Fadó Irish Pub

214 West 4th St
(512) 457-0172

http://www.fadoirishpub.com/austin/

The first time I went to Fadó's, it was back when I was in college (cough) 10 years ago. My mom, who loved her Irish heritage, would love to go sit on the patio and drink Irish Coffees. Back then, they had an Irish band that would play a few nights a week. So while you had your whiskey coffee, you could hear lightly wafting Irish music, and really feel like you'd been transported to Ireland. In the last 5 years, though, I feel like Fadó's has somewhat settled for a different crowd. Gone is the Irish music, the quint feel of an Irish pub, and the over educated 50-somethings discussing politics over a pint of Guinness. Instead its now filled with rock bands and booze guzzling 20-somethings trying to hook up with one another. I think Fadó's even stopped serving food for a while back in the mid-aughts.

I've been hearing recently, how they've been trying to shed their binge drinking image and embrace their Irish heritage again. So when I was invited to attend an Irish trivia night there, I thought, why not. I'll drink some beer and maybe find someone to hook up with.

I originally had the intention of drinking my dinner by way of 4 or 5 pints of Guinness, but my friends were quick to point out that Fadó's actually has some decent bar food now. And it's even Irish inspired. Who knew?

During our first round of trivia, we nibbled on Cheese Dip and boxty wedges. For those of you not familiar with Irish cuisine (I'm assuming most of you), boxty is a traditional Irish bread. A sort of cross between a potato pancake and potato bread depending on who's making it. The boxty wedges here, at Fado's, were like thin, crisp, deep-fried potato pancakes. The cheese dip is, I'm guessing, an Irish take on queso. It was a thick, peppered cheddar more resembling a fondue than queso. It was pretty delicious, though, as far as bar foods go. When we were finished with one, we ordered a second.

During the second round of trivia, we moved onto the Smoked Salmon bites. These seemed pretty pedestrian, at first, but the substitution of boxty instead of bread for the crustini made for a nice change of pace.

Turning sandwiches into egg rolls seems to be a popular bar food trend right now (go to Manny's for the Reuben Egg Rolls if you haven't yet, YUM). These corned beef rolls were drizzled with a creamy mustard and topped with a crisp cabbage slaw. It was pretty tasty (if not a little greasy), but really, when isn't deep fried meat delicious?

Finally, we tried the Chicken Boxty Quesadillas. Chicken and cheese between two crisp sheets of the potato boxty. It was basically a potato pancake with cheese and chicken. When they first came out, they were crisp, but like any fried potato product, the potatoes got limp over time. The oil just became a little too overwhelming.

There you have it, Irish inspired bar food. All in all it was pretty tasty. They also have a 3 items for $10 happy hour (plus a beer), so I will definitely be coming back again. And be sure to try their Irish Coffee. Its still the same no matter if your drinking with your 60 year old mom or a 21 year old co-ed.

Mariah ~7

Carillon Photo Safari

The University of Texas at Austin

1900 University Ave

Austin, TX 78705

http://www.thecarillonrestaurant.com/

I was recently invited to the Carillon to preview what is now their current menu. If you've never been, you're in for a rare treat. I consider the Carillon one of the best high end restaurants in Austin. The food is delicious and innovative. Plus, they have a killer (read cheap and delicious) Happy Hour. Just remember to park in the garage and have your voucher stamped for free parking.

Nairagi Napoleon - smoked chevre with texas ruby grapefruit, cucumber, and lemon zest

Miso Marinated Mero - with wilted spinach, maitake mushrooms, and carrot-ginger reduction

Olive Oil Poached Beef Tenderloin - with potato puree, artichoke-fennel frito misto, and peppercorn sauce

Jack Allen's Kitchen Wine Dinner

I recently had a delicious dinner at Jack Allen's kitchen. Now, I know it's down in the great unknown territory of south-west Austin (be careful, there be dragons there), but if you haven't made it down there yet, you really should.

I've eaten there as a regular, run-of-the-mill diner several times now, but those reviews are for another day. This post is about the wonderful wine dinner dinner they invited me to. And I will disclose that I was invited to this fine dinner and hence didn't pay for it (thanks FTC and your new fabulous rules).

First of all, Jack Allen's Kitchen is way way out in southwest Austin. Basically, you go to the Y at Oakhill, take the 71 branch and go a mile. My parents live in that neck of the woods, so its not too far out of the way for me. I can imagine, though, how it might be on the other side of the planet for someone from Pflugerville, but it's well worth the trip. Jack Allen's is the brain child of ex Z-Tejas chef Jack Allen (surprise surprise). He took over the old space where the Y Bar and Grill (then Nunzia's) used to be, and you long time readers will remember how Nunzia's felt about us. So I'm really glad to see something reputable and delicious in it's place.



Like so many of the new mid-dollar restaurants popping up over Austin now, Jack Allen's really focuses on using local ingredients. Their menu is a laundry list of local farms and food producers that brought a little tear to this foodie's eye when she first read. The food is mostly southern and southwestern inspired. It's kind of like everything Z Tejas wishes it normally were but can't be because it's a chain now (and I'll caveat that by saying Z Tejas wine dinners and special menus are delicious, it's just their normal menu that suffers a little).



But enough about other restaurants, it's Jack Allen's you really want to know about. The wine dinner they invited me to a few (cough) months ago was really delicious and interesting. First of all it was multi course, which I am always a sucker for and second, they didn't offer just one wine pairing with each course, they offered two. Now before you accuse me of being a lush, let me describe how awesome this wine pairing was.

The wine portion of the dinner was hosted by local Texas wine producers. For each course, there was one varietal and two wines, one Texas wine, and one other wine that is thought to be a good representation of the varietal. But did you know which was which? No! It was a blind tasting. You would get two small pours of each wine and you had to figure out which was the Texas wine. Sounds like a pretty awesome party doesn't it? It was.

Our welcome wine was a Vermentino. A Vermentino is not a wine you come across a lot, but it's a lovely Italian white wine. It's bright and acidic and is usually made in Corsica. The two Vermentino's they brought were Mandola's and then Gagliardo Favorita.

Mandola's: Fun, popped in my mouth, crisp and acidic, with a nice mineral content, and notes of grapefruit and golden raisin
Gagliardo Favorita: A Sardinian wine. Fruit forward wine with strong flavors of apple, apricot and honey but it had a soapy undertone

Now, I love Texas wines. I am a huge advocate of them. I know a lot of people poo poo them, but I think Texas wines are really unique and interesting. Most of them have such strong and powerful characters, just like everything else in Texas. But sometimes when you compare it to an old world wine, like a Vermentino, with a Texas wine of the same style, the Texas wine just doesn't hold up. So I was really surprised that I enjoyed the Mandola's Vermentino so much. It's bright acidity and mineral notes really made it stand out over the soapy Sardinian wine.

The first course was a Cold smoked and grilled jump shrimp with blackberry and lemon thyme aioli. This shrimp was delicious. It all of the rest of the meal had been horrible (which it wasn't), it would have been worth going to for this shrimp alone. What surprised me the most was how well the thyme, shrimp, and blackberry were together. It's a really different but spectacular combination.


The wine pairing they chose for the shrimp was a Chenin Blanc. They compared a Beringer Chenin Blanc to the local Fall Creek version.

Beringer: Sugary with a mineral overtone and a taste of apricot, melon, and pear
Fall Creek: Golden and red tinged wine with a strong flavor of lemon, golden raisin, dates and candied fruits and a light pear aftertaste with a distinct chemical overtone

Ok, I have to admit, I usually turn my nose up grocery store table wines. But the Beringer Chenin Blanc totally blew me away. It was sweet without being cloying and had nice fruit tones. It paired very well with the shrimp. I gotta tell you folks, for $6.99, thats a great bottle of wine for a light summer dinner (of shrimp of course).

The second course, however, wasn't as strong as the first course of shrimp. It was a Seared Texas Redfish with Texas Citrus Mojo and Wilted Arugula. It just didn't work very well. The taste was rather bland and the textures ended up being homogeneous.

The wine offerings for this course is one of my favorite types of white wine, a Viognier. For having such a fancy, French name, I would argue that most of the great bottles of Viognier out there today are American. California has a few good Viogniers, but the real US Viognier winner are the wineries in Washington. Trust me. The Viogners they chose for this tasting, though, were the Zaca Mesa from Santa Barbara and the local Becker.

Zaca Mesa: A wine from Santa Barbara with flavors of apricot, violet and lavender. High in alcohol content.
Becker: A local Texas wine that's grassy, with a lilac overtone and tastes of green pepper and dill.

In this case, the Texas wine was the winner. The lilac and dill tones of the wine made for a deliciously complex flavor. Plus, I didn't care for this fish course as much, BUT it did pair nicely with the Becker Viognier.

The third course was a Moroccan spiced Texas quail with toasted almond couscous and caramelized peach-honey glaze. The quail was cumin heavy, the couscous was hot and spicy and the glaze was sickly sweet. Individually, each one was too heavily spiced or flavored, but together the heavy spices combined well together. The was the favorite course of my dinner guest and boyfriend. He would NOT stop talking about how awesome this dish was. I thought it was pretty good, but I thought I'd comment that he thought it was amazing.


They paired this spicy, and flavorful course with two wonderful roses, a great selection for this kind of food. This course paired nicely with the Texas rose, the ever present Texas winery, McPherson. It was sweet, with a pop of cherry summer berries and watermelon. The non-Texas comparative Rose, was just not worth mentioning.

The fourth course was a Pecan wood-fired beef tenderloin with shaved yellow grilled corn and cotija. The beef had a salty, smoky crust and a tender texture. The shaved corn with cotija had a casserole-like texture. I felt like I was eating elote casserole and it was delicious! This was a spectacular dish. I've come to find out, they sometimes serve the awesome corn as their veggie side. Make sure you ask for it if you ever go.



They paired this beef course with two Sangioveses. Both were lovely, and to be honest, I couldn't decide which one I liked better. But since I was (cough) getting a little drunk off all he wine, I didn't catch the name of the Chianti Classico vineyard, so we'll have to say the Flat Creek wins, simply because I remembered it.

Flat Creek: Floral with butterscotch and leather undertones
Chianti classico (vineyard unknown): Herby and astringent with heavy tannins. Tasted like a bouquet of flowers with pepper.

After so much decadence, we had to be let down a little by the dessert course. It was a simple but delicious Chocolate truffle. Buttery, smooth, and melt in your mouth delicious. I guess I was looking for something I could really sink my teeth into, but hey, I'm never going to turn down chocolate!

They paired the chocolate with two Bordeaux Blends. The one that stood out the most was the Inwood Estates Magellan. It was herb-y, leathery, smelled of tobacco and had strong, tongue sucking tannins. A very nice Texas wine.

Jack Allen's Kitchen - 8

Shuck Shack

I've been eating at Shuck Shack, on occasion, since it opened, and I'm really surprised I haven't gotten around to writing about it yet, so here goes.

The Shuck Shack isn't really a restaurant, it's a plot of land over in East Austin. On it is an adorable old-style southern building, an outside patio surrounded by dense foliage and large yard filled with typical southern lawn games.



Generally all they serve is seafood. And not just southern deep fried seafood as the name would imply. There are typical seafood selections from all coasts. East coast crab cakes and calamari live hand and hand next to ceviche and mahi with a soy glaze.

When I went a few weeks ago, I was in the mood for one thing, deep fried seafood. My friend Connie and I had both had bad days at work and wanted to indulge ourselves in some deep fried goodness. But being foodies, we didn't want to stoop so low as to eat at Red Lobster or Long John Silver's (and don't get me wrong, there's a time and a place for both of those, but it's generally when you're on the road). So we decided to head to Shuck Shack.

We started out with a plate of calamari with lemon. The calamari where tender (for calamari) and perfectly deep fried. I think we ate the whole basket.



And being a good southern girl, I had to get hush puppies. Hush puppies are how I judge a good southern restaurant. If they take the time to make good hush puppies, then the rest of their food will probably be decent. Shuck Shack's hush puppies, while not the best I've ever had, made a strong showing.



Probably the best savory dish we had all night were the Shrimp Diablo. Now, how can anything associated with bacon, shrimp, and jalapeno be bad? It really can't, but Shuck Shack's Shrimp Diablo were a tasty treat.



My absolute favorite thing I tried at Shuck Shack that evening was the Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie. It was delicious! It's worth going to shuck shack for the pie alone! In fact, when I was done with one slice, I ALMOST ordered a second. It took a monumental act of willpower to keep myself from getting another.



While we ate, we had a nice show watching the other restaurant patrons play lawn games. They have large, well groomed playing fields set up for horseshoes, washers and bocce ball. When the weather gets a little cooler, I fully intend on going back for a game of bocce and another Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie.

~Mariah: 9

Note: The Shuck Shack is now closed. Too bad, it was a really decent place to eat. One more casualty of the Great Recession.

The Gibson Bar and Trailer

I was recently invited to the opening of the Gibson Bar and Trailer on South Lamar (not to be confused with the Gibson Room which is above Maggie Mae's). The bar is the square charcoal colored building across from Alamo South. When I drove up, I was kind of.. underwhelmed. The outside of the building is quite stout and not very attractive. And there's not alot of parking. You end up having to park on a side street between the bar and the railroad tracks next to some questionable looking abandoned lots. My advice to you is not to inspect the abandoned lots too closely. When I was walking from my car, I noticed a man passed out in a passenger van parked a few hundred feet into one of the lots. There was even a little clothes line strung up.

The inside of the bar is much nicer than the outside would lend you to believe. Its dark, modern and rather generic, but looks clean. There are several nice, large booths that can fit moderately large drinking parties. But, to warn you, there's no sound dampening in the place, so it can get rather noisy. All in all, though, a pleasant place to spend a few hours drinking.


Bar, itself, doesn't serve food. They've actually figured a rather fun and ingenious way to incorporate food, with an permanently attached airstream trailer, called interestingly enough, The Trailer. The Trailer is actually where the food is ordered and made. Its even one of those fun silver bullet airstream trailers. The Trailer, however, takes up most of the outdoor space at The Gibson Bar. Which is unfortunate, since the view out the large picture windows is nice, and a large deck would have been a great addition to the place.



When I went, they had a sample of some of the treats from their menu. The first thing I tried were the chicken fingers and buttermilk battered french fries. I normally don't care for thick cut french fries, but these big hunks of potato were pretty tasty. The honey mustard was crazy strong and apparently made by a local merchant by the name of "Cousin Leroy" (more to come on that). The batter on the chicken fingers was nice, but the batter to chick ratio was close to one. I would have preferred a little meatier chicken tender.


The second thing I tried was the chicken sandwich. It was really just your basic chicken sandwich. Only ok. And unfortunately, with the thick slices of Texas Toast, I felt like I was eating a chicken sandwich at the local DQ. Skip the chicken sandwich.


The famous donut burger. I've been hearing about this donut burger for months. You heard that right folks, a burger on a donut. On a delicious, toasted Round Rock donut no less (with cheese abd bacon to top it off). Now, the top and bottom of the donut are sliced off, so the "donut bun" is more reminiscent of Hawaiian Bread. There really isn't the sugary glaze on top that you'd expect of a "donut bun". All in all it's actually a really tasty, if decadent treat. The clear winner on the menu.



I'm not going to lie. By the time I had the hot dogs, I was starting to get a little "greased out". The donut burger kind of did me in and I didn't know how much more grease and fat I could take. So when I tasted the bacon wrapped hot dogs below, I really wasn't that impressed. Now that could be a function of me being fed up with all the deep fry or it could be because they were just legitimately gross. A hot dog, wrapped in bacon, topped with french fries and covered in queso, sour cream and chives. I thought it was a gross overkill.



But nothing compared to the disgusting overkill of a beef hot dog wrapped in bacon and covered in cheese and a fried egg. A heart attack on a bun and really not all that tasty. I could feel my heart seizing while I ate it, and for once, my mouth wasn't all that impressed with the decadence. I mean, if I'm going to eat something that monumentally bad for me, I want it to taste like an orgasm in my mouth. This did not.



So I've been hearing a mixed bag of reviews of The Gibson Bar off the grapevines. Some people love it, and some people hate it. Apparently they don't offer draft beer, but they do sell wine by the half bottle. I guess I'm somewhere in the middle. It wasn't that great, but it really wasn't that bad either. When I'm looking for a good heart attack inducing fried treat, I'll really consider going back for the Donut Burger and some of their tasty steak fries.

~Mariah: 6

The Aviary

2110 S. Lamar
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 916-4445

http://www.aviarydecor.com/

So I have recently discovered what has quickly become my favorite wine bar in town. It's in a rather unassuming strip mall on South Lamar, but when you go inside, you quickly realize its more than just a strip mall wine bar, it's a furniture store too!

Is it a bar? Is it a furniture store? It's both! The home decor is so fresh and modern, it really adds to the atmosphere of the wine bar. And really, what a great way to add a revenue stream to a business that would normally close its doors at 7pm. More stores and restaurants should pair up like this!



There is all sorts of fun, interesting art. And wine. Did I mention the wine?

They also offer a Charcuterie and Cheese Menu from A Noble Beast which is some of the best charcuterie in town. I'm sure most of you have heard the word charcuterie (shar-COO-ta-ree) by now, but if you haven't, its just a fancy French word for prepared meat. Things like sausages, salamis, prosciuttos, pates, bacons, terrines and roulades fall under the umbrella of charcuterie. But I swear, if there was one food trend of 2009 that wasn't cupcakes or bacon, it was charcuterie. It's everywhere now!

The Aviary generally have 6-8 meats or cheese to choose from. We let the server pick 5 of his favorites for us. We ended up with 2 meats and 3 cheese, all delicious.


The meats and cheeses are always served on a fun and interesting plate. Because they only do wine and charcuterie, they really pay attention to the details. Our bill was delivered to us in the library card pocket of an old book. How cute is that?


The wine selection is also delicious. Their selection isn't the longest list in town, but what they do have is quality and reasonably priced. You can buy a glass, a bottle, or do a wine flight. What's nice about their wine flights, are that you create them. $10s buys you 3 samples of any 3 wines on their menu. Your choice. Really!

We chose a bottle of 1150 Malbec. I first had it at a wine dinner at the Apothecary and really enjoyed it. Its a nice mellow Malbec from a newer vineyard in Argentina. Yum!

Just a hint, go there on Wednesday for 1/2 priced bottle of wine and a DJ.

~Mariah: 9

Fino Happy Hour

I recently had a delightful Happy Hour at Fino. Their patio is one of the nicest in Austin, in my opinion and their food is generally pretty good. However, Fino and I have a rather love - hate relationship. I love some of their dishes, but hate others. Sometimes their food is so fresh, innovative and delicious. But other times, I feel like they "over innovate" and their dishes come off as pretentious and not that tasty. But now that I've been to Happy Hour at Fino a few times, I know how to tiptoe through flavor minefields in their perilous menu.

Piquillo Peppers stuffed with Gulf Crab - Quite tasty. Get a few.

Fried Anchovy Olives - Hands down the best (and smallest) thing on the Happy Hour Menu

The Ginger Apricot Daiquiri - A tasty cocktail for a summer afternoon

The Badass Manhatten - Is certainly badass. It had a rich, complex flavor that made me feel I was in an episode of Mad Men

Mussels Escabeche - Only ok. Stick with the peppers. But they do look pretty.

Things to avoid:
The spreads - They always sound delicious, but they've always underwhelmed me
Fried Goat Cheese - Sounds wonderful right? Its not
Fried Calamari - The calamari itself is pretty average, but the mojo sauce served with it is simply disgusting.
Tortilla Espanola - Its like a frittata. I know its a dinner dish in Spain, but I just can get excited about a happy Hour frittata.

I still assert that the most delicious thing on the Fino menu is their Seafood Paella. It's wonderfully addictive. Trust me. So if you go, order some peppers and olives and a drink for Happy Hour and then stay for the paella. You'll thank me.

P.S. Since I see Bill, the Bar Manager at Fino, reads these posts, I will also say that Fino has some of the most innovative drinks in Austin. Every time I go, I get excited when I see what delicious treats are offered up on the drink menu. Keep up the good work Bill!

Red's Porch

3508 South Lamar Boulevard
Austin, TX 78704-7934
(512) 440-7337

www.redsporch.com

I recently had dinner with my family at Red's Porch. The food is only OK, but, I have to say, the view is spectacular. It's on South Lamar down by Ben White behind a bank. But it backs up to one of the best view's in town, the Barton Creek Greenbelt. Why no one has taken advantage of this great location before is beyond me, but I'm glad there's finally a bar there.

They have a lower level patio (that's dog friendly) and an upper patio. The upper patio, obviously, has the best view. I went back in February when it snowed, thinking this would be a great place to watch the snow fall on the greenbelt. It was, only it was pretty frosty. Despite the fact that the upper patio is enclosed, and there are heat lamps everywhere, the the wind and cold come in through the cracks in the deck. This is definitely a warm weather hang out.

Check out the lower patio. The trailer is a fun touch, but it just serves as a very large tv stand. Really. Thats a tv on it. They could have turned the trailer into an awesome food cart to give it a little less corporate feel and more "indie food" panache.

They've really put some thought into how to bring the outside in. Check out these garage doors.



So onto the food. It only Ok. It has a sort of upscale Chili's feel to it. As far as appetizers go, the queso is decent and the biscuits and gravy are pretty good. The fried olives were ok, but they just don't compare to Fino's (I will forever compare all fried olive's to the Fino gold standard of fried olive awesomeness). There are vegetarian options, but they skew heavily to side salads and deep fried appetizers. And fear not, parents, there is a kid's menu (including a 2 veggie plate, that SHOULD be on the adult menu too!).

The Smoked Chicken Corn Chowder (pictured below) is pretty good. It had a nice smokeyness that wasn't overpowering. It wasn't unique, but it was nice and homey. I'd definately order another bowl if I went there. The Spinach Salad with feta dressing was good but rather basic. The pickled onions added a nice touch but didn't make the salad pop as much as they should have.

My dad's enchiladas were, I have to say, your rather basic gooey enchilada. Nothing special about it.

My sister-in-law's burger. It was piled high with stuff, including a fat avocado. The meat had a nice flavoring. I'd recommend it if you're in the area, craving a burger and can't stomach going to Fudruckers.

My brother's tacos. I don't remember which tacos they were though. Sorry!

All in all, decent food, a great view, and a lovely patio (and porch) make Red's Porch an enjoyable al fresco destination in South Austin.

~Mariah: 7

La Condesa

400-A W 2nd Street
Austin, TX 78701
512.499.0300
http://www.lacondesaaustin.com/

Laura: The first time I visited La Condesa I was a bit put off. Sure it was for their grand opening and everything was comped, but they had invited so many people that it made it difficult to taste anything, I was shouted at by another party goer for indulging in some barside guacamole and the whole thing came off as pretentious and very Dallas-like. It's not a mistake that I picked up on a Dallas vibe. The first La Condesa was located in Victory Park in Dallas and closed in May 2009, just a little bit of a year after it opened.

Mariah: I never made it to that opening, but I'd gone to La Condesa shortly after it opened and was put off by the see-and-be-seen vibe I felt.But the food was decent enough and the it was close to my apartment, so I found myself there on an occasion or two.

Laura: Now that the buzz around La Condesa has settled and the crowds have calmed down, it is an incredibly enjoyable happy hour spot. Leslie, Jenn and I settled in to the sleek and stylish bar yesterday to do a little tasting of half priced drinks and discounted appetizers.

Torilla Soup - Spicy tomato broth, chicken, avocado, queso fresco, crispy tortilla strips, toasted ancho chile. Happy Hour $3

Cangrejo Tostada- Texas lump crab meat, green mango, grapefruit, tomato, chipotle mayo, chives. Happy Hour $2 each

Ejotes- grilled Texas green beans with garlic and epazote. Happy Hour $2

Ceviche. Happy Hour $6

Hanger steak with yucca fries $8

Close up of the hanger steak. Happy Hour $8

Laura: No, I did not try the steak but I did try the yucca fries with a side of chipotle mayo. They were crisp on the outside, soft on the inside and just delicious. Jenn really enjoyed the steak as well.

Mariah: On the several occasions I've been, I've had the Chile Relleno. It's a fat poblano stuffed with quinoa, manchego, and butternut squash served in a light tomato sauce with pepitas on top. It's really quite good in a non-traditional sort of way. But whenever I go, I always make sure to have a side of platanos and the elote. The platanos are wonderfully sweet and caramelized plantains with a sprinkling of queso fresco. Yum! And the elote. Oh, I could write an ode to the elote. Its a wood fired ear of corn covered in a thick cream and rolled in cheese. It. Is. Heavenly. Period. If you go there and eat nothing else, get the elote.

Laura: I had a chat with the bartender (not mixologist) about La Condesa's commitment to buy locally. They buy as many ingredients as possible from farms within a 60 mile radius of the Austin. I'm not sure how much ends up being local, but its a start and the intent is there.

Alma Blanca - Habanero-infused simebra azul blanco domaine de canton ginger liquer, agave nectar, pineapple juice, fresh corn, hoja de hierba santa, hibiscus-rose-infused salt rim.

The ginger flavor in the Alma Blanca is just enough to not be overpowering and compliments the habanero kick.

Watermelon Elderflower Martini (minus a big sip!) Tito's vodka, st germain elderflower liqueur, agave nectar, citrus and watermelon juice.

Laura: The Watermelon Elderflower Martini is the drink that brings me back to La Condesa. It is sweet without being cloying and although it is technically more suited toward summer, I am happy to drink it anytime. Not pictured is the El Cubico - a tobacco infused tequila, vanilla liqueur, lemon, grilled pineapple juice, mezcal essence concoction with a saffron infused salt rim. This was by far Leslie's favorite drink. I couldn't get past my dislike for the tobacco flavor, although oddly enough it doesn't bother me in red wine.

Mariah: The drinks at La Condesa are generally very good and very interesting. I usually never make it past the Alma Blanca (I'm always a sucker for a drink with spicy tequilla). I like it so much I don't think I've ever gotten anything else! But the rest of the drinks *sound* like they'd be good, but you'll have to trust Laura's opinion of them.

Laura: Sitting at the bar and watching the bartender at work is a highlight of the visit. The bartender crafted Jenn an off-menu Cablecar that simply was out of this world. Another highlight of visiting La Condesa is playing the "How much do you think it would cost to build that light fixture" game with Leslie. These are the kind of activities that occur when a professional film prop designer and a former mechanical engineer meet over cocktails. The conclusion is that at $4 a connector, the light fixture would quickly become very expensive.

Laura: Another thing than can get pricey is the dinner menu. It is worth a try, although other bloggers have given it mixed reviews and Taco Journalism definitely does not recommend the tacos. My suggestion is to stick to the less traditional and more inventive items on the menu. That is where you will find the stars of the show.

Mariah: On a 1-10 scale, I give it a 9.