While catching up on recent Facebook buzz (thanks Heather, Cheree and Kim!) I learned that Café Rio has opened in Idaho Falls! This makes my upcoming trip “home” to Idaho this summer even more exciting. When my brother and his wife came to visit me in Arizona, they introduced me to this savory place that was only a few miles from my husband’s work. Café Rio became our favorite take-out treat on half-day Fridays when he’d stop by and bring home pork barbacoa burritos (his favorite) and the Café Rio salad (my favorite). I can’t get enough of the House dressing, a cilantro-ranch concoction that I could drink from a straw if they gave me a cup. Oh my tingly tastebuds!

Café Rio began in St. George, Utah, in 1997. The six-restaurant chain was sold in 2004 and went on to open 21 restaurants by 2008. Seventeen of those were in Utah, three in Nevada, and one in Arizona. The restaurant has won several honors, including Utah’s Fastest Growing Company in 2003, and Best of City Search 2006/7 Best Mexican Food.

And now Rexburbia has access to this wonderful menu, located for your convenience near the Edwards Theater. The official address is 2537 South 25 East, Ammon, Idaho. Not much tops a date night involving Café Rio and a movie.

I recently found a recipe that asserts itself as the authentic Café Rio Cilantro Ranch Dressing. A friend found it in a fax machine left by a coworker. Of course she stole this valuable document and made copies to share. While it tastes almost right and is extremely yummy, I still think something is off. This is the “secret” recipe:

1 buttermilk ranch dressing package, prepared
2 tomatillos
½ bunch cilantro
1 clove garlic
Juice of one lime
1 jalapeno

Simply blend ingredients and refrigerate.

Another recipe I’ve seen calls for cayenne pepper instead of jalapenos, and yet another says to use the traditional Ranch dressing packet, not buttermilk. The sad thing about this recipe is it has a short fridge shelf-life and gets runny fast. Anyone have a different recipe that is even closer to the real thing? Please share. And if you’ve been to Café Rio in Idaho Falls tell me if it measures up to its lofty expectation.