Evita’s Botanitas
Down on South First.. in a little strip center, next to the sushi karaoke joint, just south of Stassney.. its called Evita’s Botanitas.. I have no idea what a botanita is and I never met Evita either.. nonetheless, and moreover, this place is not messing around. On my two visits, the food was way above average.. spectacular in a down-home kinda way..the decor inside is gaudy, full of momentos and various nick nacks from over the years.. it reminds me of my cuban grandma’s house. theres a wall full of plaques and awards, letting you know they’ve been to the proving grounds and they brought back gold a few times..
the salsa’s are creative and unique.. they bring out 6 varieties on a nifty little 2-tiered platter..I zeroed in on the black bean salsa and mixed it with the salsa verde.. plenty of combinations for your expirimenting pleasure (6*5*4*3*2*1 = 720, isnt that how you do that?).
the staff was very friendly and accomodating on my 2 visits… and being its such a small restaurant.. you just feel… grandma’s house.. grandma’s.
the prices seem a little steep when you’re first browsing the menu, but dont worry…this place isnt over-priced.. you will know why when you taste the food.. everything I tasted seemed to be fresher and more flavorful than most mexican food in Austin.. we get used to these restaurants selling us shitty produce, cheapo meats.. it doesnt have to be that way.. there are still places out there that cook food with love and use quality ingredients.. places that give a shit.. Evita’s Botanitas is one of them.
Evita’s Botanitas [map]
6400 S 1st St Ste B
Austin, TX 78745
(512) 441-2424
http://evitasbotanitas.com/
The Score:
Atmosphere: 8
Food Quality: 9
Salsa: 8
Price: 7
Service: 8
Total: 80%
Rating:
s.l.d. cowen said,
October 4, 2007 @ 8:08 am
A botana is an appetizer platter and “botanita” is the diminuitive form. Along the border on both sides, a botana usually involves grilled meats and large nachos that do not resemble anything you get in Central Texas. A good botana platter is increasingly hard to find even along the border, thanks to the proliferation of American chains and those f’in ubiquitious Jalisco-style taquerias. Don’t get me wrong, I like Jalisco cuisine, but Mexican cuisine offers so much more variety than that. I am craving a good parrillada plate from Matamoros about now.
S.L.D. Cowen
“You can take the girl away from the border, but…”
chappy said,
October 4, 2007 @ 8:13 am
i agree on the jalisco proliferation..
as much as I like a quick greasy meal at arandas or tapatia..you begin to notice the corners that have been cut to keep the price low..
on the other hand, places like Evita’s serve comfort food..and that dont necessarily come cheap.. at least not here in the ATX..
Cabeza De Taco said,
October 4, 2007 @ 3:00 pm
gotta chime in here: I joined chappy on this trip to Evitas for lunch:
I had the al pastor tacos- Outstanding fresh from the grill flavor. They were garnished with fresh avacado slices and the corn torillas were kinda crispy, like they’d been finished on the open flame. I also got a tamale on the side with some of dat chili con carne drizzle my nizzle. corn masa was thick and perfect consistency. The salsa boat is what takes it to the next level- all the sauces are the shizz. and the dopeness- cebeche is hard to find these days…All in all a great homemade meal- Evitas is easily one of the top 10 mexican joints in town.
cabeza
Joby said,
October 4, 2007 @ 3:58 pm
I’ll have to try this place out.. It’s in my hood.. BTW, Joby’s 2nd Annual Hot Sauce Contest is set for 11-11-07.. Location to be annouced later.