If you know me, you know when someone asks me what my favorite restaurant in Virginia Beach is I'll say I have a few! Yeah, it's a cop out but there are so many places to eat in Virginia Beach and I've only visited a fraction of them I can't say for sure what the best one is out there. It's also a very subjective topic, we're all different!

OK, evasive talk aside, I will say that one of my favorite places to eat in the city is Terrapin. Hands down! I've posted and written about them a lot over the years but I just found another reason to visit the shop - TACO TUESDAY! Shelby saw it out there and said we should try it. $10 for hand-pressed tortillas with a carnitas plate and $6 Blood Orange Margaritas! You can't beat that for a meal at Terrapin.

I'm sure most of you have heard of Taco Tuesday it's basically an excuse to go out and eat tacos on a slow night for restaurants. It's been around since the early 80s and maybe earlier according to some stories.

That being said don't think that Terrapin really has slow nights, we went the second week of this taco celebration and got there about 5:45, 45 minutes after the door opened and had to be put on a waiting list. I swear the regulars, most whom appeared retired, must have been waiting at the doors and rushed the bar! Oh, forgot to mention Taco Tuesday is bar service only.

I'm not complaining about the wait because that gave Shelby and me a chance to check out the drink menu, chat, and eyeball what Rodney (ownder/chef) and crew were cooking up through the open kitchen's window. Love how he works, super chill. While we waited we sipped on a Little Italy and a Carré Me Home. The Little Italy has bourbon, cocchi barolo chinato, angostura bitters, and a lemon twist; the Carré Me Home is made with bourbon, triple sec, Drambuie, sweet vermouth.

Terrapin has a high-speed menu system :)

After finishing our drinks and chatting with Rodney a little bit we finally got our seat at the bar. We asked for the tacos, of course, and a couple of Blood Orange Margaritas. The oranges were hand-squeezed and the drink itself was great. The carnitas were perfect, not that I expected anything less from Terrapin. The portion was nice, I was able to get four tacos out of my serving and left feeling full.

Basically, make an effort to hit Taco Tuesday at Terrapin. I don't know how long they'll do it and it's an easy way to get a quality meal at a great price.

Busy week, so I was looking forward to the weekend. So was this sinus thing I have. Pow! Knocked me on my butt Saturday. I actually went out Saturday morning with Chayce for some biscuits and coffee but by the time I got home I was wore out. I cancelled anything I might have thought about doing for the day and sat on the couch to sweat it out. Shelby decided to run out for a while while I was being useless.

By the time Shelby got home later that evening we were both starving. She picked up some steaks but mentioned we could also go to El Taco Loco. I love El Taco Loco so of course it was a no-brainer. I bundled up and we drove across the boulevard to one of the local's favorite Tex-Mex spots.

One thing we love is the endless supply of chips and dip you get at these places. I still can't figure out if that's a good thing or a bad thing. If we come for dinner I usually get the Carnitas. Slow braised chunks of pork that end up a little crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside. You also get great refried beans and rice. Shelby loves the street tacos. We had to get margaritas while were there too.

My starter with the carnitas is a avocado salad. An avocado is mashed into chunks and tossed with lettuce. A light vinegar based dressing sprinkled over it and the whole thing is delicious. I don't know how they cook the carnitas exactly, but it's so good. I know it's braised in oil for hours. It's platted with refried beans and a nice rice. I always finish the beans and rice and will usually have carnitas to take home.

Another thing I like about this dish is the roasted Spring onion and jalapeno pepper. I divvy these up with every bite I take, I like making sure I get a good balance of flavors when I'm eating this stuff. It's serious business!

Shelby had two tacos: carnitas and ribeye steak. They're topped with shredded cabbage and you have sauces you can use. Both fillers are seasoned and cooked perfectly. We finished our drinks and headed home full and I was feeling a little cozy.

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