Top marks for Los Brothers’ taco sampler

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/07/2022 (1404 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As you may recall from his first column last week, Sun reporter Kyle Darbyson accepted the challenge this summer to chase down and critique our city’s many and varied food truck offerings, tastefully providing his own brand of self-described “non-foodie” analysis to the Sun’s readership.

I quite enjoyed his take on Mexican King and I have been looking forward to his next culinary tour de force — no doubt more than a few Sun readers are as well. Due to circumstances beyond our control, however, I have had to step in as an unreasonable facsimile for his column this week. Kyle’s take on food truck cuisine will return next week.

You may know me from the editorial page of this newspaper, where I serve up occasionally antagonistic opinions and, hopefully, thoughtful indignation on the news of the day. But a food truck column is not that kind of beast. And a good beast requires a different kind of roasting.

I personally do a lot of cooking and baking at home, including — but not limited to — bread, pies, biscuits and flat bread. It’s part of being a partner in running the family household. But I apparently come by it naturally, too; both my grandfather and my mother were restaurant owners in my hometown.

I also happen to dabble in brewing beer and seasonal apple cider, but that’s an adventure for another day. Suffice to say that I enjoy well-made flavourful food prepared with a little care. And I know a little about the effort it takes.

Did I mention that I also prefer my food a little on the spicy side?

With that I mind, I followed the path Kyle laid out last week into Latin American cuisine and decided to check out the Los Brothers food truck, which features Mexican, South American and Central American dishes.

The company has changed its favoured location from the corner of 13th Street and Richmond Avenue it occupied upon our review last year. This time I caught up with them at their new location, the parking lot of 514 11th St. East, right across from the East End Dog Park.

It’s not a bad location, as there are picnic tables already situated within the dog park. It would not be unusual for patrons of the food truck to walk across the street and enjoy a little sunshine with their lunch.

Outside the blazing-yellow food truck you will find a collapsible menu sign sporting six of the items they sell, including crispy birria tacos, soft tacos, nachos, burritos, hotdogs and quesadillas. Just a quick note to vegans and vegetarians: based on what I know of the menu, this may not be the food truck for you, as perhaps the only items without meat or animal products would be the extras: guacamole ($3), salsa ($1) and pico de gallo ($2).

But for a better idea of what they’re selling and the prices involved, you’d best check the online menu on their Facebook page before you drop by. Had I not checked the online menu, I might have missed the fact that Los Brothers sells four different kinds of soft tacos — beef, lime chicken, chicken tinga and spicy chorizo — for $15. Thankfully, the helpful attendant at the window wasn’t busy when I walked up just after 1 p.m. Wednesday, and we started chatting.

“What do you recommend?” I asked.

“Do you like spicy? The tacos are very good.”

“I sure do,” I said. “What kind of soft tacos do you have?”

“Chorizo is good. But also the chicken tinga.”

“Did you say tinga?”

“Yes, tinga. Maybe you should try all four.”

Which I did, of course, along with a $2 canned iced tea.

While I must admit that I thought it was a little pricey to pay $3.75 per taco, it wasn’t outlandish for what I received. For when the order window reopened, I was handed a brown cardboard box with all the flaps opened, giving me a wonderful view of the colourful tacos within. They also included two wedges of lime, a container of salsa, and another container of something I hadn’t counted on — a fragrant, pickled mixture of onion, carrot and jalapeño.

If I have one regret, it would be this: when he asked if I needed anything else, I failed to ask for a fork. That was a definite mistake. I ended up getting sauce on my hands, tomato on my trousers, and a little chicken dropped in the back of the Sun truck (I opted to sit in the truck box under the trees rather than in the park).

Do not fail to ask for utensils. Or bring your own, if you must.

But my merry mess making did nothing to lessen the quality of the food. The food was hot and just prepared, but it’s the flavour where Los Brothers gets top marks. I bit into the chorizo first in this case, which had just the right amount of spice for me.

And while I wish I had eaten the chorizo taco last — save the best for last, you know — all the toppings were fresh and added a brightness to the chicken, beef and sausage.

In her review last year, former Sun reporter Kimberley Kielley gave Los Brothers her highest rating — a five out of five “based on their biodegradable container, garbage and recycling access and the simple yet delicious-tasting chicken tinga al pastor tacos.”

I would suggest that the addition of the pickled onion mixture, which Kimberley did not mention in her review, guaranteed Los Brothers would retain its top marks this year. It offered just the right amount of tang to the spice.

Verdict: 5 out of 5

Los Brothers food truck is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

» mgoerzen@brandonsun.com

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