Gourmet Organic Cuisine at Rancho La Puerta Spa
Vegetables From the On-site Garden Highlight Daily Meals
Jan 31, 2009
Guests shouldn't expect to lose weight on a week's stay at Rancho La Puerta destination spa. It's too easy to clear one's plate and fill up at the breakfast and lunch buffets, since the organic spa cuisine is oh-so-delectable and beautifully presented.
Meals are served three times daily at the large Spanish Colonial dining room. It's typical to sit at communal round tables so guests can get to know one another over meals. There are also outdoor tables for breakfast and lunch in good weather (sunny days are more prevalent than not).
Breakfast and lunch are served buffet style, while dinner is a sit-down affair with a set menu. Two entrees at dinner are offered - one is always a vegetarian option, while the other is typically a seafood option, with the fresh fish and shellfish coming from an open-air market in Ensenada. Sometimes two strictly vegetarian entrees are served.
Whenever possible, chefs use naturally grown vegetables, fruits and herbs from the Ranch's own organic garden, Tres Estrellas. Anyone with food allergies, lactose intolerance or any other food sensitivities (or preferences) can let the dining room supervisor know at the beginning of their stay, and accommodations will be made.
Here's a peek at the types of items guests at Rancho La Puerta can enjoy:
Breakfast at Rancho La Puerta
Oatmeal and some other hot cereal, such as quinoa or seven-grain, is always on the buffet menu. Guests are always offered another hot item, such as a poached egg and spinach or whole wheat pancakes. A cereal bar with shredded wheat, bran flakes, granola and plain yogurt is offered with lowfat, skim or soy milk. Fresh fruit is always an option.
Lunch at Rancho La Puerta
This is also a buffet meal, with a prepared soup or salad option, as well as a low-fat third offering, such as a vegetable frittata, pizza or open sandwich. A separate, make-your-own salad bar is always available.
Dinner at Rancho La Puerta
Dinners are festive affairs, with nicely set tables and the lights dimmed in the two-story dining hall. The menu for the evening is always displayed on the table, and typically includes a soup, salad, choice of entrees and dessert. Entrees include items like Florentine Lasagna with Basil Sauce, Steamed Asparagus and Roasted Eggplant; Creamy Vegetable Risotto with Mushrooms and Steamed Asparagus; Mediterranean Vegetable Saffron Stew and Curried Lentils; Chiles Rellenos, Spicy Guacamole, Crispy Tortillas and Tomatillo Pasilla Sauce -- a favorite among guests!
Wine is served at dinner only once during the week, on the Friday before most guests leave. (Guests can have wine in the privacy of their rooms.) The final night is ultra-fun with a live band and dancing.
Snacks at Rancho La Puerta
Just in case guests don't get their fill at meals, crudite and fruit are often served in the main guest Lounge for munching. Afternoons bring yummy soy milk and fruit smoothies and a low-calorie soup broth, such as mushroom shiitake.
Culinary Center and Cooking Classes at Rancho La Puerta
New at the Ranch as of 2008 is a culinary center called La Cocina que Canta (the "kitchen that sings"), at which guests can enjoy cooking classes for an additional fee. Visitors have a hands-on experience, chopping vegetables and preparing sauces for a full dinner or lunch of "Mexican-Mediterranean" flavors.
And if guests enjoy the food at the Ranch so much, they can purchase Cooking with the Seasons, a hardbound cookbook with gorgeous color photos and 120 lucious seasonal recipes they can prepare in their own kitchens at home.
Interested in learning more about this award-winning spa? Check out Hiking at Rancho La Puerta.
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