Seattle - March 28, 2007

Taco the Town

Rancho Bravo Taco Truck

Lately, opening a restaurant in Seattle seems as simple as “if you build it, they will come.”

That is, so long as said building serves cheese made by cave-dwelling artisans, produce sourced from your neighbor’s backyard, poultry raised by Amish virgins, and Oompa Loompa-size plates.

Hop off the haute cuisine bandwagon and head to Wallingford’s new taco truck, Rancho Bravo, instead. The tiny stand recently set up shop in the Winchell’s donuts parking lot, serving blessedly unpretentious tacos, burritos, tamales, and tortas — all ridiculously cheap and cooked on-site.

Mosey in during lunch for seriously awesome tacos (spicy pork, chicken, grilled veggie) or swing by late at night for a bulging carne asada burrito (it’s open ’til 2:30 a.m. on weekends). There’s only one table, so meals — which ooze fiery house-made salsa — may get messy.

But that’s just the price you pay for eating at such a hot spot.

Rancho Bravo Tacos, 211 Northeast 45th Street, between Thackeray Place and Second Avenue Northeast (myspace.com/ranchobravotacos).