Ricardo’s - A Tradition Since 1975?
On a recent trip to Tulsa, the same one involving the infamous Cheddar’s Buffalo Chicken Strips, I also had the “opportunity” to try Ricardo’s, a huge Mexican place established in 1975 which, according to their website, has been expanded three times.
I had a lot of hope for this place. Having been to Oklahoma several times before, I have never, ever been able to find fault with their Mexican food. So when I saw the sign saying the place had been in business since 1975 and when I walked into to find the restaurant was two stories, I figured I had found Mexican mecca.
Sadly, this was not to be the case.
It wasn’t that Ricardo’s was bad per se, it was just that none of it felt made from scratch. The Mexican rice was, I believe, Old El Paso. The tamales were the same ones my dad ate out of a can when I was a kid. The chips were obviously store bought. And none of it was particularly inspiring. How could it be? It was all covered in cheap yellow cheese product.
I ordered the Ricardo’s Grande (see left), a feast including a chalupa (a tostada), a beef tamale, a chicken or beef enchilada, a beef taco and a chili rellano. The chalupa was pretty good, the enchilada was very forgettable (I think I got the chicken), the beef taco was greasy, and the chili rellano had the flavor fried out of it. The worst part was the canned beef tamale was probably the best thing I ate.
I know I am being harsh, but I kept expecting Gordon Ramsey to walk through the doors, enter the kitchen, see that everything was coming from a can and saying “You have got to be [bleep]ing kidding me. Are you taking a piss?”
All in all, if you are not from Tulsa, I cannot recommend Ricardo’s. It’s just not a place I would want to go if I am shelling out money for a vacation meal. However, if you are in Tulsa, you should check it out. I got all that food and a ton of chips and salsa for $11.50. To me, Ricardo’s fills the same niche as Patrikio’s, it’s a place you go when you don’t want gourmet, you want someone to carry you out after you gorge yourself on cheap Mexican food.
