our little secret
Kristin Haver’s casa columbia
1614 E. 7th St. (512) 495 9425 casa-columbia.com
96
january 2012
tribeza.com
C
asa Colombia, “the best hidden secret in Austin” — you never disappoint. You touch our hearts and make our bellies happy every time! Casa Colombia is within walking distance from my husband Dustin’s office, and he first stumbled across it when he was working at a client’s office just across the street. Now it’s the spot of choice for Dustin to take a break with coworkers, whether they are grabbing a cup (okay maybe 5 cups) of the 100 percent Columbian coffee or actually ordering the Carne Asada or the Bistec a Caballo. And I am known to call him towards the end of the day to make take-out dinner requests. We always like to keep things fun and fresh, so we try to make a point to have weekly dates. Sometimes we go out to din-
ner, but since we are both so busy and just had our first baby last month. We also meet for lunches and breakfasts. Whatever time of day you are at Casa Colombia, our advice is to go for the special. I think we have tried all of them throughout the past year, and they are always fresh and delicious. My personal favorite is the Tamal Vallunom, a plantain-wrapped tamale filled with chicken, pork, beef and veggies. It used to only be available Thursday through Sunday; however, it was so popular that it is now an official menu item. Dustin loves the Chuleta Valluna. He gets the two fried eggs on top, of course. Oh, and almost every dish is served with a side of salsa, rice and delicious green plantains — YUM! The environment is charming and warm and it manages to give you a little South American feel. And the staff could not be any sweeter — your water glass will never get low, and they will coddle you like you are part of the family. I love when they tell me, “good job,” after I devour every last bite on my plate. Please come visit Casa Colombia next time you are over on East Seventh — you’ll find us at our booth! KRISTIN HAVER Kristin Haver is the owner of Folk Wellness Co. (folkwellness.co), a fitness and wellness company for the common folk. She also dedicates time each week to Marathon Kids — a nonprofit fighting the childhood obesity issue. Dustin Haver is a freelance graphic designer and the creative lead at local startup Loku (loku.com), an online platform that helps locals discover, share, create and follow what they love most about our city.
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