If you have read any of my previous blog posts, you probably picked up on the fact that I am a foodie. I love all things food: learning about it, cooking it, and of course eating it. I love to try new things, and am always searching for the hidden jewels of Charlotte. When traveling I will go to great lengths to avoid any chain restaurants that I can go to at home. So while I have a passion for event planning, my love for food is right up there too!
Last week my husband and I stumbled onto a great little place, seconds from our neighborhood...who knew?! We are lucky enough to live in a culturally diversified area of the city, so we have discovered many fun places in the last couple of years. This week we were craving Mexican food, a normal craving in our household. Taco night at home? The usual Cantina 1511 or Monterrey? No, this time we wanted something different. Something authentic. We also love coupons and often let the savings do the choosing for us. Out came my husband with a coupon to Taqueria La Unica. No harm in giving it a try, so off we went. About two whole minutes later, we arrived at our destination.
Being mid-week, the place wasn't too crowded. We never mind that! A very nice hostess seated us in a booth. It's not a huge place, maybe seats 75 or so. We were immediately served a basket of warm, fresh tortilla chips, along with a carafe each of tomato salsa and tomatillo salsa. Both salsas had a wonderful flavor, and the tomatillo had a pretty good kick to it.
After chowing down on some chips, we started to browse the menu. The items were very authentic, and I had a hard time deciding what I was going to indulge in for dinner. After much thought, I decided on three tacos. Their tacos come with cilantro and chopped onion, yes please. They also have a taco La Unica which is your choice of meat topped with cheese, lettuce and sour cream. They have the usual chicken, ground beef, steak and pork. But they also have some not so common varieties like marinated pork, cow tongue and tripe. I decided to go with carne asada (steak), al pastor (pork), and pollo (chicken). I went with the La Unica version for the chicken but stuck with the original on the steak and pork.
The rest of the menu had the traditional burritos, quesadillas and seafood specialties that you would typically see on a Mexican restaurants' menu. On the weekend they have a couple of stew specials that sounded good. My husband also ordered a batch of queso fundido, the delicious white cheese dip. It was a good size, and the flavor was spot on. Sometimes you get a runny mess, but this was perfect.
Our tacos arrived very quickly. They also brought a little ramekin of lime wedges. The tacos were served on soft corn tortillas with a garnish of a smoked whole jalapeno and pearl onions. Don't get me wrong, I love spicy stuff, but biting into that jalapeno was not happening. The tacos were amazing, to say the least. All three of the meats were moist with wonderful flavor, and the pork had a bit of a crust to it which provided a nice crunch.
We both cleaned our plates (except for the jalapenos), and left with a lingering flavor of spicy tomatillo on our palates. Meanwhile, I have been craving Mexican pretty much since we left. Ever had something so delicious, you want it again immediately? I can't forget to mention the prices. The tacos run just $1.60 each so our meal was well under $20, and after our coupon the grand total was $12. Not too bad, huh? I don't think we could have gotten Taco Bell for any less.
So branch out and give Taqueria La Unica at try. They are located at 6625 South Blvd. You won't be disappointed.
So thanks for reading my first edition of Foodie Find Friday. I'll do my best to remember to take pictures next time. Would love any feedback!
~Alisa
info@charlotteeventstyle.com
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