Ranch 616

Ranch 616 Restaurant Review:

Ranch 616 is Texas diner-gone-designer with shiny black booths, a leather bar and funky Southwestern art. The permanent menu and eclectic nightly specials reflect the background of talented owner-chef Kevin Williamson, who grew up in south Texas enjoying fishing, game hunting and cooking home-style food. Expect a creative collection of dishes from the Gulf Coast to the bordering towns of Texas and Mexico. Lunch on fish tacos, homemade tamales and gussied-up burgers. Dinner entrées include divorced trout (two trout filets, one grilled and one fried, separated and served with two sauces) and divorced quail (one buttermilk-fried and paired with ranchero, the other sugar-cured and grilled with tomatillo, separated by a pile of Boursin mashers). The motif doesn’t carry over to the steaks. The huge Black Angus rib-eye topped with house demi and blue cheese is also crowned with two enchiladas --- just to get crazy. Not to be missed are the oversize fried oysters or the piping hot biscuits and honey served tableside in a metal tin. Live music and cheap cold beer on Thursday nights bring in a young crowd. The laid back patio under the neon rattlesnake features a large fire pit, which is perfect in Austin’s chillier months.