Taco 'Bout a Good Meal
I know, I know, the taco craze was played out by the time 2013 rolled around, but who doesn't crave a good taco every once in a while? I mean the kind where the tortillas are still warm from the griddle, where the salsa deliciously scorches your taste buds, where the protein melts into a smokey, tender mouthful as it hits your tongue, where the fruits and veggies and peppers on top layer a beautiful freshness to the bite.
Bold statement time: the best tacos I've ever had tick every single one of those boxes and then some. Less tacos than bundles of heaven wrapped in fresh corn tortillas, Taco Bamba's artful creations are almost beyond earthly description, but I'll give it a go for you:
Firstly, it's important to know that there are three locations in NOVA: the original in Falls Church, the second in Vienna, and the third in Springfield. Each location serves a few similar staple tacos, like the namesake taco bamba with "skirt steak, chorizo, grilled guacamole, cotija, pickled onions, pickled fresno, cilantro, and chicharron," but no three menus are the same, just as no three kitchens are.
Taco Bamba is the brainchild of acclaimed chef Victor Albisu, a Le Cordon Bleu culinary school graduate, James Beard award semi-finalist, Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington Chef of the Year, and avid humanitarian/social activist, to name just a few of his many, many accomplishments.
You might expect to find such a chef at a Michelin star restaurant, many of which he has worked in, or a top steakhouse, like his first restaurant Del Campo, but Taco Bamba, often described as a take out restaurant, is certainly neither. Most items on the menu cost less than $5, and seating, at the original location, is limited to three narrow counter tops, totaling maybe twenty seats. One can't help but be skeptical as they walk past the cigarette-smoke-cladded Irish pub and the Persian rug store on either side of the corner-located restaurant. But the enticing smell wafting through the entire parking lot is surely enough to settle all doubts. The two newer locations have been updated for trendier customers, outfitted with stocked bars and actual tables to sit at.
Bold statement time: the best tacos I've ever had tick every single one of those boxes and then some. Less tacos than bundles of heaven wrapped in fresh corn tortillas, Taco Bamba's artful creations are almost beyond earthly description, but I'll give it a go for you:
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| The Arabe taco |
Firstly, it's important to know that there are three locations in NOVA: the original in Falls Church, the second in Vienna, and the third in Springfield. Each location serves a few similar staple tacos, like the namesake taco bamba with "skirt steak, chorizo, grilled guacamole, cotija, pickled onions, pickled fresno, cilantro, and chicharron," but no three menus are the same, just as no three kitchens are.
Taco Bamba is the brainchild of acclaimed chef Victor Albisu, a Le Cordon Bleu culinary school graduate, James Beard award semi-finalist, Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington Chef of the Year, and avid humanitarian/social activist, to name just a few of his many, many accomplishments.
You might expect to find such a chef at a Michelin star restaurant, many of which he has worked in, or a top steakhouse, like his first restaurant Del Campo, but Taco Bamba, often described as a take out restaurant, is certainly neither. Most items on the menu cost less than $5, and seating, at the original location, is limited to three narrow counter tops, totaling maybe twenty seats. One can't help but be skeptical as they walk past the cigarette-smoke-cladded Irish pub and the Persian rug store on either side of the corner-located restaurant. But the enticing smell wafting through the entire parking lot is surely enough to settle all doubts. The two newer locations have been updated for trendier customers, outfitted with stocked bars and actual tables to sit at.
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| Our spread |
As for what to order, and where to go, the newest Springfield location has my favorite taste and offerings, closely followed by the Falls Church location. About two years I went pescetarian (vegetarian+ seafood), so my meat suggestions are simply from memory, although I still occasionally eat poultry.
That said, the pork and pineapple almost tempted me into a meat relapse many times, a pleasantly sweet, smokey, and sharp taco that offers a relaxing break from the spice of the rest of the menu.
The spicy shroom taco is not one for the faint of taste buds (they use the word spicy sparingly, as you'll discover if you're brave enough to try a salsa). These guys know how to go vegetarian, pairing bold spicy, rich tastes with a variety of textures.Perhaps my favorite offering, though, is Springfield's Arabe Taco, with tender, moist, flavorful grilled chicken, drizzled in creamy spicy yogurt and ancho mayo, and topped with a refreshing cucumber pico and mint, all on a fluffy pita.
Today, I got brave and decided to try their new dulce de leche empanadas. Although the flavors were spot on, and the pastry was a perfect golden shade, it was a little too sweet for me. Of course that's just me, my boyfriend certainly did not share that sentiment and both empanadas were quickly annihilated, just like every other delectable item on the Taco Bamba menu, which, of course, is all of them.
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| The surprise empanadas |
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