Dinner for $20: Vida Vida
Fish: As a person who was born and raised in Alaska, I generally don’t order fish when I go out. It’s how I imagine a lot of Carolinians feel when they’re offered barbecue in another state. At best you just hope to not be disappointed. The fish was surprisingly good. It didn’t smell or taste too fishy and it was fried perfectly.
Fried chicken: The fried chicken was pretty good, but the star of this taco was the chipotle sour cream. It had a little pop to it.
Veggie: The veggie taco was my favorite out of the bunch. It’s made with portobello mushrooms, zucchini, onions, avocado, goat cheese, and topped with pico de gallo. They had me at avocado and goat cheese.
Shredded beef: The shredded beef was my least favorite of the four. The chipotle-braised short rib was good, but the pico de gallo and avocado serrano salsa turned the taco into a pile of wet tomatoes. The taco would have been much better with half the amount of those toppings. But other people who ordered it liked theirs, so I may chalk mine up to someone being too overzealous in the kitchen.
To drink: I had the spicy jalapeno margarita and it was excellent. At first sip, the margarita was cool but, by the end, the jalapeno kicked in, forcing me to take another sip. It was a self-fulfilling cycle that left me talking way too loudly to someone sitting 18 inches from me.
If you’re on a dining out streak this weekend, try dinner at The Improper Pig for $20.
Photos by Clayton Hanson.
This story was originally published May 29, 2015 at 12:31 AM with the headline "Dinner for $20: Vida Vida."