Friday October 13th turned out to be a lucky day for the Dining Divas and Dudes at Las Brazas Taqueria 2 on the corner of Union St and Earl Ave. I know what you’re thinking “Hold up! Wait a minute! Isn’t that a bank?!” Yes, a couple years ago it was, but now you would be hard pressed to get that bank vibe. Case in point, check out the clever way the drive through lanes were converted to a covered outdoor patio. Now it’s a custom designed restaurant inside and out for authentic, traditional Mexican dining served up by Jesus Escudero and his family. Their second location, the first one found on Teal Rd at Sequoya.
Kay
Our seafood lover, ordered Shrimp Huarache that included a slice of grilled cactus on the side. Huarache is a oblong baked corn base (like the sole of a sandal, the reason they share the name). “The thick masa base held the beans, rice, pico, shredded veggies, and cheese all piled on making it so, easy to eat. Mine was a big portion, had a ton of shrimp, not too spicy, but there were plenty of spicy sauces to add, I liked it. The fresh guacamole and chips we shared were delicious too.”
Linda
Mentioned above, ordered a Shrimp quesadilla. Between bites we heard “Excellent! I love the way the melted cheese mixes with the grilled shrimp and crispy tortilla. Just a yummy taste.” Linda was quick to point out, not only was the food great, reasonably priced and tasty, but that our orders came super fast during what was a very busy Friday lunch crowd! Win, win, and then when topped off with Bailey's ice cream and chocolate … a solid win, win, win.
Ken
By coincidence or peer pressure, Ken followed suit with the fish/seafood theme going on at his end of the table and ordered fish tacos. He was not disappointed! “The fish tacos are delicious! Great sauces too, I tried both red and green.” Then it came time for dessert, Ken ordered Bailey's ice cream! Surprised? Ha, ha neither were we!
Tetia
Another order of Huaraches, this time with Lengua (beef tongue). “I’ve never had Huaraches before, and Lengua is one of my favorite proteins, this was a nice combination.” Tetia liked how the Lengua was diced up small and served over the baked corn base with lettuce, tomato, and sour cream. “The bonus was the grilled cactus served alongside, what a lovely texture. The marinated peppers available on each table were indeed spicy and provided a very good burn.” Tetia capped off her meal with a double scoop of ice cream – Pecan and Oreo, because who doesn’t love ice cream? “The perfect end to a very filling meal.”
Iseral
A Taco/Torta combo was in the cards for Iseral. The menu lists more than a dozen protein choices including shrimp and fish, along with vegetarian options! After some thought, Iseral opted for a Barbacoa Taco & Lengua Torta. “Both were delicious, the Barbacoa Taco was my favorite, and the Torta was sooo good, just the way I like them.” In a follow up message Iseral said he went back on his own and tried the Cabeza Taco (beef head). “It was delicious. Best tacos in town by my opinion.” But when I asked what flavor of ice cream he had, he couldn’t remember! You know how good the food is when it causes you to forget what you had for dessert.
Margy
Another order of Huaraches, this one customized with every veggie available plus jalapeños. One of the many benefits to a kitchen with fresh ingredients and dishes made to order is being able to request exactly what you can eat. “Huarache is new to me too, and the grilled cactus on the side sounds interesting. I’ve seen them in the grocery but never ate one”. Margy likes her food on the spicy side and was not disappointed. For dessert the fruit sorbets caught her attention. The raspberry was recommended by our server and was a nice finish to the spicy Huarache.
Jerry
Ordered the chorizo sausage Burrito topped with queso cheese. “Very good and filling. That burrito was big enough for two people but I finished it!” When ordering his lunch Jerry added a Mexican lime soda, one of his favorites. When asked what flavor of ice cream he ordered, Jerry replied, “Oh! No! I was too full from lunch, I DID NOT get any dessert.”
Jo
Ordered the Tostada de Camaron (shrimp). Tasty eating, with loads of shrimp and toppings, including some of the fresh guacamole to top it off. Jo pointed out it was super easy to eat off her shell-plate, since she doesn’t eat bread and chips. Although she admits that was plenty of food, Jo also helped Linda finish off her shrimp quesadilla. “Cheese and shrimp, what can I say but wonderful!”. But wait, there’s more! Jo then went on to have 2 scoops of ice cream. One of Baileys and the other caramel and pecan, so delicious! Jo waddled out of Las Brazas a very full, and happy customer.
All in all our trip to Las Barzas Taqueria 2 could not have been better; generous portions of tasty, authentic, Mexican food and outstanding service. Near the end of our meal Jesus, the owner, was able to come out briefly from the kitchen to speak with us. He was all smiles when we told him how much we enjoyed the experience. He mentioned the challenges of starting a restaurant, and how hard 2020 was on places who suffered from lack of business. He thanked our community for their support and gave all his customers credit for keeping them going and making their dream of a second location come true. “Thank you, thank you so much”.
Yep, Friday the 13th, it was our lucky day.
