TESSE: DOES THIS BRUNCH LIVE UP TO WEST HOLLYWOOD’S HIGH STANDARD?
The Cost -$40 per person
The Atmosphere – Located on the iconic Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, Tesse’s outdoor seating cleverly uses greenery to block out some of the sight of traffic. The inside of the restaurant, perfect for a date night or special occasion, is modern and gorgeous and features wood all around.
Brunch is the most important meal in West Hollywood and the city has its fair share of amazing restaurants to start your Sunday off right. To kick off my Sunday Funday, I went to Tesse, a trendy newcomer in the Weho restaurant scene serving up French and Californian cuisine.
The Order - Speakerboxx and the Tipsy to drink. Onion Rings, Duck Fat Fries, Short Rib Sandwich, and French Toast to eat.
The Fantastic - The Speakerboxx cocktail was definitely my favorite ordered item of the day. A mix of mezcal, Flor de Gascogne “umeshu”, shiso, seltzer and yuzu air foam, this cocktail woke me right up and got me going. Creating foams can sometimes be gimmicky but this foam was amazing and really took the cocktail up another notch.
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The Great - The Onion Rings, thick and beer-battered, were a hit, mostly because of the excellent tartar sauce that they came with.
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The Good - The Short Rib Sandwich, which came with a nice little side salad, was good. It was well cooked but didn’t have the flavors and texture I had hoped for and as the most expensive food item on the menu ($19), I expected more. The Duck Fat Fries were good as well, with the house mayonnaise that it came with being the best part of the dish.
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The Okay - The French Toast was a little bit of a disappointment to me. While I did enjoy the flavors of the strawberries, the sauce and the powdered sugar, the bread, a sourdough, was not right for this dish; its lack of sweetness and inability to combine well with the other ingredients made the dish difficult to enjoy. The Tipsy cocktail, a vodka-based drink, was okay as well but wasn’t anything that I’d order again.
The Verdict - I think Tesse is a great place to go for Sunday cocktails (if you pick the right ones) but I think there are better places for Sunday brunch food in West Hollywood at that price point.