4 things to know about Streetlight Taco, a new Mexican spot in Tampa

TAMPA — Michael Brannock has had a nearly lifelong appreciation for Mexican culture and food. And now, the chef is bringing his zeal for the people and the cuisine to a new South Tampa restaurant called Streetlight Taco.

Brannock has partnered with Jack Murray and Nick Reader, managing partners of Michelin-starred Tampa restaurant Rocca, to open the restaurant, which they hope will stand out from other taco joints in the area.

The space at 4004 Henderson Blvd. opened on Jan. 9. The Tampa Bay Times got a preview in December. Here are four things to know about the new restaurant.

The concept

Brannock isn’t Mexican, but said that he was first drawn to Mexican culture during a Spanish class in elementary school. The idea of speaking another language resonated with him, he said. At the same school, he became friends with a Mexican boy, a bond that lasted through high school.

His exposure to Mexican culture went deeper during his first restaurant job in North Carolina, where he worked and lived with a group of Mexican people. He went to weddings and other functions with them and absorbed their hospitality, emphasis on family and sense of humor.

He learned to make tortillas and other foods from their mothers and grandmothers, and fell in love with authentic Mexican food.

Over the past two years, Brannock has visited Mexico eight times, traveling throughout the states of Mexico, Puebla, Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Morelos and Tlaxcala, learning the foods and making connections with small family companies. The name of his new restaurant refers to the lamps that illuminate the markets and streets of the places he’s visited.

With Streetlight Taco, Brannock wants to re-create the vibrancy of the foods he experienced in Mexico. He consulted well-regarded Mexican chefs and friends when planning the menu.

“I’ve been there enough so I know what the right vibe is,” he said.

Brannock doesn’t miss a step when it comes to achieving authenticity, beginning with the corn. He works with family farms in Mexico to get a variety of white, blue, pink or yellow corn. Large sacks that bear the name of the family who grew the corn are stacked up at the entrance to the kitchen.

At the restaurant, the corn goes through a process called nixtamalization, which involves bathing it in an alkaline solution. This removes the outer covering, called the pericarp, from the kernel and infuses it with calcium and converts other vitamins.

“It takes a grain that’s harder for us to digest to something that’s hyper-nutritious,” he said. “More than half of Mexicans’ calcium intake comes from nixtamalized corn.”

The corn gets ground into masa on a mill using 8-inch volcanic stones and then is formed into tortillas and tostadas.

The space

Minimally decorated with white walls and warm light wood furniture, the 2,500-square-foot space has an art gallery-like feel. An interior mural of a woman de-graining corn with a device made from old corn cobs is an artistic history lesson, with a golden sun gleaming above her head.

Brannock also included ephemera he’s brought back from his numerous trips to Mexico, like the scrapers used to make pulque, an ancient drink made from an agave plant. Another find are the love letters (written with enviable penmanship) circa 1910-1912 that he found at a market in Mexico City.

“I’m trying to infuse as much Mexico as possible in here,” Brannock said.

Vintage Mexican comics are lacquered onto some tables, as colorful as the array of Mexican sodas and other rare beverages — like single-serve bottled sangria — that are available.

While the space seats 100 people, it’s also set up for to-go orders, with a checkout kiosk and a parking space designated for curbside pickup.

In the open kitchen, a bundle of logs sits next to the wood-fired grill. Back near the mill, bins of deep maroon chilis — among them heirloom jalapenos — are stacked among those colorful varieties of corn.

The food

Brannock’s mission with the menu is to show that Mexican cuisine is so much more than people might expect. While there are familiar items, they’re made in the tradition of various regions throughout the country. Menu prices will be relatively low; between $8 and $25.

The guacamole is pretty simple, focusing on avocado and lime with a hint of jalapeno. It’s served with tostadas — a corn vehicle that Brannock said is deceptively hard to make because if the masa hasn’t been ground finely enough it will be evident. These have clearly been made right — crispy, light and with a distinctive toasty flavor that bordered on nutty. The heft of them holds up to the rich guacamole.

Many folks measure how good a Mexican joint is by its queso. Streetlight has two memorable versions. The straightforward queso is dense and bubbly with a formidable stretch, brightened up with a dollop of fresh pico de gallo.

The chipotle queso is an exercise in decadence, swimming with chunky bits of chorizo. It could be a meal for one, but it’s better for sharing so you can try more menu items.

The main event is, of course, tacos. Carnivores will appreciate the beef picadillo taco with smoky poblano, fontina cheese and guacamole, or the brisket taco, the meat seared crispy in the manner of traditional Mexican suadero (a cut of meat from thin muscle), slow-cooked with homemade sausage, spring onion and garlic. It has beans and cheese and is topped with salsa macha, an oil-based mixture of peppers and nuts (pecans and almonds here) traditional to Veracruz.

There is also a vegetarian option in the sweet potato taco served on a corn tortilla. The potato is brushed with sesame salsa macha and agave, wood-grilled to become caramelized and topped with goat cheese, pomegranate, shaved jalapeno, scallions and black and white sesame seeds.

More vegetables come with one of the side dishes: grilled zucchini dressed with avocado Goddess dressing and topped with chives. The Puebla salad is a healthy option that still feels special, with spinach, apples, plum, walnuts, pomegranate and Manchego cheese.

They’ll also be serving cemitas — a type of sandwich made with hand-stretched Oaxacan cheese on bread from Tampa bakery Jamison B. Dough Joe.

The bar

The bar boasts a selection of Mexican gin, rum and wine, as well as beer from the oldest brewery in Mexico. In addition to an impressive array of mezcals and tequilas (which he’s sourcing from small family companies), there are also agave distillates that are produced in states that don’t give them the naming distinction.

Brannock said mezcal is the people’s drink and regaled us with this phrase: “Para todo mal mezcal, y para todo bien también.” It means: “For all bad, mezcal, and for all good, too.”

Streetlight Taco is at 4004 Henderson Blvd., Tampa. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and Sunday, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. streetlighttacos.com.