Fonda San Miguel

"Exemplary Mexican." "Austin's premiere Mexican restaurant." "Overrated and overpriced." People have used all of these to describe perhaps Austin's most famous restaurant. Sweetmonger and I have been here for four months, and we finally decided to see for ourselves where Fonda San Miguel stands. Nothing there was as good as the exotic taco at Polvos but then again few culinary creations are, and the overall impression we came away with is that it's good but certainly overpriced.

Obviously, we started with chips and salsa. The chips themselves are unexceptional but the accompanying salsas are pretty good. They mix sweet and spicy very well and are a great way to start a meal. We both decided to order a corn and pablano soup. Its texture kind of reminded me of polenta which was a little surprising to say the least. However, flavor wise it was a very good soup. Probably the second best I've had in Austin behind the smoked tomato soup at Zoot.

Our main courses were good but disappointing. We split something with crab that was actually very good. However, Sweetmonger went solo with a trio of tostados. One topped with chicken, one topped with pork and one topped with guacamole. They were okay. The guacamole was a little weak and the chicken was not very well seasoned. The pork though was pretty tasty. My main course was a nightly special: shredded duck stuffed enchiladas topped with a spinach something cream sauce. I hoped for more. The duck tasted good but the sauce was . . . . well there just wasn't much there.

Although slightly disappointed in the food, we did enjoy some good Margaritas and Fonda San Miguel does appear to be a good place to meet for drinks and grab a couple appetizers. However, given the many excellent Mexican restaurants located throughout Austin, it is unlikely we will be returning often to Fonda San Miguel. There is simply better food at a lower price point elsewhere.

Fonda San Miguel

www.fondasanmiguel.com

2330 W. North Loop Blvd.

Austin, TX 78756