Clawson, MI — The weekend started like déjà vu, getting up for an early tee time, hoping the expected rain would be light or nonexistent until we finished. I went golfing Saturday morning with my roommate and one of our longtime friends from Northville. While playing a round of 18 is always a highlight, it will always pale in comparison to any planned foodie adventure. Throughout the round, amid the light rainfall and all, my sights were set, however, for later in the day when my friend Rachel (from the Slow’s BBQ adventure!) and I were set to embark on an adventure to downtown Clawson in search of some good eats!

FULL SECTION: MI Foodie Taco Adventures

In full foodie transparency, our original destination was actually Noble Fish. Rachel and I were discussing food options earlier in the week, and both decided we were in sushi moods; plus, I was excited to check out a local sushi establishment held and reviewed in such high regard. But alas, we are Noble Fish noobs and didn’t realize they stopped serving food by a certain time as they neared closing time, which was the unfortunate situation we found ourselves in. However, if it’s anything I’ve learned after ten years of being a journalist, you always have to be ready to pivot! And thankfully for us, downtown Clawson is home to MANY great restaurants and neighborhood hangouts. And for what it’s worth, Noble Fish, I learned my lesson on punctuality, and I’ll be back!

During my most recent foodie adventure, I traversed the Royal Oak Taco Fest. While exploring several great food trucks, I happened upon Whiskey Taco Foxtrot. That lovely food truck is where I enjoyed the Kimchi taco and Buffalo Chicken taco, and I swore to check out the establishment if I ever found myself in Clawson, so it all worked out. Plus, I’ll never say no to tacos, especially when I already know in advance they are awesome tacos! So, Rachel and I walked down to Whiskey Taco Foxtrot, located on the west side of Main Street, just south of 14 Mile Road. As we approached, I was already digging the front patio and exterior’s welcoming small-town Michigan vibes with picnic table seating.

The rain had mostly let up for the day, but the grounds were still wet, and the skies were still a bit dark and foreboding. Some scattered storms still moved across the lower southeast of the Mitten and parts of Wayne County, but we were far enough north to be spared for the remaining hour or so of daylight. We walked in and were immediately greeted and guided by upbeat staff to our table. We perused the menus and specials and decided on our game plan for mass consumption. Several tables around us were taken up by some families and friend groups, all getting served up colorful, aromatic, and downright mouth-watering tacos. The decision to pivot to Whiskey Taco Foxtrot was not only a great move; it really set the bar high for my first Clawson experience!

RELATED: Inspiration is Everywhere — The Daredevil Taco

Like myself, Rachel is quite the foodie, always willing to try new foods and take those foodie leaps of faith. Recalling how much I enjoyed the kimchi taco, I suggested we give the Carnitas Kimchi-Loaded Fries a go for an appetizer. Our wonderful server also recommended the taquitos, which I will always gladly agree to as a suggestion! The cool and colorful menus had a similar fill-out-the-box quantity concept but on a much larger scale than the food truck representative at Taco Fest. We scanned all the taco offerings with hawk-like precision, analyzing the multitude of beef and pork, chicken, veggie, and seafood taco variations. Rachel and I both coincidentally had unintentionally skipped lunch, so we were rather famished, and both didn’t shy away from ordering two tacos each on top of the two appetizers!

When ordering the tacos, we decided on 2 Rock & Rye Carnitas tacos (one each), then I ordered a Maui Wowie as my secondary taco, and Rachel ordered a Blackened Fish taco. The Rock & Rye Carnitas tacos consisted of slow-roasted pork, the restaurant’s rock and rye BBQ sauce, and crispy fried onions. The Maui Wowie contained slow-cooked pork, mango pineapple jalapeño salsa, and a long thin slice of jalapeño. Rachel’s secondary taco, the Blackened Fish taco, had seared fish, chipotle mayo, chipotle lime, and cabbage slaw. Between these tacos and our appetizers, we were ready to eat!

Shortly after ordering, some chips and salsa were brought to our table. Unfortunately, this was about the only food item I could have done without, or at least wished was a bit better. The chips were coated (and I mean coated) with sea salt, and far too much of it. While the chips themselves were okay, the over-salting really put a damper on the opening app. Even when knocking off as much salt as we could, the taste lingered on the chips. Thankfully, the salsa was rather tasty and even had a little kick to it, so we used it to mask as much of the salt as possible to still enjoy at least some of the chip basket. While we weren’t going to let the chips determine the whole meal or deter our appetite, thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long for the next round of appetizers to save the day!

The taquitos (deep-fried rolled tacos with shredded chicken) and Carnitas Kimchi-Loaded Fries stepped up to the plate. It’s admittedly hard to decide where to start first sometimes when such appealing foods are placed before you! Rachel went for the loaded fries, so I ended up snatching a thick taquito, making sure to scoop up some of the queso & pico from underneath to smother over the rolled taco. The taquitos were packed with a bountiful amount of moist shredded chicken, with the shredded cheese and queso complementing the appetizer in a gooey cheddary delight that had a slight kick of heat at the end. The taquitos were an excellent recommendation by our savvy server, and I could see why they were a popular menu item. For the size, amount of shredded and juicy chicken, and delicious queso, this appetizer is hard to find fault in. Plus, come on, you can’t go wrong with a dish that features queso!

Sadly, the Carnitas Kimchi-Loaded Fries are a limited-time menu item, but with how great that dish is, I hope they incorporate it again or permanently! Based on my experience with Whiskey Taco Foxtrot at Taco Fest, and even the taquitos, I knew the carnitas would be exquisite. This restaurant was hitting tens across the board so far for all of their meats, so I was excited to tear into the carnitas.

I made sure that I got a little bit of everything on my first forking of the loaded fries and took a huge bite. From the explosion of flavor from the kimchi, aided by the spicy kick from the lathering of chipotle mayo, to heaps of melt-in-your-mouth carnitas and shredded melted cheeses, this app had everything working for it. The fries took loaded to the next level (as you’ll see in the photo below), and I really had to reel myself back after a few bites in order to save enough room for my tacos. The carnitas had such great flavor; I could have eaten clumps of that with the perfectly seasoned fries and kimchi for an entire meal! The fries were cooked perfectly, had a bit of softness, great seasoning, and still a bit of crisp to the edges where some firmness was needed to support the stack of other ingredients. This was a great shareable appetizer!

As a wise person once said somewhere (probably) — it’s taco time! Although I was already a little more than halfway to max capacity, I had saved just enough room to effort the two tacos I ordered. At the very least, I was prepared to waddle out of the restaurant on a full belly. Our tacos arrived in the super cool taco-designed tray holder, and I went straight for one of the Rock & Rye Carnitas following the success of the carnitas in the loaded fries. The flavor profile was dialed back and simpler but great in its own way. It was all about the sweetness of this taco, with the BBQ sauce really taking center stage but not overpowering the tender and juicy pulled pork. Even the crispy fried onions appeared to have a unique dash of seasoning in their dredging and coating, which really rounded out this taco with that excellent crunch factor.

The Maui Wowie took the pork in a different direction of sweetness and was on par with the first taco! The pork, slow-cooked this time, seemed even juicier, to the point where the bottom of the taco had become slightly saturated between that and the salsa blend. When I took that first bite, holy moly, that juicy, sweet, pineapple-soaked pork lit up my taste buds like a Christmas tree. The lengthy, spear-style jalapeño slice was a nice change of pace for the spicy fruit, capping off the perfect blend of sweet AND heat! Definitely a solid taco. And don’t worry, if you’re not feeling these, there are 22 other taco variations to try, including vegetarian options!

After we boxed our leftovers and saddled up the bill, Rachel and I continued to adventure around downtown Clawson for a spell. Albeit a Saturday evening, most places had already quieted down by 9:30, and parking lots had mostly emptied, but there were still a few hot spots with crowds. We stumbled into Weiss Distilling Co. and quickly learned that it was an establishment where reservations were very much encouraged/needed. However, we still checked out their cool merch shop to the left of the front of house. We even stopped into Renshaw Lounge for a quick drink, where I really enjoyed the community vibe throughout the bar.

Overall, the foodie adventure to downtown Clawson was a great success! Although our original goal of inhaling copious amounts of oversized sushi didn’t pan out, Whiskey Taco Foxtrot pulled through with exceptional tacos, service, drinks, and appetizers. The establishment has definitely earned a spot in my Taco Tuesday rotation, as there are several more tacos on that menu that I’d love to try in future adventures. On top of that, Clawson has such a fun little downtown, with cozy bars and restaurants that all feel like little tight-knit spots for the surrounding community to gather and leave their outside woes at the door. If you haven’t been downtown yet or in a while, do yourself a favor and plan an evening to explore and enjoy Clawson!

For more information on Whiskey Taco Foxtrot, visit their website by clicking here. Or check out their Facebook page or Instagram channel.