this is life in austin & aspen

I was thoroughly impressed by El Chile North–I haven’t been to the East Austin one, but the food was superb. They serve chips and salsa in little bowls, which one of my companions deemed “classier than a big one.” I thought it just looked like more work for our server, but whatever. The salsa is a bean-y concoction that I wasn’t sure I would approve of, being a lover of tomato salsa, but it was delicious enough that my table went through three bowls.

I ordered the Tamal Azteca, a cheesy, veggie casserole-style layered tortilla, saucy mess. It was a delicious mess, the sauce on top was spicy but sweet, the veggies were actually veggies like zucchini and squash, not just onion and tomato–though they were in there too. My one complaint about it was that my portion was tiny–so small, when the waitress placed the plate on my table another companion said, “you got gypped!” In all honesty, it was a perfect size for me to  eat, and a nice departure from the enormous serving sizes restaurants normally dish up. But, it looked a little lonely on my plate.

And the margaritas … yes, they were indeed free, but that did not stop the bartender from using a heavy hand on the tequila! I thoroughly enjoyed the flavor, it was very tangy and not too sweet, which is usually my complaint with restaurant ‘ritas. Definitely worth the entree price!

El Chile North is not actually on Far West, it’s just north of Far West on Greystone, in a little strip mall shopping center. I liked the location, they had a cute patio with a view of north Austin–although a friend not-so-sweetly pointed out that there’s also a view of the Golden Arches. In any case, I endorse the new El Chile, especially during this time of free margaritas! (2 with an entree purchase)