Ripe Eatery our favorite neighborhood place
Ripe Eatery is one of our favorite restaurants in El Paso, and we are lucky to have it not far from where we live here on the Westside. We've been frequenting Ripe since first moving here in 2011 and have never been disappointed even once.
One thing that can be both good and bad about Ripe is that the menu is always a work in progress. That means that old favorites may become very old favorites because they are no longer on the menu (hello Southwestern chicken pot pie, green chile chicken dumplings, vegetable curry tagine, and wild mushroom risotto!). On the other hand, Ripe is always trying out new favorites and some end up appearing on the regular menu (at least for a while!). We also love checking out the monthly specials. For April, there were four menu specials (one entree, two desserts, and one drink) and two of those had Richard's name on them: seared duck (with carrot and coriander puree, parsnip and apple hash, and blueberry ginger sauce) as well as the strawberry breeze dessert (which consisted of strawberry chiffon cake, lime mousse, strawberry mousse, and fresh strawberries). Then menu actually states that the April specials were benefitting the Franklin, Coronado and Canutillo high school booster clubs so it's nice to be supporting something local while eating good food at the same time!
Soon after eyeing those April specials, we high-tailed it to Ripe Eatery. We were immediately seated and provided with menus. There are a a number of wines, beers, and other specialty beverages to choose from but we kept it simple and ordered a reasonably priced wine by the glass (La Capra cabernet) which was just fine. Richard later ended up getting yet another of the April specials, the white wine sangria (with sauvignon blanc, white peach, raspberry, lemon, and mint). He said that the sangria was light and refreshing...the perfect drink for him (and for spring).
Richard had already scoped out the duck for his entree. I had a hard time deciding when it came to my entree. I've wanted for a while to try the Swedish meatballs but wasn't in the mood for that tonight. I've had the ratatouille chicken multiple times and it's always been great, but I was making chicken the next day so wanted to stay away from that (same reason for not opting for the wonderful spicy Asian chicken sandwich and the on-my-list cordon bleu chicken sandwich). Richard has had the buttermilk chicken fried chicken before and it is great and is one of the dishes that has remained on the menu over time here and I do plan on ordering that at some point. But tonight I wanted to try again something I had last time, as I was afraid it may disappear from the menu! Even though I'm not vegan, this vegan entree is so good: vegan coconut poltenta and mushroom ragu (with creamy coconut polenta, marinated portabella, roasted tomato, garlic, and spinach).
As we waited for our entrees, we enjoyed our wine and enjoyed Ripe's laid-back atmosphere. It's a neighborhood restaurant and it isn't fancy, but it sure is good. There is also patio seating available, and that always seem popular. Ripe also does a brunch on weekends. Richard refuses to eat brunch (don't ask), but we've heard several people tell us that it's very good.
Once our entrees arrived, we dug in. Richard's duck was beautifully plated. He's eaten some of the best duck to be had anywhere (we're talking Paris, France and cajun country in Louisiana), as well as some of the worst (we'll be kind and not name names!). He said that Ripe's version was truly delicious duck and he enjoyed the sides as well. My polenta dish was creamy and rich with interesting subtle flavors. It was comfort food though a bit healthier than most of the other comfort food I tend to consume!
And since I'd gone healthier for my entree, why not splurge on dessert? Ripe had a decadent turtle cheesecake last month as a special, and April's cheesecake was a pineapple sunrise cheesecake (with caramelized pineapple, candied orange zest, and coconut cream drizzle). While that was surely tempting, I was ready to head back to one of my old faves from the Ripe dessert menu. The Texas sheet cake with ice cream is another menu offering that has stood the test of time at Ripe, and for good reason. And because I had been so good with my entree, I splurged and got an extra scoop of ice cream on the Texas sheet cake. Richard had already put his order in for the strawberry breeze, and when our sweet choices arrived we were in dessert heaven. Oh my! So, so good! Richard and I are polar opposites with desserts, but our choices suited us both perfectly fine for this meal. He said that the strawberry chiffon cake was light and luscious, and my Texas sheet cake was good and rich (just the way I like it). The ice cream really puts this dessert over the top, so I was glad that I had an extra scoop for double deliciousness.
As always, we had a really great meal at Ripe along with good service and a comfortable atmosphere. It is definitely one of our go-to places in El Paso and it's great to have it just down the road from where we live!