Sutter on Second; The Fearless Critic On Congress

The big news this week is that Statesman critic Mike Sutter gave his first-ever five-star review to Congress yesterday, but he didn’t express the same feelings for the other David Bull endeavors within the Austonian.

At Second Bar + Kitchen, Sutter encountered rotisserie chicken pizza with “fall-apart meat [that] tastes too good to be true," yet on another he had bacon ice cream tasting “like fat left overnight in the pan.” Consistency isn’t a problem at Bar Congress, which Sutter found to be “proof that cocktail art is more than artifice. I'm a believer now that a $13 cocktail is worth every bit as much as a $13 glass of wine.” He gave Second a 7.1/10; Bar Congress didn't get a rating.

Over at the Chronicle, Claudia Alarcón checked out Rabbit + Hat, a dining experience hosted at East Side Stages which boasted not only an ambiance “reminiscent of a magical realist novel”, but “superb breads and desserts” from TRIO's pastry chef Hillary Lynn Kirkton. [Chronicle]

Texas Monthly’s Megan Giller paid a visit to sample the Louisiana-approved Cajun creations at Lee’s Hurricane Party: “My Louisianan lunch partner started bubbling when she saw the thick, dark roux stirring in the bowl, and on first taste, practically cried with excitement.” [TM]

The Fearless Critic agrees with the Statesman on the excellence that is Congress: “Rare is the Austin restaurant that nails all the necessary elements, but when it does, it’s worth every penny.” [FC]

— With Eater Intern Jasmin Sun
Second Bar + Kitchen. [Photo: Paula Forbes / EATX]