bolsa

3 mos since my last visit, 5 more people at our table, 5 completely different orders and we all loved it! additionally we all ordered from the very unique cocktail menu. good stuff. new exec chef, new ideas showing up in the menu. go here! great stuff!


-----13 dec, 2014-----

omg this place! six of us ordered all different plates and shared. not a bad meal amongst us. go here and support this restaurant that supports local ingredients.

my writer-author-mentor-friend from houston, john demers , came to dallas for two full days of radio interviews and tastings with many different chefs. one of my favorites was meeting bolsa’s executive chef jeff harris. during the interview, his demeanor was that of a wholesome, down-to-earth guy with his heart fully into making bolsa work. he began by sharing a bit of his cheffing background, as well as what it was like living life on a farm. harris grew up in east texas. both sets of his grandparents had farms and were also amazing cooks. harris didn’t work in a restaurant until he was 26 years old. it wasn’t until after graduating from college that he realized life behind a desk was a total bummer. rather than settle wearing a suit, he finally enrolled at the institute of culinary education in new york city. harris stepped in after graham dodds departed to start a new gig at central 214 . bolsa is exactly what dodds and harris aspired to make it— chef driven/ farm to table.

the service was horrible. we waited for at least 10 min until the waiter came and took our orders and then we waited extra 5-7 min (after our plates were taken away) to order the dessert. the waiter kept hanging out at the register and did not pay any attention to us. secondly, the place is way too loud for this kind of restaurant.

creative and delicious. i love bolsa and am so pleased that the shine has not worn off of this amazing offering. most recently, the bacon wrapped apricots stole my heart! i've made them at home twice now and can't get enough!

keep up the good work.

we came here years ago for lunch and really liked it. i was much less impressed about dinner. the food was ok but really needed some salt (which was not available on the table). the positives though were our outstanding waiter and the amazing dessert. overall it just felt like the food and drink menus were trying to hard. with so many outstanding restaurants in the bishop arts district, i jut didn't feel like this stood out.

came for the cocktails, stayed for the food.. i came for the drinks (since this was voted top 6 cocktail bars in dfw by dallas observer) but i stayed for the food.
we started with the hummus which was impressive and the best i've had, it had a freshness that i could not quite put my finger on. next were the rabbit rillettes which was on good bread but oddly the rabbit tasted much like tuna fish, it was interesting and tasted good but not something i would recommend. almost every nice restaurant has a pork belly appetizer but bolsa had the best one i've had so far because it was accompanied with morel mushrooms and a puree of what i thought was potato and together it was near perfect, more like an entree. following was the calamari "ceviche like" dish which was very good and tender but more like a salad so not all that satisfying for us. lastly we had a lamb meatball in tomato sauce that was very good but for me still just a meatball and not worth ordering, not to mention it should be in an italian restaurant, not here. for desert was a creme brulee that was very floral and tasted great but it's basically pudding.
as far as the drinks; first i must note that i asked for a drink with fresh juice and the waiter said not a single drink there contained fresh juice aside from some purees.
at recommendation from the waiter we got a "jane doe" (orange blossom water, strawberry, sage, etc..) it was very good and floral but you can't make a refreshing cocktail perfect without fresh juice so i was very disappointed at this. the drink was good but you can't make something refreshing if there is nothing fresh in it aside from some muddled fruit which adds minimal flavor. so if you are coming here purely for the drinks i think it's a mistake because, for example, si lom makes a cucumber martini that blows away anything bolsa has on their menu and i don't normally drink martinis. i will be back, but not for the drinks, but rather for the pork belly.

having seen the ad for this place in edible magazine, i was really looking forward to trying it. maybe it was an off day, but we found the service to be a bit cold, and the food, though fresh, merely average. considering the price we paid for the bruschetta appetizer, turkey sandwich ($9), and burger ($13), excellent instead of ho-hum would have been worth it. the only thing that made us feel better about the trip from fort worth to dallas was the chocolates we got from a store called dude, sweet after lunch. maybe dinner at bolsa is better, but we won't be back nonetheless. it was too expensive for the underwhelming flavors and service in our book.

valentines day dinner. we ordered the seared scallops for $33.00 and it came with only 3(three) scallops and a few mini potatoes! no bread, nada. the lobster for $37.00 had no taste, not even butter. this was our fifth time here. we won't be back because we were ripped off on valentines day.

i have only been once but i was not disappointed and plan on making it a regular stop. what i love about this place is the food quality and flavor mixed with the way i felt when i left. i had lunch and dessert and still left without the full sick feeling. they totally have the portion size down to an art. i had the wagyu shortribs and i am craving them again already. if you are getting dessert you will do yourself an injustice by not ordering the white chocolate rum tile. it was one of the best desserts i have had in quite some time. and one thing i failed to mention is the plating of each made me feel like i was eating at a five star restaurant. definitely going back soon.

definitely a foodie place to go, and love the half price wines. but we always leave hungry. typical meal is a tiny medallion of a wonderful meat in a few ounces of sauce or polenta with a sprig of something that would not satisfy a gerbil. no salad or side. great atmosphere, but if you usually eat a meal you may be hungry again in an hour. my recommendation: go tues for half priced wine, order one thing they recommend to share, then go to dinner again at nova, enos, or veracruz close by.

try the squash soup, sit at a booth, carry some mace and get an extra shot in that drink. food: it was solid. we tried the fig and branch and homemade sausage flatbreads plus the squash soup. all three were good, but the squash soup was really the only memorable item

drinks: the twister and 50 shades of pink both had great flavor but were pretty weak. i dont think i've ever been able to finish a large drink without feeling tipsy, but did i tonight.

service: solid performance, although our server had a somewhat strange affect

atmosphere: older building with lots of character. interior is cozy and even kind of romantic with a mix of rustic and modern finishes and soft lighting. however, the tables are close together and this is a very popular place so it's fairly loud.
- tip: sit in a booth against the far wall to keep from feeling claustrophobic

location/parking: bolsa is in an "economically diverse" part of town. that being said, there was no valet when we went. we had to park a good distance down a shady block and i was definitely vigilant walking down the street to my car.

bottom line: good place to go to experience an interesting part of town, some unique dishes, preppy drinks and a cozy atmosphere

bolsa is really the bomb, from drinks to atmosphere to food to service...at the top of the list.

all i can say is, if you don’t order the kolaches you will regret it. the bread is fluffy and buttery with the perfect amount of cheese on the inside and the most delicious sausage you will ever taste. just think bratwurst-fontina, wild boar-texas star, and mustard. if that doesn’t get you there, i don’t kno

i ate there for the first time last week and omg it was wonderful. i had the lamb - magnificent! our waitress was attentive, personable and interactive, without being intrusive. i will most definitely go back.

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love this place for the food and the patio. beware: when i was there, our waitress and a customer were bit by a dog on their "dog friendly" patio. the waitress' bite broke skin and bled so bad someone else had to cover our table while she tended to her wounded arm. it wasn't until i said something to the manager about this being not okay at all that the drunk customer, his friends, and his bitting dog were asked to leave. i'm all for dog friendly patios, but only for friendly dogs.