Remember when this used to be a food blog and not just a pregnancy update + link round-up excuse for a blog? Yeah, I’m struggling to remember, too.

I’ll talk about how busy I am and what future plans I have for foodiEcology another day, however, because I promised a restaurant review a month ago, and I’m here to deliver.

The weekend before our Memphis “babymoon” trip, we visited my in-laws in Jackson. That first evening, we had dinner at the awesome Babalu Tacos & Tapas, located in the historic Fondren district of the city.

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Much like the restaurant’s name suggests, Babalu is a Cuban/Latin themed restaurant with creative, fresh food and an airy, relaxing interior and patio.

While it offers many typical Latin dishes (tacos, tortas, tamales, empanadas, etc.), it also has a variety of other dishes such as hamburgers, shrimp and grits, crab cakes, and salads. Most of the menu consists of small tapas plates, but they’re perfect for mixing and matching and are always served fresh from the grill/pan/etc. Many of the small plates can be upgraded to “large” for an additional $5 if you’re especially hungry.

After ordering our drinks (they have an impressive bar; both my husband and father-in-law ordered craft beers, while I briefly lamented being pregnant and settled for a non-alcoholic pomegranate lemonade, recommended by our friendly and attentive waiter, Mike), we shared 2 appetizers: the house-made guacamole and the black-eyed pea hummus.

The guacamole is made tableside, and it was some of the best I’ve ever tasted. The black-eyed pea hummus was wonderfully creamy, and the light drizzle of cilantro oil on top was the perfect touch. My pomegranate lemonade was an enjoyable balance of sweet and tart, though next time, I’m all over their house margarita!

Although the seafood dishes and authentic Cuban sandwich sounded extraordinary, I knew before we even walked into the restaurant that I wanted tacos. I opted for the 3-taco plate (we all did, actually), which was deceptively filling.

After much pondering and advice from our waiter, I chose the lamb barbacoa, taco of the day (I believe it was amberjack), and pork belly tacos.

Don’t even ask me to pick a favorite! Each one featured incredibly fresh and flavorful ingredients, some things I’d never have added to my own taco (like whole blackberries with the fish).

The pork belly was perfectly tender, and the lamb was bursting with flavor. I could tell the fish was a fresh catch and not something that had been sitting in the freezer or refrigerator for days. Each taco featured a variety of ingredients that married together perfectly when eaten inside their homemade blue corn tortillas.

Though a bit pricier than your average Mexican/Latin restaurant (the guacamole/chips was $9.95 + $2.00 for the vegetable slices we added), it is well worth the extra few dollars. The food is innovative, and they source local ingredients when possible.

I think Babalu would be the perfect place to enjoy happy hour after a long day at work, especially since they often offer live entertainment.

Babalu has another spot in Memphis, TN, and a Birmingham, AL location is set to open in the future. As for me, I’m counting down the days till we visit the in-laws again and can return!