It’s been more than 10 years since Bravas broke onto the Fort Wayne food scene, taking an interesting and winding path to their new restaurant. 

The venture started with Bo Gonzalez and a humble hot dog cart in 2011, followed soon after by a food truck that added hamburgers and patatas (delicious, perfectly fried little golden potato nuggets, naked or topped with Bravas sauce) to the mix. Eventually, there was a brick-and-mortar shop at 3412 Fairfield Ave., serving up their inventive burgers and dogs. 

In the midst of the pandemic, the restaurant closed in July 2020, which was a blow to the hearts and stomachs of loyal Bravas fans. Fortunately, the truck lived on. 

Happily, this year a brand-new Bravas restaurant opened up at 3416 Fairfield Ave., just steps away from the previous location. And while they still offer many of the old favorites, this Bravas is so much more than hamburgers and hot dogs.

I don’t mean to downplay the hamburgers and hot dogs. Beginning with my very first Snoooop Dog (bacon wrapped hot dog, aioli, smoked gouda), I learned to trust that Gonzalez and his crew know flavors. 

The PB burger made no sense to me the first time I read the description — peanut butter, bacon, white cheddar, mayo, and pickled jalapeños, all on a hamburger? What the what? But it became possibly my favorite burger in Fort Wayne. (Highly recommended, if you have not tried it.) 

The new Bravas has all those things you crave — the PB Burger, patatas, burger specials — but also a new Spanish-influenced menu with entrees and chef’s features and my favorite part, a tapas (small plate) menu. I’m a big fan of shareable small plates, especially when there’s an interesting menu and many things that sound good. Instead of having to decide on one dish, you can sample many. 

Sharing is caring

On two recent occasions, I went as part of a group of four, and both times we had a tapas feast. We ordered a couple rounds of food and the dishes came out as they were ready, one or two at a time. It was a food party, with wave after wave of tasty treats. 

So let’s get to the good stuff — let’s talk about the food! It’s amazing! OK, bye. Oh, you want details? Cool, cool.

Between the two visits, my friends and I tried almost everything on the tapas menu.

Instead of starting small and building to a big finish, let’s cut to the chase and talk about my favorite dish, the one that might have been the biggest surprise to our table at the first meal and was the only thing I had again at the second meal: berenjena — fried eggplant served over goat cheese and drizzled with honey. 

Does that sound like an odd combination to you? It did to me. Is it the best thing ever and am I wondering why I have not been eating this all my life? Uh huh. 

The eggplant rounds were thinly sliced, so they were nice and crispy, without some of the toughness you can get if the pieces are too thick. And the honey on top? Genius. A slice of eggplant dragged through the cheese and honey gave a perfect, magical bite of crunchy, salty, tangy, and sweet.

Another highlight were the croquetas, Spanish fritters with ham or salted cod. 

Oh, holy yum. They were perfectly crispy on the outside, warm gooey cheesy goodness on the inside. The ham and the cod are understated, in a good way, providing some savory saltiness that brings depth to the dish. 

We split two croquetas among four people. Next time I want my own. Or maybe one of each. 

Rotating items

This is probably a good rule for life in general, but when the folks at Bravas serve a lemon wedge on the side, make sure to give it a good squeeze over the dish. We learned that with the blistered shishitos (fried shishito peppers, good olive oil, lemon) and calamares (fried squid, Old Bay remoulade, lemon). While both were tasty on their own, that hit of acid took both dishes to the next level. The calamares was beautifully cooked and not at all chewy as squid can sometimes be. 

On one visit, our server told us one of the chef’s specials featured pasta made just hours earlier. She assured us it was also something we could easily share; clearly we had to try it. The house-made pasta was in a saffron cream sauce with mussels, shrimp, and squid, topped with cherry tomatoes and pickled fennel. It was beautiful and vibrant and, most importantly, scrumptious. 

Another rotating feature we had was a panzanella salad with toasted baguette, burrata, cherry tomato, fennel, cucumber, red onion, Thai basil, Manchego, and Anaheim peppers in a roasted garlic pimento vinaigrette. It was nice to have something fresh and green to balance some of the other dishes, even though this had, you know, cheese and bread in it! 

The brandade was another “I’ve never had anything quite like this” dish: a creamy dip of salted cod, potato, Manchego, lemon, and chives, served with crostini. Fish and cheese don’t usually go together, but we enjoyed this one. It was a large portion; all four of us had ample access to munch on it. You could taste the cod, but it wasn’t overpowering at all. 

One meal was finished with flan, which we agreed was a delightful surprise. I had never enjoyed flan before, usually finding it to be rubbery or gelatinous. This was creamy, with a nice light flavor and tasty caramel on top. 

Be Adventurous

I know food sharing is not everybody’s jam, and it can be tricky navigating personal preferences and dietary restrictions. But I’d encourage everyone to give it a shot with this tapas menu at least once. 

Granted, the menu is an ever-evolving and rotating collection (follow them on social media for the most up-to-date info), and Bravas recently announced a new tapas menu is being prepared for launch. But whatever they have the day you’re there, it will surely be as delectable as these dishes were. 

Food is already a communal experience, so lean into that. One of the beautiful things about Bravas is that they offer food and flavors not found elsewhere around here. 

With an open mind and a sense of adventure, maybe you’ll get to taste something you wouldn’t normally seek out.