La Cocina de Consuelo

Doesn't that look AMAZING? Well, it is. SOOOOO good. La Cocina de Consuelo, on Burnet and 45th, is my current favorite breakfast place in Austin. It's my favorite for a number of reasons. While I do like the fillings better overall at Mi Madre's, La Cocina de Consuelo takes the upper hand with their homemade tortillas, which are crazy killer. Crazy killer, I said.

For me, a taco is all about the tortilla. If the tortilla is rockin', it almost doesn't even matter what's inside. When I was a kid, my grandmother used to make tortillas and I'd just eat them by themselves. Growing up, I'd eat tortillas from HEB (they have a neat tortilla-making machine in their stores and the tortillas are actually really good) with just salt and butter. Yeah, I wasn't so healthy. Anyways...you'll find slightly crispy and made-with-love tortillas here, just like my grandma used to make (if not better! gasp!).

The restaurant itself is incredibly cozy. Clearly a renovated home, the building is intimate and familiar upon a first visit. You'll probably see Connie, the talented cook, and her niece or nephew or both, maybe her daughter, helping out in the kitchen or eating at a table. They are all very friendly and accommodating. You might notice a picture of Connie and her family with Ann Richards, ex-governor of Texas. She's catered for many a hotshot in her time, and for good reason. This lady can cook a freakin' meal.

Migas, Yum!

This picture is about a month old, but I just had it again this morning, so I feel like I can talk about it in confidence. While migas are often tasty in a restaurant, they are NEVER as good as how I make them at home. These, though, are at least the best migas I've had outside of my kitchen. The totilla chips are not too soggy, and the red sauce is delicious; it really makes the dish. Their aren't too many eggs, and it's not drenched in cheese, thankfully. Oh! And the potatoes and beans are SOOO GOOD! Kind of greasy, the whole thing, but a nice treat, omg, especially with the tortillas.

I go to this restaurant almost every time my parents visit town, but I usually get the breakfast tacos. One taco will suffice at this restaurant, though every now and then my hungry tummy wants more. They almost touch the burrito standard, as they are fairly hefty, and what I like about them the most after the tortilla (and, note, flour is superior to wheat here, and the corn is also good), is that they offer a lot of choices of filling. You can pick up to three things from this list: Egg, Potato, Refried Beans, Black Beans, Beef Chorizo, Turkey Bacon, Calabasita, Avocado, Machacado, Cheese, Nopalitos, and Rajas (sauteed roasted chiles and onion; I just learned this today). I can't seem to stray away from the potato, egg and avocado combination quite yet. It beckons me.

Unfortunately, breakfast tacos are not served after 11am, which is why I had the migas plate (shown above) my first visit. Everything I've had here has been exceptional, and I can't wait to try more. They just recently have become open for dinner, too! I hear the enchiladas are pretty tasty...

Check out the menu!!

New Jobs, Old Foods

I started a second job today! I will be working in two very different places, and I'll have a pretty packed schedule, which I do to myself anyways, so now that I _actually_ will be busy, it's very exciting. I am in the process of figuring out my food regimen for the next week. This is going to be one of those things where I have to, like, think ahead. Eek. I can do this!

Anyways, above is another picture of what has become Nathan and my default meal - the taco bowl. This one in particular was especially nice, because I used some of my leftover tempeh fajita stuff, which was just tempeh crumbled and mixed with spices and garlic and love, of course. Also, the beans are spiced and thrown in with corn, which is one of my favorite ingredients. Lately I've been forgetting I have it though. It's hard for me to keep up with what's in the freezer for some reason. Heh.

And, below...a beer I am very fond of. It's not absolutely amazing; it's just a solidly good beer. And it's local! Woo!