Loco Local. By Jason King

My good friend and creative collaborator Jarett Tolman once said, "Buy local, better the global." One of the unlikely benefits of the locally sourced movement, has been better... Mexican restaurants... Wait, what did I just say?

Mexican cuisine in Charlotte, has become as local as if we were in East Los Angeles, sort of. From the renegade taco trucks of South Blvd, to the sit down eateries that dot East Charlotte, Mexican nationals have made Charlotte a pretty damn good place to grab a taco or tomalle.

Now, if it stopped with that qualification, I would be shunning other cultures great representations in this city. Vietnamese, Thai, and other great ethnic restaurants are prolific and delicious as well. So why is Mexican a new local?

Examples like RuRu's Tacos and Tequilla, in Myers Park have cemented the crossover to classic Charlotte local. What places like this accomplish is the full circle aspect of local. They take an experience that only more adventurous diners would enjoy, put their twist on it, and drop it in the second oldest neighborhood in the QC. Brilliant.

 The food is great, maybe not all 100% authentic Mexican, but delicious none the less. I refer to items like the Korean taco, aka the Long Duk Dong. Others, like the carnitas taco, has pork belly that has been treated with the same love a south boulevard taco truck would ensure.

A many generations Charlottean can enjoy these treats, while sipping a single vineyard Chardonnay, or one of our towns finest breweries draft offering. They can also eat the worm out of a bottle of Mescal, and chase it with a pure cane sugar Coca Cola... Aka Mexican Coke.

This is Charlotte, this is local. A traditional southern city has embraced a culture's cuisine long enough to take it out of the fringes. The global local circle is complete.

Now if we could just embrace a good Pho spot, where I could get Cheerwine and cobra blood, we would be in business.