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Old Fashioned
Muddle one orange segment,
one sugar packet and a cherry
2 oz. Knob Creek Whiskey
Splash of bitters
Splash of water
Serve up in Martini Glass
or on the rocks in Old Fashioned Glass
(orange and cherry are the garnishes)
Classic Beefeater Gibson
2 oz. Beefeater Gin
Shake/chill
Served up in Martini glass
Garnished with skewer of (3) cocktail onions
Ambrosia Margarita
1.25 oz. Hornitos Reposado Tequila
2 oz. lime juice (about 2-3 squeezes)
1 oz. agave nectar (1 squeeze)
Shake/stir
Served on the rocks in tall Collins Glass
Sidecar
1.25 oz. Jacques Cardin Brandy
0.75 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. fresh lemon juice
(1 good squeeze)
Shake/strain into sugar–rimmed Martini Glass
Blue Stockings
1 oz. Blue Alize
0.75 oz. Ketel One Vodka
Splash of Jacques Cardin Brandy
0.5 oz. white cranberry juice
Shake/strain into Martini Glass
WEB EXCLUSIVE
Sip in the Seasons at Bess Bistro
In a Setting That's Always in Season
By Nicole Carbon
Tucked below a burgundy awning and down a flight of stairs perched at the pewter-topped bar, Sandra Bullock is sipping a nice glass of red wine, her drink of choice. While she may only be a part-time Austin resident, Bullock does make her way into Bess quite often (or at least often enough to give her stamp of approval to new menu items that change with the seasons). While this may be a celebrity-owned restaurant, Bess is far from the snooty, see-and-be-seen restaurants known by so many bearing a celebrity name. When Bullock is not there to greet you, you are in the good hands of Executive Chef and General Manager Mizael Saucedo and his team of hospitable hosts. Bess is casual chic – fancy but familiar with a menu that marries French bistro with southern comfort, Cajun and Creole cuisine. Saucedo has a real passion for excellent food and delivers superior quality with an unpretentious flare.
A lithograph of Bess, a fictional character of the turn-of-the-century Storyville district in New Orleans, is perched above the fireplace. Reminiscent of French-influenced New Orleans at that time or as bartender Lori Buhl calls it, "brothel chic," the refurbished bank vault in the Stratford Arms building took four years to refurbish and Bullock left no detail undone. Antique chandeliers hang from copper-embossed ceilings to illuminate leather-tufted banquettes, creating cozy nooks beneath street-level windows. The middle of the restaurant is filled with wooden tables and chairs situated cozily close together in true bistro-style. A large, pewter-topped bar, with purse hooks (one of my criteria denoting a good bar), spans the entrance way and cocktail area, elongating into the dining room.
As the food menu changes with the seasons, so do the cocktails. A collaboration of bar manager John Wilkes and bartenders Lori Buhl and Bethany Perkins, the cocktail menu is a revamped version of the original menu that has been in place for the three years since Bess first opened. Sectioned into two, the menu lists Traditional Favorites as well as Bess Specialty Cocktails. Look for seasonal ingredients such as basil, mint and cranberries. All herbs come from a shared garden with Bess' neighbor John Roenigk of The Austin Wine Merchant. There is a quiet stewardship of this garden between Saucedo and Roenigk. Saucedo credits Roenigk for his kind and generous contributions to the garden while our palates get to reap the benefits. A fantastic sampling can be found in the Basil Martini, made with garden fresh basil and Hendrick’s cucumber and rose-infused gin. To get us in the holiday spirit, Wilkes' Blue Stockings smells like Christmas with its cranberry pinewood flavor that is a blend of Ketel One Vodka, brandy, Blue Alizé and white cranberry juice.
Buhl states that the margarita is a “must-have” in Texas and therefore it can be found twice on the menu under both the traditional and specialty lists. Buhl's version is what she calls a "skinny margarita," but one fit for the gods and rightfully named is the Ambrosia Margarita. It is a simple combination of Hornitos Reposado Tequila, lime juice and agave nectar. Living in Texas, you can tell a lot about a restaurant by its margarita. Often, it is the only thing I order when a new place opens in town. If it's good, I'll commit to a full meal, if it's not, it's off the list. Buhl's creation truly is heavenly.
The crowd pleaser and showstopper is the Showtime Tea, named after Damien Holten, Bullock's bus driver and bodyguard, whose nickname happens to be “Showtime.” He wanted a sweet tea drink on the initial cocktail menu and he happened to be at the bar the day a shipment of Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea Vodka came in. With a little experimenting by Buhl and a former bartender, Holten got what he wished for and so was born the Showtime Tea, which also happens to be a favorite of Saucedo. A take on an Arnold Palmer, I must admit it was darn good tea and a perfect complement to the cuisine.
Traditional Favorites were added to the menu because customers asked for them, especially the Old Fashioned, which mixes Knob Creek Whiskey and bitters. Perkins' contribution is the Classic Beefeater Gibson, a gin martini with cocktail onions. Also look for a Sidecar that blends Jacques Cardin Brandy, Cointreau and lemon juice with a sugared rim. It is rumored that the margarita is an evolution of this classic cocktail originating nearly 20 years prior.
Not to be overlooked is a recently added bar food menu with selections ranging from soup to nuts, almost literally. "I like to have a knick knack of everything," adds Saucedo. Saucedo explains that when he goes out, he enjoys a hodgepodge of bites and different flavors, as in a Spanish-style tapas restaurant. His menu at Bess allows us to do the same without the Spanish influence. My favorite is the smoked bacon mussels, Saucedo's pick is the lamb chops. He remarks, "It's the rub I put on them. I put them on the menu for my wife."
On a recent weekday evening, I made my way down the stairs and made myself comfortable at Sandy's bar (that's what the staff refers to her as). This is one of my regular routines. I spot several familiar faces and Buhl points out the pair to my right comes in every Tuesday evening for the shrimp and grits and others have a standing appointment for a helping of Friday night's fish and chips paired with a seasonal sip or simply a nice glass of red wine. With warm greetings and southern hospitality paired with sophisticated comfort food, a visit to Bess never goes out of season.
MORE INFO
Bess Bistro on Pecan
500 West 6th Street
Austin, TX 78701
512.477.2377
bessbistro.com