NSU is a unique and lively campus, but that doesn’t mean Sharks can’t band together and take an afternoon to explore the South Florida area — even if that just means finding a quaint place to study.
I’ve been in South Florida for almost eight years now, and I am always looking for new food and restaurants to try, given we live in such a diverse area. When my friends came back from college over winter break, we decided to venture and find the best restaurants we could in the limited amount of time we had together. We discovered a restaurant that adds their own twist to a traditional food — tacos. Blue Taco, located on Sheridan Street in the Sheridan Shoppes, specializes in — you guessed it — tacos.
When you walk in, you’re greeted warmly and are welcome to sit wherever you would like. As soon as you walk in, you’re hit with the aroma of spices, steak on the grill and taco shells being made. It’s a relatively small restaurant, with a warm and comfortable atmosphere so don’t let the “bar” in the name distract you. The menu is not particularly complicated, but it has dozens of options to choose from, and it’s not just tacos. They have delicious guacamole and salsa, highly rated tortas and antojitos and finally, burritos and quesadillas.
You may be wondering, “why is it called Blue Taco?” This is where the twist comes in. When you order your food from a selection of 12 different kinds of tacos, you choose between the traditional flour tortillas or their housemade blue corn tortilla shells. These shells have some special features. Our waitress explained how they have 20% more protein than their white flour or corn counterparts, significantly less starch, a higher level of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
With so many choices at my fingertips, I decided to be a bit more adventurous and try some more diverse options. I had the pork belly, al pastor (pork marinated and grilled with pineapple) and lengua (braised beef tongue braised with garlic and onions) tacos — all with blue corn shells. To say I was impressed would be an understatement. The explosion and combination of flavoring between the meats, seasonings, toppings and their selection of hot sauces was indescribably mouth-watering.
While I get desserts at restaurants once in a blue moon, I decided to on that particular day. I split an order of churros with ice cream, served with cajeta — a thickened syrup usually made of sweetened caramelised goat’s milk — and chocolate sauce. The churros were perfectly crisped and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. It proved to be an excellent combination of sweet from the chocolate sauce and ice cream with savory from the cajeta. You get a fair portion size for the price you pay — and the tacos were a fair size, making them relatively inexpensive at $3.50-$4.50 each. I had a great experience and plan to be back soon hungry for more.
Photo: O. Oneyeador
