What better way to warm up on a -22oC evening then with some spicy food? We decided we needed earn our tacos tonight so we signed up for a 5pm spin class at Vita Fitness in Bridgeland to work up an appetite before heading to El Charrito. By the time we finished spin we were feeling a bit sorry for ourselves because El Charrito doesn’t have a liquor licence so decided we should stop by Blue Star Diner which was nearby, served tacos, plus had a liquor licence! We settled in at the bar and ordered up a margarita ($11) toute suite to reward ourselves after a long day at the office. The margaritas were made with fresh squeezed lime but we found them a bit too tart and could have used some additional agave or tequila to mellow the lime acidy. We shared the Al Pastor pork tacos ($12) which are served on locally made Tres Marias corn tacos with slow roasted brined pork, a pineapple and red pepper salsa with cilantro and chipotle lime sauce. They came in an order of 3, were served with French fries and were delicious. Our favourite part was the pineapple and red pepper salsa with the cilantro on top, yum! We were disappointed that you couldn’t mix the different meat combinations in an order but had to abide by the kitchen rules. Kudos to Blue Star for being a founding partner in MealShare; they really are a good neighbour. On to the taqueria!
Pics from Blue Star
El Charrito is a casual take out/dine-in cafeteria-style restaurant on Edmonton Trail. We felt the authenticity walking in due to the Mexican family dining there, a Mexican program blaring on TV, the cook who didn’t speak English, the many coulourful and festive decorations. Tacos ($2.25 each) are served in two small corn tortillas with your meat of choice, onions, hot sauce and cilantro. I had read on Yelp’s Taco Takedown that the lengua (beef tongue) was good so we ordered one of those an Al Pastor (pork), a birria (shredded beef) and a chorizo (sausage). We threw caution to the wind and asked for them all spicy! The tacos were fabulous and the spice was great, our mouths were on fire but not enough that we were crying…a true test of heat… We also enjoyed a horachata (cinnamon rice milk) which was cold and helped cut the heat but wasn’t our favorite drink (let’s be honest, we prefer a margarita or a wine!). We rounded off the meal with some jalapeno peanuts, a de la Rosa dulce, and a flan. Wow, we had full tummies after this feast…time to sign up for another spin class! El Charrito is highly recommended for authentic Mexican cuisine and a fun experience. Also, a shout out to Ernesto who had a bookstand in the corner of the restaurant and drew a super hero book for us, we were happy to see good prevail over evil!
Pics from El Charrito
Delicioso!
Janet
Tagged: Bridgeland, Calgary, food, Margarita, Mexican, Mexican cuisine, Project Fiesta, spin, Taco, Tequila
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