As someone who has spent time in various parts of Mexico and the southern United States, I consider myself a self-appointed taco aficionado. I’ve spent a lot of time exploring Bozeman’s growing number of Mexican restaurants and, recently, I was introduced to a colorful spot in Big Sky town center: Tres Toros Tacos and Tequila. This fun, eclectic, Baja-style restaurant, located in the Wilson Hotel, serves an array of fresh and authentic Mexican dishes, from the classics to some items with a little flair. The bar has over 75 different kinds of tequila for tasting flights or enjoying in-house crafted cocktails, so if you are a tequila lover, this place is a must. The vibe is cool, and a little edgy. Full of plants and imported Mexican tiles, the restaurant showcases thoughtful food creations and a comfortable atmosphere. I had the chance to speak with Tres Toros owner and executive chef, Brandon Blanchard about serving tacos and tequila in Big Sky, Montana.

EMMA LICHTWARDT: How long has Tres Toros been open in Big Sky?

Brandon Blanchard: It will be three years on September 4th. Owning this restaurant has been great, and incredibly rewarding.

EL: Congratulations! Is this your first restaurant?

BB: Restaurant, yes. Before Tres Toros, I owned a food truck called Savage Foods and Catering. We served a lot of Cuban-based breakfast foods.

KT Since opening, has Tres Toros stayed true to your original concept?

BB: What’s funny is that the concept originated as a lounge. It was going to be a vintage, arcade-themed bar serving great street tacos. After four different spaces and contracts fell through, we were presented with our current space [in the Wilson Hotel]. We jumped on the opportunity and just ran from there. Working with the new space and the location, we shifted gears and built a full, authentic Mexican menu, and dropped the pinball games.

EL: Do you have a history with Mexican food?

BB: Just my own personal passion. I’ve only ever been in the restaurant industry and the construction business, so I figured, ‘why not build myself a restaurant?’ My two favorite foods are tacos and Thai food—and I was not going to attempt Thai food—that’s a whole other ballpark—so I went with tacos. I figured you can’t go wrong with tacos and tequila. Another reason I chose the tacos and tequila concept for this restaurant is that tequila is the number one up-and-coming spirit right now across the board. It’s taking over bourbon sales. I’m not sure if this is why, but the chemistry of tequila reacts differently; it doesn’t interact with your body the way other alcohols do—it doesn’t spike your glycemic levels, and is easier for your liver to process.

EL: What would you say makes Tres Toros unique in the greater Bozeman/Big Sky food scene?

BB: I think what makes it unique is this: a lot of Mexican food I see around is very Americanized, very cheese heavy. I wanted to keep things incredibly authentic and as fresh as possible. Every single thing we make under this roof, we make fresh in the mornings. We have a perfect prep rotation figured out to where the menu can be made fresh daily. Everything, all the way down to the seasoning on our tortilla chips, is made in house, I don’t even allow my bartenders to batch-make margaritas. I want to be known as the fresh-made margarita place. I put my whole heart into this. I strive to be a little different.

EL: Can you tell me what it’s been like owning a Mexican restaurant in Montana?

BB: It’s been good! I’m glad to say that it hasn’t been very challenging to acquire the ingredients that I need to be authentic and produce the product that I want. To be honest, the biggest struggle across the board has been corn tortillas. Perhaps no one else takes their corn tortillas as seriously as I do, or maybe they just don’t have the product that I need here. I import my corn tortillas through El Mercadito, a Latin market in Four Corners, from a mom and pop operation in Los Angeles.

EL: Can you tell me a little bit about your cooking experience?

BB: I went to culinary school at Northwest Culinary Institute in Vancouver, Washington, which is where I gained my initial cooking skills and knowledge. I’m actually a bartender, too, a mixologist for custom craft cocktails, which is one of my biggest passions alongside cooking. In the beginning, I hired three different head chefs for Tres Toros, thinking I would spend most of my time behind the bar, but none of them were executing the menu the way I wanted them to. Eventually, I realized that if I wanted it done right, I was going to have to do it myself. So now I do it all.

EL: What do you hope people experience when they walk through your doors?

BB: I hope they experience a little bit of everything. I’m not only trying to provide wonderful cuisine, I also want to provide an atmosphere, a certain energy you can feel when you walk through the door. All of the front of house staff are trained with certain standard operating procedures on how to greet guests, and how to table touch. We’re not just here to take orders and bring people food. I want our customers to have a dining experience. Some people think that just goes for fine dining, but I think it goes hand-in-hand with any kind of dining.

EL: Is there a certain menu item that people keep coming back for?

BB: Definitely the Birria Tacos. We do a sixteen-hour overnight slow-roast on all of our meats, which is a key component in achieving that dynamic flavor.

KT: Do you have a favorite dish?

BB: I really enjoy the vegetarian dishes we’ve created, the jackfruit and the portobello mushroom tacos. There are so many food allergies and dietary restrictions these days, and I like to use that as a baseline at Tres Toros. We try to keep everything as clean as possible, so everyone can find something to eat. There’s no chicken stock in our rice or lard in our beans, and I do my best to keep everything fresh and vegan-based if possible.

KT: What do you enjoy most about being part of the Bozeman/Big Sky community?

BB: I think Montana is unique when it comes to people. It’s a tight community, and people are just really friendly. I think we all realize we’re here for the same reason, to enjoy the outdoors; I’ve never seen that in any other state I’ve stayed in. The restaurant community reflects this, too. I have great relationships with other restaurants in town, in particular with Brenda and Alberto of Alberto’s Mexican Restaurant in Big Sky. In fact, we trade things back and forth – if they’re out of lime juice, they borrow lime juice; if I’m out of tortillas, they loan me tortillas. We’re a tight- knit community here, and we’re all on the same page.

KT: Is there anything else you would like readers to know?

BB: We are actually opening a new Tres Toros location in downtown Bozeman this fall. We struggle a little in the off-season because there is such little foot traffic in Big Sky in the spring and fall. We are looking forward to having location in a larger town where the ebb and flow is still there, but not quite the way we see it here in Big Sky. We’re excited to expand into Bozeman.

While the drive to Big Sky might be a long one, a visit to Tres Toros Tacos and Tequila is worth it. And soon, we’ll have Tres Toros right here in Bozeman, too. How exciting! Be sure to try those Birria Tacos and the roasted red pepper, mango, and tomatillo gazpacho – it’s only around in the summer! There is something on the menu for everyone at Tres Toros, and the care, dedication, and passion that has gone into creating tried and true, delicious recipes shows.