Let's Go... to Taco Tuesday at Bel Air Cantina on Water
Instead of doing (or attempting to do) one year-long New Year's Resolution, I break the idea up into four three-month long resolutions, and I REALLY stick to them. Last year I spent three-months: refraining from processed sugars, then fried foods (this was surprisingly easy), then for three months I didn't watch any television and limited my movies so I could focus on reading, and the last quarter of the year I spent vegan which was surprisingly awesome.
This year I didn't consume any alcohol for the first three months of the year, then I began a writing regime (which this blog was a result of), and this quarter I have spent gluten free (GF).
I have about two weeks left for my resolution, and I have learned a lot from it. Wheat is buried in many products like soy sauce, and those are easy and relatively equal in price to get the GF version. However, attempting to simply replace all the gluten-filled products you regularly eat with their gluten-free counterpart is an expensive endeavor. I've eaten fresh fruits and veggies for days without touching any replacement products, and both my body and pocketbook have been happier for it.
Since spending three months vegan, I began the year continuing to enjoy a guilt-free diet in regards to animals, but continuing my mostly-vegan diet and being GF was very difficult. If this is something you have been able to master, I bow to you. I definitely increased my poultry and fish consumption since adopting my GF diet but still found myself easily not having dairy (except the milk mixed in my omelets!).
What I've REALLY indulged in is our city's wide variety of Mexican restaurants, most recently celebrating TACO TUESDAY at BelAir Cantina!
I jumped out of the car at Humboldt and Water so Ben could look for parking while I got on the waiting list, which was a 25-30 minute wait. ***BelAir uses the NoWait App, which is free in the Apple App Store, so you can get on the list early and check in when you get there! I've used this for Pizzaman before and it worked really well!.*** We walked to the bridge to enjoy the bright sunset and just talk through our work days. A couple MIlwaukee rowing teams went by and that was really cool to see.
After a 45-minute wait we finally got sat. We had the most enthusiastic server whom I was 100% thrilled by. She made my night... There is so much truth in the saying, go for the food and come back for the service!
We expected a substantial wait, so we went across the street to Finks, which used to be Red Room, do you remember that? Oh, the memories... Got a seat at the bar. Waited. Waited. Waited maybe five minutes? More? Felt like more. The bartender couldn't even bother to acknowledge that we were there, so we left. So, that happened, and I won't be making the mistake of going there again, and I hope you have a better experience at Finks.. Back to the tacos.
BelAir has a pretty great selection of tacos to choose from (about 30 of 'em), and when you order three they throw in the beans and rice. For Taco Tuesday and Thursday, they offer nine tacos and tamales at a $2 special price, and they have discounts on selected alcohol.
My stomach is grumbling to know what your favorite taco place is in Milwaukee! Tell me now!