Austin

(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) There are only a few tables indoors and a handful on the deck at this tiny spot, but it’s the place to go for big tacos on a lazy Saturday morning. The line at the counter moves quickly, so don’t freak at the number of people ahead of you. And the crowd is friendly—a nice mix of college students, trendy types (think pooch in a purse), and outdoors aficionados (an access point to the Greenbelt is across the street). In addition to the custom breakfast tacos (build your own with egg, cheese, chorizo, potatoes, and the like), there are more than twenty specialty items on the menu, including the Thunder Heart Bison Picadillo (ground bison seasoned with roasted garlic, tomato, caramelized onion, melted jack cheese, and jalapeño and topped with queso fresco and fresh cilantro), the cochinita pibil (Yucatecan-style roasted pork marinated and cooked in citrus and achiote and topped with pickled purple onion and serranos), and the Florentino (fresh spinach sautéed in olive oil and sherry and tossed with onion, mushrooms, and red bell pepper). On a recent morning we couldn’t help ourselves and went with the house favorite (ours too), the Otto: smoky refried beans with bacon, avocado, and cheese. We lingered a bit over fresh grapefruit juice, luxuriating in the warm weather while people-watching to our heart’s content.

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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 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 October 2009) Who knew there was a lush jungle in the heart of Austin? Well, a sophisticated, romantic jungle with fans and waiters, that is. Entering Vivo, you’ll find beautiful stone pots housing bushes and trees with leaves as big as beach towels. Along the railings are dozens of flowering plants, purple and orange and yellow, all almost as vibrant as the exterior’s mod crimson. It’s easy to find a clandestine nook here for a dinner just for two. And if you aren’t quite cozy in the wrought-iron chairs, there are plenty of built-in benches with comfy cushions (we nabbed the sectional in the bar area of the patio). The food is pure Tex-Mex, complete with queso, puffy tacos, and fajitas. We opted for the traditional enchiladas verdes—a rich green sauce blanketed the enchiladas filled with moist, shredded chicken—and toasted the meal with one of Vivo’s many specialty margaritas. And what’s a romantic evening without flowers? After dinner, venture inside to find roses by the dozen (even the sink is filled with petals), and when you come back to your table, try not to blush as your waiter hands you a single long-stemmed rose to remind you of your gorgeous evening.

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(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) 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 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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