Bess Bistro on Pecan - $$/$$$

Located: Downtown, 500 West 6th Street, Austin, TX 78701
www.bessbistro.com


Overall Rating: A
Wow. We loved this restaurant! Bess Bistro is tucked away on West 6th Street near Star Bar, at the corner of San Antonio - a minimal but elegant eatery with a menu of comfort-turned-gourmet food. The 1900's restored interior has a bit of burlesque fancy with leather padded pillars and chandeliers, and the food . . . oh the food . . . so soulful. This little jewel was surrounded by buzz last year when its owner Sandra Bullock opened it to the public. We wondered if it still stacked up. We're pleased to say it did.

Jessie Says:
Food - We ordered the Semolina Crusted Artichoke Hearts to start. These little pieces of heaven were served with a delicious, lemony aioli sauce with flash fried spinach and parmesan cheese. Not only did I love it, but I'm completely sold on the fried spinach. It was was so delicate. For my entree, I chose their version of Shepherd's Pie. Neil, the resident Britton, said it's not truly Shepherd's Pie without peas but the adding anything to this dish would make me physically angry. It was perfection - the kind of food that makes you want to take a pleasant nap after eating it. We shared a macaroni au gratin which was made with a perfectly seasoned bechamel sauce. To finish it off, we shared a Texas Snowball - a little ditty made with homemade brownie, ice cream, toasted meringue. Loved the brownie, loved the concept, hated the ice cream which we found out was Blue Bunny (blah).

Service - I love a friendly server. Ours was a little hands off for my taste, but I really have no complaints. Our drinks were never empty, our food was steaming hot, and delivery of our meal was well-paced.

Decor - Loved the coziness of the space. The whole restaurant has a creative, well thought-out concept that I can appreciate.

Cleanliness - I was a little bugged that the chandelier above our table was dusty. But overall, it was fine.

Neil Says:
Food - Excellent. While the artichoke hearts were wonderful, I was more enamored by the flash fried spinach. It melted like butter...sprinkled with cheese. My main course was the seafood risotto and it was great. I felt that the portion was well thought - so many places these days tend to pile huge amounts of food on huge plates - and the assortment of seafood was good. I will say that it had a strong seafood taste and smell, so if you don't like that sort of thing then get some more spinach. The macaroni was very good, however I have developed a taste for the paste-based variety so the bechamel took some adjustment. It was delicious though. For dessert? A brownie topped with ice cream topped with a toasted meringue. Yes, that was a run-on (for effect) and yes, it could have done with some Amy's Mexican Vanilla, but who am I to question the perfection of that brownie?

Service - Our water was never empty, our food was hot and well timed, our waiter was knowledgeable about the food and preparation. I swear I have read that somewhere...

Decor - I liked the combination of the earthy brick and mortar with the plush leather accents and booths. The waining light of day falling through the ground-level windows (the dining area is below ground) added a warm touch. For such a hard surfaced space I would keep the music at a lower db, but it was a Friday night. We should have asked to be seated at a table instead of a booth...neither one of us is exceptionally tall and the booth tables were. Overall it was comfortable and inviting.

Cleanliness - Yep, it was clean. I would expect as such for an establishment that has this level of ambiance. There was a small amount of dust on the chandelier above our table, but nothing that would offend.