La Casita

Posted by chappy | Oct 17, 2006 · Filed under Austin, Central, North, Reviews

Rating:
Thumbie and I were searching uncharted territory on a Monday afternoon, combing the wilds of Anderson Ln. we saw Enchiladas y Mas, which sadly appears to have gone under.. smells like a conspiracy…so we tredged onward until we saw a colorful little dive at the end of a mini-strip mall – La Casita. the decor on the inside was ultra bright and freshly painted.. the place sparkled with bargain priced new-ness.. we sat. I believe our waitress used to work at another taqueria in town.. she looked very familiar. she was very friendly and prompt. apparently not prompt enough for the other table across from us. This suit wearing good’ol boy had the nerve and impatience to walk to the back to ask another lady for some iced tea..and queso in a very condescending tone, mind you he had just ordered from the waitress 30 seconds beforehand.. bro – cant you see she’s taking care of our chips and salsa? step off bo-seefus! he was a prick, but to the waitresses credit, they kept their cool and remaind kind and quick with their service.

our chips and salsa came – the salsa was good, fresh and flavourful red sauce with just enough heat..nothing extraordinary, but quality stuff nonetheless.

they had a few lunch specials on the menu. I decided to go with the #1 combo – 1 crispy beef taco, 1 cheese enchilada, 1 beef chalupa, guac salad, rice & beans.

thumbie got bold – he asked if he could have tomorrow’s special -the #2: 1 beef fajita taco, 1 pastor taco, 1 carne guisada taco, rice & beans… the waitress contemplated for una momento, then agreed.. nice one.

the food came in about 5-6 min. big plates and well presented.. we dug in.. I was lovin the beef taco. the crispy shell was fresh and lightly fried.. just a little grease, it was the freshness that set it apart from most cripsy tacos.. i give it an 8 out of 10.. well done. i coulda eat 3 of these. then i moved onto the cheese enchilada.. well done here – tex-mex perfection.. it reminded me of being a kid and eating at Ninfa’s.. the carne sauce was authentic and classically done. the chalupa was the lowlight, though tasty, the shell had gotten too greasy and soggy.. i didnt really mind, i just scraped off the toppings and mixed it in with my rice and beans.. cleaned my plate otherwise.. damn good meal..

thumbie though, he had me beat.. i tried a bite of each of his tacos and each one was close to perfection.. the beef fajita was savory and flavorful, a big step up from Aranda’s cheap skirt steak.. the pastor was incredible.. very flavorfull.. and the carne guisada was exactly how it should be, ultra tender and not bland at all.. these guys know how to do the meat..

alls in alls – a great lunch spot.. they were quick friendly and tasty.. not the cheapest, but just low enough to keep me from complaining.

heres the score:

atomosphere: 6 (kinda small and sterile but at least it was clean and colorful)
service: 9 (great chicas on hand)
salsa: 8 (good)
food quality: 8.5 (very good)
price: 5 (not good, not bad)

total: 36.5/50 (73%)
Rating: