On Wednesday, January 25, I was invited to join a lunch party hosted by Great Taste Austin for their inaugural “Let’s Do Lunch” series, which will showcase local chefs and their restaurants featuring meals with Texas ingredients at their center.
Despite the chill in the air, we assembled on the beautiful creekside patio at Garrido’s and enjoyed a light starter of crispy tortilla chips and creamy white queso.
Garrido built the luncheon’s menu, which was 99% gluten-free, around Texas pecans and other Texas ingredients. For starters, we had a choice of Texas Gulf shrimp flautas or wild mushroom flautas. I opted for the shrimp, which turned out to be a perfectly light and flavorful opening act.
The entree choices were brisket chilaquiles and veggie tacos; perhaps because of the chilliness, eveyone opted for the chilaquiles, as they were hearty and filling and warm. The portion was topped with a generous sprinkle of toasted Texas pecans, which added a pleasing woodsy flavor to the tender beef.
For dessert, I opted for the German chocolate tres leches cake, which Garrido developed for the restaurant’s New Year’s Eve menu. It was light and airy and a deeply satisfying conclusion to a small but filling meal.
This article appears in January 20 • 2012.