Ubud // Taco Casa

I'm having one of those days. where being an expat is hard and I'm missing the convenience and familiar things of America. [side note: I'm sitting in Starbucks wearing probably the most "American" outfit I could have: cutoff jean shorts with TOMs and a baseball tee.] lately I've really been missing food. and by food I mean easy gluten-free things like Buddy's pizza and New Planet pale ale and grocery stores like Wegman's and Whole Foods that believe in labeling allergens [in English.] traveling and living abroad with food allergies... sucks. living in Asia with a shellfish allergy and gluten sensitivity is really difficult. especially when I can't read or speak the language. I am so ready to head back to the states for summer and eat all of the things.

part of our summer will include traveling to California and Texas, during which I plan to eat my weight in Mexican food. I can't eat flour tortillas but corn tortillas in the form of nachos, enchiladas, and tacos? yeah, I'm all over that. [if you live near/have traveled to San Diego or Austin, please send me your taco recommendations!]

and I suppose my taco craving is why today I want to share with you the amazing Mexican place in Ubud where we ate literally every single day when we were in Bali: Taco Casa.

when I say we ate there every day, I am not exaggerating. we ate ten meals at Taco Casa during our stay in Ubud, and considering we had to hike through the monkey forest to get there, I think that's pretty impressive.

and when you have to hike past those terrifying monkeys? well, darn it, you deserve some margaritas!

in Taiwan, there are a few "Mexican" places that try but fall pretty short. if we want to eat Mexican we cook it at home [thanks to Costco carrying tortilla chips] but it's not really authentic. in Bali they have the climate to grow all the right spices and peppers, and they use them. not to mention, somehow they have cojita cheese.

their menu includes all the standards: taco, nachos, enchiladas, quesadillas, fajitas, and an incredible 8-layer burrito. the staff is friendly and the kitchen runs like a well-oiled machine. everything is made fresh and from scratch: tortillas, beans, hot sauce. have you ever had enchilada sauce from scratch? you want to, trust me.

and if you're not into margaritas I will drink yours for you you can order one of their amazing juices [this one was ginger + carrot + beet] or a ginger lemon soda, or a mint + lime + ginger ice crush. tequila optional.

and if you needed another reason to go? yeah, this sign.

now if you'll excuse me, I'll be spending my afternoon daydreaming about tacos. [and seriously, send me your taco recommendations.]