My Mini Adventures In Salem: Howling Wolf Taqueria

I like to look at every time I go somewhere in Salem as a mini adventure...hey you never know what one day or night out in Salem will bring! 

This past winter, D's friend Rob invited us to meet him for dinner at a restaurant I never been to before in Salem called the . I happen to love Mexican food, and I saw on their menu that they had vegetarian and gluten-free dishes too, so I was sold. I saved up my appetite to take on the wolf that night!

When I got there, I instantly knew I liked the place. The ambiance was pleasing, and the people who worked there were super friendly. It was big and open, but still cozy at the same time with its couches and big chairs in one section of the restaurant. You have the choice to go up to the counter and order your food and sit down at a table or have a server come to your table and take your order. I made my way over to the couches immediately (if a bar or restaurant has a couch I am all over it; it is just much cozier on a couch.). So the four us relaxed on the two couches (and looked at the magazines, books, and games the restaurant so kindly provided), and also talked while eating our chips and salsa, but I was ready for the main meal. I was waiting for this dinner all day, and as the band Duran Duran so eloquently put it ..."I was hungry like the wolf!" ;)

My wrap-less vegetarian burrito finially arrived, and it was fresh, delicious, and quite filling! I remember being extremely full, but at the same time also in awe of all these Mexican Hot Chocolates people were drinking all around us. They looked so yummy! I went back and forth with myself to get a Mexican Hot Chocolate or not. The server saw my puzzlement and asked me what was up. I told him my new deep desire was to have a Mexican Hot Chocolate and to find out what it actually was  (what made it different than a regular hot chocolate???). He went into a deep explanation about MHC that honestly I can't remember, but he pretty much had me at pure melted chocolate.

I was then upset with myself, why did I have to eat my meal so fast and be so full. I reassured myself it would be a reason to come back another time, I just didn't think I had any room left in my body for that drink even though I knew it was calling to me. We got the check, but was told we could still hang out and relax; no rush. Then, a few minutes later, our server came over to me with the most beautiful hot chocolate I have ever seen, and he said "this is on the house, you just can't leave here without trying it. I know you want it".  Well how could I say no to that, so I went for it! Now the ironic part is that I do not have a sweet tooth (I am a salty girl, I will never say no to french fries), but this drink just captivated me for some reason. That first sip was like a little piece of heaven; seriously I think I talked about that hot chocolate for days afterwards to everyone I spoke to.  It was all I wanted it to be and more. D was then very curious and took the next sip, and then continued to finish it ;) I was ok with that, because my body was stuffed, and I knew I would be coming back here again!

D and I have had many adventures at the Howling Wolf Taqueria since then, and they all have been fun and delicious. This past week D played a gig there and so my mini adventure with "the wolf" got even bigger and more adventurous. This time not only was I going to be eating there, but also serenaded by my favorite singer! Twenty-six of D's and my friends showed up as well as regular customers, and we got to experience the Howling Wolf "late night"! This time I sat at a big long table in the middle of the restaurant and substituted my hot chocolate for some cool sangria. It was quite packed in there and it is a big restaurant. A group of our friends stopped in and didn't know if they would be able to stay because there really weren't any seats left, but then my favorite section "the couches" opened up.  I promised them that they would truly enjoy the couch/wolf experience if they stayed. As the night went on I saw them laughing over at the couches having their own first mini adventure there, and it brought back my fond memories of my first time at The Howling Wolf Taqueria. ;)  My friend Lisa did tell me at the end of the night she had a great time and loved the couches!

So with some sangria, friends, great tunes, pretty white lights, hanging piñatas, yummy food, laughter, colorful walls, kind waitstaff, comfy couches, cool paintings, and even some dancing the Howling Wolf Taqueria showed me again that it is  always an adventure when I go there!

You can check out more about Salem's Howling Wolf Taqueria here: http://www.feedyourwolf.com