New Mooresville taco spot inspired by Spanish summers and a love for Pablo Picasso
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Blissful memories of summertime trips to Spain have lingered with restaurateur Michal Bay for decades. Now, those visits to Pablo Picasso’s birthplace are guiding Bay as he opens Picasso Taqueria in Mooresville.
The Lake Norman restaurant is now in a soft-opening phase at Merino Mill, where sister restaurants Aliño Pizzeria and The Barcelona Burger & Beer Garden have garnered local love and national attention.
Bay — who owns Merino Mill — sampled tacos in Mexico and in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and other major cities to develop ideas. But the confluence of Picasso and tacos originated way back when, on trips he took to the Mediterranean coast in Malaga.
“It’s an amazing place. Wonderful people. Great food. Beautiful, family-oriented beaches ... it just feels so comfortable with everything, as well as amazing food, amazing tapas. A few places, they do tacos, as well. So that just stayed in my mind,” Bay told CharlotteFive in an exclusive interview.
Around that time, a hometown visit with a friend from his English language school in London piqued his interest in Picasso. A dinnertime discussion about the artist, whose paintings were on loan to the family from a gallery in Paris, led to Bay’s lifelong love of his work.
“For me, this is more personal than business,” he said.
Food and drink
At Picasso Taqueria, you can can start off your meal with guacamole and chips ($5.95) or sample a salsa trio ($3.95). The tacos ($3.95 each) feature fresh flour tortillas made in-house with finely ground 00 Italian flour — which is also used in the pizza at Aliño.
Bay is seeking early feedback from customers that may tweak the menu. But for now, the options are:
The Carolina - Slow cooked pulled pork, jalapeño slaw, smoky BBQ sauce and white onions.
Barbacoa - Braised beef, red sauce, cotija, pickled red onion and cabbage, plus cilantro.
Fried chicken - Panko breaded chicken tenders, jalapeño slaw, chipotle sauce and pickled jalapeño.
California shrimp taco - Grilled shrimp, lettuce, pineapple mango salsa and cilantro lime sauce.
Shrimp Too - Grilled Shrimp, poblano tartar sauce, lettuce and salsa verde.
El Americano - Ground beef, sour cream, lettuce, tomato and avocado cream.
Black bean crumble - Black bean-quinoa crumble, house sauce, jalapeño slaw, pickled red onion and cabbage.
Sides include charro beans with chorizo ($2.95) and Mexican rice ($2.95). To drink, there’s a selection of 20 beers on tap, plus wines and wine cocktails.
Seating at Merino Mill’s restaurants are all communal, and diners eating together can mix-and-match among the spots. At Picasso, there’s room for about 600 diners at long tables with benches, plus an outdoor patio.
“It’s not only business and not only green dollar,” Bay said. “It’s more community and family oriented. All our restaurants are [the] same mentality — 100% family destination to go have the best tacos and go home happy.”
Picasso is located near The Barcelona Burger & Beer Garden, named the CharlotteFive Readers’ Choice winner for the area’s best burger. One more Merino Mill restaurant, Copenhagen Wine & Beer Garden, is set to join the lineup there when it opens this fall.
WANNA BE FOODIES TRY THE BEST BURGER IN THE AREA. Does it live up to the hype?
Merino Mill
Location: 500 S. Main St., Mooresville, NC 28115
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m.
Instagram: @merinomill
