food & grocery: Frugal Friday at Dos Hermanos Market - have a taco and tamale feast for less than $5

Dos Hermanos Market — the fabulous Latin grocery store on Michigan Avenue in Ypsilanti — offers more than produce, freshly fried pork rinds, a meat counter, traditional baked goods, dozens of spices and salsas, and even rosaries. On the weekends, you can also buy an excellent lunch of delicious but inexpensive food. And so, today I'm featuring it for Frugal Floozie Friday!

As you can see from the menu, you can eat very well at Dos Hermanos within our mandatory budget of $5 per person. You could stand at the counter where the food is ordered and enjoy your meal among the busy-ness of the store, or you can get your food packaged to go; given the small space for eating in, my family voted for take-out.

I love tamales, which cost only $1 apiece, so I ordered two — the only variety available is pork, which was perfectly fine and made me very happy. I planned to eat one myself and then share the other.

Tacos, which cost only $1.60, can be filled with chicken, pork or beef; we chose two each of the first options and one of the last, so we could taste each of them. Once you order, the men preparing your lunch take portions of the available meats (BBQ de Res = barbecued beef, Pollo Rostisado = rotisserie chicken, Carnitas de cerdo = braised or roasted pork) and chop them by hand before generously filling the tacos with meat, onions, and cilantro. The take-out boxes are wrapped in plastic to help keep them sealed and to limit any potential leaks, and then you pay for your lunch at the market's check-out counter.

The meats are tender, and perfectly enhanced by a squeeze of the accompanying lime. The tamales are tender and full of flavor. You could order an assortment of tacos plus a tamale and still eat a great, filling lunch for our mere $5. This is a great value!

Dos Hermanos is also a great place to shop, where you can get a Mexican soda to go with your lunch, or perhaps buy a cookie or other treat to bring home and enjoy later. You could also buy ingredients for making your own feast, as I found that indulging in this fabulous fast food only caused me to crave it more.