You might not expect to find a good restaurant between the Apple store and Borders, but the Chicken Ranch, at 452 University Ave. is excellent for refueling after a morning spent looking at books, music or computers.

As the name implies, almost all of the dishes at Chicken Ranch include chicken, although in several of them the chicken is not the main ingredient, such as in the Caesar Salad with Jerk Chicken. You can choose to have all-white meat in your chicken for 50 to 75 cents extra, depending on the dish. The restaurant also serves ribs and several types of vegetarian salads, and none of the sides contained meat.

Prices range from $2.75 for a Cheese & Pasta children’s (age 10 and
under) meal to $34.95 for a "Picnic pack," which includes two whole
chickens, four gourmet sides, and dinner rolls.

The normal fare falls between $5.75 and $8.95 for a meal, although two of the three ribs meals were more expensive. The drinks range from about $1.50 for soft drinks, coffee, tea, or iced tea to
$4.50 for wine, with beer in the middle of the range.

Chicken Ranch, which opened several months ago and is family-owned,
prides itself on using wood-fired rotisserie, and even includes a
section on the meaning on its menu. In rotisserie, fresh meats are
placed on a skewer and slowly turned above a wood-fired oven.

The owner said that he has no intention of expanding beyond a few
restaurants.

The restaurant decor isn’t particularly impressive. Sitting at a table inside, diners can watch the chickens cooking in the wood-fired oven, or look across the street at the Apple store with giant pictures of iPods. To one side is a long wall mirror, while on the other side are several paintings.

Chicken Ranch has room for around 40 people in it, mostly seated at
small two-person tables, although several four-person tables have been formed from them as well. Most of the tables are inside the restaurant, although there are two tables outside also.

The lettuce in the Caesar Salad with Jerk Chicken ($6.95) was crisp and fresh, and was covered with an evenly spread dressing. Tasty jerk chicken topped the salad, although there was one large chunk among the many smaller pieces.

The quarter Rotisserie Jerk Chicken ($7.25, including 75 cents for all white meat) was tender, juicy and flavorful, although there was too much bone.

The chicken pot pie ($6.25) was hot, although when it cooled it became gelatinous. It was very filling, but was bland and the vegetables were not very fresh.

Chicken Ranch also offers about a dozen different gourmet side dishes. They cost $2.75 for a small one and $3.50 for a large one. In addition, the dinners each come with two side dishes, and the Chicken Pot Pie comes with one.

The onion rings were bland, with little onion, and appeared processed. The fruit salad was satisfactory, although it lacked variety and tasted as though it came in a can. The potato salad was undercooked and covered with too much mayo. The cheese pasta was slightly better than average macaroni and cheese. Overall, the side dishes did not prove to be as good as the main dishes.

Chicken Ranch is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday. On
Friday and Saturday, it stays open to 11 p.m. Call the restaurant at
(650) 328-1965, or fax it at (650) 328-2103.

"We cater to large groups," the menu states, so it could be a good choice for your next party as well.