Mexican food review: La Hacienda Ranch in Frisco

by Colette Copeland of Colette's Dallas Mexican Food Reviews

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The food is worth it, but you'll take the smell home with you.

La Hacienda Ranch is the perfect restaurant for anyone who likes cowboy kitsch, smelling like a mesquite fire (for at least two days), and eating dead cows. The host/hostesses all wear black cowboy hats, white snap cowboy shirts, jeans, boots, and belt buckles. Here's the thing. I'm not sure that they know they are cowboy kitsch. That is part of the fun. They take it seriously.

My friend gave me her punch card, which allowed my son and I to have a free entree. She recommended the tortilla soup and said they had the best fajitas around. The service was very friendly and attentive. We had tableside guac with perfectly ripened avocados. Delish. Also, smoked salsa was a nice alternative to the regular fare.

Son got a heaping plate of fajitas. Lots of tender beef. He gave it the big thumbs up and left stuffed. Surprising for a guy who is usually a bottomless pit.

I got the tortilla soup. The broth was very rich -- different from most chicken broth. I could have sworn that it was a combo beef/chicken broth, but the server swore that it was just the spices that made the taste. Unlike most other tortilla soups, there were chunks of veggies -- carrots, celery, peppers. Not too much cheese and lots of broth.

Monday night is 1/2 price skinny margaritas, and while I normally don't imbibe (with tequila that is), I tried one and it was tasty without knocking my socks off.

The smoky smell might be a turn-on for some, but after an hour, I felt kind of nauseous and now need to wash all of my clothes, since the smell permeated everything. Kind of reminded me of ChiChi's Mexican Restaurant. No matter how many times I washed my uniform, it always smelled.

The restaurant really caters to cow eaters, so not much in veggie fare. But those of you who like to ride kiddy horses (you know the kind where you put in a quarter and the horse moves back and forth a few times?), the restaurant has four of those.

One bit of trivia -- the owner is best known for creating the first frozen margarita machine in 1971.

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