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What I Ate: July 31, 2009 (La Condesa)

Posted 31 July, 2009 at 11:55pm by Michael Chu
(Filed under: Food, What I Ate)

Lunch: I made a couple of shrimp rolls for our lunch.
Shrimp Rolls

Dinner: After attending a "Flavor Tripping Party" where we tasted various foods after eating a miracle fruit, we went out to dinner at La Condesa (400-A W 2nd Street, Austin, TX‎ - (512) 499-0300‎). Our table of six shared a whole bunch of dishes including fried crickets.
Chapulines Taquitos toasted oaxacan crickets, avocado salad, salsa de chipotle ($12). The crickets were crispy and salty, but didn't contribute much flavor. With not much else except avocado and salsa to go in the corn tortilla, I thought the dish was a bit too simple in both texture and flavor.
La Condesa - Chapulines
La Condesa - Chapulines Taquitos

Elotes Mexican-style street corn ($3 each).
La Condesa - Elotes

Ensalada de lentejas herbed puy lentils, upland cress, green bean & avocado, pomegranate cumin dressing ($12). I thought the salad was so-so.
La Condesa - Ensalada de lentejas

Higado De Pollo alexander farms chicken liver mousse, tomato jalapeno marmalade, toasted ancho chiles, grilled housemade bread ($12). Excellent mousse - great balanced liver flavor and wonderful texture. The marmalade worked really well with the bread and mousse.
La Condesa - Higado de Pollo

Trucha con aji amarillo ocean trout, tomatillo salpicon, aji amarillo sorbet, hoja santa ($14). Delicious - but not really a ceviche. The trout wasn't treated with enough acid to firm up. More like a delicious sashimi paired with salty, acidic, and slightly spicy ingredients. The use of the sorbet was excellent.
La Condesa - Trucha con aji amarillo

Hongos y Huitlacoche Huarache wild mushrooms, huitlacoche, queso chihuahua, epazote, truffle oil ($14). Huitlacoche has a mild musky, earthy flavor (much like black truffles - but not as intense). Unfortunately, the use of truffle oil completely masked the huitlacoche.
La Condesa - Hongos y Huitlacoche Huaraches

Cangrejo Huarache lump crab meat, farmer's cheese, fresh local corn puree, chipotle meco ($14). The crab, like the huitlacoche huaranche, seemed to be drowned out be the other flavors and I didn't even realize I was eating crab.
La Condesa - Cangrejo Huaraches

Chorizo de Jabali Huarache house-made wild boar chorizo, crema, black bean puree ($12).
La Condesa - Chorizo de Jabali Huaraches

Barbacoa de Cordero new zealand lambchop & milestone lamb shoulder baked in maguey leaf, esquites, cactus salad, jalapeno-mint recado ($31). An excellently prepared lamb dish - juicy and succulent with just a tad of gaminess.
La Condesa - Barbacoa de Cordero

Carnitas de Panza berkshire pork belly carnitas, roasted jicama with nueske's bacon, avocado-chicharron salad, salsa moranita ($21). Wonderfully executed pork belly.
La Condesa - Carnitas de Panza

Pato Con Mole Negro crescent duck breast & confit leg, three-day abuelita mole, toasted sesame seeds, rice crema ($26). The duck was also exceptionally prepared.
La Condesa - Pato Can Mole Negro

3 comments to What I Ate: July 31, 2009 (La Condesa)

Bobbi, August 1st, 2009 at 2:27 am:

  • wow, I would happily eat the rest as long as you eat the crickies, the dishes seem to have evolved, as I scroll down.

Debra, August 1st, 2009 at 4:14 am:

  • Wow, this looks great! I would totally eat all of this! I'm jealous!

neverfull, August 1st, 2009 at 6:50 pm:

  • wow, gorgeous photos, michael! it was so dark in the restaurant that i really think lea wouldn't have eaten the chapulines if she could actually tell they were crickets. thanks for sharing dinner with us and call me the next time you visit houston.

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