You will find a lot of corn on Bandit Tacos and Coffee. Coffee too – and even some chocolate. They are all age-old seeds that people have been collecting, roasting and eating for centuries. But while coffee and chocolate have admirers who can spot the geographic origins of their chosen seeds from a mile away, corn has yet to be embraced in a similar way.
But that’s in Bandit. The restaurant sources the corn for its daily corn tortillas from Mexican farmers and places compact posters at the order counter announcing where the corn comes from that day. I would love to have more information about the differences in corn varieties. I haven’t noticed a significant difference in flavor between tortillas and tortillas, but it’s still no compact thing to be able to enjoy tacos made with fresh, tender corn tortillas every time.
Too bad the kitchen didn’t wrap the taco in regular two tortillas. When using only one, the tortilla tends to get lost in the filling and many times fall apart before the end of the taco. If the restaurant is so intentional with tortillas, why not two?
The fillings are carefully composed. I returned time and time again to the tiny rib taco, which at its best balanced a pink center and tempting crust with plain toppings (avocado, onion, cilantro and lime) that elevated the whole thing. (At its best, it was quite rubbery.) The coffee-and-chocolate-rubbed pork shoulder in the “Bandito” taco skillfully carried these flavors. The oyster mushroom taco surprised me with its depth of flavor and balance of textures, both meaty and tender.
Bandit leans towards the newfangled American hipster taco, with the flavors of nori and kimchi in the cauliflower taco and blue cheese and walnuts in the beetroot taco, creating a combination straight from a California cafe’s salad menu. The former was more effective as a taco than the latter, but neither was particularly satisfying.
For most tacos, I wished for a little energy. The tempura fish in the whitefish taco was crispy fried, but could have used a sauce to polished out the flavors. The meat in the chicken taco was similarly dehydrated, a pity about the thigh meat. And the potatoes with the patatas bravas taco, with no noticeable crisping or browning, were disappointing.
If you’re craving texture, take a look at the incredibly crispy tostadas. Even though Bandit doesn’t offer breakfast like its Porter predecessor, you can emulate the morning vibe with a cup of coffee and an avocado tostada (it’s actually south of the border avocado toast) or a fried egg (pair it with a tiny rib taco for a steak and eggs).
Delicious smoked whitefish can make a strange taco, so I’m glad tostada was on the menu instead.
Elsewhere at Not Taco Land, pozole is a substantial, hearty bowl, and the portion of guacamole served with a paper bag of tortilla chips was much more generous than it first appeared.
The additions of escabeche and black beans can be omitted. While the heat level of the escabeche was welcome and pleasant, the rest of the flavor consisted entirely of vinegar, making the vegetables indistinguishable. The beans were dull and still a bit too grainy.
Save your coins and calories on churros and champurrado. The delicately fried churros looked like miniature cacti and I loved it, whether that was intentional or not. And if you like to dip your churros in something chocolatey, the affluent champurrado is almost more of a pudding than regular balmy chocolate.
Even during the planning stages, Bandit was intended to be located in the space that is now called Harvey House, and it’s challenging to imagine two restaurants more different in their approach. But they make surprisingly good neighbors. Bandit has an amazing aesthetic and food that promises, if not always immediate success. Judging by the traffic filling the interior and exterior spaces, people clearly want to go where Bandit takes them.
Bandit Tacos and Coffee
640 W. Washington Ave.
608-720-1110; bandit-tacos.com
Sunday-Thursday 11:00-21:00, Friday-Saturday 11:00-22:00
$4-13
