Summer OOTD and Velvet Taco Review
Happy Friday, all!
It's been awhile since I posted an OOTD. Our schedule has been a little crazy with Hubby's new job, so we have had a bit of a hard time getting out to do a proper outfit inspo shoot. And we have yet to invest in a camera with a remote shutter button, so I am a slave to his schedule. Le sigh.
So last weekend we decided to drop the kids off at Papa and NaiNai's and we had a little mini date over at Velvet Taco in The Domain. I've been wanting to try these guys since back when they were only up in Dallas, and I'm so glad we finally got around to going!
Normally I'm a very simple carne asada or fish taco kind of gal when it comes to Mexican food, but Austin's bougie taco scene has kind of forced me to branch out in my taco tasting. I'm not sure if it's just Austin, or if it's everywhere, but tacos are becoming almost like sushi, in that people are messing with the recipes and adding more and more ingredients and complex flavors. I think I now understand how sushi chefs in Japan probably feel when they look at all of our American-ized sushi menus. That being said, I fucking love me a Caterpillar Roll, so I guess I can let go of my taco purism for a bit.
Fun little shot of our corner table with the fish-eye lens.
Velvet Taco's tag-line is "Tacos Without Borders" and they definitely deliver that. With over 20 different tacos including vegetarian options, they cover all different cuisines, pulling from Indian, British, Hawaiian, Southern, Cuban, and Mediterranean flavors. They even have three different "brunch" tacos. They offer gluten-free and vegan substitutions as well, so there are options for everyone! All that in 22 tacos is pretty impressive.
They also serve local craft beer and "kick-ass" margaritas, which I can attest to as being most definitely kick ass. Cause I had one and it kicked my ass. But I'm going to pretend that the Texas heat was helping that tequila out, for the sake of my pride.
See the culprit lurking behind those scrumptious tacos?
I chose the #20, a roast pork and egg fritatta brunch taco, which features charred tomato-poblano salsa, queso blanco, a dusting of chili powder, and cilantro garnish on a flour tortilla. This taco was so simple and delicious, it was one of the best things I have eaten in a while. The part that impressed me the most about it was the egg fritatta, which was almost like a crepe, that they laid inside the taco shell, then stuffed the pork inside of the whole shebang. This meant a taco that was well-balanced in flavor, but not overstuffed with a scramble of eggs and meat. These guys are geniuses!
#20, #11, #21, and #8, from top-left to bottom-right. Plus the Elote Corn.
My second choice was the #11, a grilled flank steak taco with portobello, white queso, grilled red onion, Mexican oregano and corn on a corn tortilla. This was the closest thing that I could find to a carne asada taco, and it didn't disappoint. Their choice of meat was fantastic, with the steak being incredibly tender and easy to chew, unlike some cuts of flank steak that I've had. The portobellos lent a beautiful earthiness to the taco, which contrasted well with the tanginess of the red onion and sweetness of the corn. Just lovely.
Hubby had the #8 (annatto shredded pork with avocado crema, house shred, grilled pineapple, pickled onion, queso fresco, and cilantro on a hibiscus corn tortilla), and the #21 (barbacoa brisket and egg frittata with corn pico, salsa verde, queso fresco and cilantro on a hibiscus corn tortilla). I didn't try these, but if his speed of consumption was any indication, they were just as tasty as mine. We also shared the "elote corn," which was SO good.
They had two additional house-made salsas, one being a chipotle sauce that had some great flavor and a good amount of heat. The other was like a richer version of Tapatio, which I was actually really impressed with.
As far as price goes, we were both able to eat for around $40 with alcoholic beverages and all, so I'd say it wasn't a bad deal. Plus the atmosphere is great. We had a nice little corner table with a bench on the patio, which was a pretty chill spot to people-watch and stuff our faces. We had a blast!
I'm definitely looking forward to coming here again. And what will I try next, you might ask? Definitely going for the #14 (shrimp and grits) and #4 (Nashville hot tofu), with the Crispy Tots and Local Egg on the side. Hells yeah.
Moving on to the summer style portion of this post...
I'm gonna be real, it's just too damn hot and muggy to wear anything other than shorts and a tank top here in Texas right now. I also love maxi dresses and jumpsuits, but I was hard-pressed to find something that a.) didn't need to be washed (#momlife) and b.) that I hadn't already posted.
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So I just went with my standard outfit of shorts and a tank, with (surprise twist!) wedges! I know, super original. But hey, it was comfortable, and better than wearing just flip-flops or some shit. I like to elevate my look just enough to look like I'm put together, but without a ton of effort.
I grabbed some black wedges that I have had in my closet forever and threw those on to help my legs look a tad more sexy. I really wanted to wear these wedges that I posted about awhile back, but it's just too damn hot nowadays. Sad face. Anyway, I decided to top the whole thing off with a delicate rose quartz necklace and some simple gold earrings.
Stealth mode.
I've talked about my favorite tank top from Old Navy before (you can see the striped version in this post). They don't sell it in this color anymore, but they have some other great colors that can be found here, and stripes can be found here.
That's about it for today! Hope you have an amazing weekend, and don't forget to follow me over on Instagram for more goodies! Scroll on down for the complete outfit details <3
Much Love,
Michelle
Outfit Details
Bonus photo!
This one is kind of an outtake, but I had to share it because I mean… look at that hurrrr. Hahaha!
Okay byeeeee!
