Azul Tequila   

Starting up a Tex-Mex restaurant in Austin is like opening a whiskey bar in Ireland - its a saturated market, so youd better have something special to offer. The three brothers from Mexico City who run this colorful little establishment are quite familiar with this rule of thumb, and thus the visitor to the Azul Tequila is confronted with a menu featuring not only chicken fajitas and carne guisadas but also a large selection of the kind of lesser-known regional dishes that Taco Bell would have a rough time marketing. Case in point is the Albondigas en Chipotle dish, beef meatballs with mint rice centers served swimming in a chipotle chili broth which in turn is flavored by cilantro and onions. As with many restaurants of the genre, the Azul Tequila is also quite the drinking spot - saddle up to the bar and youll have your pick of over two dozen tequilas as well as an equally heartening selection of margaritas. -- Barrett Brown