I love this place, and I've started many a morning there having some sort of egg and sauce plate with beans and tortillas, and perhaps most importantly, their Oaxacan coffee, which is the best coffee you'll find in Austin in my opinion, and which you can by whole bean or ground from the good folks at Curra's if you ask nicely. Let me come back to breakfast another time though. Yesterday, I stopped in for lunch.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I've had a number of items from Curra's menu, and I've yet to be disappointed. This is a place I hit often enough that I continually try new things in addition to going to back to my favorites. Yesterday, I was in a mole mood, so I went with a simple plate of chicken enchiladas topped with their mole. I'd had the mole several times for breakfast, ladled over scrambled eggs, which I then add to a warm flour tortilla that I've painted with refried pinto beansmmhmmmmmhmmmmmhmmmmhmhmmmhmmmmhmmmmhmmmmhmmmhmm...er, uh, excuse me...had it before and like it a lot.
I love good moles, though I'll admit I'm not an expert on them. I guess you'd call this one either a poblano mole or a red mole, though I'm not sure, I just know it's good. And I also know that you can get some pretty crappy dirt-tasting moles. Not here. Curra's is a deep red, and like any good mole, has layers of flavors resulting in a complex, but balanced attack on your palate.
I digress for a minute, bear with me. Let's get associative. I'm guessing there are a bunch of you who don't know what a mole is, or haven't had one, or have vowed never to get one again after being served chicken with runny mud on top of it. Well I liken a good mole to a good bottle of blended wine. A good Bordeaux, which is likely to be mostly cabernet sauvignon or merlot, is blended with some combination of malbec, cab franc, petite verdot, and others, each which brings a different flavor, texture, or weight resulting in a final product which, when done well, hits every part of your tongue in a smooth and mellow manner, with layers of flavors that result in something much more interesting than a single varietal like a cabernet or merlot on it's own. Sweet balances alcohol, fruit balances earth, heavy balances light, and it all sings. Moles are similar, a blend of twenty or thirty chiles, spices, nuts, fruits, and chocolates prepared individually and cooked together to hit every taste bud in your mouth...bitter, salty, sweet, and savory. Mole and claret. The great ones result in something really special, but if you opt for a cheap one, you get dirt.
Back to the meal. Curra's mole is a good, earthy mix, which leans toward bitter, but not aggressively. It lacks heat, and has no real evidence of chocolate, but just layers great earthy flavors with a touch of sweetness to soften it. The chicken is juicy, without any real spice of its own making it a perfect vehicle for the mole's ride. The refried pintos here are good, but not great, but I really like them, I guess more as a condiment than anything. They're on the runnier side, and lack any smoke or meat flavoring, but add a little salt and it works. The rice is a filler, not much to it other than white rice blended with some carrots and lima beans. No spice. That said, both those sides do great work on focusing you on the main, which they've cooked with care and it shows.
As far as what to expect when you walk in, it's just a good, lively place with a brightly colored rustic look that seems authentic as opposed to kitschy. There's outdoor seating and a bar which you can sit at, though the place doesn't carry the vibe of one where you might want to belly up solo and make an evening of it. It's a better bar for grabbing a quick bite for breakfast, lunch or dinner if you're alone. Which I've done. A lot. It's also a great family spot, or spot to take a screaming baby, as well as a good spot for a group dinner.
I highly recommend Curra's, and will go so far as to say at this point its my favorite Mexican place in Austin, and I've tried a lot of them. But this post is long enough, so I'll do an overall review of the place another time. In the meantime, GO.
Summary
Atmosphere: bright authentic Mexican, family friendly
Food: interior Mexican, done very well
Dog Friendly: not sure, maybe on the porch but probably not encouraged
When to Go: breakfast, lunch or dinner
Crowd: families, groups, young and old, and most importantly, REAL Mexicans
What to Order for the First Timer: chorizo egg tacos with borracho salsa, tacos al pastor, cochinita pibil
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