Last week, the Sanford Supper Club visited Sanford's newest barbeque establishment. I'm always up for a reliable place to grab quality pulled pork, cornbread, and sweet tea. Paul suggested we try Vayda's Gypsy Rib Ranch. It's got a cool name and loads of mystery, so why not?
Vayda's Gypsy Rib Ranch
Number of Visits: 1
(with the Sanford Supper Club)
Distance from Chez Sanford-Centric: drive 21 blocks down 17-92 in a car (Eek! Could probably bike this, but haven't tried yet.)
Best Described As: a kooky new BBQ joint with tasty food and a couple of kinks to work out
Expectations
I went in with pretty low expectations on this one. Past business owners have found this building a tough nut to crack, and nothing has stuck around very long. I hoped for a solid barbeque place, which would be a great addition to Sanford, even if the location is a bit further from downtown than I would like. The place is pretty new, so no one had been there before.
Impressions
I looooove the décor in this place! The building is a great fit for a hometown barbeque joint, and the owners decked the inside with funky vintage tchochskies and memorabilia. I found the menu pretty impressive, both in variety and style. The owners chose tongue in cheek descriptions for each item, which helps establish the fun and super casual atmosphere...always a plus, in my opinion. The menu seems a bit sprawling for a new operation, but I'm sure they will gradually figure out what works and what doesn't.
The meal started strong, with buffalo chicken dip (that everyone seemed to like) and fried green tomatoes (very tasty, but not as good as Shantell's). Entree wise, everyone agreed that the brisket was "pretty good", and the side dishes were yummy. Jeremy and Sada both ordered ribs, which were adequate. Sada and both grew up with an impossible standard for ribs (bones sliding directly out because the meat is so tender, which only comes from slow cooking for four hours at a low temp), so it's hard for me to judge, but these took a little knawing. The meat had good flavor, but if the proprietors plan to include "rib ranch" in their name, I would double check on the cooking method and ensure the ribs are to die for.
I ordered a featured salad, since I believe salads to be a huge indicator of a restaurant's quality (and I had eaten a late lunch). My "Fortune Teller" salad looked beautiful, but left me wishing I had ordered something else. They used romaine as a base, which is better than most, but their poppyseed dressing tastes bottled, and the whole thing was otherwise bland. Given a second chance, I would have ordered one of their veggie burgers. In fact, I must compliment the Gypsy Rib Ranch on their completely unexpected and surprisingly quality vegetarian item selection! Very unusual for a barbeque place!
Our server was strong and confident, but the kitchen seemed highly unprepared to serve our party of 18. Granted, we didn't call ahead, but the restaurant seats about 50 inside and 70 outside. I suspect that getting plates out for a handful of four tops and deuces on a Tuesday night during dinner rush would have weeded them just as easily. This is always a sticking point with new Sanford restaurants: how do we staff? How much do we buy? What hour should we be open? Since they're new, we're super forgiving, but I will be interested to return in a month or so and see if anyone receives their entrée while everyone else is getting their checks.
Bottom Line
We will definitely return. I am eager to see how the Gypsy Rib Ranch will develop, because the good things are good, and the not so good things are very fixable. I believe that simplifying the menu to focus on a few core items, as well as marketing themselves as a vegetarian hotspot will really help put this place on the map as Sanford's go-to barbeque place.
As always, I wanna know what you think. Have you been to the Gypsy Rib Ranch? How did you like it?
Follow Vayda's on
Facebook for updates (and it looks like deals!).
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