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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.