Mariachi music at El Ranshito

For Mother’s Day, I was fortunate enough to convince my mom that she wanted Mexican food for her celebratory dinner. We drove down to south Dallas to go eat at El Ranchito, which is now officially the best Mexican food I have ever tasted.
Aside from the food, the atmosphere, people, and music explain very well why there was a line of people stretching out the door and down the street who were waiting for a table. This crowded restaurant hosted two mariachi bands that night. The one that I listened to consisted of three guitars, a violin, and a trumpet. All five of the performers sang while they were not playing their instruments, except for the guitarists who could do both at once. The music itself either sounded like a love ballad or a fast paced song that made me sway to the rhythm of the guitar. The trumpet was usually the main melody, with the guitars as accompaniment and the beat. Quite often, the trumpet would play a long run of notes followed by a few short staccato notes to end the phrase. The performers were all dressed in traditional ranchero costumes and danced when the song allowed. The audience was comprised of Hispanic families who were out to celebrate Mother’s Day and my family. The tables that were close to the performing band were very focused on them. During many songs, you could hear a good five or six tables singing along to the song. The restaurant was very crowded and completely full. The atmosphere was very lively, with singing, clapping, and disco balls. Now, since this restaurant was very authentic, it seemed like the target audience was specifically for Hispanic people. The table next to ours leaned over to ask us which songs we wanted to hear, which made me think that not very many people outside of that culture come to this restaurant. They played La Cucaracha and the Macarena per our next door table’s request.