Friday Fun Find: Bandolero's Guacamole and Pork Rinds

Like any warm-blooded, judgmental, self-involved girl, I love Fridays, what with their promise of the weekend and so much untainted optimism, but I have to admit I like Thursday just a little bit better. Yes, part of it is because it reminds me of the days when Friends was still on NBC, but it's also because, let's face it, Thursday is the real last day of the work week, which means it's the perfect night for trying a new restaurant with some old friends. And that, dear Cupcult, is exactly what I did last night with my friends Katie and P.K. at former Top Chef contestant Mike Isabella's newest DC hotspot, Bandolero.

Bandolero is D.C.'s answer to Mexican cuisine. FINALLY!!!!! What's sad is that it took a Top Chef to match the cooking abilities of untrained Mexican grandmothers. C'est la vie...or however you say it in Spanish. (Is that offensive? Mexican food is my favoriteeeeeeeee. The last thing I wanna do is piss off anyone who makes it. Actually, to be specific, I mean anyone who makes authentic Mexican food. That clears it up, right???)

So, when the three of us sat down at our table, Katie immediately suggested we order the guacamole. Being as the restaurant is so piss-poor lit and I couldn't read the menu without using my cell phone as a flashlight, I readily agreed. When it came out, I realized the guacamole vehicles were not mere tortilla chips like so many pedestrian restaurants might provide. Instead, Bandolero took things 5 steps further and paired it with crispy housemade pork rinds.

Like Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling, these two things should never NOT be together. What's more, the appetizer was entirely paleo, making the guac and pork rinds at Bandolero my official Friday Fun Find for the week.

Do you use anything unusual as a dip vessel? How do you feel about pork rinds? Do they creep you out or do you think of them as super crunchy bacon??