austin: part 3

el chile:

this meal at el chile cafe was the perfect way to end our trip. we had walked off our breakfast tacos from the late morning, and worked up an appetite for some authentic tex-mex. el chile came highly recommended from my cousins, who we were staying with, and they hadn’t steered us wrong thus far.

we started off with the queso, which was just divine. charred red peppers, roasted red and white onions, and crisply fried chips led the way to this melted, creamy cheese dip.

our entrees were all superb! my personal favorite were the enchiladas con mole rojo (two achiote-roasted pork enchiladas topped with oaxacan red mole and toasted sesame seeds).

next up, was the chile relleno (poblano pepper stuffed with achiote-roasted pork, topped with ranchero sauce, served with rice and refried beans).

this was my first ever puffy taco! (i have had a recent interest in puffy tacos since seeing them on bobby flay’s throwdown. there is a great recipe for one in his latest throwdown cookbook). these crispy, puffed taco shells were filled with chicken and topped with queso fresco, lettuce, tomato, and guacamole and served with rice and refried beans.

lastly, the pescado entortillado (tortilla-crusted tilapia topped with blackened jalapeño aioli and poblano-corn relish). simple, a little lighter and freshened up with the delicious corn salsa.