Bella Cafe - Austin,TEXAS

Café Bella

Hi folks, Mrs. Food here. For some time now, Mr. Foodblog has been bugging me to do a guest blog. Since I usually tag along with him on his quest for good food and truth, I agreed to do one – as soon as I discovered a place that inspired me. Now, finally…food so delicious, so chic, and so truly pretty that I was compelled to write a blog about Café Bella, a hidden little gem of a place just west of downtown.

Finding Café Bella is a little interesting; it is actually located inside the Bella Salon at 1221 West Sixth Street. I know, it sounds a little weird (this is Austin, after all), but walking through the open, bustling salon is part of the whole experience, I assure you. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted warmly and told to “walk past the second chandelier and turn right” to get to the café. I was instantly intrigued.

The café itself is small and intimate, with just a scattering of small bistro tables and a big comfy banquette with fluffy pillows juxtaposed against bright violet walls. The place is kind of like shabby chic…on mushrooms. Vivid and sunny, with a lovely skylight and salvaged antique chandeliers, the place is just plain cheerful. The fantastic art from a neighboring gallery rotates on a regular basis and lends to the truly eclectic feel of the whole place. Mr. Foodblog and I found ourselves a nice corner table, and settled in for some serious culinary delights.

The menu at Café Bella is not long on gimmicks. Instead, the talented Chef Josh Siegel has chosen a handful of mouth-watering entrees that are well thought-out and expertly executed; then he offers rotating Daily Specials which, as he put it, “vary wildly.” Mr. Foodblog and I each started out with a cup of the Gingered Sweet Potato and Cardamom Bisque ($5/cup or $8/bowl), a smooth and creamy puree of sweet potato and ginger topped with a dollop of apple-mint raita. What can I say…perfection! Mr. Foodblog was actually speechless for a minute – it was that good. Who would have thought that sweet potatoes could contrast so perfectly with little chunks of apple and chopped mint? Dee-lish!

Our next dish was one of Chef Josh’s Daily Specials, the Lime Marinated Sea Scallops, served medium-rare over a bed of mixed greens with a champagne-tarragon dressing. I must ask, do you KNOW how hard it is to make good scallops, people? It takes some skill, let me tell you from personal experience, and these were grilled-to-perfection. Now, good food is one thing, but I consider it positively charming when I get served a plate as pretty as this one was. Carved cherry tomato roses, y’all – garnish rocks! And so do the chefs who actually take the time to make their plates look as stunning as they taste.

It was going to be hard to top the scallops, I knew, but next Chef Josh presented us with the popular Mixed Greens and Chevre ($9), an elegant salad of mixed baby greens, fresh cucumber, carrot, and red onions julienne, dried blueberries, Chevre goat cheese, and maple pecans in a Balsamic vinaigrette. You know, sometimes you really just crave a good, fresh salad, and this one has to be my new favorite. This salad was, again, lovely to look at, but even more fun to eat. With just the perfect amount of Balsamic vinaigrette, all the flavors of this salad weren’t drowned out by a sea of dressing. The tangy bite of Chevre was perfectly paired with the sweet blueberries and maple pecans, and the crunchy mix of cucumbers, carrots, and red onions gave the salad a great balance.

Bravely, we soldiered on. There was so much more food to taste! Chinese Chicken Salad ($11), maybe? A custom-made Deli Sandwich ($10) with turkey and havarti on a seeded soft bun? Or perhaps another of the Daily Specials – Fish Tacos made with tilapia, four cheeses and fresh corn tortillas? It was a tough decision, so Chef Josh made it for us, and presented us with a sampling of the Shrimp and Goat Cheese Quesadilla ($11) and the Daily Special Grilled Steak and Blue Cheese Quesadilla with caramelized onions and fresh herbs. I just cannot repeat it enough; pretty plates taste better. And these plates were so colorful, so lovely to behold, I sighed in admiration. Served with a smooth Salsa Verde, and a fresh red salsa, these quesadillas were fantastic. I never would have thought to throw in some blue cheese, but it was absolutely scrumptious!

By now, Chef Josh was becoming one of my heroes, and not just because he has bright blue eyes and a warm, friendly smile (so do you, Mr. Foodblog). But because you can just tell how much Chef Josh loves to cook, and when he talks about his little Café, you know this guy wants you to have a great meal. After Mr. Foodblog and I had eaten all this food, we were pretty sure we were done, even though we were a little disappointed in ourselves that we couldn’t fit in one more entrée. So instead, Chef Josh served us up a little dessert, a slice of luscious Chocolate-chip Coconut Cake, and a slice of his rich Pumpkin Bread. We redeemed ourselves, and made quick work of the desserts. Chef Josh told us he likes to rotate his desserts, and tries to make a different cake every week.

Café Bella is one of those places where the atmosphere just makes the whole experience a pleasure. Maybe it was listening to Blondie’s Heart of Glass while chewing on the scallops, or Supertramp’s Logical Song as our salads were served. Or maybe it was the fact that Chef Josh is always willing to suggest one of his favorites. Café Bella also serves tiny bottles of Piper-Heidstieck (real French Champagne!) which is a real plus, as all my ladies in the Champagne Mafia will testify. And their wine list, while short, offers a truly robust selection of wines from California Merlot and Australian Shiraz to New Zealand Pinot Noir and Italian Pinot Grigio. There’s also a small selection of domestic and imported beer.

All said, I had a great lunch at Café Bella. Better than I had expected, in fact – I was actually impressed, and plan to return with all my girlfriends in tow. To all you gentlemen out there, take your favorite lady friends here. She will be so impressed, you’ll be in her plus column for days. This is also a great place to take your out-of-town guests, who will think you have the total hook-up on secret, hidden gems that Keep Austin Weird. So, Mrs. Food says two champagne flutes way up for Café Bella, and a toast to Chef Josh for his appetizing and elegant offerings!

Café Bella
1221 West Sixth Street
Austin, TX
(512) 474-5999
Tuesday – Saturday, 9a.m. to 6-ish p.m. (Chef Josh will not kick you out if it’s a little past 6, just on principle, I happen to know)

Breakfast menu available in the morning
To-go Orders welcome
Rotating Daily Specials, so check in often
Wi-fi compatible
Beer & Wine