BY SARAH BARBAN, Eastern Shore Post —
Good food is all about balance. Chef Samin Nosrat contends that delicious food is made by balancing four things: salt, fat, acid, and heat. The food at Tacos Bravos has so much balance. It is 100% worth stopping for, but bring cash.
The truck, located in the parking lot of the Regal Inn in Onley, was started by Dilma Velasquez, who came to America from Guatemala more than two decades ago.
She did a little bit of everything along the way, cleaning houses, maintaining gardens, but all along she dreamed of opening a food truck.
Roughly a year ago that dream became a reality with Tacos Bravos. “Bravos” means “brave” in Spanish, so in addition to being the family’s last name, it is also an appropriate for a new venture.
Velasquez comes from an entrepreneurial family, her daughter, Keyli Morales Bravo, said.
“My whole family, they’re into business,” Morales Bravo said. “She has brothers and sisters into business, too. At first she was really nervous how it was going to come out but finally she just said, ‘I’m going do it. No matter what, I’m going to keep on going. I want to accomplish a dream I’ve always dreamed about.’”
On my visit to Tacos Bravos I got three tacos: chorizo, barbacoa, and alambre. The chorizo taco is a perfect example of why I say Tacos Bravos is great at balance.
The chorizo has an amazingly deep chile flavor. It’s not spicy, just deeply flavorful. It has an almost chargrilled flavor that must come from a well-seasoned flat top grill.
When you pair that well-seasoned base with their citrusy, spicy green salsa and the pop of cilantro and onions, it is truly a symphony of flavors.
Let’s talk about the green sauce at Tacos Bravos for a second. It’s a creamy taco truck green sauce, rather then a salsa verde. It’s fantastic — nice and spicy without being over- whelming and it packs a nice limey acidic punch.
There’s also a big splash of savoriness so it hits all the spots on your tongue at once.
Then there’s the barbacoa. It is so unctuous and tender, with a mild sweetness and hints of coriander and cumin. The richness of the saucy shredded beef mellows out any spice in the green sauce and that extra pop of lime takes what could be a really rich filling and makes it more than the sum of its parts.
With the cilantro and onions, it is a perfect yin and yang of fresh and luxurious.
The tortillas at Tacos Bravos are also a thing of beauty. They are so tender — no crumbling at all. They have great color from the grill, which makes them especially delicious and shows an appreciated level of care.
They wrap their tacos in double tortillas and I personally love the extra hint of rich sweetness from the masa.
I would pay cold, hard cash just for those tortillas.
Anyone who loves a super beefy rich cheese steak from B & B Market or Stuckey’s needs to try the alambre at Tacos Bravos.
Alambre was unfamiliar to me until I started writing this column. It’s a combination of beef, bacon, bell peppers, onions, and cheese.
I got mine served in a taco. It’s so meaty and satisfying, but the peppers and onions add a nice sweetness and a depth of flavor. The sauce from the braised meat blends with the cheese for a super decadent experience.
I also treated myself to an order of quesobirria, corn tortillas stuffed with braised beef and cheese that are fried crispy and served with a side of braising liquid from the beef, which is called consomé.
Birria is a nice treat that you don’t see at every taco truck. The popularity of birria has really exploded in America, so I think it’s getting easier for us to find here.
The birria at Tacos Bravos is super sumptious, especially when dipped in to consomé, and the tortillas have a great crunch. Three tacos come in an order and it truly feels like a treat yourself type of meal.
The tortillas are tender, the fillings are rich without being greasy, and the salsa game is strong at Tacos Bravos.
It’s totally worth a trip to the ATM to get these tacos.
Tacos Bravos is located in the parking lot of Regal Inn at 25597 Lankford Highway, in Onley. They are open Tuesday through Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tacos Bravos is cash only.
