one away

so, less than a month into this whole goal thing, i've nearly finished #18: try ten new restaurants in austin (only one more left to go!). i've added ruby's barbque on campus, and corazon (formerly castle hill) on west 5th to my list. first, here's ruby's: this is one of jj's favorite campus spots, and when he found out i'd never been here, he said he'd definitely get me there before too long. i wasn't too hungry when we got there, but smelling the barbeque instantly made me happy. still, i didn't feel up for eating a big bunch of meat, so left that to jj and i ordered a salad and crawfish etouffee. this is one of my favorite cajun dishes, one that i don't think i could make very well, but then again, i've never tried. to be honest, it wasn't the best etouffee i've ever had (alligator grill's is far superior), but after i added some hot sauce (true cajuns like spice!) it got better. jj pointed out that, hello, it's a barbeque place, not a cajun place, so in their defense, it's okay if it's not the best. the barbeque, however, was definitnely the best i've had in awhile. most people around here go for salt lick, which i've always thought was overrated and overpriced, or rudy's, which, for gas station food, isn't so bad, but neither is as good as ruby's. their meat was tender and smoked in a brick oven - yum. this is the kinda place that when you leave, you smell like the food you just ate. i also loved the vintage feel of ruby's - it's been there for about 20 years, so says their website, and jj and i sat at a little table by a rain-streaked window in the low ceilinged room with an autographed drawing by townes vans zandt hanging nearby, which made me think of claire. this place had a vibe i know my dad would love. he used to take us to all these off-the-beaten-path-type restaurants when we were little, driving to texas or north carolina from our homestate of indiana. how dad managed to find all these hidden gems is beyond me, but his radar was usually spot on. places like that always had the good stuff, and homemade, like potato salad (with mustard, obviously) and pickles. ruby's had both. although the etouffee was a bust, i'd definitely like to go back when i'm jonesin' to eat some meat, and even though those cravings only come every now and then, i know i'll be satisfied if i come here.

then, last night, lauren, chalence, jj and i went on a double date to corazon (this is the place that mj, lauren and i's waiter from 24 diner, suggested we try). the boys had already been together knocking a few back at posse, so lauren and i, after a quick trip to goodwill (that makes one trip already this month...), headed to corazon to knock back a few margaritas. we both ordered the pink margarita, which is like a regular margarita on the rocks, just with a spash of blood orange juice. it was yummy - so yummy, i had three. whoops. we also ordered one of the specials, the halibut ceviche, as an appetizer, and good lord it was delicious! i first had ceviche while babysitting at a wedding at the four seasons here in austin, and it goes without saying that that was pretty incredible, but this app from corazon was way better. lots of lime, cilantro, onion, and huge chunks of halibut with generous slices of avocado on top. if/when i get around to completing #83 (eat a raw tomato), i think eating it in this ceviche would be the way to go, because i bet i wouldn't even taste it! i guess that's not the same as eating a raw tomato all by itself, but i didn't specify on the original list that i had to eat a tomato all by itself, so...

anyway, then the boys came and we ordered a few botanas - chicken flautas, fried goat cheese, beef empanadas. jj got some mole something or other chicken enchiladas, and lauren and chalence got some tuna tar tar thing that they said was delish, but that was the only thing i didn't try. the flautas were surprisingly not greasy, which made them that much better. the fried goat cheese, unsurprisingly, was amazing. i am slightly in love with goat cheese, much in the same way that i am slightly in love with phil collins. it had this ancho chile sundried tomato chutney on top of it, not that i had any, but they all said it was good. i mean seriously, everything we had was delicious. the empanadas came when the boys' dinner came, and i just had a bite because by then i was so full, but you could tell they had just been made and cooked; the beef was spiced perfectly and the crust was flaky and doughy at the same time. made for a damn good dinner. then, chalence, the dessert king, ordered the mexican cheese flan, which didn't sound all that awesome. i don't like flan. it's like a pudding and jello hybrid, and i don't understand it's appeal. but, this was something entirely different. it was more like cheesecake served flan style, in a circle with a honey-type glaze drizzled over it. man alive it was good. needless to say, corazon is a place i'll definitely visit again, and i'll be recommending this place to others just like mj did for me (i actually saw him again friday night after being out on west sixth; jessica, tiny, walker and i went there after jblack's for whatever you'd call a meal that you eat at 1:30 in the morning, and this time i got the fried egg sandwich - SO. GOOD.).

i don't know what my tenth restaurant will be, but i still have a few places on my list, including buenos aries cafe, chango's, man eat dog/dog almighty/chicago dog/frank's (all for jessica), and evangeline cafe. i'm always open to suggestions, too. leave a comment if you've got a good place for me to try!