With all of the focus over the past few weeks on the opening of Disney's California Adventure, many may have missed a new offering at an old favorite. The beginning of February brought not only the opening of Disney's new theme park, but also the grand opening of Rancho Del Zocalo, the new tex-mex style restaurant in the heart of Disneyland's Frontierland.

Situated on the location of the old Casa Mexicana restaurant, Rancho Del Zocalo creates a tasty menu with a combination of items from both the old Casa Mexicana Restaurant and the Big Thunder BBQ. The new restaurant also replaces the old Carnation Plaza Gardens location, with a new entry from the Main Street side. All three restaurants have now been closed and consolidated into Rancho Del Zocalo.

The Restaurant itself is styled in a similar adobe feel reminiscent of Casa Mexicana. The interior is now designed in a scatter serve approach and is divided into sections very similar to Redd Rockett's or Plaza Inn. Guests can choose from Mexican menus or the barbeque. Each side has its own unique offerings.

After waiting for so many months, Guests who crave large portions of hearty Mexican food after a morning at the Happiest Place On Earth can once again be satisfied at Rancho del Zocalo. Hot menu items on the Mexican side of the spectrum include El Burrito Grande, Quesadilla Especial, Tacos del Mar, Tacos del California, and Tostado del Rancho. The restaurant features two Mouskemeal options for the young rancheros and rancheras under age 9, the Cheese Quesadilla and the Bean and Cheese Burrito.

Guests hungry for one of the Mexican style meals listed above are greeted by a friendly Cast Member at the restaurant entrance and are directed to the right half of the serving counter. Here Guests can choose from four lines: the two on the left are for Taco and Quesadilla dishes, while the two on the right are for Burritos and Tostadas. A Cast Member stands at the head of each line to assist in taking Guests' orders and speeding up the efficiency of dish preparation and service. Guests are personally handed their plates with a smile.

One of the biggest benefits of Rancho del Zocalo is the large portion of quality food served with each dish. All plates are served with chips, beans and Spanish rice. Even extra hungry Guests will feel they got their money's worth after leaving the ranch.

The menu is not exaggerating when it reads "Burrito Grande", as the hearty burritos are more than enough for a single eater. The burritos are definitely a hearty meal, topped with guacamole, cheese, and sour cream. Guests are given a choice of chicken or steak to fill the insides, along with Spanish rice, beans, and cheese. The steak is barbequed with a good flavor and is definitely worth a try. The chicken appeared equally scrumptious and was approved of by fellow Guests eating it as part of the tacos. The Spanish rice is of the quality of any good Mexican restaurant, while the chips were a nice compliment to help scoop up the extra mess left by the burrito and beans.

The Tacos del California is also a big hit, and is plenty enough to serve two moderately hungry eaters. The dish comes with two tacos as well as the delicious side items discussed above. Guests will enjoy ordering a variety of dishes and sharing among themselves to experience all the exquisite Mexican cuisine of the Rancho.

The Barbecue is set up in similar fashion to the Mexican side of the restaurant. Guests choose from two lines where they can select from the wide variety of offerings. Menu items resemble that of the old Big Thunder BBQ. Guests have a selection of a few different, very large plates of ribs and other BBQ style dishes. Selections from the BBQ include Prime Rib del Zocalo, Smoked St. Louis Ribs, El Grande Barbecue Platter, Ranch-Style Barbecue Chicken, Chili Vasquez and Texas-Style Chicken Fried Steak. There is also a selection of hot sandwiches including a very nice beef Sandwich. All plates come with a selection of fries, coleslaw and beans.

The beef sandwich was more than enough to feed a very hungry Guest. The sandwich is made of a larger roll filled with barbecued strips of thinly sliced beef and topped with fried onions. The plate includes the large country style fries and a serving of coleslaw.

The rest of the menu looked to be equally appetizing. Some of the more expensive dishes are quite large and look as though they could easily feed a few people and all come with the same side dishes. Cast Members also are willing to substitute side dishes to remove items Guests are not interested in.

A dessert bar is available for those Guests looking to put the final course on these fairly large meals. Desserts include Peach Cobbler, Chocolate Bread Pudding, Fudge Brownies and Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

Overall Rancho Del Zocalo provides guests with a very nice and well-proportioned meal. The new restaurant features a wide array of menu choices for both barbecue and Mexican food fans. Prices are on par with the rest of the Resort and sizes of meals are very nicely sized for the price. Intercot West highly recommends Rancho Del Zocalo for your next visit to the Happiest Place on Earth.

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