mexican

Spicy Diablo Shrimp Tacos with Simple Slaw and Feta

April 26, 2018 by Alyssa

With Cinco de Mayo right around the corner, I thought we could all use a healthy & delicious taco recipe to pair with our margaritas and my Diablo Shrimp Tacos are just that! They’re spicy and fresh and are super easy to whip up for this festive holiday.

Seriously, friends, Diablo Shrimp Tacos have been on repeat in our household for the past few months. Yes, months, because they’re THAT delicious and SO easy to make. I’ve been meaning to post about them for a while but haven’t taken the time to photograph the meal until now.

The tacos star a homemade Diablo sauce which is a spicy, tomato-based sauce. The Diablo sauce is super easy to make. You simply rough chop a few veggies, sautée, then puree! In all, it takes about 20 minutes.

The Diablo sauce can also be made ahead of time and it will last for a couple weeks if refrigerated. <3M and I have been so obsessed with this homemade Diablo sauce that we’ve been subbing it in for our regular salsa. I top my eggs with it in the morning, use it as a dressing on kale salad, and mix it in to quinoa with beans for a spicy vegetarian meal. It’s really so versatile.

As for the tacos, you sauté the shrimp then finish them off by simmering the shrimp in the Diablo sauce. The tacos are then topped with sautéed veggies, salty feta cheese and a simple slaw made with apple cider vinegar, lime juice, and cilantro. Snuggle everything into your .

Combined, the flavors are just plain addicting. These Diablo Shrimp Tacos are spicy, citrusy, and fresh. Throw in a margarita and a side of chips + guac and you have your self the perfect Cinco de Mayo fiesta.

Looking for other Cinco de Mayo inspiration? Check out my Asian Duck Confit Tacos, Chipotle Glazed Sweet Potatoes, or Coconut Cake with Lime Curd.

5.0 from 4 reviews

Diablo Shrimp Tacos

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

Author: Alyssa

Serves: 6 tacos

Ingredients

For the slaw:
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice
¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
For the tacos:
1 red bell pepper sliced into thin strips
½ yellow onion sliced into thin strips
⅓ cup Diablo sauce, recipe below
30 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and patted dry
6 tortilla of choice (corn or flour)
¼ cup feta cheese crumbles
Optional toppings:
sliced jalapenos
cilantro
sliced scallions
lime wedges
additional diablo sauce

Instructions

Make the slaw:
In a medium-sized bowl stir together the cabbage, vinegar, lime juice, and chopped cilantro
Season to taste with salt and pepper
Set aside while you prep the tacos
Make the tacos:
Spray a medium-sized skillet with olive oil and over medium heat, add the bell peppers and onion
Season to taste with salt and pepper
Cook until onions are golden and peppers begin to blister, stirring occasionally about 5-7 minutes
Once cooked, removed peppers and onions from pan and set aside
Wipe pan clean, return to heat and spray again with olive oil spray
Add the shrimp to the pan and cook 2-3 minutes
Once partly cooked, add the diablo sauce and a 2 tablespoons water
Stir to coat the shrimp and simmer 2-3 minutes until shrimp are cooked through*
To assemble:
Warm tortillas over a medium-high flame until they begin to brown slightly
Place 5 shrimp in each taco shell, adding a bit of the Diablo sauce from the pan
Top with slaw and feta cheese crumbles
Serve with additional toppings and extra diablo sauce on the side

Notes

* If you'd like a thinner sauce, add an additional 1-2 tablespoons of water to the pan until desired consistency is reached

5.0 from 4 reviews

Diablo Sauce

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

35 mins

Author: Alyssa

Serves: 1 pint

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large cloves of garlic, roughly minced
½ serrano chile, stemmed and roughly diced
½ small yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 14.5-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
juice of half a lemon

Instructions

Melt butter with the oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat
Once melted, add garlic, serrano chile, and onions
Cook until onions have turned golden in color
Stir in chili powder, brown sugar, paprika, tomatoes and salt to taste
Bring everything to a boil then reduce to simmer, stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes
Transfer to a food processor and add lemon juice
Process until pureé is smooth
Store in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks

Suerte: An Honest Review of Austin’s New Eastside Restaurant

March 26, 2018 by Alyssa

Friday night, <3M and I stopped by Austin’s newest Eastside restaurant, Suerte, to check out the masa-based menu. I had no doubt we’d love this new Mexican restaurant from Odd Duck alum Sam Hellman-Mass! We enjoyed a great meal and the cocktails & wine list were top notch.

All the dishes at Suerte are small plate style so we ordered a bunch to share throughout the night. Here’s a look at our evening!

We had reservations for 6:45pm and arrived right on time but since <3M and I both love sitting at the bar, we chose to wait a bit until a bar seat opened up. While we waited, we ordered a round of cocktails. For me, the La Chiquitita with mezcal, grapefruit, lime, ginger honey, soda and for him, the Suerte Lager, a collaboration brew with Hops & Grain Brewing.

To start, we had the Bean Taquitos, which was one of my favorite dishes of the evening! The taquitos were crisp but slightly chewy and I loved the smokey, salty slaw on top.

We followed the taquitos with a round from the Frio & Raw portion of the menu. <3M’s a bit hesitant when it comes to seafood but he will eat shrimp so I convinced him to try the Aguachile, a shrimp ceviche.

We both loved the dish, even <3M with this being his first ceviche experience ever. The Aguachile was so fresh, served with a side of extra crispy tostadas, and the red sauce reminded me of an enchilada sauce. Yum!

Next up we ordered the Chicken Tamal with recado negro and chicken skin chicharrón. We both loved the crispy chicken skin on top and the pulled, smokey chicken. The Tamal was serve on top of a cream sauce that I would have loved a bit more of as I found the masa too dry for my liking.

Right about here is when we decided on another round of drinks. <3M ordered an Old Fashioned from our bartender, Trent. And Trent did a top-notch job! <3M declared the Old Fashioned to be one of his favorite’s in the city and even bumped it into his top 5 for best Old Fashioned’s in Austin. I ended my evening with a glass of red and highly recommend Suerte’s wine menu. I thoroughly enjoyed the Tierras Moradas carmenere which Trent recommended and am even looking to add it to our own wine collection!

The one dish I was most excited about from Suerte was the Chicken En Pinenut Mole. I love traditional mole, it’s savory, smokey and has a hint of chocolate and spice. Absolutely delicious!

However, the mole at Suerte didn’t have the familiar chocolate, spicy base. Suerte’s mole is pine nut based (as stated) and while it isn’t traditional, I appreciated the twist with the brown butter and wilted greens but still yearned for the familiar mole flavors. I was also hoping for some sort of tortilla here since Suerte’s menu is masa-centric but this was served as a knife & fork dish.

We ended our meal with the Chocolate con Churros for dessert which is served with Mexican chocolate. I liked the churros but was slightly disappointed. The chocolate wasn’t sweetened, closer to a bittersweet chocolate and although the churros were rolled in sugar it didn’t cut the bitterness of the chocolate. I also was hoping for a bit of cinnamon in the dessert as I’ve come to expect with churros. I’d probably opt for a different dessert next time around.

Overall, <3M and I truly enjoyed our meal at Suerte and will likely be back again for visit — especially for an Old Fashioned and the bean taquitos. And if you’re looking for a date night spot, you should definitely give Suerte a shot.

Iron Cactus: Summertime Dining

July 29, 2017 by Alyssa

Summertime dining options at Iron Cactus star seasonal ingredients, perfect margaritas, and decadently delicious desserts!

I received a complimentary meal at Iron Cactus. All opinions and images below are my own.

The first time I moved to Austin was in February 2011 (yes, I moved here twice…) and the very first restaurant I dined at upon arriving was Iron Cactus on Stonelake Boulevard in North Austin. It was my first taste of Mexican food outside of New York’s chain restaurants I grew up eating (Taco Bell). It was such a special moment in my life, moving to Austin, that I even remember what I ate at Iron Cactus for dinner that night — Ahi Tuna Salad with a side of chips & queso, of course!

It was such a special moment in my life, moving to Austin, that I even remember what I ate at Iron Cactus for dinner that night — Ahi Tuna Salad with a side of chips & queso, of course!

When I lived in North Austin, <3M and I used to visit Iron Cactus on date nights (when we could afford it…we were poor, fresh-out-of-college kids at the time!) but since moving to South Austin about 5 years ago, we haven’t been back. Not because we didn’t enjoy the food or drinks, but simply because ‘out of sight, out of mind.’

When Iron Cactus reached out with an invitation to join them in celebration of their Summer menu that starred fresh corn and seasonal crab, I couldn’t help but say yes! <3M and I were excited to reminisce about our past life and see if Iron Cactus lived up to all its initial ‘new-to-Austin’ glory!

For our meal, <3M and I were each treated to a 3-course selection plus drinks. Below are my thoughts on the meal with a few truly drool worthy photos!

We started our meal with a couple margaritas. I enjoyed the El Perfecto margarita and happily ordered round 2 when I quickly sucked down my first glass. <3M went fancy with his drink and ordered a frozen mango margarita.

Although I love mango myself, I wasn’t a huge fan of the mango puree as it was too sweet for me. But, if you don’t enjoy the flavor of tequila or prefer sweeter drinks, then this margarita is perfect for you!

<3M and I shared the two appetizers, Crab Stuffed Jalapeños & Picadillo Purses. The Crab Stuffed Jalapeños had a kick to them but the cream cheese filling smoothed out the heat of the pepper. I was also pleased to find the crab to be a prevalent flavor that wasn’t lost among the spice & cheese.

The Picadillo Purses weren’t our favorites and both <3M and I preferred the Crab Stuffed Jalapeños. The purses reminded me of a shepherd’s pie stuffed into a wonton wrapper with the ground beef and specs of corn. I felt the star of this appetizer was the sauce. It left me wishing we had a bit of bread to dip it in because it was that delicious.

For dinner, <3M ordered the Pollo Relleno chicken which was stuffed with the tastiest cornbread ever and topped with a jalapeño cream sauce that made my mouth all sorts of happy! I had serious order envy when I tasted <3M’s dinner and definitely took more than a few tasting bites from his plate.

For my meal, I ordered the Hickory Grilled Salmon. This dish was delicious but I was surprised overall as I was expecting a lighter meal based on the menu description.

My favorite part about this dish was the fresh succotash with asparagus, corn, and hearty chunks of crab meat throughout. The salmon was cooked perfectly, the waiter even asked my preference when taking the order! Although I truly enjoyed the jalapeño cream sauce on the Pollo Relleno, I was wishing for more freshness and something not quite as heavy to pair with the salmon. Overall, still a great entree!

When it came to dessert, I couldn’t decide which I liked best. The presentations were out of this world stunning. Almost too pretty to eat. Almost.

I loved the Margarita Key Lime Tartlet for its crumbly, nutty crust and tart lime filling but the Dulce De Leche Cheesecake, made with boñuelo crust (which we learned from our host, Victoria, is like crispy fried dough) was so decadent, creamy, and perfectly sweet — and this coming from a girl who usually doesn’t like cheesecake!

I truly enjoyed our meal at Iron Cactus North and it brought back wonderful memories from my first few weeks in Austin. My advice for your visit is to start with their El Perfecto margarita (with salt of course) and save room for dessert because both options we tried, the Dulce De Leche Cheesecake and Margarita Key Lime Tartlet, were out of this world delicious!

Many thanks to Iron Cactus and its staff for a great night out!

Texas Inspired Jalapeño Johnnycakes with Avocado & Cilantro Cream Sauce

February 22, 2017 by Alyssa

Edited February 26, 2017 with new photos and additional links.

These #TexFest inspired Jalapeño Johnnycakes are light and spicy corn-filled pancakes all cooled down with an Avocado & Cilantro Cream Sauce — a savory meal fit for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Have I mentioned lately that I love living in Texas? The food here is amazing — I’m constantly inspired by all the ingredients, local products, and Texan flavors that rarely made an appearance in meals while growing up in upstate New York.

Back home in New York, TexMex meant Old El Paso tacos made with ground beef and a packet of taco seasoning loaded into a white tortilla with cheese, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, black olives and a dab of Tostitos Salsa! Sounds delicious, right? It really was delicious but that was pretty much the extent of my Texas & Mexican flavor experiences until I was 22 years old and moved to Austin.

Now that I’ve lived in Texas for about 4 years, I’m obsessed with all the Texas flavors like avocados, fresh cilantro, jalapeños, and specialty salsas! I’m also obsessed with the fact that I can find all these locally-sourced products at my neighborhood HEB and this month, HEB is highlighting local Texas products and producers with their #TexFest celebration from February 22nd – March 7th.

Looking for this cute Texas cutting board? Find it at HEB

Inspired by my love for TexMex flavors and HEB’s #TexFest, these Jalapeño Johnnycakes with Avocado & Cilantro Cream Sauce wrap all my favorite Texas ingredients plus a few local products like Dom’s Chop Salsa from Buda and a dab of Kelley’s Natural Honey from Chicota, into one amazing, TexFest inspired meal that’s fit for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

If you aren’t familiar with Johnnycakes, they’re cornmeal based flatbreads. Personally, I like to think of them as a cross between cornbread and a pancake, as they’re usually rather flat and round like a pancake, but a little fluffier with more texture, similar cornbread. I’ve loaded my Johnnycakes with spicy jalapeño, green onions, corn, and a dab of honey which brings out the sweetness in the corn, then cooked them until they’re golden brown in a skillet.

To compliment the heat of my Jalapeño Johnnycakes, they’re topped with a cool Avocado & Cilantro Cream Sauce that has just a hint of lime. When spooned over the top of the Jalapeño Johnnycake along with some of Dom’s Chop Salsa, which is made with grilled vegetables for an added smokey flavor, this Johnnycake becomes a loaded bite of #TexFest deliciousness.

These Jalapeño Johnnycakes were everything I imagined them to be when I took my first bite. They were slightly crisp on the outside but light and fluffy with speckled bits of corn and spicy hints of jalapeño inside.

Jalapeño Johnnycakes with HEB ingredients

Goregous blue plate via Cocinaware at HEB

The Johnnycakes were kicked up a notch with Dom’s smokey, grilled salsa and immediately cooled down again by the Avocado & Cilantro Cream Sauce. I silently did a little happy dance while eating these as I was in my own little Texas-flavored heaven!

<3M and I enjoyed the Jalapeño Johnnycakes for dinner one night then again the following day for breakfast. I can even see topping them with a runny egg, a side of bacon or fried chicken if you’re looking to make these into a heartier meal for lunch or dinner.

However you choose to eat them, I hope you enjoy this bite of Texas and swing by your neighborhood HEB for a few locally produced products!

This is recipe is a sponsored post, created by me on behalf of H-E-B. I was compensated for my time and ingredients but all options are my own.

4.8 from 14 reviews

TexFest Inspired Jalapeño Johnnycakes with Avocado & Cilantro Cream Sauce

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

50 mins

Serves: 12 johnnycakes

Ingredients

1½ cups flour
1½ cups yellow cornmeal
1½ teaspoon salt
1 tbsp Kelley's Natural Honey
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 cups 2% or whole milk
2 large eggs
¼ cup melted butter
1 cup corn, cooked — either frozen or fresh
1 jalapeno finely diced*
2-5 green onions, minced, about ⅓ cup
⅓ cup sour cream
3 ounces avocado, about half of a large avocado
½ cup cilantro
1 small clove garlic
2 tbsp lime juice
¼ cup vegetable broth or water
½ tsp salt, more to taste
Pinch of pepper
Dom's Chop Salsa
additional scallions for serving, optional

Instructions

In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder. In another bowl whisk the two eggs, Lonestar Honey, and milk together. Pour the milk, honey & eggs into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined using a wooden spoon. Add in the melted butter until fully incorporated. Gently fold in the corn, scallions, and jalapeños.
Set the mixture aside for 10-15 minutes before cooking, which will allow the baking powder to activate. In the meantime, make the Avocado & Cilantro Cream Sauce.
In a food processor, add the sour cream, avocado, cilantro, and garlic. Pulse 5-6 times until the cilantro is coarsely chopped. Add the lime juice, vegetable broth, and salt and pepper. Process on high until smooth. Taste and add more salt if desired. If you’d like a thinner sauce, mix it again with an additional 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable broth until your desired consistency is reached.
Pre-heat the oven to 250* and place a large baking sheet on the center rack, you’ll use this to keep the johnnycakes warm while the others cook.
To cook the johnnycakes, place a large non-stick skillet over medium heat*. Once warm, pour a ¼ cup of batter into the middle and spread it evenly into a large circle, much like a pancake. Cook for about 1-2 minutes or until small bubbles become visible on top of the johnnycake. Flip the johnnycake, cooking another 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Place the johnnycake in the oven to keep warm while you finish the remaining johnnycakes using the same cooking method.
To serve, stack 2-3 warm johnnycakes on a plate, top with the Avocado & Cilantro Cream Sauce, salsa, and more scallions if desired.
Leftover johnnycakes can be frozen then thawed and reheated in the oven as needed at 350* for 5-7 minutes.

Notes

* Use only half of a jalapeno if you'd prefer less spice
** If you do not have a non-stick skillet, melt a bit of butter in the pan prior to cooking the Johnnycakes

Slow Cooker Mole Chicken Tacos

May 3, 2016 by Alyssa

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, these Slow Cooker Mole Chicken Tacos cook all day so you can enjoy a delish Mexican meal while kicking back with a margarita.

With these Slow Cooker Mole Chicken Tacos, I’ve simplified the traditional, mole-making process while preserving all the mole flavor. These tacos also come together quickly in the morning then cook all day long in your slow-cooker so when dinner time rolls around, all you have to do is shred the chicken and add your favorite toppings.

This Slow Cooker Mole Chicken Taco recipe is definitely a go-to when I want an easy, flavorful yet healthy meal on a busy weekday. This recipe also results in a large portion and the leftovers freeze well. I often plan to make the chicken for dinner then freeze any extras in smaller portions, so I can enjoy a delicious, home-cooked meal when life becomes a little too busy.

I especially love the Mole Chicken because the chicken itself is so versatile — <3M and I not only enjoy the chicken as a taco but also in quesadillas, added into Mexican-inspired quinoa or rice bowls, and atop salads a la Chipotle Salad-style. Any way you serve it, this Mole Chicken is spectacularly delicious.

If you aren’t familiar with mole sauce, it’s often referred to when speaking of a dark red or brown sauce typically served over meat. In the rest of the world, the word mole can simply be translated to mean sauce and can come in any color – brown, green, red, or even yellow.

The mole I know and love is the dark red sauce and is traditionally tomato-based with chili peppers and cocoa. I find mole sauce to be warming with a slight undertone of spice from the peppers. It has a great depth of flavor in part due to the cocoa and the heat of charred the peppers.

Traditionally, mole sauce takes time to make which allows flavor to develop. In most recipes, it begins by first roasting and grinding the peppers into a fine paste then simmering this paste with water or broth for hours which requires constant oversight and stirring to ensure it doesn’t brown. Although my Slow Cooker Mole Chicken Taco recipe does take time, it does not require constant attention as the flavor develops during the cooking process within your crockpot — it’s definitely a recipe made for those who would rather eat great food without slaving over the stove for hours on end.

To bring out the depth of flavor similar to a mole sauce that was stirred and cooked on the stovetop all day, I start with a few base Mexican ingredients and spices — tomatoes, onion, garlic, peppers, cumin, chili powder and coriander. To help add a bit of warmth there’s cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and peanut butter. (Now, I’m not sure if the traditional mole recipe has peanut butter but I wouldn’t make mine without it! I truly think peanut butter adds this roasted nutty flavor to the sauce that brings it to the next level!) To help balance some of the spice from the adobo sauce and chipotle peppers, there’s a handful of raisins and a bit of sugar added, which also helps balance the acidity from the tomatoes.

Although it might be a lengthy ingredient list, my recipe begins simply enough, with a food processor and pureeing all the ingredients. Once everything is combined, I place the chicken breasts in the crockpot, cover them with the mole sauce and let it all cook on low for 6-8 hours. After cooking for so long on low heat, the chicken will be ready to simply fall apart when it comes time to eat. Just before serving, I shred the chicken with a pair of metal tongs or two forks, add the meat and a bit of sauce to a toasted taco shell and top them off!

My favorite way to enjoy Slow Cooker Mole Chicken Tacos is very simply. I serve mine on a toasted corn taco shell topped with a few slices of ripe avocado, a sprinkle of cotija cheese, and a couple thin slices of red onion. Since the mole sauce itself has so much flavor, these tacos don’t need much more. They themselves are the star of the show and the perfect accompaniment to a Cinco de Mayo margarita, a side of roasted corn, refried black beans or my Honey Chipotle Glazed Sweet Potatoes.

Slow Cooker Mole Chicken Tacos

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

8 hours

Total time

8 hours 5 mins

Serves: 6 cups

Ingredients

1 large onion, roughly chopped
½ cup golden raisins
3 cloves garlic, peels removed & roughly chopped
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from the chipotle chile)
3 heaping tablespoons of creamy peanut butter
1 15-ounce can no-salt-added tomato puree
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ - 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast
For serving: corn tortillas, cotija cheese, avocaod, and red onions

Instructions

Place all the ingredients with the exception of the chicken breasts in a food processor.
Pureer the ingredients until a thick, rich sauce is formed.
Place the whole chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker and pour the sauce from the food processor on top, covering the chicken completely.
Cover your slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.
Once cooked, turn off the crockpot and with the chicken still in your slow cooker, use a pair of metal tongs or two forks to shred the chicken, stirring it into the extra sauce.
As you shred and combine the chicken and sauce, you'll notice the chicken begins to soak up any additional sauce in the crockpot.
To serve, place shredded chicken and sauce on top of a tortilla and top with avocado, cheese, and a bit of onion.

Slow Cooker Mole Chicken Tacos - Pinterest

Cheap Eats in Austin

September 10, 2011 by Alyssa

So it’s well known that not only am I a picky eater, but I’m also a food snob – not in the “I only eat at 4-star restaurants” but in that I have high expectations when dining out. I feel that if you own a restaurant there better be a darn good reason as to WHY you own a restaurant and that reason better be because you have insanely good food.

That being said, here’s a run down of my opinion two famous cheap eateries in Austin that I’ve had the pleasure of dining at thus far.

Let’s start backwards and with dessert first, since I’d rather be eating dessert than an actual meal anyways.

Hey Cupcake!

Austin’s very own cupcake trailer. They have a bunch of locations all over Austin and are pretty well known. They have typical cupcake offerings – chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, red velvet, carrot, and sometimes a specialty flavor.

I’ve tried a few of their classic cupcakes – the Snowcap (Chocolate cake and vanilla frosting), Sweetberry (aka, strawberry with cream cheese frosting), and the Double Dose (better known as the Chocoholic). I like that they spice up their cupcakes with cute names. It makes the more appealing.

Sweetberry Cupcake & SnowCap: M<3 and I had these babies dolled up while celebrating our anniversary during my December visit to Austin. As my Mom taught me, presentation is everything.

I like cupcakes a lot and every flavor combo I’ve had from Hey Cupcake has been exceptionally good. Not the BEST cupcake I’ve ever had – because I’m partial to anything with peanut butter in it, but yes, the Best Classic flavored cupcakes I’ve ever had. (I Love You Dollop – you totally win best Rochester cupcake, PB cupcake and crazy combo cupcake in my heart!)

Scored this cupcake one afternoon by knowing the phrase of the day – Don’t be a lazy cupcake. Also, they usually have a BOGO coupon on their website so you can always get a freebie!

The Sweetberry/Strawberry actually tasted like strawberry (as most strawberry cupcakes don’t), the chocolate rocked my world and even had chocolate chunks in it! It actually tasted like rich decadent chocolate that is usually lost in cakes.

As for the frostings……I don’t care for cream cheese frosting but when it came to Hey Cupcake!’s, I found it delish, maybe because it had the added strawberry element that hid the cream cheesiness I detest! Lastly, their vanilla buttercream was fab as well – great, rich vanilla flavor and not at all like snackin’ on a stick of butter like some frostings.

In my opinion, if you can’t do vanilla in a cupcake shop you shouldn’t be open. It’s a standard flavor – a prerequisite for baking, comparable to knowing your ABC’s in order to graduate kindergarten. Get my drift? If you can’t make vanilla taste like vanilla, close shop.

As for their cake – light, fluffy, and moist, exactly how a cake should be. So bravo Hey Cupcake! My food snobbish ways were satisfied. And I’ll stop by whenever a cupcake craving hits while driving.

Juan in a Million

You may have heard of the Juan in a Million restaurant from Man v. Food. It was made famous by Adam Richman while attempting to eat the eight of the gigantic breakfast tacos. It’s a hot spot for UT students to grab breakfast at and there is a lot of hype about the restaurant in general.

Since there was so much hype about the little Mexican restaurant, <3M and I had to try it out. Our first Juan in a Million attempt was a massive fail. We went on a Sunday morning and there was a line out the door. Both of us were ready to chew our arm off so we kept on driving….which is what we should have done this second time around.

Juan in a Million is situated in the ghetto part of Austin. Driving through the area makes me a bit uneasy, and it even made me question the quality of food being served. The place inside reminded me of college living. Lawn furniture chairs, pictures hung haphazardly on the wall, and frames dangling off center.

Juan’s fencing to keep the rabid dogs out. Take note of the folding chairs and tables!

But hey, even after risking my life while driving and sitting in the sketchy, ready to collapse chairs,I was still on board for eating at the Man v. Food legacy – plus, I thought M<3 would love it since he’s a fan of the show.

Doesn’t he looked psyched? He could probably pass for Don Juan himself with his moo-stache growing and glowing tan.

The menu was simple and I decided to just get a classic Mexican breakfast: two eggs, beans, potatoes, and tortillas. How hard could that be to screw up? M<3 went with the Migas – basically the same thing except some tortillas and cheese were thrown into the eggs.

The waitress came with coffee, chips (at 9am? Sure! Why not!) and salsa.

Fresh salsa. I love salsa so I was sold on the oversized dish of tomato goodness.

Salsa – also known as poor-Lyssa’s Gazpacho!

We waited around a bit…a bit longer than I typically like to wait for breakfast.

It’s the first meal of the day, and if you’re a restaurant, you better make it speedy because people are usually hungry and the hungrier I am and the longer I wait, the more HANGRY (that’s hungry & angry) I become.

Finally the grub showed.

Juan in a Million’s Breakfast Taco from Man v. Food

This is where it all went down hill. I’m a sucker for refried beans so I had high hopes for beans at breakfast time, especially because these beans were made by an authentic Mexican restaurant and showcased on Man v. Food.

M<3’s Migas – Mine looked the same minus the cheese and add some tortillas on the side.

With high hopes, I tasted the beans…Instantly I knew, they were made with meat, I could even seek the specks of fried meat bits in them as I dug through. <3M had high hopes for the beans as well. Refried pinto beans are a fav of <3M’s and he left his untouched, so sadly, these beans must have been well under par for <3M to pass on a favorite.

After a quick chat with the waitress she confirmed what I already knew – the beans were cooked with LARD (that evil 4 letter word I absolutely hate). But hey, I could sub another side of potatoes or rice for the beans since they didn’t have vegetarian beans. After appraising the other items on my plate, I passed on both of those options as well.

Don’t be fooled, it’s not cheese. Just pure fat!

I took a breath and put the beans behind me, setting my sites on the potatoes – which resembled little cubes of grease soaked (or more likely lard glazed) sponges. These usually delicious carb-y wonders lacked flavor, their texture was mushy, and they were another breakfast fail.

On to the eggs! After careful examination I dove in. And to my surprise, they were decent. And by decent, I mean at least they weren’t lard covered. But I could have made better at home.

Now for the tortillas. Probably the best part of the meal, besides the salsa, for those I enjoyed! But my guess is Juan didn’t make the tortillas himself…….

So, thank you random-mass-produced-tortilla-maker for upholding your quality standards.

In the end my breakfast ended up being a makeshift breakfast taco – a few greasy potatoes (I convinced my self they weren’t cooked in lard), eggs, and a generic tortilla smothered in salsa for flavor!

Looked a bit like this but sissy sized.

I ate it. I was no longer hungry but I wasn’t satisfied. <3M even suggested paying, leaving, and going to another diner because he was so unhappy with his meal.

Sadly, we Juan’t be going back.

All in all, Juan in a Million’s claim to fame is it’s TV appearance, not its food. Like I said before, if you’re going to own a restaurant then reason you should be in business is because you serve great food. Juan, did not have great food. He had great advertising.

I have a few more restaurant reviews, a few other food trailers that I won’t mind ranting and raving about, and one restaurant which I absolutely love in Austin that I’ll share another time…..