In the past, I have sampled many Mexican restaurants in addition to living in Spain for three years. In that time I have found that you cannot use the age or condition of the building to judge the quality of the food, but it is part of the dining experience. I once had some of the best Mexican food ever in an old gas station in Wichita Falls, Texas.

The environment of the Rancho Alegre, in Deer Park, was a worn yet warm setting. The seating options included booths as well as tables. The service, while not fast, was gracious and attentive even following the delivery of the food.  The meal included the obligatory basket of chips and salsa which is a great appetizer that prevents the patron from complaining about the slowness of the service. The night we were there, only two servers were working, and they were nearly running to keep up with the orders. The addition of a third server would have made a major improvement in the timeliness of the service.

For our meal, my wife had the two chicken burritos selection. They were moist, tender and very flavorful. I had a shrimp with a sour cream sauce, with hints of garlic and onion over a bed of pasta. The Rancho Alegre menu is large and diverse and our meal was tasty and filling. We also enjoyed a glass of sangria that was excellent. I am awarding this restaurant with a four fork designation. A slight improvement in the timeliness of the service, along with an upgrade in the furnishings would probably push this to a five fork award.