Restaurant quality Italian food from a trailer? New Modesto food truck opens downtown
You’d expect some of the food coming out of Braulio’s Bistro to be served at a restaurant with white tablecloths and candlelight.
Instead, fresh-made pasta dishes and other Italian favorites are being produced out of a 20-foot custom-made food trailer. Braulio’s Bistro is the newest addition to downtown Modesto’s popular Grub Hubs food truck court.
The restaurant on wheels comes from Modesto married couple Kathy Ramirez and Braulio Hernandez and opened this week at the outdoor court.
Hernandez, the truck’s namesake and chef, has close to 20 years experience working in restaurants in the Bay Area and Central Valley. The couple met while working together at San Francisco’s now defunct Rainforest Cafe, and got married eight years ago.
But from the start, their goal was to open their own place. Then the pandemic hit and Hernandez found himself out of work after his restaurant, Modesto’s Bel Piatto Italian Restaurant, closed permanently.
“Everyone was bored at home, and people kept telling us they missed Braulio’s cooking,” Ramirez said. “So we started making food and continued cooking, for family and friends and more. Then we realized this is our go time. We have to make this happen.”
The couple started catering during the pandemic. Ramirez’s father is a longtime chef, cooking at former Modesto favorites like Fajardo’s and Garcia’s, and Ramirez grew up in kitchens.
It was a chance meeting with the wife of Fonzi’s Tacos owner Fonzi Meraz that helped kick start their dream into reality. Through word of mouth Elizabeth Meraz had tried some of their food and suggested they open a food truck. This May, Meraz took it a step further and built the couple’s custom trailer complete with a full-size oven, grills, deep fryer and more.
Their new spot in Grub Hubs is, appropriately, right next to Fonzi’s Tacos facing Ninth Street.
The specially designed kitchen allows Hernandez to crank out more than a dozen Italian favorites, from the always popular fettuccini alfredo and chicken parmigiana to his own creations including Cajun linguini (a mix of chicken, shrimp and sausage tossed in a creamy sauce with a kick) and the stuffed salmon (pan-seared salmon stuffed with crab, shrimp, ricotta cheese with a lemon sauce).
Make no mistake, this is not your typical food truck fare. Hernandez makes all of his sauces from scratch, from marinara to the pesto and alfredo. Most dishes are also made to order, and will take longer than most of the court’s other offerings. But you’ll likely forget all about the at least 15-to-20 minute waits once you try the flavorful food and generous portions.
Meals also cost a little more than typical food truck offerings, and come with fresh-baked bread — yes, they bake it inside the trailer. All non-pasta dishes come with mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables.
Their specialties run around $16 to $18, though if you can eat it all in one sitting you’ll likely find yourself in a glorious food coma. They also have a kid’s menu (scusi, the bambino menu) which features favorites like pizza, spaghetti and fettuccini alfredo for $6 to $9.
The couple is starting out with dinner service only beginning at 5 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday nights. But once they’ve got the trailer’s kitchen running smoothly, they’ll add lunch hours as well. Ramirez said they also plan to add some faster options for lunch, and allow people to preorder online once they’re settled.
The business is a true family affair. Ramirez and Hernandez are working on the truck together, and getting help at the cash register from a cousin. On their opening night Ramirez’s father, who currently works at Modesto’s Taco Shop El Rincon, came on the trailer to help out as well, completing another dream of theirs.
“A dream of mine has always been to have my dad work on a business with me,” Ramirez said. “He was with us (opening) night and there were times where I couldn’t look at him because I wanted to cry. I had to look away. That’s always something I wanted to do with him, so to have him in the truck, helping any way he could was an emotional moment for us.”
Braulio’s Bistro is open from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday (lunch hours coming later) at Modesto’s Grub Hubs, 621 9th St. For more information call 209-214-5112 or visit www.instagram.com/Brauliosbistro2021.
This story was originally published November 22, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
