Taco TATTOOSday

Taco Tuesday has become a favorite past time of mine.  Some people have baseball, some go fishing; I have Taco Tuesday.  Alright, so maybe my love doesn’t run that deep, but I do love an opportunity to share an evening with friends, have a few beers, and obviously:  TACOS.  I am not alone in my taco love; at the moment America seems smitten with Taco Tuesday, virtually every bar offers their own variation.

Recently, Hope Gallery Tattoo of New Haven, CT hosted their very own Taco TATTOOSday; featuring shark tacos prepared by Tyler Anderson and Jamie McDonald.  They would be screening  Jaws (and Deep Blue Sea, but who would get excited for that), and some of the artists would be doing special commemorative flash tattoos.  This was an event I couldn’t miss.  I love Jaws (when it’s on TV I have to watch), I love Hope Gallery, and I had never tried shark.  I invited Dan, one of my favorite adventure companions (he’s the guy who really turned me on to adventurous eating and is just an all around awesome person), and eagerly awaited Tuesday while pondering what texture shark meat is.

I have been going to Hope Gallery Tattoo since I was eighteen when they  were located on Chapel Street.  They have since moved to Woodward Ave, to their own unique space that I can assure you is far from the tattoo shops of yore. Each artist has their own room, there is an art gallery, a bar, and a cool outdoor seating area with great graffiti (there’s a Yeti and a Xenomorph!).  If there is an equivalent of a spa in the tattoo world, Hope Gallery is it.  I have visited a number of times, collecting a handful of tattoos and attending some very memorable events.

We embarked on our adventure following a not so great day at work, which I have discovered is easily remedied with tacos and beer ( food and alcohol in general) .  Hope Gallery is housed in a rather unassuming looking building, plain brick with a massive white garage door taking up most of the front wall.  Upon entering you are met with moody gallery lighting and what I’m going to call their event space.  The place was already packed when we arrived, and Robert Shaw was delivering his famous USS Indianapolis speech as he was projected onto the garage door.

We made our way over to order, there was a rather interesting menu to choose from:

• Shark “Baja style,” cabbage slaw, avocado mousse.
• Brisket, crispy leeks, cilantro-onion, bbq crema.
• Chicken, kale, spring onion rings.
• Al Pastor, pork, pineapple, cilantro.
• Smoked beets, pea salsa verde, cheese.
• Black beans
• Kimchi rice.

With a menu like that it’s impossible to choose, so we ordered everything.  Except for the chicken, chicken was the common option and we needed to save room for more exciting things.  Also there was kale on the chicken taco, and believe it or not kale is the only food that has ever made me gag (yes, from the girl who enjoyed cricket sushi).  It tastes like farts smell.

Ordinary New Haven was pouring signature cocktails at the bar, but we opted for Black Hog SWAG, an American pale wheat ale brewed locally in Oxford, CT.  The beer was great, but in retrospect I wish I had tried a cocktail, I’m curious as to what was happening at the bar.  As we waited for food the air was filled with John Williams iconic Jaws score and the constant buzz of tattoos in progress.

Once our food was ready we found a comfy patch of floor and dove in.  The shark was first up, and every bit as good as I had hoped it would be.  Not at all tough (during our car ride we speculated whether or not shark could or would be tough), and not overly fishy. The crispy, slightly sweet cabbage slaw combined with the perfectly fried shark and avocado creme made for a highly memorable taco.  There is something quite meta about eating shark while watching Jaws.

The pork and brisket tacos were also great, but paled in comparison to the shark.  The black beans were AMAZING.  I did not order the black beans, but sampled Dan’s, and I’m more than a little sad that I didn’t have my own.  The rice was, well rice, nothing to write home about.

The smoked beet taco was a pleasant surprise.  Beets are one of my favorite vegetables, so really it’s not shocking that I enjoyed this one.  Walnuts added extra crunch, and snap pea salsa verde added a certain brightness.  It was like a tiny salad taco.

Once we had our fill of tacos we grabbed another beer and wandered around the gallery, occasionally catching a glimpse of someone getting one of the commemorative tattoos.  We found ourselves outside in an awesome outdoor area I had never hung out in before.  The walls are host to beautiful graffiti, my favorites being a Xenomorph and a Yeti with a mustache (I’m fairly certain the mustache was an afterthought).  We watched people playing corn hole as we finished our beers.

As the tiki torches were lit and the bugs began to bite, we called it a night, myself starting to feel the effects of a taco induced food coma.  It was a great night, I wish I had taken more pictures.  Sometimes you’re enjoying yourself to much to stop and document it.   My only regret is that we did not get there a little earlier so that I might have gotten a tattoo.  There was a tiny little martini glass that I am sure would have looked great somewhere!