La Condesa in Austin, Texas has made it into the city’s top 38 eateries according to foodie website Austin Eater, and if anyone knows about eating in Austin, it’s Austin Eater. The food is more Mex than Tex and under exec chef Rick Lopez the menu has moved towards sharing plates since he took over the helm a couple of months ago.
Aside from the grub, La Condesa is a pretty nice place to be – it’s a multi-award winner in fact, most recently scooping the People’s Choice gong at the AIA Restaurant Design Awards in Los Angeles. Architect Michael Hsu and interior designer Joel Mozersky are the people regularly required to don tuxedos and tearfully thank their agents, and their work is a mixture of industrial elements such as split concrete and raw steel with softer touches from plum leather seating within pale wood booths. The eye is immediately drawn to the rear wall mural – a busy burst of Mexican advertising billboards getting a second life as backdrop to the hanging light installation which was put together form store-bought parts. Clever stuff.
