We have been to the Rio numerous times in the past.. The atmosphere and drinks – always good.. but the food- usually hit and miss.. Well, with the help of new management and an exciting new menu, it looks like they’ve stepped up their game and are ready to challenge the other downtown metro-mexuals like Garrido’s, La Condesa, Maria Maria, Manuels.  In addition to a variety of tasty margaritas, the food blogging elite in attendance were treated to samples of Mahi Mahi tacos, Steak tacos, Grilled 9-pepper Shrimp, and fresh-made guacamole.. Everything we tasted was outstandingly fresh and prepared with an attention to detail and flavor that truly impressed us.  Props to the new management at Rio Grande.. we will be back for a full meal soon.

Amaya’s Taco Village is a mainstay of the i-35 taco scene.. Not much has changed in years… expect to find the place packed at lunch time.  The highlight of the (otherwise lackluster) menu are the Village Tacos.. Served in thick yellow corn fried shells that are a combination of chewy, crunchy, and greasy..   with processed yellow cheese, lettuce and tomato.. then your choice of ground beef, shredded chicken, or beef fajita.  Though you can get as many as 3 tacos to a plate, with rice and beans, 2 is more than enough to keep your belly full for the rest of the day.

For me, its the combination of the greasy, chewy shell  and the half-melted yellow cheese that make these tacos taste so damn good.. sometimes you just have wipe that  ’south austin – holier than thou – organic – whole food ‘ look off your face and enjoy the beauty of processed cheese… at least i do.  The ground beef is ok, but i would reccommend the fajita beef at a small extra charge.. it adds to the amazing texture of these tacos.. Amaya’s tacos have a weight/mass to them that is unrivaled.. a true gut-bomb if there ever was one.

Amaya’s Taco Village
www.amayastacovillage.com
5405 N Ih 35
Austin, TX 78723-2429
(512) 458-2531
Get directions

Generic Mexican?

After 5 years in the same downtown location, Emilia Hurtado Doña Emilia’s mgmt must’ve realized,

“Well, shit…a 250 seat Columbian restaurant may not be working here…and Austinites DO love their tacos- so, if I cant beat em- I’ll JOIN em’!”

On January 8th,  the restauant will re-open at the same location as Latin Café – how’s that for generic?  Apparently, “Latin” includes Tex-Mex, South American & Caribbean options- check out the new menu here…One interesting item is the breakfast taco with coffee crusted carne asada beef & pico.

While I can’t say I’m optimistic about the new direction (do i smell the lingering stench of a doomed location? nope – that’s just my upper lip apparently- matt’s el rancho started there over 50 yrs ago- cabeza=pwned) look for a review very soon.

- cabeza

Latin Café · 101 San Jacinto Blvd · 512.478.2520 · donaemilias.com

Corazón at Castle Hill
1101 W 5th St Austin, TX 78703 | Map | Menu | Website | Photos

Beef Carne Asada with Pablano Cream sauce

After 22 years of owning and operating one of Austin’s original fine dining favorites, Castle Hill Cafe, David and Cathe Dailey have translated their experience living in San Miguel de Allende into their new neighborhood restaurant & bar, Corazon.  The executive chef is now Michael Taddeo. The building and some of the classic CH dishes still remain.  But they’ve updated the interior design and added a small but inviting Full Bar. here’s a quick run-down of Taco Town’s lunch trip to Corazon:

Service
ice-tea fillups every 30seconds, waiter gave good recomendations, and even brought out the secret habby sauce for us. great service for a lunch/ Chappy says: snooty undertones. copious ice tea refills

hand painted signage facing 5th st.

Atmosphere

I thought the brooding castle theme was kinda gay for a daytime lunch…Clientel was fur-coat silver spoon housewive sluts…Hey, great location, though.  Chappy said “it wasn’t too fu fu…tho grego would prolly not approve.”  Bernie said “the bathrooms are fuckin freezing” all 4 times he went in there to “washup”…He also noted the fact that their baffroom trash bin is a cloth bag that can just be washed, thus saving the Hefties.  Good work, GREENIES.

Quality
Overall great freshness and presentation- I dig the banana leaf garnish & jello-mold rice servings
Chappy says: creative sauces and combinations

Chips/Salsa
The chips were thin, warm and fresh, ass.  Red Tomatillo Salsa was pretty good, tangy (7/10)
the Habanero/Mango sauce was awesome – very sweet and hot. We had to order by special request, and the waiter warned us it was really hot. We told him “pah-leez…why don’t you just step aside, pal”.  This salsa was simply delectable.  Chappy was craving more, but had to stop for health reasons. (8.5/10)

Tortillas
corn were thick homemade crusty goodness (7.5/10); flour:???

Fail Factor
$2 for chips and salsa, $2 plate sharing fee, NO childrens Hot Dog and Fries option

onto the entrees…

Al Pastor Plate

Al Pastor Plate $10.95
Al Pastor plate was loaded with goodness:  chopped well seasoned pork, yellow rice, sour cream, cilantro, chopped onions, and pineapple.  was also served with a non extraordinary side bowl of barracho beans.  Right away made a taco filled with the pastor, onions, pineapple, sour cream, xtra cilantro and then skeet skeeeeted some of that mango hab sauce on there and it was just about perfect.

Carne Asada plate $12.95
ingredients: Carne Asada steak, red-cream sauce, rice, pico and a bean gordita
Very nice cut of beef.. tender, succulent, very flavorful.. the rice was good.. the bean gordita was just ok..

Shrimp Taco

BBQ Shrimp Taco $5.95
ingredients: a thick corn tortilla, base coat of monterey jack cheese, plenty of shrimp, mango slaw, pickled red onions, and candied walnuts
notes: expensive, but utterly delicious. all the flavors melded perfectly together.  2 of them would’ve been an good meal.  Chappy: very good.. tangy bbq-like sauce was surprisingly good.. great textures..awesome corn tortilla.

Lamb Empanadas

Lamb Picadillo Empanadas $4.95
ingredients: Two fried empanadas filled with roasted lamb, raisins, and toasted pecans. Served with a coconut cilantro salsa.
Lamb was tasty & moist, but not gamey. Empanada crust- was it wheat? it was crispy fried but not too greezy.  Coconut dipping sauce was odd, but not bad – i ended up eating the last one with habanero sauce – much better.  Chappy agreed: good taste, texture .. sauce did not compliment the flavor of the empanada, but it was interesting on its own..

There’s a brand new El Chile Restaurant in Northwest Austin- in the old Mesa Hills Cafe building.  The reviews so far are mixed at best.  Look for a TT writeup soon.
El Chile | 3435 Greystone Drive | Map | Menu | Reviews

We also got a “numero dos”, downtown version of El Chile’s kid brother taco/coffee shop, El Chilito.  They’re open weekdays 7am-3pm.
El Chilito | 918 Congress Ave. | Map | Menu | Reviews

-cabeza

Rating: 3.4 out of 5 stars
Stacey’s birthday dinner last night – at the former MTV real world house turned mexi-fine dining eatery called RIO GRANDE.. There was about 20 of us, and yes, we were drinking heavily.. I had the distinguished pleasure to sit down at the end of the table with Cara and John, Azar and Julianna, Jake and Billy….Yes, my crew is entirely comprised of happy couples…surprised i had an appetite with all the newly-wed pottery barn talk flying around – you guys make me sick. i think me and jimbo were the only single jerks at the 20 person table, and even jimmy got some action from azar. reallydoh.
we had a dude waiting on us that was very good at taking care of the drink orders.. we got our food pretty damn quick as well.. extra points to the Rio staff – (shoutout to Sara-Flynn)

I ordered the Pechuga Tacos (which Cara traslated as Chicken Breast). even before i knew what it meant it did feel appropriate to rub my nipples and say “Pechuuugaa!” in my sloppiest tejano accent. my food came and it looked exactly like chicken fajitas, oh well dig in….. oh shit – they handed me someone else’s plate! had to ignore my hunger pangs and pass the plate down to Quad.
a couple minutes later I got the pechuga, which was arranged kinda like echiladas with flour tortilla and no sauce.. a dolop of sour creme on top and the obligatory rice and black beans flankin this muh. I was hoping for a more traditional taco type arrangement, but I was suprised at the quality of the home-made flour tortillas.. my only gripe isnt really a gripe with Rio in particular, its the whole restaurant biz in general – please stop worrying about the chicken being too rare! you’re overcompensating – I cant remember the last time I ordered chicken in a restaurant and it did not come out over-cooked.. shoulda ordered shrimp..

Cara was sittn to my right and she picked a winner – if you like to eat fire, that is. the Camarones Diablos [pictured] were big and doused in a cayenne pepper paste.. the lingering burn that can only be soothed by continuing to eat.. i tried a bite.. wished i had ordered shrimp fajitas..cuz dem skrimps was good!

but why was the skrimps so hot?
hhmmmm.. could it be…….

SATAN!

but i digress.. I cant finish this without talking about their drinks. heres the lowdown on RIO – there is a limit of 3 margaritas per person.. but they put enough tequila in 1 of them to intoxicate a horse.. and most ppl at the table had their limit id say..and i was def. forewarned- my buddies from Moving Matter have some sordid tales of nights at the Rio in Fort Collins, CO involving alot of puke and DWI’s. suffice to say, I stuck to beer last night..
We finished the meal off with a group tequila shot.. did i mention I dont drink tequila? but you cant turn down a friend’s birthday shot.. so down the hatch.. follow that with about 20 beers and here I am today.. finding it hard to focus on the computer screen with out wincing in pain – my head is in the jose cuervo vice grip………oh god.. and i just threw up in my mouth.

thats not a good way to end this.. is it?
oh well.. heres my scores:

Atmosphere: 7
Service: 9
Quality: 7
Salsa: 6
Price: 5 (everything was around $8 – $14)

Total: 34/50

RIO GRANDE MEXICAN RESTAURANT
301 San Jacinto Map
476-8300
Austin
Hours: 11am-10pm Daily
Web site

and now