Mexican Madness

I love girl friends. I like Mexican. I kinda like birthdays. And margaritas are delicious.

Last night Kate and Ash and I went to Pure Taquiera (John St., Matthews, NC). It's probably the cutest little mexican restaurant I've ever been to--even if the margaritas simply CANNOT top the margis at Zapatas (multiple locations, namely the one at University Place, Charlotte, NC). Zapatas has best ones, hands down.

http://puretaqueria.com/matthews
http://www.zapatasrestaurant.com/

It was delicious though. I've known Katie for just over 28 years (probably attributed to the fact that she's my sister), and Ashley for almost 14 I believe. I love old friends. They know you inside and out, and know what's good for you and what you're thinking even when you don't say a thing. I love laughing with them at nothing and everything and making memories. This blog is a tribute to my Katie and my Ashley, two of my favorite ladies ever. It's also a restaurant review. Cause I can. I'm the blog administrator. For today, it's a food blog.

Katie and I split the Pescado a la parilla
3 grilled citrus mahi mahi tacos, charred pico de gallo, avocado.

And minus the guac for me. I haven't grown accustomed to avocadoes yet. It's like this mushy vegetable without much flavor. I don't get all the hype.

Our other option was the Quesadillas de pollo y queso
Corn-masa turnovers stuffed with chicken,three cheeses & sweet onions. Finished with salsa verde, sour cream, lettuce & guacamole.

Look at the names on those dishes. The menu puts mine and Katie's Spanish to shame...I'm impressed, Pure Taquiera.

But we stuck with the fish tacos for 3 reasons. 1) As much as I love fish, I've still never had fish tacos...until last night that is. 2) They are the healthier option. 3) And fish just sounds so refreshing in the midst of summer.

The only negative about the fish tacos was that the dish did not come with cheese. No melted cheese. But that's okay cause I'm not so sure I could've even handles mahi mahi with cheese...I'm pretty sure fish was never meant to be paired with cheese. The mahi mahi was perfectly grilled with a citrus splash. The wheat tortillas were hot, and the tiny little container of black beans were seasoned wonderfully. Ordinarily, I don't like beans, but I tried them because of the tiny little container they came in. Surprise--they were good! (Possibly because of the tiny bowl) It came with verde salsa for a splash of color and a change from the red tomato salsa that came with the chips, and was accompanied by some cooked pico de gallo and rice with a little spice for a make-your-own-taco.

Then I ordered the Peach Margarita for a birthday treat. If I'm going to be older, then I'm going to use it (and secretly I wanted to get carded...I didn't. Major disappointment). I was going to get the mango margarita, but Kate, Ashley, and I shared it, and Ashley thinks she's allergic to mangoes which is incredibly saddening. Cause mangoes are delish. Surprised? Shouldn't be...if you didn't know before, you do now--I love mangoes.

This margi was definitely not slacking in the tequila area. Wow. I'm not going to even sugar-coat it (really, the rim had sugar on it, no salt...hahaha). But it was a nice blend with the peach nectar and accessorized with a lime slice. We got it frozen, but it was also offered on the rocks. It could've had slightly more of a peach-punch and a little less tequila (talk about authentic mexican). In my opinion anyways. I'm sure a good number of people would be fist-pumping at the cocktail, but I prefer a slightly milder concoction myself. That and the fact that the three of us had to drive home and go to work today...although that didn't seem to stop anyone else in the restaurant...Pure also offered the skinny girl margarita (all you Bethenny fans! Woot woot!) but it cost $4 more. And frankly, my checkbook wasn't ready for that.

But the ambience (in Ashley's words) was lovely. It's like an old warehouse/garage with lots of windows, mood lighting, and an open-air patio. Simple, fun decor and casual, fun wait staff. Two thumbs up for atmosphere. The service was good, our waitress was knowledgeable, attentive, and nice...minus her two black eyes that looked like she'd gotten in a cat fight at the club last night. The margarita could've come out a little bit quicker, but the bartender was slammed, understandably so. The food came out in two shakes, but before that while we were making our meal selections and while the food was being prepped we were given complimentary, freshly-baked tortilla chips (warm) and fresh salsa with a little kick and full, flavorful blend of tomatoes, cilantro, and whatever pepper put the hop in our step. Of course I only picked the folded chips. I have a thing. Folded chips are better than flat ones. Don't ask questions. And they had some in the basket, so I was happy.

And, again, talk about authentic Mexican. If that's what you're looking for, then this is the place for you. And you don't even have to go to Alpharetta (GA) for it! That's where Pure Taquiera originated (for a brief history lesson), and it just moved to Matthews probably less than a year ago. Apparently it's a hit because I could NOT find a parking spot, so I made my own. And thankfully my car was still there when we were done.

The three of us decided that from now on whenever we go out to dinner on a Thursday, it has to be Mexican. When we went out before the wedding, it was on a Thursday, and we went to Zapatas, also Mexican. And now this. Thursdays are officially Mexican Madness. Makes it sound like we got a little crazy, but of course we all parted ways at 9 pm. All you need to have fun is a girls night, the margarita just added a little sweetness to another memory.