12/16/17
White Duck is the ideal casual lunch spot in the heart of downtown Asheville and any time I'm visiting, like I did this past weekend, it is my first stop for food. They've got a wide variety of great tacos, ranging from bulgogi beef to tofu banh mi to shrimp and grits to carnitas to fried chicken. But in my opinion the very best of the bunch is the pork belly taco. It's an all-star because every time I'm in Asheville I seek out White Duck, mostly due to this taco. The pork belly itself is some of the best I've had - it is perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, not flabby/fatty like pork belly can sometimes be. The taco also includes pickled watermelon rinds (these are not pictured in the photo - that is a picture of my dad's taco, he didn't think he'd like the rinds so ordered the dish without them - the taco is so dang good I started in on mine before I remembered to take a pic, so had to improvise and snap a shot of his). I really like the pickled rinds, as they add a nice crunch and sweet acidity to the taco, almost like pickled radish in some Korean or Vietnamese dishes. There is also a creamy green onion aioli, which is really tasty and binds the pork, pickled watermelon rinds, and tortilla together. I'd say if you go to White Duck you should definitely get this one and try one other as well, maybe two if you're really hungry. Each taco runs in the $3.50 to $5.00 range.