***Traveling Entry - Austin, TX***
3 out of 5 Stars
500 W 6th St
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 477-2377
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 477-2377
I wish I could say Sandra Bullock's Austin eatery is the BESSt (had to do it), but it was just OK.
The menu at Bess could be described as "French Country Comfort Food" (if that exists). Imagine lots of butter, cream and fried _______, so clearly our girl, Sandy is not actually eating here.
My party of six squeezed into a cocktail table in the bar area. I was pleasantly surprised with the variety on the menu ranging from mouth watering small plates to steak frite and even mmmmm.....mussels. The prices were reasonable for a celebrity restaurant as well - nice work, Sandy!
I went with the challah burger - a basic burger BUT they gave me the option of Gouda cheese (which I obviously accepted). Unfortunately the Gouda did not help this rather mundane burger. Cooked medium, as requested, I easily left half of the portion deserted on the table (just too bland).
My friends adored the the fries it came with (served steak style and excellently seasoned sweet and spicy). I, however, COULD NOT GET ENOUGH of the fried artichoke appetizer my other gal pal ordered.
Artichoke is always sublime, but served battered and topped with shredded Parmesan cheese....sinful and EXCELLENT. Be forewarned that those are battered lemons, not squash mixed into the bowl of fried amazingess - which flavored the the artichoke beautifully!
The ambiance at Bess was excellent; dimly lit boudoir decor with several rounded booths and a few private rooms (appeared to seat up to 8). This would make for an excellent girls night out dinner and even a great date spot.
What's not so excellent? The air vents on the ceiling that created a border of "condensation water bubbles" that were just waiting to drip on to our food . Luckily this did not happen - but it would not have been cute. MGMT - get on it.
Service was great (even barside), as we had a bubbly waitress who timed our meal perfectly.
Bottom line - not a top recommendation, but Bess has potential to kick off a good night in downtown Austin.
The menu at Bess could be described as "French Country Comfort Food" (if that exists). Imagine lots of butter, cream and fried _______, so clearly our girl, Sandy is not actually eating here.
My party of six squeezed into a cocktail table in the bar area. I was pleasantly surprised with the variety on the menu ranging from mouth watering small plates to steak frite and even mmmmm.....mussels. The prices were reasonable for a celebrity restaurant as well - nice work, Sandy!
I went with the challah burger - a basic burger BUT they gave me the option of Gouda cheese (which I obviously accepted). Unfortunately the Gouda did not help this rather mundane burger. Cooked medium, as requested, I easily left half of the portion deserted on the table (just too bland).
My friends adored the the fries it came with (served steak style and excellently seasoned sweet and spicy). I, however, COULD NOT GET ENOUGH of the fried artichoke appetizer my other gal pal ordered.
Artichoke is always sublime, but served battered and topped with shredded Parmesan cheese....sinful and EXCELLENT. Be forewarned that those are battered lemons, not squash mixed into the bowl of fried amazingess - which flavored the the artichoke beautifully!
The ambiance at Bess was excellent; dimly lit boudoir decor with several rounded booths and a few private rooms (appeared to seat up to 8). This would make for an excellent girls night out dinner and even a great date spot.
What's not so excellent? The air vents on the ceiling that created a border of "condensation water bubbles" that were just waiting to drip on to our food . Luckily this did not happen - but it would not have been cute. MGMT - get on it.
Service was great (even barside), as we had a bubbly waitress who timed our meal perfectly.
Bottom line - not a top recommendation, but Bess has potential to kick off a good night in downtown Austin.
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