Johnson County Mexican food restaurant is opening in a former brunch space
.JPG "PHOTO BY: ALLISON LONG/THE KANSAS CITY STAR 081308_People enjoy their dinner at Mi Ranchito in downtown Overland Park on Wednesday, August 13th. Waiter Alex Gomez carries plates of food during the busy dinner rush. One reader stated that this restaurant was one of the best for a date and hanging with friends. Known for their food and potent margaritas.")
Rulber de la Torre is opening a new restaurant in Prairie Village, but Mexican food fans may have already tasted his cuisine.
His longtime brand, Mi Ranchito, has a 21-year legacy in the metro. He has seven restaurants in Kansas — five of which are in Johnson County. (The others are a bit of a drive: Fort Scott and Mound City.)
He’s calling the next spot Rulber’s Restaurant Mas Cantina, and it’ll open in the recently closed Another Broken Egg spot at 5358 95th St.
He hopes to open it by early next year.
“I’ve been a cook for the last 36 years, and now I get to put my name on one of the restaurants,” de la Torre said. “That’s really personal and very exciting.”
As for exact menu items, he wants to keep that fairly quiet for now. But de la Torre promises fresh margaritas and some of his favorite personal recipes from his decades of experience in the kitchen.
De la Torre did say, however, that the concept would not be a complete 180 from Mi Ranchito. He’s simply running out of space on his other restaurant’s menu.
“I cook every day. I’m always experimenting with different dishes,” he said. “I’ve got so many other ideas that I just need a second restaurant so I can bring those out.”
A few months ago, Mexican food restaurant Don Chuy’s opened in the former Fuddruckers/Bistreaux space at 8725 Metcalf Ave.