Austin's Buried Treasure

While taking in the sights and sounds of Austin with my sister, I was gifted with one of the best restaurant suggestions that I have been given in a while, La Condesa. It's the real Mexican food that you have always wanted...seriously. Situated a short walk from the river, this super trendy place is full of life and food that is beyond words. Since this was a celebration trip, we decided to go for it and do the whole works. Here is the run down of my to die for dinner.

Chips, Salsa, and Guacamole

It started out with four different homemade salsas and one of the best guacamoles I have ever had. The ridiculously smooth texture and the perfect balance of salt made it absolutely delicious. The salsas were a creamy avocado, a habanero and green apple, a smokey red sauce, and a spicier salsa. These were literally dripping with freshness and should be salsa staples. The chips were the perfect thickness, handling the thicker guacamole and the delicate salsas.

Tortilla Soup

I am always a fan of tortilla soup and was very pleasantly surprised that this was not a broth based soup. It was creamy and spicy, with chunks of avocado and chicken. I usually try tortilla soup at most Tex-Mex places I go, and this was the best tortilla soup I have ever had. The freshness of the cilantro tones down the heat, but gives the soup the extra boost of flavor.

Pollo Rostizado Taquitos

Alongside the soup, I had pollo rostizado taquitos, which were small tacos. They had pulled roasted chicken with a citrus rub and salsa verde. These were even more perfect when I added a little bit of guacamole. The queso flameado taquitos were not what I was expecting. There were three corn tortillas served with a bowl of toasty goat cheese and queso mixto. It was almost as good as the Tex-Mex version of queso, but the authenticity made it ten times better.

Dulce de leche

Of course, this meal couldn't be complete without a sinful dessert. Though this one was a bit out of the ordinary, I thought I would give it a try. Dulce de leche is always a delicious dessert, but this one had a sweet corn sauce and was topped with caramel popcorn. Weird combination, I know. But... do not judge it without trying it first. It was a surprisingly magical combination. It was a melt in your mouth cake served with a cream cheese ice cream. The ice cream had a true cream cheese flavor and cut through the sweetness of the cake. The popcorn powder added crunch to the dessert and the perfect amount of savory to cut through the super sweet cake. 

This was one of the best Mexican restaurants I have been to and my sister said it made it on her top 10 restaurant list. This says a lot because she has been to quite a few restaurant around the world. If you live in the Austin area or visit Austin frequently, this is an absolute must the next time you are there! If you have been there, let me know what your favorites were or your favorite Austin restaurant.