Open less than a week, Mesa Ranch at the Clarion just south of the river is a most welcome addition to the southside dining scene. The lunch enjoyed there today ensures that I’ll be back soon to try supper. I’ve never been to the original Mesa Ranch in North Austin.

There are on-line versions of lunch, lunch-special, and dinner menus. At our table, we enjoyed, and I do mean enjoyed, the plate of three sliders and a plate containing eight ounces of the finest mesquite-grilled chopped steak. That plate contained outstanding “not-French” fries that were thin, gilded rounds of potatoes delicate and perfect from the deep-fryer. The biscuits were great, too.

It took a token charge of $3 to bring a large and excellent order of chips and salsa to the table. The salsa is fine and fresh-tasting, but another time I’d wait for the order itself, if only to save room for it. I’m really eager to try the dinner menu. Because it was Sunday, there were some egg entrees available up through mid-afternoon, at least, and I think that the dining room opens at 10 on the weekends and at 11 on weekdays. Music of a low-key sort runs from 6:30 to 9:30 pm on weeknights and from 7 to 10 on weekends. The bar looks like a serious one and there was a no-volume tv over it tuned to Olympic events. I think that the daily happy hour is from 4 to 7 pm daily. Food service is continuous from opening to closing and changes over from lunch to dinner at around 4:30 or thereabouts, I understand.

Outside after we’d left, someone asked us how we’d liked our food. He said he’s always thought of the burgers at Casino el Camino as the best, but now he’s a partisan of the ones at Mesa Ranch. I don’t know about those at CelC, but I’m willing to proclaim the greatness of the ones at Mesa Ranch. I look forward to returning in the evening and trying quail or lamb or venison or fish from the grill. On the way out, we picked up a post card from a basket by the door; it contains a coupon for 20% off food on any weeknight from Monday through Thursday. In the restrooms, Mesa Ranch follows the practice of the Four Seasons: stacks of loose paper towels are available. There’s pleasant, not-noisy dining in the shade outdoors. The lighting indoors is sophisticated, and the acoustics make for good conversation. The telephone number for Mesa Ranch south is 916-8787.