Our Dining Critic Visited All Five of Texas’ James Beard Award Nominees. Here’s How He Voted.

by Brian Reinhart

Iliana de la Vega, El Naranjo, Austin. This was an easy choice. My meal at El Naranjo was superb in every way: a great menu of Mexican food cooked with precision, seasoned with balance, plated with visual flair, and served with great cocktails. With each dish, we were delighted by how right the food was; maybe it’s not as creative or rebellious as Xin Chào, but it’s thoughtful, considered, and consistently prepared exactly the way you’d want it to be. Imagine the ideal ceviche, how the fish and seasonings and acids would be balanced—and that’s how it is at El Naranjo. Imagine the ideal smoky-but-not-too-much mezcal cocktail—and that’s how it is at El Naranjo. Imagine salsa macha you want to drizzle over every food in your pantry—and El Naranjo has it.

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Photo: Brian Reinhart