TLO Restaurant Review: Bravo’s Mexican Grill

9:34 AM EDT on April 13, 2021

Sometimes, when you’re not even looking, you can find one of your new favorite places to eat. And the fact it’s a Mexican joint? Even better.

Last week, a friend and I took a drive to Purcell because she wanted to go to Jo’s, a pizza place I reviewed sometime last year. Sadly, as we pulled up to the barren parking lot, it was obvious that Jo’s was closed for, possibly, the Easter holiday. However, a few yards down the road was Bravo’s Mexican Grill, 1526 S. Green Ave. With nowhere better to go, we decided to give them a try.

With enough cars in the parking lot, they were thankfully open for business. The outside ambiance wistfully reminded of the dusty restaurants I’d eat at whenever in South Texas, the metal cactuses out in front forming the perfect signo de bienvenida.

As we walked inside and were shown a table, the young man took our drink orders and, as he was walking away, I called him back and asked about the Shrimp Cocktail ($11.98), something I saw a few happy customers having on the way in. He told me they were one of Bravo’s muy mejor, so I immediately ordered a chilled goblet, as per the tempting picture in the menu:

The cold glass gave off a niebla fantasmal as it was quickly brought to me. I ordered the rest of my meal and, with a warm spoon by my side, royally drank from this large cup of liquid life, the avocados, tomatoes, onions and cilantro perfectly complimenting the fat boiled shrimp and zesty cocktail sauce that overwhelmed the see-through chalice.

I was completely enamored with this newfound (to me, at least) seafood concoction, wanting to write a canción de amor in its honor but, hopefully, this satiated review will do it justice instead.

The last bite of frigid shrimp gently swimming down my gullet, I went right from the surf directly to the turf with my early supper, the rough-riding El Vaquero ($11.99) steak dinner. Drowning in a lago de queso, the tenderly charred meat was blessed with the aromatic charm of a well-used grill rising through, a beautifully done piece of beef with a glorious taste to match.

Justifiably sided with Pico de Gallo, avocado, rice and beans, I thoroughly enjoyed most of it, half-heartedly boxing up what I could. I was about to ask for the check, but the table next to me ordered a sweet treat that I remembered having when I was a mere juvenil—insert flashback here—Fried Vanilla Ice Cream ($2.50). I ordered a scoop to share with the table, as I was no longer a child.

Only this dessert was nothing like I remembered; served in a sugary cone-like cup, a perfectly sizzled scoop of ice cream, complete with a hardened fried-brown outside, was topped with fine cream and a cherry on top, a sweet chocolate drizzle all around. As I took that trusty spoon in for a feverish bite, like their namesake, all I could simply say was “Bravo!” Cómpralo ya!