Who: ATX Cocina
What: Modern Mexican Restaurant
When: Sunday to Thursday 5pm – 10pm, Friday to Saturday 5pm – 11pm
Where: 110 San Antonio St, Austin, TX 78701
Why: It’s been a while since I’ve had a meal move me so much as ATX Cocina did. From the moment we walked in, my jaw was on the floor and I spent the rest of the evening trying to pick it up. But really I just filled it with bite and sip after sip of the delicious menu that we were so privileged to dine on.
The space is architecturally beautiful, and that’s because it was designed by renowned and local architect Michael Hsu Office of Architecture. From the light fixtures to the high vaulted ceilings, and the row of windows that surround the space. It was designed as an open concept, so you can see practically every inch of the restaurant like the beautiful front bar, to the crudo bar lined with fresh fish and lobsters, to the open kitchen where you can watch the chef’s make the house-made masa made with ingredients straight from Oaxaca, Mexico.
And those house-made masa corn tortillas are the first things that you’ll get to dig into as they’re the house starters for the table. Served with a trio of salsas and sauces, the bean dip is one I particularly enjoyed digging into.
The dinner was hit after hit, to be honest, there wasn’t a single thing that I had that I wouldn’t be back for again. We enjoyed the Sope, which is a traditional Mexican dish made with a fried masa base, and this particular one was topped with pulled pork, bean puree, and a habanero onion salsa. The next dish was the Hamachi, made with mamey, a herby coconut leche de tigre sauce, and jicama.
To wash some of our appetizers down, we indulged in the drink of all drinks. It was a halved watermelon, with the watermelon scooped out and blended with Olmeca Altos Repasado, Titos Vodka, Bristoe Gin, and topped with Chapulines (aka Fried Grasshopper) and lime juice. Not only was it a beautiful and strong drink, but it was perfect to split amongst our group of 5!
The rest of the meal was just as spectacular as the first half. We enjoyed three main dishes that I couldn’t even stack rank if I tried. From the Chili Roasted Chicken in a White Mole to the Shrimp in a Valentina-Brown butter sauce, and the Sous Vide Steak topped with Lobster. You could tell that there was a lot of concern and precision to every dish that is coming out of that kitchen, which just added more meaning and passion to the experience of ATX Cocina.
And as if dinner couldn’t have gone over well enough, the desserts knocked it out of the park. They’re not pictured because the lighting by that time was gone. But let me tell you they were out of this world. We had one that was almost like a dessert queso (said Kristen of FoodFash), it was served with these cinnamon sugar covered pieces of bread that you used as a utensil to get the sweet mixture out of the bowl. It was not only fun but so very enjoyable. And the other dessert dish we tried was this chocolate ganache that just melted in our mouths. Sincerely, the best meal I’ve had in a while.
They officially open Monday, July 17th, so I hope you’ll hurry up and make reservations. And please tell them Dine With Shayda sent you!
Be sure to also follow along with my daily adventures on Instagram @DineWithShayda. And watch my insta stories for behind the scenes scoops on what goes on at these food events!
