Street Tacos

A photo posted by By Irasema Ortiz (@treastblog) on Mar 28, 2016 at 12:59pm PDT

Recently, a friend asked me if I had any good restaurant recommendations. I stated a few, but then she asked me if I've ever been to Chela's Tacos, which I said no. She went off talking about how good their street tacos were and how they recently opened a new location by my work. I was very intrigued, and as a taco lover, I couldn't resist it and ended up going the following week. Actually, I visited Chela’s several times before writing this post. I have ordered different things, but today I will focus on my favorite ones; the "Taco de Asada" (beef taco) and the side of Chips and Guac. The Asada has been by far my favorite casserole, but I still have a few more to try. The guac was delicious and fresh. As a good Mexican I like to smother everything with avocado, so I prepared my taco with some guac and purple onions from the salsa bar.

My friend ordered the "Costra de Asada", which is prepared by grilling cheese with beef and placing it on top of a corn tortilla. This is also amazing! (You can share this dish, it's super big). They have a salsa bar, with different condiments and spices. The corn tortillas are handmade and are delicious and big. I was satisfied with one taco and a side of guac.  

They also offer breakfast tacos, which I still need to try! See complete menu HERE.  

Chela's is located at 5231 Broadway Ste. 117, San Antonio, TX 78209 and their Food Truck at the The Block by UTSA, 14530 Roadrunner Way San Antonio, TX 78249 at The Block. 

Cons.  

One time I ordered the taco combo that comes with beans and rice, the beans did not taste as I was expecting and the rice was meh! I recommend to stick with the tacos.

Sushi for Lunch [Eat]

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There is a Japanese place in the same business center where I work. I always forget how good this place is. Today, I had a lot of meeting and did not feel like driving somewhere to get food. I decided to eat at Koi Kawa Japanese Restaurant & Sushi.

They have daily lunch specials and their sushi is to die for!

For starters, I ordered the Sara Special Sushi Roll [I do not know what it has, but trust me it’s amazing]. As a main dish I ordered the Chicken Teriyaki lunch special for only $6 [bento box with grilled chicken, steamed rice, 2 vegetable dumplings, green beans with peanut sauce, cabbage salad and miso soup.] As you can see in the picture it was delicious and nutritious.

Cons.

They only have their lunch specials available Monday-Friday, from 11:00-3:00 pm.  Also, you will want to order more sushi after tasting the first bite!  

Koi Kawa Japanese Restaurant & Sushi is located at 4051 Broadway San Antonio TX 78209.

Vietnamese meets French [Eat]

This weekend we headed to Austin for a wedding. We arrived early so we decided to grab a bite to eat at Elizabeth Street Café. This restaurant is a neighborhood Vietnamese café and French bakery, and it is well known for their bánh mì served on house baked baguettes, fresh spring rolls, steaming bowls of pho and their great croissants, among many other things.

As with any great restaurant, it was packed. We ordered some drinks at the bar while we waited to be seated. I ordered a Red Dragon [Beet infused Sake, Orange Sherry, Falernum, Muddled Jalapeños, Ginger Brew, Lime and Garden Thai Basil]. You think it sound good? Well, you should try it! It’s delicious! We sat on the front porch and enjoyed the music and drinks along with the great atmosphere.

We started off with some Spring Rolls [Jumbo Lump Crab & Glass Noodles, Tarragon, Jicama, and Fresno Chiles]. This is a great appetizer, it’s fresh and flavorful. Paired with our meal, I had Sake [Takara Nigori Sake] and my boyfriend Draft Beer [Kronenbourg].

For the main course my boyfriend ordered the Bánh Mì [Fried Egg, Crispy Pork Belly, Avocado & Mint] it was the perfect combination of ingredients and the soft bread gave that wholesome flavor. I ordered from the Specialties section, the Bún Bò Huê [Spicy Beef, Pork, & Lemongrass Soup, Housemade Rice Noodles, Chili Oil, Cilantro, and White Onion] I had never tried something like this. It was exquisite, the lemongrass soup gave it a tangy taste and everything combined caused an explosion of flavors on my palate.  I totally recommend these two dishes.

Unfortunately I was incapable of eating anything else, so I missed dessert. But Elizabeth's has a variety of French pastries like: Croissants, Éclairs, Pot de crèmes and Macarons, just to mention a few.

Elizabeth Street Café is located at 1501 S. First Street Austin, Texas 78704. For more information visit elizabethstreetcafe.com

Coffee + Pastries [Eat]

I really enjoy trying out new places, especially if it’s local. I few days ago I saw a super cute restored bungalow near my workplace. I noticed it was a new coffee house called Common Wealth Coffeehouse and Bakery. I couldn't wait any longer so I decided to give it a try! I went there for lunch. The house is adorable, very cozy and the coffee smell, well it just gives it the perfect atmosphere. The Common Wealth Coffeehouse and Bakery is located at 18 Davis Court, San Antonio, TX 78209.

I ordered the Tarragon Chicken Salad Croissant [classic homemade chicken salad served on a bed of field greens and handmade croissant] and the Salad Dijon [balsamic vinaigrette, shallots, mozzarella, walnuts and tomatoes on a bed of field greens]. My friend ordered the CW Croissant [smoked turkey, Swiss and Dijon] with the Common Wealth Salad [goat cheese, champagne vinaigrette and caramelized English walnuts over a bed of baby spinach].  

Tarragon Chicken Salad Croissant & Salad Dijon

CW Croissant & Common Wealth Salad

After enjoying our delightful lunch we determined we had room for coffee + pastries. So we ordered the Croissant Aux Amandes [Rich almond crème drizzled over handmade croissant topped with almonds] and a Latte. This was the perfect pair! It was delicious. We really enjoyed the coffee house. We sat on one of the comfortable sofas and savored our coffee and pastries along with a good conversation.

Croissant Aux Amandes