Austin Cantina: I Walked Away Hungry

5809 24th Ave NW

Seattle, WA, 98107

When the boyfriend and I first walked into the Austin Cantina, I was heartened – I’d read good things about the many vegetarian options of "authentic" Tex-Mex cuisine that awaited me at the new joint in my ‘hood, and I was all ready and willing to eat my weight in queso and refries and whatever else they had to suit my fancy.

Well… lemme tell ya… ready and willing notwithstanding, I was completely unable. I went home hungry and angry. Hangry.

First of all, the menu wasn’t entirely veggie-friendly. The only things I remember offhand were some veggie enchiladas and a veggie chili, which were just some meaty dishes served up without the meat in ‘em. I’ll get to that later.

After ordering up a Shiner Bock, I asked our waitress if the queso was available in a meatless version. She went back into the kitchen to inquire, and a few moments later, someone stepped out of the kitchen, looked at our table, and snapped, “Never!” Seriously uncool. And let me tell you, I was just in Austin, the real Austin, never had any trouble getting veggie queso. Every single restaurant I went to had at least one veggie version on the menu, often two or three varieties, and I never got any guff or even an askance glance when asking about vegetarian options. Strike one.

Appetizerless, we sallied forth onto the entrees. I had the vegetarian enchiladas, and the boydude had chicken. Both were disappointing.

Simply not adding meat and meaty byproducts to an item does leave it veggie-friendly, but also leaves it sorely lacking. Meat is an ingredient that, when used properly, blends in flavor and texture with the rest of the dish, supporting and highlighting all flavors, colors, and textures. My enchiladas were missing that certain special something – the inclusion of a tender, somewhat fatty texture like avocado chunks would have helped, or a hearty helping of seasoned potatoes, refried beans, or grilled tofu would have absolutely rocked. But nope, my soggy tortillas were barely graced with diced zucchini, a little onion, and a sprinkle of cheese. Lame. And also strike two.

The grilled chicken, I hear, was fabulous – the part that was cooked, that is. The staff replaced the uncooked chicken with a mole dish, which smelled wonderful and which the boy ate with no complaint, so I’m guessing it was good. But still, there’s no excuse for serving food that’s simply not prepared correctly. Strike three.

We did not stay for dessert.

Here's a nice and easy veggie queso recipe for y'all:

1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup milk

In a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in butter until tender. Add chilies; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Gradually add small amounts of cheeses and milk; stir until melted after each addition. Serve warm with margaritas and tortilla chips.

If you want to get fancy -and i know you do- top with cubed avocado, pico de gallo, and dashes of hot chili powder.