WOOD RANCH BBQ & GRILL FEATURES “MADERA BAY” BLUE CRAB CAKES Sweet Potato Fries also Debut Menu is Now “Zero” Trans Fat

Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill, Ventura County’s “Best BBQ” restaurant (Ventura County Star, Readers’ Choice, Inland Empire magazine, among others), is proud to introduce “Madera Bay” Blue Crab Cakes to its menu.

The crab cakes are offered as an appetizer and as an entrée. They will be on the menu at all Wood Ranch locations beginning March 31, but are available now as a special dish. The crab cakes are served on a bed of baby greens along with a traditional Remoulade and a classic cocktail sauce, as well as half a lemon.

“We believe the addition of the crab cakes will further enhance the overall quality of the food and experience we offer our guests,” explained Eric Anders, co-founder of the 11-restaurant company. “We tested more than a half-dozen recipes before we settled on this one that my cousin gave us and our chefs improved. I grew up in Maryland and I don’t recall having a better crab cake than this one.”
The name for the dish is inspired by a recipe that was developed on a vacation in St. John, US Virgin Islands. The home at which the recipe was first made by a group of vacationing chefs rests on the beach of a small inlet that was dubbed “Madera Bay” because of the constant flow of driftwood onto the beach. Madera is Spanish for “wood.”

Another new entry to the award-winning Wood Ranch menu is Sweet Potato Fries, served with a Chipotle Ranch dipping sauce. The Sweet Potato Fries will be available as a WR Premium Side beginning on March 31.

“We’re also very excited to be serving a ‘zero’ trans fat menu now,” added Ofer Shemtov, Wood Ranch co-founder. “We made every effort to eliminate the use of products that contain trans fat and I know we did not sacrifice flavor as a result.”

“Zero” trans fat means that each serving contains .5 gram or less than trans fat.

Wood Ranch has been rated as "Top Barbecue Spot" and also earned a Certificate of Distinction for receiving outstanding scores in both food and service in the Zagat Restaurant Guide Los Angeles/Southern California, America's premier dining-out guide, for six out of the last eight years. Other awards include: “Best Barbecue,” The Los Angeles Times; “…high marks from locals for barbecue,” The Wall Street Journal; “Best Barbecue,” The Los Angeles Daily News; “Best Barbecue in Ventura County,” The Ventura County Star; “Best Barbecue in L.A.,” 97.1 FM Talk Radio (The Merrill Shindler Show); “Barbecue King,” Los Angeles Weekly; “…Southern California’s best barbecue,” Where Magazine; “Best Restaurant Value in Orange County,” Elmer Dills, KABC-TV; “Best BBQ; Best Caterer; Best Take-Out,” Conejo Valley TODAY Magazine Readers’ Choice Awards; “Inductee to the Local Barbecue Hall of Fame,” KABC Radio (The Restaurant Show with Mario & Amy); “Best Steakhouse,” The Ventura County Star; “Best Barbecue in the Conejo Valley,” Conejo Valley Examiner; “Top 10 Kids Menu in America,” Restaurant Hospitality.

Wood Ranch features “The Food That Makes America Great!” This includes Certified Angus Beef© steaks, prime rib, and burgers. Also featured are slow-roasted, mesquite-grilled tri tip roasts (a signature item), Premium American Baby Back ribs, and locally-raised all-natural, fresh chicken.