Because pork makes everything better.
One of the things that I love most about food is that it’s a fun subject that you can talk about to basically anybody. The conversation usually flows and by the end of it you’ll probably be starving. Fact. But it is even better when you run into foodies like you, with a whole lot to add to your life, and delicious new spices to share.
Following one of those delicious tips, I decided to go check Carnitas’ Snack Shack. (Darren reviewed it a while back) You don’t know it? Don’t worry, I didn’t either. And I live almost next door. What you need to know is that It’s a tiny cute place in North Park where there is ALWAYS a line. (but it goes really fast!)
It works like that: you order and pay for your food on the front, go sit on their patio and wait. In the meantime, a whole lot of people watching since the buzz is always on.
The menu is delicious and trust me, it was hard to decide. But the chosen ones were Pork Belly, the Triple Threat Pork Burger, a side of french fries and a Butterscotch Creme for dessert. To drink, I got a Green Flash Hop Head Red.
With 7% of alcohol, this IPA won a gold medal at San Diego County Fair in 2011. When you try it the first thing you notice is the hops and then some malt and caramel. It is a bold beer that goes well with salty and fatty dishes.
The finish is crisp, reflecting this IPA’s personality. The hoppiness also remains for quite a while on the aftertaste.
It’s worth adding that they have some really good options on beer and wine. The food took about 15 minutes to be ready, which was pretty impressive since they were really busy and also because I was too excited to try them out.
The Pork Belly was cooked perfectly, with a sweet – hint of spiciness – barbecue sauce and a small salad as a side. The presentation was really beautiful and made me think that if I saw the place only from the outside I would never think they’d be capable of something so good.
Pork makes everything better and we all know that (If you like meat you’ll probably agree with me on that one). But trying that amazing dish transported me to a parallel universe where life is basically…bacon. And what an amazing life! The burger was also delicious, served in a medium portion and nicely presented. 
When it comes to the french fries, it was all right, just because it was impossible not to compare with the belly. All that deliciousness overpowered everything else. By the time dessert came, I was already full but took a few bites of the butterscotch creme. And it was worth the effort. Not to sweet, nice flavored and served in the perfect portion.
Basically the experience was great and I’m looking forward to visit them again.
Carnitas’ Snack Shack
2632 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92104
http://www.carnitassnackshack.com/
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