Austin

(From March 2009) The “heart” of the beloved old West Austin Castle Hill restaurant has recently returned in the form of Corazon at Castle Hill. The new eatery embraces many of its predecessor’s original interior Mexican recipes, as well as a few signature dishes brought back by popular demand, such as the spicy “hacked” chicken salad. Though an arrachera plate sounded delicious (served with a panela cheese enchilada, black beans, and rice), the marinated hanger steak was tough and gristly. Chicken mole enchiladas assuaged our disappointment. We could have drunk the Oaxacan red sauce (a blend of ancho and guajillo chiles and blackened tomatoes) by the cupful. Bar.

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(From October 2009) We dig the from-scratch red-corn tortillas at this funky South Austin restaurant that bills itself the “Mother of All Mex.” And we like the Indian murals both inside and out, which provide a nice visual context that complements the delicious interior Mexican food. We don’t like that the chips aren’t free (unless you order them with chile con queso, ceviche, guacamole, or escabeche), but we’re willing to overlook it. On a recent breezy but nice evening outside on the patio—luckily we arrived around six-thirty, just before the rush—we thought about ordering carnitas, Michoacán’s traditional meal of pork marinated in Coke, milk, and orange juice and then fried (sounds outrageous but works) but instead went straight to the tacos al carbon, which tasted mighty fine, as did the accompanying slightly spicy black beans and Spanish rice (perfectly fluffy and not the least bit greasy). But we couldn’t deny that the pollo chipotle was better. The grilled chicken breast came smothered in a peppery sauce tempered by fresh avocado, Monterey Jack cheese, and grilled onion. We washed it all down with a cold cerveza—and wondered how soon before we could make a return trip.

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(From October 2009) We spent a pleasant evening at this east side spot, which specializes in interior Mexican and turns out terrific Tex-Mex. As usual, the place was buzzing with hipsters, hippies, frolickers, and families. After a short wait, we were seated outdoors at one of the red tables with a top bearing the Coca-Cola logo. The corrugated tin roof provided needed shade, while the hanging baskets of ferns added a touch of green. We soaked in the festive vibe, enjoying cold Mexican beers and strong margaritas as we waited for our chips and queso to arrive (bonus: the chips were thick tostadas). Entrées range from fish tacos with fresh tilapia to the ubiquitous (in Texas, at least) cheese enchiladas, but we decided to try a few of executive chef Jeff Martinez’s interior specialties. And, as always, he impressed: Our camarones a la plancha—grilled shrimp with tomatoes, onions, and serranos atop a bed of white rice—proved quite flavorful in spite of the heat level (we should have heeded the warning on the menu). The hands-down star of the night was the pollo con mole rojo, seared chicken breast smothered in a deliciously chocolaty Oaxacan red sauce and sided with rice and refried beans. A fantastically moist tres leches cake did us in.

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(From September 2008) Norteño Austinites are rejoicing over El Chile’s second outpost. Attractions include sitting on the small patio while sipping a spicy orange margarita, munching on a flaky chorizo-stuffed quesadilla (a tad greasy, but the chile-laced margarita cuts right through), and watching the sky turn pink at sunset. Happily, all this helps you ignore the glare of headlights from Greystone. The crisp tortilla-crusted fried tilapia was steaming and moist inside, but the carne asada was chewy. Pop Frida paintings echo the energetic feel of the original Manor Road location. Bar.

September 30th, 2008 at 12:58pm
Charlie says:
Best salsa in Austin!

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(From July 2009) Fans of the intrepid Nilda de la Llata are now trekking over to Sixth Street for breakfasts of migas and piping-hot tortillas. Then they’re showing up again at happy hour for a Paloma Patron cocktail: tequila and pineapple juice. After one or two of those, they’re likely to be staying for dinner, sampling an array of interior Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes. We liked the smoky enchiladas en mole but found the shrimp a la diabla sorely lacking in spirit (read: bland). Even so, we got to the bottom of a bowlful of sopaipillas topped with whipped cream and honey. With its full range of enticements, this local favorite is a welcome addition to downtown. Bar.

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(From October 2009) If you’ve never been to a hacienda in Mexico, this beautiful restaurant is the next best thing. Open the elaborately carved wooden doors and walk into a stunning indoor courtyard with a fountain and various nooks in which to sit and enjoy conversation and cocktails while waiting for a table (suggestion: make a reservation so you don’t have to wait all night). The main dining room is massive, with the focal point being an elegant flower arrangement atop a large, dark table. Punched-tin light fixtures hang from the green ceiling, colorful artwork perks up the walls, and Saltillo tile covers the floor. We sat in an adjacent room, which was smaller but similarly styled and just as crowded (there were two tables with more than fifteen people apiece). We started with out-of-this-world handmade flour tortillas (the corn were fabulous also) and fresh ceviche (mixed with avocado, onion, and tomato). From the many offerings (think tacos al pastor to chorizo verde), we decided to stay focused on seafood and went with the camarones al mojo de ajo, good-sized Gulf shrimp sautéed in garlic butter. For a split second we thought about a decadent dessert, but in the end, an after-dinner glass of pinot grigio sounded just as delightful. We’d be remiss if we didn’t tell you to go for Sunday brunch.

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(From December 2009) We got off to a bumpy start at this contemporary Mexican restaurant on the ground floor of the 360 condo building. The salsa that accompanied our chips had a commercial taste (though we know it was house-made), and the pork tostadas with a chipotle agridulce seemed disproportionately sweet. We detected executive chef David Garrido’s deft touch, however, in our grilled mahimahi BLT tacos with habanero aioli—can you say inspired? Likewise, a dessert sampler of chocolate tres leches, two chocolate truffles, and pastel de calabaza (the whisper-light green zucchini cake is Garrido’s grandmother’s recipe) left us swooning. Bar.

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(From June 2009) La Condesa—named for the tony district in Mexico City—has arrived in the Second Street District with all the subtlety of a bottle rocket. It’s hard to tell whether more attention is being paid to the cutting-edge design of Michael Hsu and Joel Mozersky, the cutting-edge cocktails designed by famed mixologist Junior Merino, or the cutting-edge food of Texas-born, internationally traveled chef Rene Ortiz. A fair number of words on the menu will be familiar to Tex-Mex-wise Texans—tostadas, taquitos, sopas, and ceviche. But others take you down an exciting, interior-of-Mexico path. Even the ceviches depart from the norm, with the likes of kingfish snuggled up to grilled grapefruit in a fantastic cold, sweet-tart lime-cilantro broth. Among the platos fuertes, or entrées, is an excellent duck in a seductive Oaxacan-style black mole. There’s much to explore. Bar.

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(From February 2009) Carlos “Black Magic Woman” Santana, the musician-turned-Latin-style-arbiter, is behind this chain of well-heeled restaurants. The stars of our spread were the duck tacos (three delicate rolls of shredded meat topped with a creamy tomato-habanero sauce). Said spread also included a gimmicky, salty ceviche served in half a coconut and an agreeable chopped salad full of roasted corn and avocado. We added a dash of the house-made pineapple salsa to the crab-and-shrimp enchiladas suizas and they almost matched the colorful decor. (See if you can spot the influence of consulting New York chef Roberto Santibañez, who once headed up Austin’s Fonda San Miguel.) Time your visit during one of Santana’s monthly trips and it might be magic indeed. Bar.

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(From October 2009) It is hard to fathom Matt’s El Rancho’s not serving incredibly cheesy enchiladas or delicious chiles rellenos, but back in 1952, when Matt Martinez and his wife, Janie, opened the tiny restaurant on East First Street, the menu featured chicken-fried steak. Luckily, some things change. What kind of world would it be without Matt’s famous Bob Armstrong Dip (queso with picadillo and a dollop of guacamole)? We don’t dare think about it. We do think of Matt’s almost every time we want to take family and friends somewhere fun. Though you should be prepared to wait, Matt’s is kind enough to provide a guy who’ll keep the kids happy, blowing up balloons and painting their faces. If you can, get a table out on the spacious patio; children will enjoy spotting fish in the fountain while adults nosh on chips and salsa and sip margaritas. On a recent outing our entrées included steak tampiqueña (grilled sirloin with onion and bell pepper and a cheese enchilada on the side) and the No. 1 dinner (a beef taco, a beef enchilada, your choice of a tamale or chile con queso, rice, and refried beans). Oh, we were in heaven all right. And we didn’t even miss the chicken-fried steak.

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