Frugal Find: Taco Tuesday's at Wood Tavern
Two for me, Two for you!
Good morning fellow Foodies!
It's sunny and 75° in Miami, FL and in the middle of February. It's hard to believe we're still in winter! I hope everyone is having a great week so far. It's Wednesday, and one thing you'll notice about me is that I usually don't go out much during the week as I work full time and study part time, Monday through Friday. By the time I get home from a long day of work and dealing with clients, I like to just get home, eat, shower, and maybe do some yoga to unwind before bed, or relax with a piping hot cup of green tea, indulging in some Netflix. The last thing I want to do is to be out until 1:00 a.m.. Clearly, those weren't the plans this week.
A good friend of mine had told me about this fabulous little event in Wood Tavern in Wynwood called Taco Tuesday. Every Tuesday, between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., they hand out free tacos. No, you read correctly; FREE tacos! As someone who likes good food and loves saving money even more, you know I had to come see for myself. Towards the back of this hip establishment, there sits a food stand covered in a plethora of graffiti tags and stickers, representing Miami locals on a broad spectrum. Once you get to the counter, you are given a choice between chicken, pork, and mushroom tacos, limited to two per person. I'm not too partial to the taste and texture of mushrooms, so I opted for a chicken and a pork taco (Biased, I know, but that's just my preference). The tacos come open faced and are served with cilantro and diced white onion and finished with a Salsa Verde on top. Just as a side note, in case you thought traditional tacos are served with lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese, and sour cream, you have been misled. Allow me to enlighten you! Tacos are traditionally served with just the meat of choice, maybe some cilantro and onion, and that's it. Shocking, I know, to those of you who consider Taco Bell to be traditional Mexican fare (Not that I'm knocking Taco Bell at 2:00 a.m. after a night of drinking, I love me some Nachos Bell Grande, lol). You get yourself a $5 House Margarita to wash it all down and you take a seat in one of the many family-style tables they have out in the 'back yard'. I dug in…
First off, I'm not one to trust 'Free Food' to be amazingly delicious, unless it's my grandmother's cooking. But, for not having spent a dime on these tacos, not only did they taste great, but they were made fresh to order, which definitely comes through. The tortillas are traditional corn tortillas, not the white flour flatbread Americans are used to when they order a 'Crunch Wrap Supreme'. It's chewy, yet sturdy enough to hold all the ingredients inside, and has a great bite to it. Now, the filling. My first taco was the chicken taco. It was simple: chicken breast, diced up, salt and peppered and thrown on a flat top to be cooked to perfection. The chicken was slightly crispy from being seared on the griddle, which was a pleasant surprise. I was able to taste a slight lime finish, which was a plus for me, since I love anything acidic. Now I'm going to jump to the pork, which contrary to popular belief, was my favorite! The pork was cooked 'Lechon style', meaning it was marinated in mojo, shredded, and put on the flat top for a quick sear to finish. The flavor came through more with the pork than the chicken, mostly because chicken doesn't have much flavor to begin with, so it takes seasoning very well. But, pork shoulder is a very luscious cut of meat, and when cooked properly, it can melt in your mouth deliciously. So, when the cilantro and raw onion come into play, they add not only a nice balance, but another level of texture to the taco, bringing me to the last component: the Salsa Verde. This simple dressing made the taco complete. It brought freshness and a well balanced jalapeño kick. Of course, upon request, the tacos can be served without the salsa for those of you faint of heart, lol.
To my favorites at Wood Tavern, let me just say this: I will definitely be returning for more Taco Tuesdays! You simply can't beat free tacos, great drinks, awesome atmosphere, and friendly faces. Any time I visit Wood, there's never a dull moment, and always a good time. Thank you for keeping your tacos simple, fresh, and most of all, free. You really had starving artists in mind when creating such an event, and it's become such a hit. Gracias (Thank you in Spanish)!
So, as always my fellow food lovers, I'm sending you nothing but love and delicious noms from me to you. Happy Hump Day!
Exquisitely yours,
Nicky
A good friend of mine had told me about this fabulous little event in Wood Tavern in Wynwood called Taco Tuesday. Every Tuesday, between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., they hand out free tacos. No, you read correctly; FREE tacos! As someone who likes good food and loves saving money even more, you know I had to come see for myself. Towards the back of this hip establishment, there sits a food stand covered in a plethora of graffiti tags and stickers, representing Miami locals on a broad spectrum. Once you get to the counter, you are given a choice between chicken, pork, and mushroom tacos, limited to two per person. I'm not too partial to the taste and texture of mushrooms, so I opted for a chicken and a pork taco (Biased, I know, but that's just my preference). The tacos come open faced and are served with cilantro and diced white onion and finished with a Salsa Verde on top. Just as a side note, in case you thought traditional tacos are served with lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese, and sour cream, you have been misled. Allow me to enlighten you! Tacos are traditionally served with just the meat of choice, maybe some cilantro and onion, and that's it. Shocking, I know, to those of you who consider Taco Bell to be traditional Mexican fare (Not that I'm knocking Taco Bell at 2:00 a.m. after a night of drinking, I love me some Nachos Bell Grande, lol). You get yourself a $5 House Margarita to wash it all down and you take a seat in one of the many family-style tables they have out in the 'back yard'. I dug in…
First off, I'm not one to trust 'Free Food' to be amazingly delicious, unless it's my grandmother's cooking. But, for not having spent a dime on these tacos, not only did they taste great, but they were made fresh to order, which definitely comes through. The tortillas are traditional corn tortillas, not the white flour flatbread Americans are used to when they order a 'Crunch Wrap Supreme'. It's chewy, yet sturdy enough to hold all the ingredients inside, and has a great bite to it. Now, the filling. My first taco was the chicken taco. It was simple: chicken breast, diced up, salt and peppered and thrown on a flat top to be cooked to perfection. The chicken was slightly crispy from being seared on the griddle, which was a pleasant surprise. I was able to taste a slight lime finish, which was a plus for me, since I love anything acidic. Now I'm going to jump to the pork, which contrary to popular belief, was my favorite! The pork was cooked 'Lechon style', meaning it was marinated in mojo, shredded, and put on the flat top for a quick sear to finish. The flavor came through more with the pork than the chicken, mostly because chicken doesn't have much flavor to begin with, so it takes seasoning very well. But, pork shoulder is a very luscious cut of meat, and when cooked properly, it can melt in your mouth deliciously. So, when the cilantro and raw onion come into play, they add not only a nice balance, but another level of texture to the taco, bringing me to the last component: the Salsa Verde. This simple dressing made the taco complete. It brought freshness and a well balanced jalapeño kick. Of course, upon request, the tacos can be served without the salsa for those of you faint of heart, lol. To my favorites at Wood Tavern, let me just say this: I will definitely be returning for more Taco Tuesdays! You simply can't beat free tacos, great drinks, awesome atmosphere, and friendly faces. Any time I visit Wood, there's never a dull moment, and always a good time. Thank you for keeping your tacos simple, fresh, and most of all, free. You really had starving artists in mind when creating such an event, and it's become such a hit. Gracias (Thank you in Spanish)!
So, as always my fellow food lovers, I'm sending you nothing but love and delicious noms from me to you. Happy Hump Day!
Exquisitely yours,
Nicky
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