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El Rancho Grande began as a small taco
stand in a diner car at the Antique Mall in Union Pier. In 1997, Peter Bernal opened
El Rancho Grande Tex/Mex restaurant resembling the Alamo. Here is Pete's childhood dream:
"It all started when I was just a
child and remembering the stories my father used to tell about my grandfather Don Pedro
Bernal Navarro."
"In 1885, in a small village called Iropuato
in the central part of Mexico, my great grandfather and his son Don Pedro, who at that time
was a small boy, worked at an area. Back in the 1800's a popular sporting event was rooster
fights. People would travel from miles away to partake in the excitement of these fights."
"My grandfather eventually opened his own
arena and was blessed by some of the patrons that would visit. He met a gentlemen by the
name of Pancho Villa, who would call upon my grandfather for advice on the best fighting
roosters that day. Pancho Villa was known by many to be a Mexican Revolutionary Leader.
He became an important integral part of my grandfather's life."
"This is why I designed El Rancho Grande,
to help pass on my ancestors heritage and to remember the excitement of the stories that
were told."
The restaurant has a Mexican/Texas decor,
from the Western room (with a large fire place, a life size cardboard John Wayne,
log cabin walls, and floor planking), the stained glass room (with two large windows
and life sized stained glass pictures of James Bowie and Santana, two generals of the
Alamo battle), the cantina/bar (the main bar is a 150 year old item found in Colorado),
to the deck for warm summer nights.
The restaurant is full of antiques, pinatas,
hand crafted Mexican wooden birds and hand made clowns for sale. Head Chief Francisco
Hernandez takes pride in every little detail, down to the homemade chips and salsa. A five
star specialty is Huachinango (pronounced Wau-chinango) whole red snapper, with choice
of Jalapeno or Garlic Sauce served with salad and Avocados and of course tortillas.
Everything is homemade down to the tamales hand rolled in traditional corn husks.
- Pete Bernal
This story is dedicated to my father Peter
Bernal and my grandfather Don Pedro Bernal Navarro.
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