In case you haven't noticed, B and I are big on traditions. Really, unless you're someone who already knows us well, you probably haven't noticed (aside from the whole Thursday Night Bites thing). We've been together about four and a half years now, living together in Seattle for four years next month. Don't do the math. Please. Our families are far away; his in Kentucky and DC and mine in New Mexico. He only lived in Seattle five months before I got here, so we've really found our way together in this rainy, always polite, but sometimes unfriendly city. He was my family from the very first Thanksgiving we spent together three weeks after I moved here and becomes even more so with each passing day. Families are based on a lot of things, but traditions are a big one. We create our own traditions, big and small.
One small tradition we really enjoy is Taco Monday. This one is relatively new since it started when we moved into our condo a year ago, practically next door to Barracuda Taqueria. I love, love, love Barracuda. I mentioned them in yesterday's post because we'll probably go there on Sunday morning for breakfast tacos. It's a tiny place with a couple of communal tables (a concept I'm still getting comfortable with) and lots of mismatched chairs, tables and water pitchers. One table in particular reminds B of his mom's dining room table growing up. Barracuda just feels like you're in someone's comfortable breakfast nook. Don't let this photo fool you, they get busy! By the time we left tonight, they were packed!
The staff here is also great. They're nice, polite and attentive, but very, very real. You don't feel like they're being nice to you to get a bigger tip or just because they have to. It just feels like they're being themselves. That's true of every employee we've encountered, though we see some more often than others.
On this particular Monday night, we were considering trying out a Seattle Restaurant Week location, but Amazon Fresh ran right up to the end of our delivery window and, let's face it, it's cold out... and wet... and windy. We haven't adapted just yet. So, the tradition remains unbroken and we chose Barracuda.
I drank their Sangria all summer. Sangria and Mojitos are my favorite alcoholic drinks, so winter can be a bit rough for me in the alcohol department, but tonight I had a glass of red Rioja instead. I kind of love that they serve it in a regular water glass.
We stepped a little outside of our regular Taco Monday box tonight, though. Normally, we either share the Street Nachos (which are food for 4 easily) or we each get 2 tacos. Tonight, we started with the chips and queso (Brian was right, they were perfect for such a cold night), B had his usual shrimp tacos, I had a bowl of the Sopa de Lima y Pollo and a Picadillo taco. Of course, we finished with the Chocolate Pot de Creme. TOO MUCH food, but it was delicious as usual.
Amazing Queso and homeade chips - No Velveeta here!
Sopa de Lima y Pollo - Often in Winter, I've looked for good soup for dinner and struggled to find a place in walking distance that serves any. THIS is the soup from now on.
Our two standards- B's favorite shrimp tacos and my favorite Picadillo taco
B and I are spending the holidays this year alone in Seattle for the first time since our first holidays together in 2006. We're going to get a Christmas tree, do some of the regular holiday stuff that doesn't involve the TSA or absurdly high airfare. We'll miss our families and would love to have them here with us, but having traveled the past three holiday seasons, we understand that's not the easiest thing to pull off anymore. We'll go on creating our own traditions and when our families finally do visit again, we'll happily share some of our traditions with them. Tonight, though, we're just grateful for Taco Monday.
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