This edition of Excited about Eating features...
Dora here. So, it's Superbowl Sunday and hubby decides he wants to go to Mert's. Mert's, right in the heart of downtown Charlotte! Granted, the Superbowl wasn't being played in Charlotte, but the downtown area was a hub of activity with local restaurants/bars offering special activities/prices for the event. Good thing I had a backup planned. After circling a few times and not finding a parking spot, we diverted to...
Bakersfield Tacos on East Blvd in the Dilworth neighborhood of Charlotte.
Dora here. Where we still ran into a parking dilemma. No private lot, not a street parking space for blocks, and plenty of signage nearby stating "NO BAKERSFIELD." But, thankfully, only on Sundays, Berrybrook Farm allows Bakersfield patrons to park free in their lot. The server told us they have valet parking at night.
 |
| On Sundays, park in the Berrybrook Farm lot across the street |
A local place serving up their own version of Mexican cuisine, Bakersfield offers both full size plates and petite tacos.
For our appetizer, we chose the Chips and Queso and added Chorizo. This queso was great, thick, gooey and with a little smoky flavor, but the star of this dish was the fried chorizo. Combined with the queso, it was the perfect match for the salty but hardy chips.
 |
| Chips & Queso with Chorizo |
Dora here. The first thing that hit me about this was the smell. Amaaaazing! Cheesy, deep flavor, delicious! I could've made this a whole meal. I couldn't scoop this up fast enough! :)
 |
| Chips & Queso with Chorizo. Soooo good! |
For my lunch, I chose four different tacos: Fish, Pork Belly Pastor, Bistec, and Short Rib all served on in-house handmade tortillas.
 |
| Bottom Left: Pork Belly Pastor, Upper Left: Bistec, Upper Right: Short Rib, Bottom Right: Fish |
The fish taco featured Mahi, lime sauce, citrus slaw, and cilantro. A great tasting taco with crispy fish and a crunch from the citrus slaw.
The pork belly pastor included chili marinated pork, pineapple, onion and cilantro. A sweet tasting taco that I just couldn’t get enough of.
The short rib was my favorite. Tender braised short rib, queso fresco, crema (like sour cream), onion, radish, and cilantro combined for a perfect taco.
The Bistec, marinated short rib with a spicy chipotle slaw, had me reaching for my drink after every bite.
Dora here. I sampled a bite of all the tacos. Yowza! What an explosion of flavors! Since I'm not typically a huge fan of fish or pork, I was surprised at my top two faves: Pork Belly Pastor and Fish. By the time I made it to my Milanesa Torta, my mouth was on fire! In a good way. :)
 |
| Milanesa Torta |
Check out that tender white chicken breast! Mmmm. And I loved the fresh bread, a Telera Roll, "similar to a French roll with a scored and flour-dusted crust."
 |
| Milanesa Torta. Check out that tender white chicken breast! |
Intense flavors as well, with a bold blend of black beans, salsa verde, avocado and lemon mayo, but I would've preferred half the pesto.
Eventually, we'll make it to Mert's. :)
What about you? How do you like your tacos?
Dora rated this restaurant a 4, but I rate it a 5. Since that equates to 4 1/2, we'll give them 5 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.
Labels: Bakersfield Tacos, Charlotte, Charlotte food blogger, Ernie Hiers, Excited about Eating, Mert's
