Resurrecting Recipes of Austin Restaurants Past

Joel Fried of Eldorado Cafe (Photo by John Anderson)

It's Halloween/Día de los Muertos, which means it's time to reflect on loved ones who have passed on and honor them while the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is at its thinnest.

Many of us, especially those of us who've lived in Austin long enough to see iconic restaurants fall to the vagaries of economic downturns, development (progress?), retirements, and financial failures well before the pandemic, mourn the dining rooms of Austin past. In fact, about six months ago, I received the following email: "I love Austin in all its forms, but sometimes when I miss old Austin I REALLY miss that Mexican chicken salad from Castle Hill/Corazon. It had two magical salad dressings (one coating the diced chicken and the other for the greens) and the most amazing little blue corn empanadas," wrote reader Kimberly T. "Any chance you could track down those recipes?"

I let that email marinate in my inbox for a little while, then approached my friend Joel Fried, owner of Eldorado Cafe and seasoned veteran of Austin's restaurant scene. The ask was this: Would you be willing to help me research, unearth, and possibly redevelop some recipes from bygone Austin restaurants? Luckily for us, he enthusiastically agreed. We went back and forth, brainstorming which Austin restaurants would strike the most resonant chords with folks, curating what I believe to be the most nostalgic (and painful, if we are being honest) list we could have imagined. We (mostly Joel) worked our connections, tapping into our network of restaurant industry friends, including Jack Gilmore and Joel's brother, Curtis. On the list was that salad from Castle Hill, and for a little while there it looked like we'd be able to get our hands on the recipe.

Alas, the trail ran cold and we are unable to share it with you today. I am sorry that we have no tiny blue corn empanadas to place on the altar this year, but maybe next time we'll have better luck. Because, unfortunately, the nature of the restaurant industry is such that we could run this feature every year in perpetuity, never running out of beloved, bygone dishes to share and revere. Such is the nature of love and grief: You can't have one without the other. Here's hoping that these recipes will help you connect with treasured memories, one meal at a time.

All recipes serve 3-4 people.