bolsa

fantasy vs. reality. the fantasy ofbolsais very appealing. the concept, the location, the menu . . . the slow food movement.

the reality was very disappointing . . . for all 4 in our party.

the lemon sole was almost too salty to eat. how can lemon sole be salty?

the veal schnitzel was forgettable. bland and small in portion size. apparently, the flavor was optional.

the potato & leek soup was barely warm. it did not taste like potato or leek. i'm really not sure what it tasted like.

the scallops were the surprise of the evening. very flavorful and correctly prepared. the lentils were ok.

we enjoyed the vibe, location and design of the restaurant.

the cost of 2 entrees & 2 soups, tax & tip came to $75+ for the meal. no alcohol and no desert. very disappointing.

the value for the product received is just not there. we will not be back.

my friend and i eat here every time we are in the area. we live in a small town a couple hours away now, butbolsais always first on the list for us when we stay in the bishop arts district. we always start with the bruschetta appetizer. love it. we have tried various things on the menu and never been disappointed. last night i had the lamb sausage with risotto and my husband had schnitzel (on restaurant week menu). just so delicious. oh and my favorite drink is the mad hatter....not on the menu, but ask for it, yummy.

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 makingbolsawork. 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 .bolsais exactly what dodds and harris aspired to make it— chef driven/ farm to table.

creative and delicious. i lovebolsaand 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.

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 butbolsahad 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 anythingbolsahas 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 atbolsais better, but we won't be back nonetheless. it was too expensive for the underwhelming flavors and service in our book.

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:bolsais 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

let's do brunch. i'm a fan of anyplace that has a great brunch and that'sbolsato the "t:" they don't take reservations and that's fine most places don't for brunch so our group arrived early and didn't have to wait at all for a table on the patio. the service was average and the food well above average. there is nothing better on a sunday that bottomless mimosas except for food that compliments your drink which bolsa's menu does. the bruschetta was enjoyed by my friends along with the french toast, i had a wonderful quiche. i would recommend and will visit again. i would advise arriving early if possible. there were a lot of people waiting around 1pm and a few left because of the wait, but i think it's worth the wait.

well done. we went tobolsafor the first time this evening and thoroughly enjoyed it. we had good service, although it got a little slower as the crowds grew. good wine selection, cheese plate was delicious, novel entrees

excellent.bolsaalways has a surprise or two on the menu with assorted game meat etc... they also offer seafood and delicious flatbread pizza choices if your not feeling adventurous. we have never been disappointed. they try to buy organic and locally grown which is a nice touch too. the bar is excellent and the staff is familiar with the most obscure (but fun/enticing/unique) cocktails i have ever tried. the atmosphere is comfortable but you certainly feel like your "out" and involved in something special. i think that has a lot to do with the servers being incredibly sharp and knowledgeable. the ambiance is stylish and modern adding to the overall dining experience.

just right..... first of all i enjoyedbolsavery much. had dinner with a group of friends on a busy saturday night. only had to wait about 10 minutes for a group of 8 people. from appetizers to deserts everything was just right.. wine list matched with food very well. sitting outside with the mister fans was ok. did notice when i walked inside for a brief bit you could smell the kitchen from the dining room. staff was very informant and helpful with making food choices. pork jaw and pbj desert a must

a drinking restaurant.bolsais a great place to have an expensive drink and eat small food items. it is not a great place to go have dinner - too expensive for the quality of the food and way too loud.

my favorite :) highly recommended. i love bolsa!bolsaand r+d are my favorite restaurants of all time. bolsa's delicious menu has made me a regular at this awesome place! i love the atmosphere along with the cocktail menu, paired with out of this world food, who wouldnt fall in love with bolsa!?

menu must haves (imo) bruchetta, spinach salad (drunken cherries, hellow!), the duck! (first time i have ever had duck, melts in your mouth!), any of the flat breads, and the scallops.

i also love their wine list! it is broken down by price so you can get a bottle starting at any budget (25 bucks!)

if you like mediocre food and third class service,bolsais your kinda place. a perfect example of sheepish, group think. there is a lot of hype about bolsa. unfortunately, the only thing that lives up to the hype is their wine list.

after several visits, i can't force myself to suffer through the consistently horrible service again. this one is better left to the trend followers.

service issues hard to look past. i've been here about 8 times, and have finally gotten to the point i simply can't go back because of the service, which is a shame because the food and concept are awesome. the waiters and bartenders (not all, but enough) are quite simply rude. i've spoken with several different friends who have had the same experience, multiple times.

i have been a couple times where this isn't the case, and had a pleasant waitress who was informative and friendly, and sat at the bar once where the bartender was friendly, personable, and did make "bangin" drinks. this was the exception, however, not the rule, and my most recent experience all the same problem staff were there in full force. this is compounded by the fact that through all my visits, i have yet to have a manager approach me or ask me how things were.

i was going to keep all this to myself, and let the previous reviews i have seen speak for themselves, until i saw the newest review which, to me, reads suspiciously like an advertisement.

either way, regarding the assertion that several of the staff are from al biernats and the ritz, maybe therein lies the problem. i frequent al's, and i assure you nobody that sits well there is leaving highland park and a $100 per person average to come to oak cliff for half the price point. likewise, perhaps working in such high end places gives these staff members a feeling of superiority over the dressed down less "sophisticated" types that hit upbolsaas a neighborhood spot.

anyways, i do hope the management and/or ownership takes the many complaints i know they have received to heart, as it would be a shame to lose such a great idea and concept. the trendiness of the place keeps it busy right now, but that only lasts so long, especially in the "oc".