Entertainment
How Expensive is Lisa Vanderpump's Restaurant?
If you find yourself in West Hollywood in the near future — or, let's keep it real, go there specifically for this purpose — and think, "Hey, maybe I'll stop by SUR, and see if Jax is tending bar," there are a few things you should know about the Vanderpump Rules clubhouse: mainly, if you're looking for a totally unique culinary experience... maybe look a little further. If you're just looking for an experience of going to a restaurant featured prominently on Andy Cohen's favorite network, however, you could do worse than Vanderpump restaurant SUR. But you might have to pony up most of your tip money if you're looking to get the veal and a signature cocktail. SUR is expensive .
But what exactly are you paying for? Sur, as told by Sur:
Indulge in international eclectic cuisine at SUR, from healthy salads to fresh fish of the day, from yummy comfort food to exotic desserts.
Typically, I would never suggest investing your money in a restaurant that describes its own craft as "yummy." I used to teach English to graduate students abroad, and for some reason, in their previous English training, most Eastern Europeans had been taught that "yummy" was a perfectly reasonable adjective for adults to express themselves with, and it took a long time to convince them otherwise. Lisa Vanderpump is a native English speaker. Using a word like "yummy" in a non-feeding-a-baby context does not lead me to believe that there will be anything "exotic" about Sur's desserts.
But perhaps the thing to really focus on here is Sur's classification of "comfort food." A quick look at SUR's Yelp page, coupled with it's dinner menu that includes Jumbo Shrimp Fettuccine, a Chicken Enchilada, and Roasted Garlic Chicken with two sides, will tell you that while SUR's food is the kind you might be fine with eating, it's also the kind you could find just about anywhere else. If you're going to SUR, you're going for the ambiance, maybe the cocktails, and most definitely the glory of a possible C-lister sighting. So, how much is that Stassi Instagram (she's back!) going to set you back?
Happy Hour
If you're trying to go to SUR and not spend your whole paycheck, they have a perfectly reasonable Happy Hour. The drink menu is limited and the appetizer offerings are about at simple as they come — "French Fries, Chipotle Mayo," heyyy — but as with most reality TV offsprings, you get numbers, or you get quality, you can't have both.
So sure, you could get your fourth chicken burrito bowl of the week; or you could get a $7 Strawberry Gimlet made with Vanderpump Vodka (a thing!) from 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday through Sunday that there's a .05 percent chance Tom rolled into his job to make for you.
Cocktails
And Happy Hour is about the only place you'll find anything reasonable on a SUR menu. For example, if you're thinking maybe you and your girlfriends will just grab drinks at SUR and hope to catch a glimpse of Lisa arranging flowers somewhere, you could get a Raspberry Mojito for $14... or you could get these Fall floral pants from H&M; you could get a $15 Strawberrini, which is literally strawberries and vodka, or you could treat yourself to gourmet coffee that someone will make for you every day before work this week.
Just give me some food already
Reviews of SUR's edible offerings are mixed — people who are just excited to be there seem to find the food a perfectly good excuse to hold a table for a few hours; and people who are looking to get their money's worth out of a Saturday night dining experience tend to leave a little disappointed. One Yelp reviewer, who loved the ambiance, and said if she had been to SUR on a hot date, she "would have for sure put out" because of the restaurant's sexy atmosphere alone, found the price point to be far beyond the quality of the generic food. So where her meal of lobster bisque, salmon, and two vodka cocktails probably set her back at least $75 before gratuity, she probably could have just pulled out the little black book, hit up Rent the Runway for a Hervé Léger dress that would have her fitting right in with Scheana and Kristen, and ended that night the way she wanted to.
