by Daryl Bongo on For some reason this location is not as good as the one in DC. Been here twice and while the service is good, the prime rib is so-so at best. I don't eat a lot of prime rib, but once in a while I have a taste for it and the pieces I've had here with both fatty and not real tasty. I always ask for an end cut when I make the reservation and when I get there they never have it. Not sure why they say they will not my request and then never make good on it. Sides are usually good, although the home fries last time were a bit greasy. They do pour a good drink and the wines by the glass are fairly priced. They used to require men to wear jackets, but now you can go in looking like a bum. Guess the recession has gotten restaurants to take the money and if people look like they just came from a game of flag football who cares. Last time I was in DC that restaurant still required jackets, and the food was better.
by Terrell Hjermstad on Ever since I saw the movie "Whip It' with that chick from Juno, I've been a little annoyed with Austin. The way they kinda wrapped up the whole "small town Texas girl becomes a cool woman in super fun Austin, Texas" story -- while hitting every detail along the way like under aged drinking and dating a guy in a shitty band -- almost made me gag because it was so true. And now I'm seeing these Rosie the Riveter chicks like everywhere in Austin (and Dallas actually). In fact, one waited on us at Austin's East Side Show Room. She seemed a little annoyed that we were patronizing the restaurant, but I understand that there is a Roller Derby match that she would much rather be at. I know the service industry is Austin's artist community's reluctant second job, but I mean, c'mon. A smile? At least don't make me chase you down for the check after a solid 15 minutes of leaving us alone with our last beverage. A caveat about this review. I did not have any food -- only the drinks. Everyone seems to be obsessed with the food but unfortunately ESSR emptied my wallet on $9-$14 drinks. I really did want to eat though, I promise, and I will definitely be back for that. This time I will be less poor, though I don't have that part quite worked out yet. The drinks were delicious, but we have a couple places that make really delicious hand-made cocktails here in Dallas called Victor Tango's and Park -- both on Henderson -- and they have a flat $9 charge for all of their delicious cocktails. Putting a $14 drink on a menu reminds me of the story of the $1000 pizza with Beluga caviar in NYC; I wanna see the guy that orders this thing so I can slap him. The decor was nice, hand-made and artisan-crafted and eco-friendly and organic this and that and bla bla bla. MAN Austin loves that shit. I'm not knocking this place. I had a good time and I can tell that quality is important to the owners -- as well as adhering to the Austin aesthetic of using the local resources - both in talent and ingredients. I just think $10 is the most a hand-made drink should ever cost and even that is pushing it. Looking forward to updating my review based on the food. PRO: Tourists will come here and see Rosie the Riveter and they'll be like "Look, honey, just like 'Whip It!'" and overall this will be good for the image and economy of Austin. CONS: $14 cocktail. Service could be a little peppier.
by Theron L. on I've been here a few times including to see Peter Bjorn and John here, the last time being earlier this week to see Robin Williams. Robin Williams was brilliantly funny and I really enjoyed myself. This was the first time I had been to a show here where they had set up tables and had wait service. While we got great seats it did take them 45 minutes to finally wait on us and it didn't seem they were encouraging us to go up to the bar and order. That translates to 45 minutes without drinks or food. We did manage to get served before the show started which I was happy for. The food and drinks were decent and similar in price to other venues I've been to including The Fillmore, The Warfield, Slims, and the Great American Music Hall. On the down side they did use smaller glasses for my vodka and soda than I would have liked although the pour was generous. The well vodka soda in a small OJ glass was $6, small pizza margarita was $8 and the bottle of wine was $29. The audio was pretty good as was the table arrangement and the ambiance. The audio was clear without being too loud, something I'm sure the wall treatments contributed to. The lighting was also very good and lent to a good experience. Once we were served the lady who served us came by fairly frequently which softened me up a star. I would have characterized the Peter Bjorn and John concert a "Yay! I'm a fan!" experience, so I'm averaging the two to "A-OK". Let me just add that Robin Williams gave a 5 star performance hands down!
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