Beso

So I generally read reviews for restaurants before dining at them and for Beso it was no exception. I read some negative comments on this site and it made me more apt to go try it for my self. I mean its Todd English's food creation and Eva Longorias so called "baby" so I just had to try it. And to be perfectly honest, im SOOOOO glad I did!!! From the second we walked in...I knew we were in for a great night. The food was beyond words--we had the skirt steak with the cream spinach and the pan seared halibut (all of the food came out piping hot!, the drinks with the fresh fruit in them were AMAZING(I would totally recommend the blackberry vodka collins) and the icing on the cake--THE DESSERT. a must is the churros with the home made ice cream sandwiches. Over all it was a night to remember. The service was great! I will be returning to Beso again!!!

Pros: service, drinks, food, and decor

Cons: when I can think of something I will let you know!

Posted 05/22/08

VERY DISAPOINTING! Todd.....Call Chef Ramsey! Maybe he can help you! But, I will say the Restaurant is beautiful....5 Stars for that, Eva, but it ends there. Expensive for bad food and worse service. Such a shame!
A real disapointment as my husband and I were sooo looking forward to it! A celebration that turned
out great after we stopped, else where, and got some real food! I had high expectations and we wanted to
see for ourselves to see if what "they" are sayng was true...it is true. (My husband would not eat his dinner after one taste) Eva, I still love you! SassySuzeeQ

Posted 05/22/08

Beso is beautiful with modern decor and luxurious touches. Crystal chanedliers hang from the exposed beam ceilings, creating a lovely juxtaposition between sophisticated and rustic that is echoed in the food and presentation. The food is totally decent, but disappointing for the price and not quite worthy of the ambience. Still, I didn't hate it. There are great cocktail & wine options. I'd be much more likely to stop in for drinks at the bar than I would to dine at Beso again.

Pros: Decor & Drinks

Cons: For the price, you could get a MUCH better meal

Posted 05/21/08

Are there enough losers around to patronize this place? I almost recommend Beso, only because normal people will enjoy a sense of superiority when they this. If you've got low self esteem, if you need to be abused to feel good, if you worship celebrities so much that you feel special just to be in a restaurant owned by one, then this is the place for you. It's not popular enough to have a long line, but they try to exclude people, just to showhem how exclusive they are. It's a crazy marketing plan. Perhaps, people who are mistreated will want to come back and "show them" that they can be part of their world.
There's a bouncer who is really large, probably 7 feet tall. He intimidates people, and says "I'm in charge here. I'm the m'aitre d'hi."
Inside, they tell people that they cannot come in for drinks. You need dinner reservations. I actually heard them say: "We don't want people like you who come in to have a drink and look around."
Is there really anything wrong with that?
Then the bouncer goes up to people and says "Don't be intimidated, just because I'm so big."
Someone responded: "OK, and don't you be intimidated just because I'm educated."
You won't see celebrities, just pretenders.
But the insults are actually funny. After they tell people to leave, they say "There's a Denny's down the street, for you."
The food is average and inconsistent. Denny's is better.
I overheard someone say: "After this, I don't even want to watch 'Desperate Housewives."
It's become a sport to give it back to these shallow snobs. People call up and make reservations for themselves as "Jeffrey Katzenberg". Or they do so simple math in front of the pretentious employess just to mess with them. It's like flogging the village idiot, but they deserve it because they are claiming this false superiority.

Pros: Funny if you see the irony. Interesting Space, high celings,

Cons: Low life people parading as elitists.

Posted 05/18/08

Beso my a**. Thank God there's a Del Taco two blocks away. Just kidding.

Just to be honest, I don't think this place is/was all that great. If you're looking for some new, hot, special place - there are a number of other places that I'd spend my money at. This place has a good location and high ceilings, that's about it.

The decor is decent, but not as nice as it should be to raise the kind of attention they think they deserve. The scene is not all that special either, if that's what you're looking for. If you are impressed by a bunch of b listers or people who act like they have more money they they really do, then maybe you'll like it.

Pros: Center of the action. Del Taco is close by or you can walk to a better place for dancing & drinking.

Cons: The hype. Makes everyone involved in the place think they are better than you.

Posted 05/16/08

The 2 hour drive from Laguna Niguel to Hollywood was worth it. $350.00 for a party of four wasn't bad. The food was excellent, and the background music really helps create the atmosphere Eva tried to create. This is a very trendy, elegant well thought out floor plan. Don't let the outside of the facility fool you. Margarita's are a must. Becareful when you bump into a star, it is bound to happen. My wife Loved it, it was a great evening. I read the other Review's and in all fairness evryone has differnet taste. Despite all of the dinning my Wife and I have done this is my first review. If you can afford it , I think you should try it.
I think there are 3 components to a good evening, the food, Service and most important the company.
Enjoy your Journey.

Pros: ambience was nice

Cons: "hollywood"

Posted 05/15/08

Great service. I do not understand all the negative reviews, but my husband and I had reservations for Friday night. We arrived a little late and were seated right away. The service was out of this world!! I highly recommend the mango martini. There was never a moment I felt like I needed something that my server did not provide!!! We had the special that evening of the shrimp flat bread, the lobster empinadas, and the blackened shrimp. I would say the blackened shrimp were a little hard to eat and were stuck to the shell, but the rest of the food was great. We tried the strawberry rehbarb for dessert and were also impressed with it. I will be visiting Beso when I return to LA next time. Also the atmosphere was wonderful and decor was amazing.

Pros: great service, excellent food, amazing ambience!

Cons: the blackened shrimp!

Posted 05/10/08

I made reservations for Beso a month in advance for 8:15 on a Friday evening - why, I have no idea. The restaurant wasn't even full until about 10:00. The main dining room had 5 empty booths when we were being seated (late). The hostess attempted to seat us in the corner of a back room, behind a loud table of 12. When we asked to be seated in the main dining room, she said all of those tables were reserved for other guests. I asked to speak with a manager, and things only got worse. The general manager was a complete dooshbag and had the nerve to tell us that each of those tables were reserved for the restaurant's "investors", but he would see what he could do. We were taken to a table upstairs; when we again questioned this decision with the hostess, she responded by saying she's "just a messenger." At least we were now overlooking the dining room. We had a perfect view of the "reserved tables," and nobody was seated at those tables until over an hour later. What's worse, unless the "investors" are 20 to 30-something obviously single women in tight clothes and stilletos, this guy was obviously full of sh*t. Not to mention, he seated tables of 2 or 3 girls at those tables of 6. Seriously, does he think that these girls are going to be better restaurant patrons than 3 couples?? We later learned that the "investors" were on a table right next to us. We attempted to use the upstairs bathroom, and one of the "investors" jumped up and said it was closed for a private party. Uh,we used that same bathroom 10 minutes before, and there was NOBODY at this "private party." He even made one of the waiters close the curtains and put a "private" sign in front of the door. Seriously? This place could not be any more cheesy and pretensious. This is not the kind of place long time E. Hollywood residents (like myself) want in their neighborhood. This place won't last more than 6 months. Eva Langoria should be ashamed to have her name associated with this place.

Pros: Nice Decor. Ramon was a good waiter.

Cons: "Management" is disgustingly rude and unprofessional.

Posted 05/10/08

I have to disagree with the negative responses. I went with three girlfriends, celebrating an engagement announcement on a Tuesday night probably 2 weeks after opening. Eva was there, which was nice to see, but most importantly was the delicious food. Although service was a bit rusty (I presumed it was the newness of Beso, working out its quirks) they were still apologetic and took care of us with an on the house drink (how any hospitality staff should do it!) From the artichoke dip to the Ricotta flatbread and mini tacos were fabulous. Our main entree, the snapper was good but not great. Coming from SF where all food is a delight I have high standards and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I will be going back. :-)

Posted 05/08/08

Went there on a Friday night, wasn't that busy. Our server never checked back on us to see if we needed anything, we had to ask repeatedly for more water, and forks from other servers!! The artichoke dip was excellent, however that was it. Eva's tortilla soup is a joke, such a fancy presentation for a such a bad soup with only 2 thin slices of chicken, very disappointed with it. Then we ordered steak, which got to us COLD, and the taste was off, nothing impressing. Same thing with the pizza we didn't even finish. 3 out of 4 dishes were bad. The decor in this place is amazing, and because of the location and the price we had higher expectations. Service was sloppy, the only thing they brought really quick was the check.... go figure.

Pros: people, ambiance, bar

Cons: food, service

Posted 05/03/08

First of all after reading all the Haters reviews I don't think I would of gone near Ivar itself. Luckily I have a brain and a love of food, so I decided to check it out for myself. And I am glad that I did. I had an amazing evening at beso! I felt that I received the whole experience at Beso of fine dining with out the stuffiness. From the amazing food to the decor, the great staff, & fantastic white sangria... I was sold people! I would definitely give beso a try and be the judge for yourself. I could go on and on about my meal but words would not do justice. I will say this, it would be a sin to go and not try the churro desert!

Pros: food, drink & friendly staff

Cons: haters giving beso a bad wrap

Posted 05/02/08

i am a friend of chef Ramsay and trust me i've tried over thousand restaurant in LA n never came across such horrible food in my life. if u love ur life please dont eat at Beso!!

Pros: drinks

Cons: food

Posted 05/01/08

HORRENDOUS. Please don't eat here. How do you ruin guacamole? Is that even possible?

Only saving grace were the beautiful chandeliers and the never ending jokes this place will provide you. If you need to laugh try eva's tortilla soup - such a presentation has never been done before.

I never felt so guilty for spending money in my life.

Pros: Drinks, attractive environment

Cons: everything else

Posted 04/29/08

I really don't get where all the bad reviews are coming from. I'm a foodie and this is one of the best restaurants I've been to in a while! The lobster taquitos were to die for, the scallop crudo exquisite, the lamb was exceptional, and the creamed spinach beyond anything I'd tasted before. I wasn't too keen on the french fries my friend ordered as a side but who the heck orders french fries when at Beso? For dessert you have to go for the churro. Pure ecstasy I swear. The mixed drinks shouldn't even be called drinks. That's how good they were. Indescribable. The maitre D was a little stuck up but we only dealt with him for 2 mins. I was disappointed that they didn't offer to transfer our bar bill to our table once we were to be seated. In turn, our waitress was courteous, educated, funny, serviceable and anything else that I can express. Alot of stars around and beautiful decor. A homerun of a restaurant. Yes, it is pricey but if you are going to be upset at 15 dollars for 3 taquitos then you shouldn't go here. I would have paid 20 for 1 and I'm not rich... I just like my food.

Pros: Food, Drinks, Service, Star Power

Cons: Maitre D

Posted 04/27/08

After reading the previous reviews I was not too keen on going to Beso for dinner. When I called to change my reservation to a larger number I was told they couldnt really do that, but would see if something could be worked out, they said they were really busy and had limited tables. Well to my surprise the restaurant was HUGE and empty, why was it so difficult to add two extra people? We all had drinks at the bar and that was pretty much the highlight of the whole night. The artichoke guacamole was oily and the chips were way too seasoned, the flatbread was charred, literally...I mean are they too busy back in the kitchen they cant pay attention to a piece of bread on a grill...I know 4 year olds that are capable of toasting bread properly! The paella smelled really fishy, the crispy lamb ribs were inedible and the tuna tacos were drenched in some sort of green sauce. Besides the drinks at the bar, the other highlight was the churros and the homemade oreos and some banana tart type dessert, they also make their own fig newtons, but for me going out to a nice restaurant is about getting a steak cooked to perfection or an amazing creme brulee, not ordering something that was packed in my sack lunch in elementary school. This restaurant is confused, the decor is beautiful and the food should match, this food belongs at a back yard bbq that is being held by a novice chef. Needs some work to say the least.

Pros: Beautiful decor especially the upstairs, Drinks

Cons: Food, Service

Posted 04/21/08

I attended Beso Restaurant on a Friday night. I had to make the reservation well in advance, approximately 1 month. Upon arriving I thought it was cute but nothing special. Although I had a reservation and arrived 15minutes early, I had to wait more than an hour to be seated, and there weren?t even too many people dining. Luckily, there was a fabulous bar with fresh fruit cocktails; I really enjoyed the drinks? That?s where it ends. I had guacamole it was of subpar taste, nothing special at all. My entree; paella which, according to the server, was supposed to be ?excellent!?? HARDLY!? it was fishy and I never found the chicken or Lobster?.It was not good. I selected the coconut creme Brule as my dessert and it was good, but once again, not great. For 2 people the bill was upwards of $200, money which I considered to be a complete waste, with the exception of the cocktails. I had much higher expectations for the restaurant, especially since Eva put her name on it but it did not measure up. If you want to dine out in the Hollywood area I would recommend Geisha House or Ketchup, any restaurant in the Dolce Group is a great choice and value for your money. I would have rather had a meal from Del Taco. Personally, it was not worth the anticipation, time, or money.

Posted 04/21/08

I went to Beso last saturday with my family the restaurant was beautiful and the food was great it's a little pricy but it's totally worth it I think that you pay for what you get and what we got at Beso was delicious and the I'm talking about everything. Also we were very lucky that Eva Longoria was there with Tony Parker and some of the San Antonio team players. Eva is such a nice persont hat she was gretting all the people table by table and she accepted taking pictures with all the people that wanted to take pictures with her and she is beautiful so I think it's was worth it every penny I spend there and also mix drinks are delicious.

Posted 04/14/08

I have to say that I read a lot of the reviews before eating here tonight, and I was a bit scared of the menu. BUT, it was the COMPLETE opposite! I LOVED the food! We started with the Lobster Taquitos which were excellent. Yes, its expensive for 3 little taquitos, BUT its lobster, so its to be expected. Then we had the crab cakes. OK, Im from Maryland originally, so a crabcake is a BIG deal to me. I usually send back crab cakes because nobody knows how to make them. I've lived in LA for 5 yrs, aand only found 1 great crab cake since, until tonight. It was AMAZING! I love the spice they put in everything. Its definitely a different kind of Latin food with a twist. For the main course, I had the skirt steak, which was pretty good. My boyfriend ordered the Sirloin with mushrooms, and peppercorn sauce. The sirloin was OUTSTANDING! And it was much better flavor than the skirt steak. For dessert, we had the churos and ice cream sandwich. It was a great display with 3 cinnamon/buttery churos that came with a chocolate and caramel sauce. We liked the caramel sauce better. It also came with a brownie that was filled with a chocolate mousse, and 3 small brownies that had a mint cream filling which was sooo good!! Then, the amazing chocolate ice-cream cookie sandwich--WOW! The cookie dough was basked in mini chocolate chips, so every savory bite had a ton of chocolate chips! The atmosphere was very intimate and relaxing. From the dim lighting, the trendy music, the very upscale draperies, chandeliers, different color woods with a Latin/European flair that also had an asian influence. There were even private rooms that you could have, the walls were lined with many booths-- which in most places theyre arent many booths and you have to book them in advance.
From the door, the service was very friendly, and the waitress was very on point. The only complaint that I may have, is that they have a great drink menu, but I found some of the specialty drinks to be too sour flavored.

Pros: Very Intimate and Unique Atmosphere with a Latin/European Flair; Amazing Spicy Food

Cons: I thought the Specialty Drinks were a little too sour, but only complaint!

Posted 04/10/08

My sister was visiting from NY and we made reservations 2 weeks in advance for 7 people wanting 8:30 seating but they said all they had a 9. They take a credit card number at the time of reservation. When we got there the door men were friendly, valet is $12 (but expected for hollywood) bartenders are friendly and drinks are great and priced well. Our waitress was nice, but then it went down hill....we started w/ the steak tacos which we had to send back and got the lobster toquitos which were good but 3 of them were $15! the beet salad was good.. 2 of the guys got steak both were not happy but ate it one got swardfish it was ok nothing special and we all shared the sides which were just OK and filled up on the guacamole and drinks. Because of the disappointment the waitress brought out 3 desserts which again went un eaten by sweet lovers... sorry.. but it just isnt worth it!! The decor is nice and maybe check it out for a drink but dont eat!!!

Pros: decor is nice, drinks

Cons: FOOD!!

Posted 04/07/08

We came from NY for a long weekend trip and had 9 pm reservations for 7 people. The staff was friendly and attentive, the drinks were the best part of the visit, nice and strong. The amosphere was modern and the leather cushioned chairs very comfortable. That's where the best parts of our visit to Beso ended. The women's bathrooms were dirty and a couple stalls were out of toilet paper. The place wasn't overly busy at all so the rest rooms should have been taken care of - especially since wait staff seemed to be just standing around. The $14 guacamole was the best part of the meal and the chips it came with were great, there were 7 of us and one order seemed to be enough for all to share. The taco entrees (steak and lobster ones) reminded me of elf food, they were about the size of a deck of cards. We got 2 orders of each for all to share. The steak ones were so bad, (no flavor, bad after taste, rubbery texture) 2 people took a bite and we had to return them to the kitchen. The lobster tacos had good flavor and texture but not what I would call a meal. Oh yeah, and they charged us for the 2 orders of steak tacos that we returned uneaten. They did however comp us 2 desserts after we already ordered 2 others because it took a while for the ones we really wanted to come out. The desserts we got were so bad we couldn't even finish them - which is extremely rare for people with a major sweet tooth. There were no complaints on the taste/flavor of the chili rubbed steak and fish entrees. Though they would not be enough to fill up a hungry man.
If you are looking for the experience and atmosphere grab a drink at the bar then head someplace else for dinner.

Pros: Ambiance, presentation of food, strong drinks

Cons: Taste and flavor of food - except for the guacamole, dirty bathrooms

Posted 04/07/08

I loved the food! My husband and I went there for my birthday, and everything was perfect. I love Eva Longoria and her restaurant does not dissapoint!

Posted 04/03/08

I had the worst time getting a reservation here. I made a reservation over a week in advance for my birthday party and the restaurant made me give them a credit card number in order to save the date. When I called back two days before the reservation to confirm the size of the party, the restaurant told me that they could not find my reservation and repeatedly hinted that they did not believe that I made one (basically, the problem was mine, not theirs). I had to scramble to find a reservation somewhere else due to the error of the reservation staff. I can't speak to the quality of the service or the food, but if the reservation system is any indication, this place is terrible. I suggest going somewhere more customer friendly, my experience has completely soured me on this place and I have no intention of ever eating here.

Posted 04/02/08

Very pretty restaurant and great to have a corporate party at. Overall, the food was flavorless and the plating not attractive at all. Coming from a celeb chef I was quite floored. The "Chopped salad" tasted like something you would get at the supermarket and last time I checked a chopped salad didnt just have chopped romaine and tomatoes. The main dish came out and looked like something from a bad diner. I also had the tuna tacos, which were attractive to look at, but the taco chips were too thick and greasy. From the few plates of dessert we ordered the lemon one was the best.
Hollywood restaurants come and go, this one will "go" One just cant come back to a pretty restaurant if the food is mediocre.

Pros: Very pretty restaurant

Cons: parking, traffic and mediocre food

Posted 04/02/08

Upon arriving at Beso I was unable to get a table and to this day I can't figure out why. It certainly was not the food as I didn't finish anything I ordered. That's saying a lot considering I'm a founding member of the clean plate club. The only thing that was halfway decent was the short ribs which were in fact short. SHORT ON FLAVOR. I'm pretty sure it was just a McRib sandwhich without the bun. It can't be the managment that kept the dining room full as there didn't appear to be any. Maybe it is the decor though I can't comment on that as I didn't have a flashlight and therefore couldn't see much within the overly dark confines. The only thing that would get me to the return would have to be the service, or at least my server in the cocktail area. Malinda (or was it Miranda) was sweet, knowledgeable, profesional, witty, and had a genuine/beautiful smile. To bad I'll NEVER see her again as I'm taking my buisiness elsewhere. Sorry EVA!!!!

Posted 04/02/08

The decor is beautiful, albeit a little dark, the ceilings are high, and while there were a fair amount of people there, it wasn't not too loud. But...the service was lousy. I got the impression from our waiter that he was more interested in giving off a certain air, then actually telling us about the food. I ordered the "special", an heirloom tomato salad with mozzarella cheese with a pesto dressing. It would have been delicious had the tomatoes been soft and ripe instead of hard and crunchy. I also had the steak tacos. Three hors d?oeuvres size tacos with lackluster tasting steak. It wasn't seasoned, and wasn't a good enough cut of meat to go unseasoned. The tacos looked cool despite their miniature size, and that's the overwhelming problem with this restaurant, and many like it in Los Angeles. They are trying everything to make it look, feel, and seem hip, trendy, classy, etc. Private upstairs dining, beautiful fake breasted blondes walking everywhere. When it comes to substance i.e. the food, it totally misses the mark. An expensive mark at that. No one should spend 15 dollars on 3 substandard, mini-tacos. Oh, and 10 dollar valet parking?

Pros: Nice ceilings

Cons: Overly expensive, un-inspiring food.

Posted 04/01/08

So, I just moved out here from Boston and I've been trying to figure out how to find a decent place to eat in LA. A co-worker just recently informed me that citysearch is the only way to find decent eats. Long story short, I found Beso. Let's start from the beginning. The valet was slow and rude. I don't mind the rude part so much, just be rude quickly. Then I found out at the door that there's a dress code?! Are you kidding me?!! I had to argue with a guy at the door because I didn't have a jacket. I was in business casual office clothes and I got some schmuck in $150 suit he bought from Kohls tellin me that I can't come into his joint.
However, it's a nice place once you get in. It's huge inside which is probably why it looked like they had more servers than customers. The best part of the evening was the drink I had at the bar called The Tequila Spa. I have to say I was pretty impressed. More impressive was the bartender- extremely knowledgeable about the cocktails and about booze in general. It's nice to see that there are still a few bartenders in town that aren't just actors pouring drinks. When I got to the table, things started looking up even more. I had read all these things about the wait staff not knowing the menu and I didn't have a problem with my waiter. He was honest, direct, and I thought pretty knowledgeable. Although for the life of me I can't remember his name. Phil or Frank or something like that. Anyhow, he steered me in the right direction the whole way. Overall I think the food was good. Nothing to call home about, but it was certainly NOT disappointing. The Lobster Tacos were the only thing I thought were great. Everything else was decent. My suggestion to this place is to drop the "Hollywood" BS act and focus on the food and providing good cosistent service from the time you get outta your car to the time you get back in. Because no chef can compete with the bitter taste of my first impression.

Pros: Amazing Bartenders, good service

Cons: Terrible Valet, silly little door man

Posted 03/31/08

I called Monday (3/24/08) to make reservations for 2 people for that Friday. I was told that they were completely booked, but if I was interested I could be placed on the waitlist and if there were any cancellations they would call me. I received a call Friday around noon, that if we were still interested a reservation had opened up at 6 pm. We arrived at 545 and there were only two other patrons at the bar. The wait staff and cooks were still getting ready for the dinner service. We sat at the bar and a very nice, attentive bartender suggested we try the Tequila Spa. I got that and my friend got a mojito with kiwi which the bartender also recommended . Both drinks were good. We were seated at 640 and there were still only about 10 other people. The decor of the restaurant was nice. The space is very large and there was a lot of room to seat people. The menu contained different types of food selections that could appeal to all different palates and tastes, which is always refreshing to have. As an appetizer we ordered the guacamole and chips, nothing special. The flatbread was charred and we had to ask for it. I ordered the lobster tacos, which had a nice flavor combination, (the portion was a tad too small to have as an entree), and my friend ordered the chili rubbed skirt steak (which was flavored and cooked perfectly). All in all the food had flavor but we felt it was a bit pricey for what the portions were. We ordered a cookie tray for dessert with Passionfruit sorbet. The assortment of cookies really complimented each other. The sorbet did not really taste like a sorbet (it seemed to have been made with milk or cream, which sorbet isn't).The waiter was nice and the ambiance was pleasant, but there were a lot of waiters standing around not doing anything. My friend and I are still wondering how they had a waitlist if only 1/4 of the tables were full when we left at about 815 pm.

Pros: nice decor

Cons: pricey for what you get, service staff disorganized

Posted 03/31/08

The night started out right, the restaurant was beautiful; they spared no-expense on the decor, it too bad they did not put that effort in the actual food they serve. There were five of us in my party. We ordered guacamole for a starter and to be honest, hands down the best thing we ate, but the problem was they server a lot of guacamole with only 10 chips. We had to ask for more twice until they brought us the proper amount.
When our entrees arrived it seemed okay. Elf serving sizes but that is standard in most upscale restaurants in LA. I got the 24 oz Bone in stake. For the price I expect stake that melted in my mouth, instead I got chewing gum. I have purchased better stake at Von for $5. It was full of fatty gristle and very tough. Another aspect I found interesting is the stake came with just a dripping sauce no veggie or some type of side. My friend had the Seafood and chorizo paella. It came with a bed of rice and mussels and clams. Over half of the shell fish did not open up upon steaming. Out of 12 he was only able to eat 4 of them. When we brought it to someone attention we were brushed off. Another friend had a fish plate. It looked good until she took a piece off and put it in her mouth. It was so hot it blistered her tongue; it was a good 8 minutes till she could eat it.
Two of us had the Eva Tortilla Soup. I have no clue where to even start; this was the worse thing on the menu hands down.
We hoped desert would save the meal, importunely it did not. In a group of five people who love sweets, we left over half of both deserts un-eaten and even that took effort
The night ended with the valet service bringing us our car to the opposite side of the street of the stand and us, and having us walk across Ivar to get to the car. Something in 10 years of LA I have never seen valet service do. By the time we got home every single one of us felt sick that carried on to the next morning. I do not seeing this place lasting

Pros: Decor

Cons: Food, valet, service, drinks

Posted 03/31/08

Happened into Beso on their 2nd day of officially being open.

The design aesthetic was very strong, if a tad on the dark side. The waitresses had the same simple black cocktail dress vibe as the The menu was simple and well done.

Service was timely, however the lack of familiarity of the waitress about the dishes (especially considering how few there actually are) was beyond opening week jitters. We had to ask if there were any specials on the menu, and out waitress replied that yes there was 1 - a snapper. When she forgot to offer any more than that single piece of information, we had to inquire further and were met with little additional informaiton.

Food was spot on, with one exception. The flat breads grilled on their main-room mini-kitchen were very flavorful and perfectly cooked. We sampled several of the taco dishes, including the skirt steak and taquitos, and they were excellent. Seafood and chorizo paella was very good, almost perfect save for a bit too much creaminess in the preparation that drowned out some of the natural flavors.

Our one miss was on Eva's tortilla soup (sold as a family recipe). It came out luke warm, was presented in a two part fashion display in an oversized bowl that made it hard to eat. And the soup had an overabundance of cilantro and the flavor, even forgiving the dunking of Cilantro, was inedible and had to be sent back. They handled the mistake very well and took car of it immediately and without question.

I would go back as the food was above the mediocre over-priced fare in Hollywood. This meal was good enough to recommend to others.

Pros: Decor, food, fast service

Cons: Eva's tortilla soup, wait staff that does not know the new menu,

Posted 03/26/08

Our experience at Beso was so bad, it actually inspired me to write a review (never done this before)! The service was disastrous and the food uneatable. The only decent dish was the guacamole, but then again, it was no better then your local 24-hour hole-in-the wall taco stand. The chips were stale and the bread was so charred it turned to ash in your fingers. The soup was watered down Tabasco. My fish (the special whole Branzino w. supposedly three sauces), came out as a dry charred fish on a plate w/ no sauce, and when I ask them to fillet it, usually a simple task done at the table, they took it back and it arrived 10 minutes later cold, it was over done, chewy, fishy, and tasted freezer burned. When I flagged down a waiter (took another 10 minutes), to ask about my ?three sauces? they told me I was actually supposed to pick 1 ?of? 3 sauces but they were out of 2. The sauce was so bad I just asked for lime and drenched it. I actually felt sick after eating at Beso.

Pros: Stunning Decor

Cons: food (may induce nausea), service

Posted 03/26/08

The decor is beautiful and had a great atmosphere. The bar is enormous and the drinks are both delicious and strong!! We ate in the lounge where the staff was friendly and attentive. Both of the guacamoles were tasty as well as the lobster taquitos. We would definitely go back to sit in the dining room or lounge and try more of their menu!

Pros: Elegant decor, good food and drinks, attentive staff, good lounge/bar

Posted 03/21/08