pioneering Spaniards would love to have had a culinary oasis in the Land of Enchantment’s oft treacherous frontier.\u00a0 It would have made life much more enchanting for them as it does for hordes of visitors wanting to experience some of the state’s very best New Mexican cuisine.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ranchos Plaza Grill<\/strong>
\n8 Ranchos Plaza Road
\nRanchos De Taos, New Mexico<\/strong>
\n(575) 758-5788
\nFacebook Page<\/strong><\/a>
\nLATEST VISIT<\/strong>: 5 May 2023
\n# OF VISITS<\/strong>: 1
\nRATING<\/strong>: N\/R
\nCOST<\/strong>: $$
\nBEST BET<\/strong>: Blue Corn Enchiladas, Fajitas, Soda, Salsa and Chips, Bean and Cheese Burrito
\nREVIEW #1330<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you’ve read or studied the history of New Mexico, you’re probably aware that life wasn’t easy for Spanish colonists. As with other efforts to colonize North America, Spanish settlers quickly found themselves insufficiently provisioned for the agrarian lifestyle they sought to establish and maintain. Wholly dependent on water to produce and maintain crops and farmland, they quickly found out rainfall in the desert Southwest was fickle and unpredictable. When winter came, the harsh realities of a poor crop yield set in. Settlers often had to resort to taking the food of their Indian neighbors, often by duplicitous means. Throughout the seventeenth century the Spanish population in New Mexico never exceeded more than 3,000, about one-sixth the number of Pueblo…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":63581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1762,544,112,141,5647,286],"tags":[2976,2970,2978,2969,1160,1980,998,749,961,2977,2968,2972,2971,857],"class_list":["post-63568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diners-drive-ins-and-dives","category-food-network-eats-new-mexico","category-new-mexican","category-new-mexico","category-rating-n-r","category-taos","tag-adam-medina","tag-bean-and-cheese-burrito","tag-blue-and-yellow-corn-chips-with-salsa","tag-blue-corn-enchiladas","tag-diners-drive-ins-dives","tag-fajitas","tag-guacamole","tag-guy-fieri","tag-patio","tag-rae-lynn-medina","tag-ranchos-de-taos","tag-san-francisco-de-assisi-mission-church","tag-soda","tag-tacos"],"yoast_head":"\nRanchos Plaza Grill - Ranchos De Taos, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=63568\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ranchos Plaza Grill - Ranchos De Taos, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you’ve read or studied the history of New Mexico, you’re probably aware that life wasn’t easy for Spanish colonists. As with other efforts to colonize North America, Spanish settlers quickly found themselves insufficiently provisioned for the agrarian lifestyle they sought to establish and maintain. Wholly dependent on water to produce and maintain crops and farmland, they quickly found out rainfall in the desert Southwest was fickle and unpredictable. When winter came, the harsh realities of a poor crop yield set in. Settlers often had to resort to taking the food of their Indian neighbors, often by duplicitous means. Throughout the seventeenth century the Spanish population in New Mexico never exceeded more than 3,000, about one-sixth the number of Pueblo…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=63568\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nmgastronome\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-05-05T06:01:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-06T01:48:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/RanchosPlazaGrill06-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gil Garduno\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gil Garduno\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=63568#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=63568\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Gil Garduno\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf\"},\"headline\":\"Ranchos Plaza Grill – Ranchos De Taos, New Mexico\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-05-05T06:01:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-06T01:48:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=63568\"},\"wordCount\":2270,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=63568#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/RanchosPlazaGrill06-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Adam Medina\",\"Bean and Cheese Burrito\",\"Blue and Yellow Corn Chips with Salsa\",\"Blue Corn Enchiladas\",\"Diners Drive-Ins & Dives\",\"Fajitas\",\"Guacamole\",\"Guy Fieri\",\"Patio\",\"Rae Lynn Medina\",\"Ranchos De Taos\",\"San Francisco de Assisi Mission Church\",\"Soda\",\"Tacos\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Diners Drive-Ins and Dives\",\"Food Network Eats New Mexico\",\"New Mexican\",\"New Mexico\",\"Rating: N\\\/R (Not Rated)\",\"Taos County\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=63568#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=63568\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=63568\",\"name\":\"Ranchos Plaza Grill - Ranchos De Taos, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=63568#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=63568#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/RanchosPlazaGrill06-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-05-05T06:01:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-06T01:48:08+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=63568#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=63568\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=63568#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/RanchosPlazaGrill06-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/05\\\/RanchosPlazaGrill06-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":2560},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=63568#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Ranchos Plaza Grill – Ranchos De Taos, New Mexico\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\",\"description\":\"Follow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico's Sesquipedalian Sybarite. 1,522 Restaurant Reviews, More Than 14,900 Visitor Comments...And Counting!\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"\",\"contentUrl\":\"\",\"caption\":\"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf\",\"name\":\"Gil Garduno\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"Gil Garduno\"},\"description\":\"Since 2008, the tagline on Gil\u2019s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog has invited you to \u201cFollow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico\u2019s Sesquipedalian Sybarite.\u201d To date, more than six million visitors have trusted (or at least visited) my recommendations on more than 1,300 restaurant reviews. Please take a few minutes to tell me what you think. Whether you agree or disagree with me, I'd love to hear about it.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/%20\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/nmgastronome\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/nmgastronome\\\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ranchos Plaza Grill - Ranchos De Taos, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=63568","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ranchos Plaza Grill - Ranchos De Taos, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","og_description":"If you’ve read or studied the history of New Mexico, you’re probably aware that life wasn’t easy for Spanish colonists. As with other efforts to colonize North America, Spanish settlers quickly found themselves insufficiently provisioned for the agrarian lifestyle they sought to establish and maintain. Wholly dependent on water to produce and maintain crops and farmland, they quickly found out rainfall in the desert Southwest was fickle and unpredictable. When winter came, the harsh realities of a poor crop yield set in. Settlers often had to resort to taking the food of their Indian neighbors, often by duplicitous means. Throughout the seventeenth century the Spanish population in New Mexico never exceeded more than 3,000, about one-sixth the number of Pueblo…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=63568","og_site_name":"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nmgastronome\/","article_published_time":"2023-05-05T06:01:33+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-06T01:48:08+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":2560,"url":"http:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/RanchosPlazaGrill06-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Gil Garduno","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Gil Garduno","Est. reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=63568#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=63568"},"author":{"name":"Gil Garduno","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#\/schema\/person\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf"},"headline":"Ranchos Plaza Grill – Ranchos De Taos, New Mexico","datePublished":"2023-05-05T06:01:33+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-06T01:48:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=63568"},"wordCount":2270,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=63568#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/RanchosPlazaGrill06-scaled.jpg","keywords":["Adam Medina","Bean and Cheese Burrito","Blue and Yellow Corn Chips with Salsa","Blue Corn Enchiladas","Diners Drive-Ins & Dives","Fajitas","Guacamole","Guy Fieri","Patio","Rae Lynn Medina","Ranchos De Taos","San Francisco de Assisi Mission Church","Soda","Tacos"],"articleSection":["Diners Drive-Ins and Dives","Food Network Eats New Mexico","New Mexican","New Mexico","Rating: N\/R (Not Rated)","Taos County"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=63568#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=63568","url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=63568","name":"Ranchos Plaza Grill - Ranchos De Taos, New Mexico - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=63568#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=63568#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/RanchosPlazaGrill06-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2023-05-05T06:01:33+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-06T01:48:08+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=63568#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=63568"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=63568#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/RanchosPlazaGrill06-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/RanchosPlazaGrill06-scaled.jpg","width":1920,"height":2560},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=63568#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Ranchos Plaza Grill – Ranchos De Taos, New Mexico"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/","name":"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","description":"Follow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico's Sesquipedalian Sybarite. 1,522 Restaurant Reviews, More Than 14,900 Visitor Comments...And Counting!","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#organization","name":"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog","url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"","contentUrl":"","caption":"Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/#\/schema\/person\/423b9c3eeeb199e43ab4f1f584fa67bf","name":"Gil Garduno","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/140571d25459ad5954bce10ffc2f8c8d21c92edf345ea30e6145c3e68a417af1?s=96&r=pg","caption":"Gil Garduno"},"description":"Since 2008, the tagline on Gil\u2019s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog has invited you to \u201cFollow the Culinary Ruminations of New Mexico\u2019s Sesquipedalian Sybarite.\u201d To date, more than six million visitors have trusted (or at least visited) my recommendations on more than 1,300 restaurant reviews. Please take a few minutes to tell me what you think. Whether you agree or disagree with me, I'd love to hear about it.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/%20","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nmgastronome\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/nmgastronome\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=63568"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63568\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63639,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63568\/revisions\/63639"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/63581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=63568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=63568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=63568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}