Tibi Eats 012 | Suerte
Tibi Eats 012 | Suerte
1800 E 6th Street, Austin TX 78702
A couple weekends ago I flew down to Austin to watch the Texas Longhorns play the Georgia Bulldogs in the most anticipated and hyped-up game of the Texas season. This was my first return to Texas since moving to NYC at the end of April, and upon touching down at Austin Bergstrom, I felt a feeling that can only seem to be described as one of finally returning home after a long and extended work-trip or vacation. Whenever I leave New York for travel in the U.S., especially if going to a Southern or Mid-Western state, there is always this shift that I have to consciously make, telling my brain and body to chill, bring it down a couple notches, as the natural cadence of life follows a much different, slower pace than that of NYC - drivers take a few extra seconds to hit the gas in response to green traffic lights, pedestrians move a bit lethargically on the sidewalk, and grocery baggers take their time scanning your produce at checkout. As one who typically operates at a higher speed as I move through life, I find these moments where I am forced to relax deeply refreshing, serving as a reminder to seek them out more often.
While the Texas game was as great a football spectacle as one could possibly ask for, with an insane pregame B-1 flyover and 3rd quarter drone firework show, the horns got rocked, and the heavily Georgia sided family group-chat showed no mercy in the postgame debrief. My time in Austin was brief, and since the main objective of the trip was to spend time with best friends from UT also in town for the game, most nights consisted of visiting our classic college spots like the Bees Knees, Matt’s El Rancho, or The Local (Mockingbird Saloon). With that said, I did find time on my last night in the city to stop by Suerte with a great friend of mine who had never been before.
When Fermin & Sam opened Suerte in 2018, the restaurant and its approach to Mexican cuisine completely changed the game, raising the bar for Mexican food in the U.S. and blowing peoples’ minds with the best masa they had ever tasted. Thoughtful, purposeful, artful, educated, curious, consistent - I could go on and on - these are just a few adjectives I would use to articulate what Suerte brings to the table and what the team behind Sam & Fermin represent. No fuss, no frills, wear your Sids and your Perfect T or your Stellas and Liam Blazer. Your experience can be as dressed up or down as you prefer, and having done it both ways many times, I actually have no preference to either - a testament to the carefully curated environment that facilitates equally as special experiences no matter the occasion. I can no longer count on one hand the number of times I have spent my nights at Suerte, but I can tell you every spot I have sat in, those that accompanied me, and the conversations that we had - something intangible about the space and its ambiance has resulted in a breeding ground for core memories.
If you have read my writing before, Chef Fermin and his restaurants should ring a bell as they are quite frequently mentioned but have yet to have been dedicated a full piece. As we will return to Austin in a little over a week’s time to film our second Salon Series discussion, featuring Fermin as one of the special guests, it felt quite fitting that this month’s Tibi Eats would be about his first baby, Suerte.
Located in the heart of East Austin’s sixth street, surrounded by great bars, breweries, and other various dining concepts, Suerte’s pink neon sign illuminates the Austin night, acting as a beacon of the best food, drinks, and hospitality one could ask for. Jam packed, open to close, seven days a week, snagging a reservation when possible is probably your best move for securing a table, but there is also a concerted effort by the FOH to reserve room for walk-ins - show up, put your name down, and hang out by the open kitchen with drinks from the bar - I promise the conversations and people-watching will move time along swiftly, and before the end of your second drink you will be seated.
Suerte has an especially creative cocktail menu, as well as a meticulously chosen wine list, making it hard to decide between just one or the other - if it’s a celebratory evening, which it always is at Suerte - then I would dabble between both, and if that’s not your thing, their mocktails are equally as delicious. The size of the ever-changing, seasonal savory menu hits that sweet spot where you can order most of what you want to try, but not everything, saving the missed items for your next return. There are a few dishes that we get every visit, the Fundamentals or Without Fails (WOFs) if you will, and then there are our In & Outs (I&Os) and Have to Haves (HTHs) - I find that our Tibi lingo is interestingly just applicable when breaking down a great menu and how to order as it is when thinking about your closet.
At Suerte, your WOFs are going to be the Tuna Tiradito, Ceviche, and Suadero Tacos. The Suadero Taco is one of the most famous tacos in the U.S., there have been countless articles written about them, and even an episode on Netflix’s Taco Chronicles. In fact, I wonder if there has ever been a table at Suerte that did not order the Suadero Tacos, I would venture to guess not. Next up are your I&Os, these options are going to be dependent on when you go and the seasonal offering at the moment. On our most recent visit, we were lucky to catch the Caesar Tostada - think the crunchiest, freshest caesar salad you’ve ever had on top of the crispiest corn tostada - and the Flautas en Mole Negro - if you ever see mole on a Fermin menu it should be an instantaneous addition. Moving along, finally, to your HTHs, this would encompass my favorite category on Suerte’s menu as it represents an ever evolving and rotating selection of imagination and ingenuity. I feel inclined to note that Suerte’s detailed approach to non-sea proteins is what makes their HTH dishes so special - the processes, wisdom, and attention that go into the preparation of the barbacoa, the carnitas, or the carne asada specifically. If it weren’t for the large format and robust nature of their flavors, I would throw the aforementioned proteins into the WOFs category, but I understand that there are some occasions where one may want to keep things lighter.
Rounding it all out, let’s take a moment to discuss the sweet side of Suerte. I am not a sweets person, and I typically prefer to skip dessert - that was until I met Chef Derrick (Ders). I must admit, I still oftentimes skip dessert, unless I am at one of Chef Derrick’s restaurants, in which case I feel obligated to try his genius creations. The staple here is going to be the Chocotaco - frozen cinnamon semifredo surrounded by a chocolate masa shell, peanut caramel and roasted peanuts - think the greatest frozen snickers bar encapsulated in a cold, beautifully nixtamalized chocolate masa shell.
Chef Fermin and co. serve as fundamental pieces in the growth and success of the food culture explosion in Austin over the last 10-15 years, and much of the creativity and inspiration in the city can be derived and traced back to projects that Fermin and others he has worked with have touched and been a part of, from Uchi to Launderette, to La Condesa, and more. I would say, conservatively, that Suerte is the restaurant of all restaurants to visit in Austin, Texas, and one would be deeply remiss if they found themselves in the city and did not take advantage of their proximity to some of the most intentional and heart-filled Mexican food in the country.
(To my Este familia, you are not forgotten at the slightest, but I had to take the time to acknowledge the place that started it all).
Wow. I will for sure go there next time I am in Austin. I wish they were here in Manhattan.
Thx you for another piece of writing, your observations and analysis.