Ranas (“frogs”) is tucked in next to a smog check station in  a ramshackle strip mall at 9683 Campo Road in Casa de Oro, just north of the Kenwood exit to Highway 94. Owned and operated by Oscar Acosta and his wife Dulce, Ranas serves wierdly unique dishes, unlikely to be found on the menus of virtually any other Mex joint in ‘Dago.

Wierdly unique and really good dishes. Like the Ranas Huarache, it’s name derived from the sandal shaped hunk of masa flat bread that provides the bed for the dish. The rest was a crazy melange of beans, lettuce, nopales cactus strips, carne asada, grilled onions, and cotija cheese that came across like the world’s best ever tostada. Or the Ranas Alambre, creamy goodness on a fajitas skillets: carne, shrimp, pineapple (!), bell peppers, mushrooms, and onions, smothered in swiss cheese, served with homemade corn tortillas.

There are at least 20 items on Ranas’ menu that I’d never heard of, and I’ve been eating in Mexican restaurants, both here and in Mexico for 30 years. Ever heard of Pollo en Cacahuate (Peanut Butter Chicken)? Me neither. Or Dedos de Cuauhtemoc (everything in the kitchen served on a hot volanic stone called a molcajete), honoring the fingers of the Aztec ruler of ancient Tenochtitlan? I don’t have room here for all the culinary razzamatazz, so  just check out this link  and take a look at the  menu.

For the hide-bound traditionalist, more typical dishes like sopes, enchiladas, and  tacos are available. (Burritos, on the menu,  are deservingly reduced to a sub-category of food called “on the border food”.) Mexican beer and, surprizingly, Mexican wine are available.

Ranas: outstanding, and worth several trips back just to try all the unique items on the menu.