Bess Bistro

This week we decide to hit 6th St. Not for drinks and a hangover, but for a delicious brunch. We decided to visit Sandra Bullock's Bess Bistro, a cute little gem that features awesome south-meets-Europe dishes. It is housed in the basement of an old apartment building on the corner of San Antonio and 6th Street.

500 W. 6th St. Austin, TX
photo: intrigueimports.wordpress.com

Brunch at Bess is served Sundays from 10:30 am-2:30 pm. We got there around 1:00 pm and were surprised to see the place was half empty with no wait. Yes! We were quickly seated and began browsing through the brunch menu .  The options are simple, yet very impressive. Duck sausage and eggs, Croque monsieur, and shrimp and buscuits are some of the more fancy offerings. But hey, I'm the Brunching Bloke and I like to keep things nice and simple. Nothing fancy about my brunching game! So after browsing a bit, Lisa and I were ready to order. I decided on Bess Benedict, which is english muffins with pork, poached egg, and truffle hollandaise sauce. Lisa went with the good old fallback, the Texas waffle, which is served with pecan honey butter. No sides were included with our dishes. 

Bess Benedict

Texas Waffle

We waited a little longer than usual for our food to arrive, but I imagined the chef in the back personally preparing our dishes with love and care. Who knows. Either way, our food finally arrived and looked very pleasing to the eye. But would it be amazing to our taste buds? The answer is Yes! My Bess benedict was awesome with juicy pieces of pork belly and  perfectly cooked poached eggs. And I'm really not a fan of truffles, but the truffle hollandaise sauce was super delicious! Lisa's Texas waffle was really good as well. Good and simple. It's really hard to mess up a waffle, and the pecan butter complimented it well.

Overall, Bess Bistro is definitely worth a visit. The service was good, the food was top notch and high quality, and you can say you went Sandra Bullock's place. 

Chez Zee

Let me begin by saying Chez Zee is ALWAYS packed. But don't get me wrong...this is a good thing. My girlfriend suggested I call and make a reservation. Excellent idea! This would be our third visit for brunch. I am always impressed with the quality of their food and service.

5406 Balcones Dr, Austin, TX.
Photo: Chez Zee

We arrived and the spot was packed as usual. No problem....Ahem, out of my way folks, I have a reservation!  And just like that, we were seated. Our waitress quickly took our drink order and brought over some delicious croissants and fresh strawberry butter. After scanning the menu for a few minutes we were ready to order. I was in omelette mode and decided on the Smoked Chicken, which is served with a side of their delicious country potatoes. My girlfriend decided to go with the Belgian Waffle Platter, served with two eggs, country potatoes, and your choice of fruit, sausage, ham, or bacon. She chose bacon. Yum! While waiting for our order to arrive, we soaked in the environment. The restaurant looks like an old house and the decor and lighting is amazing. It gives the vibe a very romantic feel. I would definitely suggest this place for a first lunch or dinner date. Or maybe a coffee and dessert get-to-know-you type of deal. But hey, I'm only The Brunching Bloke, not a relationship expert...so I'll leave that for someone else and stick to writing about food.

Smoked Chicken Omelette

Belgian Waffle Platter

Our waitress was great and kept our drinks filled. And our food arrived in no time. My omelette looked great. Filled with flavorful smoked chicken, bell peppers, red onions and plenty of Monterey jack cheese. It was truly amazing, and with the side of country potatoes sprinkled with some tobasco sauce, I was eating like a champ. My girl's plate looked super excellent as well. I had a bite of her bacon and I was in hog heaven. Nice and crisp like it should be. After our meal, we both ate her waffle, and that was a perfect ending to a delicious brunch!

Overall, I have to say that Chez Zee offers an excellent brunch. The only advice I can give you is to make a reservation. Don't be left out in the cold like the folks I passed by on my way to my table. Keep on Brunching!

Bacon

900 West 10th Street, Austin

So today the girlfriend and I decided to hit up a fairly new spot named Bacon. Being a fan of bacon (and pork in general) it sounded like a plan. However, today I had something else in mind - chicken and waffles!

Chicken and waffles is an all time fave of mine, and I still find it a little irritating that this tasty combo can only be found in a handful of menus in town. So once I heard that it was an item on their menu, I planned to make this spot my weekly brunch trek.

Bacon has a simple, yet diverse menu ranging from breakfast plates to burgers and sandwiches, all bacon infused or inspired. And for all you late risers, they serve breakfast all day. But back to the lecture at hand....CHICKEN and WAFFLES! Bacon does an awesome job! They serve you two plump buttermilk battered ckicken cutlets on top of a tasty waffle. Add the seasoned butter and syrup and you are good to go! I've tried this dish at every other place in town that has it available, and I think it's safe to say while it's not #1 on my list, it is one of my top three.