400-A W 2nd Street
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.
Plate of Flauta's
Having a trivia night and a vegetarian menu gets extra points in my book. Also, when the weather isn't 105 degrees (does anybody remember what that was like???) you can sit pleasantly at their picnic tables outside.
Picnic tables in the back
My favorite item is the migas taco. They offer six different varieties of salsa to accompany your meal ranging from mild to hot. I usually go for verde which definitely has a kick to it. Boyfriend and I usually pick up a few late on Sunday mornings before settling down to watch political tv shows in my living room.
Migas tacos and Gwen Ifill at the same time? Awesome.
-Laura
1110 West Lynn
Mariah: We shamelessly took pictures of the antique Chinese chests (reproductions available at 4 Hands)Laura: Notice the record player on the chest. Every room comes with one and you can check out records from the office to play. You also can't see it in this photo but there's a super kick ass portrait of Neil Young on the wall.
Laura: Yeah that struck me by surprise. Uber expensive bed and furnishings and IKEA bathroom cabinet and IKEA rug. I suppose if you can afford to stay here you'd never know some of the furnishing were IKEA because you probably don't shop there.
Mariah: We grabbed a glass (or 10) of the free Messina Hoff wine (their Chardonnay this year is better than its been) and strolled around the gardens. They had artfully crafted beautiful outside spaces. Including this fire pit that you too could sit around, enjoying a glass of wine, after ACL. Too bad there's a 3 year waiting list and a $600 entry fee. (P.S. That's Laura getting saucy).
Laura: It's my best "the world will never understand me" distraught melodramatic heiress pose.
Mariah: Or walk down this zen-like stone path
Mariah: To the even more zen-like lap pool (they're too good for a full pool - no one in a $600 bathing suit actually swims anyway).
Laura: Do you think they'll let me swim there in my Old Navy bathing suit?
Mariah: No, Laura, they won't. The whole event was catered by Whole Foods. They had hand passed appetizers that were tasty, but surprisingly hard to eat. The sausage slices with slaw were hard to nibble in a ladylike fashion. You have to stuff the whole thing in your mouth and chew quickly. The watermelon with pickled onions was excellent, but again hard to eat. Blah blah, you'll never eat these, so why am I bothering to review them?
Laura: The appetizers I tried were really good. If you got there early enough you could actually have quite a few without much effort. Kudos must be given to the staff. They were incredibly hospitable. I know you are never going to eat them, but I'll make you jealous of them anyway.
Laura: The watermelon with pickled onions that Mariah was describing was also complemented by a dash of goat cheese and served in a cocktail glass. Very refreshing and the watermelon worked fantastically with the cheese and pickled onions. Yum. I had quite a few of the mini mushroom tacos in corn tortillas with micro field greens and a dollop of yogurt. There was also a smokey-like shrimp topped on a black eyed pea patty. A crispy quail with what looked like a honey mustard sauce and smelled like my childhood. And some sort of beef with blackberries and rich dark BBQ sauce. Oh and a few other items I can't even remember. As the crowd started piling in, the appetizers became more and more elusive.
Mariah: After appetizers, Laura and I were still a little hungry. The small bites of delectable food were just enough to whet our appetites, but we were just full enough not to enjoy a full meal. We threw around a bunch of options. Pizza? No, too filling. Ice cream? No, not filling enough. Lemon cups at Wink? We were getting closer. But I didn't think I would handle even more wine. Then Laura had a brilliant idea... Churros at Zocalo.
Laura: Yeah, I had to use a bit of psychology. I knew Mariah wanted something sweet, but I wanted something with substance. I needed to make a suggestion for something she would go for at a place where I could get something savory. Hence the suggestion of Zocalo. Plus, they have a really great patio and West Lynn is an extremely convenient area for me. Oops. Now I've given away all my secrets. Anyway, it's owned by the same guy who does Galaxy Cafe which happens to be next door.
Mariah: Zocalo has become one of our Had-Too-Much-To-Drink-Now-We-Need-A-Cheap-Snack kind of hang out. We've been several times now, and even eaten a few entrees, none of which I'd call particularly noteworthy. Plus, as we were parking, I noticed a bright yellow 350z in the parking lot. It's kind of a distinct car, and it just so happens that my friend Eric owns one. And sure enough, there he was on the patio, with a strange dark haired girl in a pony tail. I texted him to ask "At Zocalo too, are you on a date?" But I never heard back from him, so Laura and I decided we were going to walk up and say Hi and if he were on a date, we'd introduce ourselves, let said date know that Eric has hot awesome friends he happens to run into all the time, thus upping his single man status (hey, I've watched those douchey VH1 shows with Myster, I can be a good wing woman). But when we approached, we discovered that it was our friend Connie, and not in fact a date.
Laura: So we decided to join them and dig in. Zocalo offers a bit of a healthier twist on local Tex Mex. Of course you can go full on fattening, but you have the option for more fresh and healthy cuisine. They also have lots of vegetarian choices. YAY!
Laura: I've had a few items here and they that've been hit or miss. Hated the vegetarian stew- it's flavor was too plain and tasted like they compensated with salt. The torta was ok, but I wasn't a big fan. Too much bread with no pizzaz. I do like the chips they serve. They are the extra thick kind like you get in Mexico. I like to squeeze a dash of lime on them and chow down. The vegetarian tacos... OK, now we are getting warmer! Those were really good. This time, I ordered a big bowl of queso mixta - terrific creamy blanco queso with a scoop of guacamole and pico de gallo. It comes with a green salsa and a red salsa on the side. Not exactly the picture of healthy food, but I've been cutting back on dairy lately and after a few drinks I found it really hard to hold back.
Mariah: I know Laura liked the queso, but its a little more peppery and less creamy than I normally like, but, hey, its melted cheese, I'm not going to turn that down!
Bottom Line: Casual Mexican Cafe takes a refreshingly different spin on the cuisine with hit or miss menu items and a nice outdoor patio.
5th and Brazos
1412 S. Congress Ave.Well foodies, it’s the New Year and we’re all getting settle back into the hum drum monotony of normal life again. Did you make any food related New Years resolutions? I’ve made the same resolution the last 3 years, to drink a glass of wine every day. But all resolutions were made to be broken, and it, like all the rest, haven’t been kept. I trust y’all had a joyful Holiday too. Mine was a whirlwind of activity and sloth mixed together for a month of complete craziness. First there was my 30th birthday (I still can’t say the words 30 without cringing). Then there were finals, followed by my graduation. Yes, I am FINALY done with higher education. There is no way in hell I’m going back for more at this point. Two masters degrees is one too many in my opinion, but at least I can put it on my resume and feel all warm and fuzzy about my accomplishments. Then there was the insanity of Christmas. And I don’t know about y’all but I love nesting at Christmas. Nothing sounds better to me on a cold December night than sitting in front of a fire with a cup of spiced cider and watching the lights on my Christmas tree twinkle. Plus, I managed to pull in quite the haul from Santa this year (including a Bialette Mukka, yum! And a Wii!!) I even managed to feel sufficiently warm and giving to others. Then there was the New Years parties followed by the New Years hang overs. And now we’re all settling back into the butt dents of our office chairs, squinting at our monitors, pretending to work, dreaming of being back on the couch sipping spiced cider, and wishing we didn’t have 5 months till the next paid holiday. Sigh.
In and amongst all that clamor, my family visited. I’m sure all of you know this by now, but I’m only half Texan. The other half of my family lives in the bloated belly of the Midwest above the bible belt buckle that is Oklahoma. Some of you long time readers will remember the stifling trip through the Midwest last year that left me dizzy and claustrophobic at the mediocrity of Midwestern food. Because most of them live in and around Omaha, and there are more of them then there are of us, my small nuclear family usually ends up making the trek through the bread basket of America to visit them. But every once in a while, a few of them pry themselves from their comfortable Midwestern lives to make the trek to Austin to enjoy urban life for a weekend.
This particular trek was undertaken by my Aunt, my Cousin, and my Cousins boyfriend (now Fiancé, congrats!) to celebrate my mother’s retirement. My mom, who has been a social worker for the last 40 years, finally had enough of “the system” and decided to take an early retirement. With much fanfare, she announced last year that December 5th was going to be her last day working and the first day of the rest of her life. My family, being awesome and close knit like we are, decided that the event was worth a party or two, so my Aunt and Cousin came down to help us celebrate. The flew down on the Thursday before and we immediately swept them into a whirlwind of Austin activity. Each day we did something fun and uniquely Austin and by the time they left, I’m sure they were exhausted and over stimulated with the awesomeness of Austin.
Our first stop in the Weekend of Austin Fun (and retirement party) was South Congress, especially since it was 1st Thursday. We decided to brave the lines and eat at Guerros. My cousins, being from Omaha, aren’t accustomed to the amazing Tex-Mex food we get here in Austin so we thought Guerros would be a fitting (and convenient) re-introduction. We were even lucky enough to be able to park at the Hotel San Jose where my cousin was staying. Let me tell you what a lovely hotel that is. The rooms are half bungalows around an extremely wooded and private courtyard. The hotel is filled with trendy 30 somethings (you have to be 30something to afford this place, fyi) mingling around the concrete pool while a band plays. It’s a nice scene if you can afford the entry fee.
After we got my cousin settled at the San Jose we headed out to the festivities. I’m sure most of you have been to 1st Thursday, but I’m still surprised how many long time Austin-ites haven’t been yet. It’s essentially a large funky street fair all along South Congress. Shops stay open till 9 for your shopping convenience, and all the empty lots and courtyard become impromptu markets for local craftspeople and their eclectic wares. There are even bands or lone musicians set up on the sidewalks to provide you a little music while you shop and mingle. The street has a festive vibe as south Austin hippies and downtown hipsters come together for one evening of fun. We stopped at Guerros to get our names on the wait list (they don’t take reservations FYI) where we were told the wait would be an hour or so which was fine with us, we had shopping to do!
We shopped up and down the street for about an hour when our pager buzzed, so we headed back to get our table. The hostess said we were next in line for a table but since we were a large party (7 people) we’d have to wait a little longer. We were starting to get antsy for some food, but at that point, a server materialized with free margaritas and the restless troops calmed down a little. We enjoyed our free margarita, and then enjoyed another and let me tell you, they made those drinks strong; drunk customers are placid customers apparently. As we waited, we saw numerous tables leave and parties on the list behind us get seated, but after 10 minutes and we hadn’t been seated yet. My mother even bribed, yes bribed, the hostess with $20 to seat us faster. But still we waited. More tables left and more parties were seated making the bribe appear to have an inverse effect! We had a brief respite in our drunken boredom when Kevan Nealon of SNL and Weeds fame (and a REALLY tall stand-up comic, that guy is huge) came walking in. He, of course, was seated promptly… and we still waited. After about 30 minutes of waiting AFTER our pager buzzed, my mom finally went to the hostess and got confrontational. Apparently they were making us wait for a specific large party table instead of putting two 4 person tables together. Well Jesus Christ! If they had told us that, we would have offered to split our party an hour and a half ago.
After that the service and speed of the meal were much better. Since I was seated at the kids table (the youngest kid being my 28 year old brother) and I wasn’t driving, I proceeded to get pretty blitzed. I ordered another margarita, “The Don” as it’s called, a fine blend of Don Julio Silver, Cointreau and fresh squeezed lime juice. And when I sucked that one dry, ordered another one. I also took the liberty of ordering some Queso Flameado for the table since we were all ravenously hungry. Now, I’ve ordered Queso Flameado at several venues around town, and I don’t profess to be a Tex-Mex expert, but this was the oddest Queso I’ve ever had. I was under the impression that Queso Flameado was a bowl of normal Tex-Mex style queso but with meat and/or veggies in it. But what was served was not the thinned out cheese you get at most places. I would liken it more to a brick of melted Colby Jack cheese with some meat mixed in. Now, its was extremely tasty melted cheese with meat, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. I, however, have come to discover (after conducting a few interviews and doing a google search) that Queso Flemeado can come in two forms. Observe:
vs
Now, like I say, the flavor was very nice, but it was rather reminiscent of eating a bar of melted cheese. Take it or leave it, but I’ll stick to salsa next time.
After we satiated ourselves on melted cheese, we moved onto the taco course of our meal. The selection was really dazzling, you could choose from 11 different kinds of taco, 4 kinds of fajitas, or enchiladas with 48 different filling and sauce combinations. I opted for my two favorite tacos, Al Pastor and Shrimp. I thought I would like the Shrimp better, but the Al Pastor were fabulous; a tender marinated pork covered in pineapples, onions, and cilantro. I was pretty drunk by the time we ordered the tacos and forgot to order them without cilantro, but I found I liked them even with the offending cilantro. The shrimp were nicely marinated and grilled, but didn’t hold a candle to the al pastor. My Aunt ordered a few tamales, her favorite Tex-Mex entrée, but the tamales that were delivered were pretty pitiful. They managed to be dry and greasy at the same time. For dessert we ordered a Tres Leches, since my cousins had never had it before. The cake was decent enough but nothing spectacular. I think I make a better tres leches and if I can do it better, points get deducted (because really, I’m not all THAT spectacular of a cook).
Bottom Line: A great selection of mixed quality food (and STRONG drinks) in a fabulous So-Co location
Mariah – 6.5
900 W. 10th St.
614 E. Oltorf St.
4954 Us-290 W
2300 E Cesar Chavez Streethttp://www.juaninamillion.com/
Being a single woman, I find myself out late some weekends consuming a little too much and having a little too much fun. When you wake up the next morning, slightly hung over, in last night’s eyeliner, smelling of stale alcohol and cigarettes, with a furry feeling in your mouth, all you can do is take a hot shower and have a big hearty breakfast. When I lived in Illinois, after a late night, we’d go for corned beef hash with a side of bacon and sausage. You can never have too much meat and salt on Sunday morning. But when I moved to Texas, I discovered a wonderful, and previously undiscovered gem that most of the rest of the country has never experienced, Mexican Breakfast (cue the angelic music). I’m not talking breakfast tacos, or crappy juevos rancheros, I’m talking migas, eggs smothered in queso, chiles, refried beans, pan fried potatoes.. Sorry.. I’m drooling just thinking about it.
I’ve popped around town eating Mexican Breakfast at various taquerrias or other Latin eating establishments, but since I’ve moved back, I’ve discovered and become a regular Sunday morning patron of Juan in a Million. Now, Juan’s is way out on the east side of town. So if you’re scared by the colorful neighborhoods, you might want to stick with other places closer to downtown, but for the adventurous, Juan is a diamond in the rough. There’s a small parking lot, but I usually park in the street. Don’t worry, its broad daylight, you’re precious Death Cab for Cutie CDs will be fine. The outside of the building isn’t much to speak of, in fact, the inside of the building isn’t much to speak of either. There’s an indoor dining area, a side dining area, a huge covered patio, and a third indoor dining area attached to the other side of the patio. In other words, there is a ton of seating, and every time I’ve been there, I’ve had to wait. This place is always packed. I usually opt for the patio if it looks like I can edge someone out of a table, but the inside’s not bad either.
Now onto the food. The migas are good. Typical fluffy eggs, tomatoes, onions and tortilla strips with some cheese. It comes with a side of decent beans and potatoes. Not the best I’ve ever had, but when you’re hung over, they taste FABULOUS. I’ve also had the "DON JUAN" - El Taco Grande. It’s a huuuuge breakfast taco with eggs, potatoes, cheese, and bacon wrapped in a perfectly toasted tortilla. When covered in sour cream and guacamole the Don Juan becomes a filling and tasty way to start off the day. One will do you, unless you’ve got a huge appetite, then I’d suggest 2. But what keeps me coming back to Juan, is the Con Queso Breakfast. To me, this is the quintessential Mexican breakfast. Two scrambled eggs covered in queso with a side of carne guisada (don’t tell me what’s in it, I don’t want to know), and the same decent beans and potatoes. I don’t know what it is about the Con Queso breakfast that continues to lure me in. The queso, carne guisada, beans, and potatoes all taken separately are all decent but nothing special. Combined together, their harmonic frequencies of goodness combine together to make one super powered, hang-over curing breakfast that is hard to pass up.
Laura's note: I agree, a great Mexican Breakfast. Definitely a hangover cure for someone who doesn't have much planned for the rest of the day - you will be so full and heavy you won't feel like moving very much after the experience. The margaritas are ok, not spectacular. The location is not nearly as bad as Mariah made it out to be. Oh yeah, and they've expanded in the past couple of years and have a patio. But still, on Saturday and Sunday early afternoons you might be waiting quite a while with a load of UT students and Austinites who also participated in general weekend debauchery and are in "the know." If you aren't into waiting in lines or debauchery, try them out on a weeknight. They do casual lunch/dinner as well as breakfast. Laura - 8.5
Bottom Line: Awesome Mexican Breakfast
Mariah - 10 (In honor of Murphy - You rock!)
6550 Comanche Trl
Please note: Sampaio's is no longer open.
