Ranch 45 Local Provisions brings the beef

The new Ranch 45 Local Provisions looks to supply locally-sourced and high-quality food in a casual, laid back atmosphere. As well as serving up an all-day breakfast, lunch, happy hour and take-home dinners from their gourmet meat selection, Ranch 45 will also offer cooking classes and aims to become a community hub.

Founded by Executive Chef Laura Bruce and General Manager Pam Schwartz, Ranch 45 opened in November 2018 close to the Del Mar Fairgrounds and is heading into the busiest time of year for traffic on Via de la Valle with the San Diego County Fair followed close behind by the racing season.

“I’m excited and nervous,” said Schwartz of their first busy fair season, adding that they are hoping to play a part in the action, cooking up fun theme nights to go along with the concerts during racing season.

Schwartz comes to Ranch 45 with 30 years in the restaurant industry. Raised in the south on the Florida and Georgia border, she is a graduate of the Culinary Institute and spent time working in restaurants in Atlanta, Las Vegas and New York.

She moved to San Diego from New York about 17 years ago to be closer to family—her husband Aron is a Del Mar native and Torrey Pines High School alum and is the executive chef at Marriott Marquis Marina Kitchen Restaurant and Bar.

In San Diego, Schwartz has managed San Diego Marriott Del Mar’s Arterra, the Pamplemousse Grille for five years and was most recently at Hello Betty Fish House in Oceanside. She couldn’t pass on the opportunity to open up a “dream restaurant” in her own backyard.

“This is home,” said Schwartz who lives in Carmel Valley and whose children attend nearby Earl Warren and Solana Pacific schools and swim for Rancho San Dieguito. “It’s so fun to be here.”

At Ranch 45, it’s all about the beef.

Provided exclusively by family-owned ranch Brandt Beef, premium natural beef plays a starring role in several dishes from breakfast burritos with house-made chorizo to their Butcher’s Case stocked with meats for grilling or roasting with all the sides and sauces necessary to create a restaurant quality meal at home.

Breakfast options include Dutch steak and eggs, a breakfast power bowl with egg whites, quinoa, spinach and seasonal vegetables and a bacon, egg and cheese croissant with all-natural beef bacon.
Lunch offerings include a corned beef Reuban, carne asada burrito and a smoked tri tip sandwich done Carolina BBQ style with crispy onions on a brioche bun.

“We’ve got the best burger in town,” Schwartz said confidently of their Brandt burger with lettuce, heirloom tomato, Bermuda onion with a choice of smoked cheddar of gruyere and add-ons like beef bacon, avocado or fried egg.

Ranch 45 makes a steak salad as well as a loaded spinach salad with candied bacon, cremini mushrooms, pickled red onion, grated egg, sunflower seeds and honey balsamic vinaigrette. They will always have a soup of the day and Brandt beef all natural bone broth.

As it recently received its beer and wine license, Ranch 45 will offer happy hours from 3-6 p.m. from Wednesday through Friday, offering discounts on beer and wine along with a selection of bites such as a beef flight, mini carne asada quesadillas and Parmesan fries with beef bacon.

Schwartz said they really hope that Ranch 45 becomes a community spot for people to gather and dine as well as pick up a prepared meal to take home if they are short on time. Soon guests will find BBQ grilling kits just in time for summer.

“If your goal is to have dinner for family, come grab salads, sides and a steak or let us cook it for you to bring your meal home ready to go,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz said Ranch 45 values knowing the source of where their products come from and the values of their suppliers. The restaurant sources everything locally, from coffee beans from Cafe Virtuoso to Mary’s Free-Range Chicken, vegetables from Chino Farms and locally- sourced eggs from Eben-Haezer Poultry Ranch out of Ramona.

“By knowing our food, we can prepare our dishes in a way that lets the rancher, fisherman and farmer shine on your plate,” Schwartz said.

Formerly the Curious Fork, when Ranch 45 took over the space, the building was in the midst of re-landscaping so they were able to expand to include a spacious outdoor patio. The patio is where they plan to grill on the weekends.

Cooking classes will be held in the restaurant’s demo kitchen. For Mother’s Day, they hosted a successful mother-daughter class where attendees learned to prepare multiple courses and for Father’s Day, they will offer a BBQ class on Thursday, June 13 at 6:30 p.m.

At the class, Bob the Butcher from Brandt Beef will share butchery tips and techniques on the four most common methods of BBQ: smoking, grilling, roasting and braising. He will also go over the cooking process, timing, temperatures, seasonings and sauces. Tickets can be purchased on the website.

Ranch 45 is located at 512 Via de la Valle, suite 102 in Solana Beach. They are open Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For more information, visit ranch45.com