Here we go 'round...

I'll make this brief.

Because this was the smallest restaurant I have ever eaten in.

We walked in and almost hit the back wall. There were only 2 tables inside (both full) and the bar. All the rest were outside (uhm... it's hot!). For some (thankful) reason, they asked the couple at the back table to move so our party of four could sit; they did. I offered to buy them a drink or dessert, but they declined. Turns out I may know why.

The little cubby that that table was in was like an echo chamber. It was so loud (thanks Sex & The City look-alikes at the bar!) that you could barely hear yourself think. It was like how you feel on a heavy decongestant, like your head is in a bowl. Very weird.

Food was good. Maybe even really good. But it's heavy on plates (what you see is what you get... I ordered meatballs. I got meatballs. That's it.). The menu is creative though and the wine list is pretty damn good. Happy Hour even includes 20% off bottles! But it's only beer and wine so don't start craving a cocktail.

Dessert was a hit as you can tell. Butterscotch creme brulee. Yum! And Nicole was one of the best servers I have had in a LONG time. And I eat out A LOT!. Please ask for her.

Worth a casual visit. Not set up to be your "go to" place I think, but it's perfect for what it is: a wine bar below a condo in downtown Austin.

Just don't go looking for the dining room. Because you're in it.

Mulberry

360 Nueces Street

Austin, Texas

52.320.0297

http://www.mulberryaustin.com/

You didn't say they were Oaxacan crickets!

I am almost without words.

But here a few:

hip, local, cool, tequila, fresh, spicy, layered, subtle, exotic, earthy, aromatic, bold, mixology, modern, simple, innovative, colorful, de-lovely and de-licious.

And these:

Niman ranch charcoal-grilled ribeye, local tomato, ensanada red wine butter, serrano cheese, roasted garlic.

You need to run, don't walk to La Condesa on 2nd and Guadalupe. It is by far one of the best restaurants I've been to in a long time. I had a drink with flamed orange zest. Who does that?! Super innovative and uber cool. Casual and fancy. Not without a few misses, but honestly they didn't even matter. I can't wait to go back!

I just thought of two more words:

huitlacoche and little bird bodies.

OK, that's more than 2, but it's much more fun to say little bird bodies than quail. The point is I had both, one for the first time and the other for like only the second. I nearly ordered rabbit! That's how amazing the menu is. It makes you want to eat things you wouldn't otherwise even think about. Like crickets.

La Condesa Comida y Tequila

400A West 2nd Street

Austin, Texas 78701

512.499.0300

http://www.lacondesaaustin.com/index.html

Bruschettaboutit!

I'm a little late posting about our Saturday lunch at Zax's -sorry! So, Dot didn't tell you about how we finally came to eat at Zax's. Orignally, we were looking at restaurants with a bigger seafood menu, such as Eddie V's (George Banks Sea Scallops, mmmm) and McCormick and Schmick's, but neither one is open for lunch on Saturday. How ridiculous is that?! Do people in Austin not want a "nice" lunch on a Saturday? Of course we do! Anyway, we ended up at Zax's because we both remembered this salad that we had there before (see Dot's review below). When we finally sit down and order, we start with the bruschetta, because we were starving, and some wine. There were three different kinds of bruschetta on the plate: traditional tomato with basil and olive oil, goat cheese with fig, and white bean puree (I can't find the accent) with prosciutto. Of course the tomato and basil bruschetta was delicious. It's really hard to mess that up. The goat cheese and fig was good as well. However, the white bean and prosciutto was a disappointment. Neither one of us could really taste the prosciutto, which I think is the best part. It had more parmesean than bean or prosciutto. Damn, I wish Eddie V's would have been open!