rev:text
| - Birthday celebrations should be done up big and Beso definitely fits that description. From their signature cocktails to the food, very little disappoints. It was a friends birthday and she wanted to come to Beso then followed by a night of dancing up at Eve. This is definitely her right with the world ending and all.
We got their at 9pm and half of our group was running late, so we sat at the bar for a few cocktails. The Raspberry Beso is a definite must get for anyone who loves this berry, because it is has two types of raspberry liquors and fresh berries muddled in. The Cosmic Ginger was also a fine choice. I am a big fan of this root and it does not disappoint. The BBO was a blood orange centered drink, but was overpowered by the alcohol. My favorite was the Pear and Elderberry Sangria. It was a light white wine base with mellow flavors. All of these handcrafted drinks cost $15.
When the rest of the party did show up, we ordered everything family style. Not too long after settling, orders of the paella balls, Eva's guacamole, seared crab cakes, olives and shaved almonds came out. As my friends would say, the guac was legit. The pure avocado goodness was balanced with no flavor being too strong. When breaking the crab cakes you could see the defined chunks of meat instead of a mass of unidentifiable mystery substance. The paella bites were my favorite. They were crisp on on the outside and soft in the center. This is an ingenious way to give the guest that crispy bottom of the pan feeling in every bite.
For entrees we got the chili rubbed skirt steak, salmon, pan seared chicken, and seared ahi tuna. The sides consisted of mac and cheese, house mash potatoes, and asparagus. The star of the dinner was the steak. Although it was the cheapest cut on the whole menu, it was tender and bursting with flavor. Even if price was not a factor, I would have ordered it again. The sides were all very good, but the mac and cheese was the best. It was creamy and decadent. I only allowed myself a few bites because it is a slippery slop to heaping scoops.
For dessert, we got the churros, a banana creme brulee, and the chocolate cake. Fried dough and sugary is never a mistake right? Especially at Beso. They were light, soft and better than any churro I have ever had. They came with a caramel sauce and whipped cream for dipping. It is not a suggestion. The creme brulee was good, just not as noteworthy. The chocolate cake, on the other hand, struck a up a negative reaction. It was salty on it's own, but when paired with the ice cream it was a nice mix of sweet and salty like caramel, but you do not get too much of the frozen delight, so it went mainly uneaten.
This is a great restaurant to impress a date. The atmosphere is romantic yet clubby for a modern and sheik clientele.
|