Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with La Condesa

I had the great pleasure being the guest of Giant Noise and La Condesa one evening.  Let's just say that it was an evening of eating adventure.  This was my first visit to La Condesa, and I was quite surprised at the variety of flavors that were on the menu.  Here's just a few food pornorific photos along with information about La Condesa's Cinco de Mayo celebration. Photos by John Knox. Brussels sprouts in bacon fat with grapes.  You might not think that grapes and bacon fat on brussels sprouts would go well together, but let this dish prove you wrong.  These are some of the tastiest brussels sprouts I've had.  Bacon fat makes the world go around.  Bife Lento is some of the best ribs you'll ever have.  Braised in Shiner beer, even a toothless infant can eat these ribs without a problem.  Ejotes are grilled Texas Green beans.  Call me weird, but I like green beans anyways.  These have an incredibly smoky flavor and that satisfying green crunch to them.  I hear Chef Laura talking about her desserts at Malverde earlier.  This is essentially a deconstructed strawberry shortcake soaked in rum.  When I heard her say that she soaked something in rum, I knew this was the dessert for me.  The outside of the cake had a crunchy coating from the rum, and the combination was absolutely fantastic.  A big thank you to Giant Noise and La Condesa for the fabulous meal and amazing rum soaked cake.  If you can, try to change their annual Cinco De Mayo Downtown block party.  Then you can wander in for some dessert.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LA CONDESA HOSTS 2ND ANNUAL CINCO DE MAYO DOWNTOWN BLOCK PARTY PRESENTED BY UNIVISION PERFORMANCES BY BROWNOUT, OCOTE SOUL SOUNDS, DJ CHICKEN GEORGE AND MARIACHI TAMAZULA Austin, TX (April 22, 2010) — To celebrate the rich heritage and culture of Mexico, La Condesa will produce the 2nd Annual Cinco de Mayo Downtown Block Party on Wednesday, May 5th, 2010 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m with guest MC Leslie Montoya of Univision’s “Despierta Austin”. The fiesta will cover the entire block of West 2nd Street between Guadalupe and San Antonio, and feature an array of food and beverages provided by neighborhood restaurants.  The free event is open to all ages and is expected to draw a crowd of up to 5,000. Local musicians Brownout, Ocote Soul Sounds, DJ Chicken George and Mariachi Tamazula will entertain block party attendees on a Sustainable Waves sponsored stage. “Last year’s festival drew nearly 3,000 people from all over Austin,” says La Condesa owner Jesse Herman. “This year is going to be bigger and better.  And we have a few surprises in store…” La Condesa will serve popular Mexican street cuisine, including grilled corn on the cob and fresh tacos. Adults can cool off with a beverage from event sponsors Cazadores Tequila, Dos Equis and  Tecate, and the kids can grab a snow cone from one of the street vendors. This neighborhood party is ideal for the whole family, with ample activities to enjoy. Area shops will also participate in the festivities featuring special gifts, novelties, and sweets to go along with the fun. When the block party ends, the celebration will continue at Malverde with a DJ set by Adrian Quesada and Martin Perna of Ocote Soul Sounds and DJ Chicken George spinning a special Cinco de Mayo set. About La Condesa: La Condesa serves up contemporary Mexican cuisine and was recently nominated for a James Beard award for ‘Best New Restaurant’, and awarded a Two Star Green Restaurant certification by the Green Restaurant Award. For more information, visit: www.lacondesaaustin.com.