The Grove
Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Downtown1611 Lamar St
Houston, TX 77010 (713) 337-7321
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Valet
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
20 Reviews for The Grove
Debbie with the blue eyes who has chased a chef to Texas...she's a friggin' fabulous bartender who makes a great gin martini, even if her cook boy is (probably) not worthy of her attention. The interior is chic, and the windows on the landscape beckon. The bathrooms are clean and the toilets flush. The sinks flow and the towels wipe.
After the Cubs beat the crap out of the Astros, what more do you need before you drive back to Austin?
Ok, I did see a waiter squabble on the way back from the bathroom. But that was funny in its own Hispanic boy-on-boy way.
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This place is awful! First bad impression was when we pulled up to valet, they looked at us crazy, then finally came over and opened the doors. We had to ask them if there was a private party going on because it was weird that they weren't hurrying their lazy little asses over to help us.
Next we go inside to see the hostess. The place is fairly busy but not slammed. The hostess asks us if we have reservations, when we tell her we don't have any she simply says "oh, well we don't have anything available". Really? That's how you choose to convey the message? Not handled very well... so we ask if there is anything they can do. She says we can sit at the bar. So we go over to the bar where it literally takes the bartender 15 minutes to even come over to us. When he finally comes over we order two glasses of wine. The bartender asks if we'd like to open a tab, my friend hands the bartender $300 and says "can we start with this?" The bartender then looks at him crazy and says I need a credit card.
That was it for me... I told my friend let's get the hell out of here because the service sucks! We went across the street to the restaurant at the top of the HIlton which was very good and great service.
You will have to drag me kicking and screaming to get me to go back to grove again. And I've heard from others that the food is not very good.
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Great experience during restaurant week, although service was taxed.
The portions are huge - or, standard American big I guess, depending on your point of view. We tried everything on the Houston Restaurant Week menu. Appetizers included the lobster crab bisque and a salad. The arugula/baby greens were fine, and it was enormous, easily split for two. A toasted piece of bread with cheese on the side was ok, but just like my toasted bread with the soup kind of...an after thought. The bisque was heavy on crab flavor, a little fishy, strong spices or roux taste, and thus overall heavy-handed - or maybe actually attempting to finish the portion was a mistake. Mains: organic roasted chicken and roasted salmon on roasted corn. The chicken was excellent, moist, flavorful, spiced. Accompanied with delicious roasted potatoes. The salmon was underseasoned but prepared well. The corn was also underseasoned. Again, both were large portions. Our group ordered two bottles of wine - a Cloudline 2006 ($37) Pinot Gris / Oregon, and a pinot noir Laetitia 'Limite' 2006 /Arroyo Grande ($35). The pinot noir was smooth to perhaps being a little dull, I liked the gris enough.
Dessert was extremely good: butterscotch flan with seasonal berries or a pie plate: two key lime pie squares, and two pecan pie squares. Key lime pie was lime-tart refreshing and the pecan pie was sweet chewy texture good. I'm not a fan of butterscotch so can't quite comment on the flan. Service was moderately attentive, a lot of large business tables competing for our attention. If you want the $35 to count, the Grove satisfies. I imagine if they do this a bit more they might scale back on the portions.
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Sing it with me folks...."and it's one, two, three strikes you're out..."
I've eaten at The Grove a few times, and tonight was like the bottom of the ninth for them: do or die time. That's right, it's time to knock it out of the park or hang up the cleats forever.
To at least provide a postive note to this review, let me first say that the Texas striped bass was a home run. If you're going to dinner here, get the fish. Hands down. And don't get anything else.
Here are the strikes (more than three, but who's counting):
1. Confused, inexperienced service
2. Ceviche: don't get me started. Way too soupy and weird texture.
3. Caesar Salad: drenched in way too much dressing. I probably could have eaten a hamburger for the calories in that thing.
4. House Salad: again, way too much dressing.
5. Desserts: not very flavorful and completely unremarkable (they took the only good one off the menu, which was strawberry shortcake).
6. Pulled pork on corncakes: good maple syrup accent, but it was cold and pork was mushy, so that ruined it.
It stinks to have to hate on this place, because it has such potential and is in a great location. The interior is decorated well and there's a nice ambiance, but it's pretty loud, so I wouldn't choose it for a romantic dinner either.
If you're heading over to Discovery Green, have a beer at the Lakehouse (right next door to The Grove), enjoy the sunset, and take a stroll around the park. Then go eat somewhere that doesn't have $8 valet and so many disappointments on the menu.
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Recently, "Friend-Who-Saw-Paris-First" treated me to Pink Martini with the Houston Symphony. We thought it a good night to try out The Grove.
The decor is very now. Minimal, modern yet comfortable and accessible. I felt at home the moment I entered the restaurant. Add to this friendly, prompt and accommodating service and three stars were inevitable before the food arrived.
We started with the Fried Gulf Shrimp and Deviled Eggs. The shrimp was, well, Gulf Shrimp in a light batter. The red jalapeno ginger sauce; however, was smashing. The Deviled Eggs were definitely not Grandmas. They were creamy and smooth, just perfect.
For our meal I ordered the Spicy Gulf Shrimp Salad with Avocado & Mango and "Friend-Who-Saw-Paris-First" ordered the Artisan Cheese Platter with Aged Gouda from Holland and Cheesy Girl Buff from Sealy, TX. My salad was completely acceptable. But, a little more shrimp would have made it perfect. We live near the Gulf of Mexico, no need to be stingy. The great find of the evening was the Cheesy Girl Buff Goat Cheese. I've since had the pleasure of meeting the owner/operator of Cheesy Girl at my local farmer's market and purchased a spicy cheese as well as the Buff. I've made omelets, sandwiches and had it with crackers and fruit. I'm hooked on Cheesy Girl. The Kroger's at Research Forest & Gosling in The Woodlands now carries the delectable product and I will not be without it. I believe she also sells at the Richmond Farmer's Market inside the loop.
I digress, The Grove has a wonderful view of the "grove" of oak trees and Discovery Green. The diversity of Houston is on display at a window seat. It is an added bonus to see families and friends of all races and creeds enjoying our fair city while you enjoy good food in a clean, modern environment.
Thumbs up!
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My friend and I, both from out of town, wandered through the Discovery Green admiring the fountain, public art, and greenery. As our tummies rumbled, we spied the large glass building and hoped that it was the Grove. Both fond of eating at the Grove in San Francisco, we were filled with a comforting sense of nostalgia, even though we were well aware that the restaurants had nothing in common save their name.
We entered through the door and received a warm welcome. Immediately seated in the dining room, our server came over and introduced herself. She pointed out their daily lunch specials - a prix-fix menu that changes daily highlighting an appetizer, entree, and dessert which do not appear on the regular lunch menu. The selection on this particular day was a rib-eye which did not entice us, but the option is a nice addition to their daily fare.
The lunch menu is rather small offering a variety of salads, sandwiches, grilled meats and fish, a soup of the day, and some appetizers to share. Vegetarian options are scant, but the kitchen is willing to accommodate preferences and allergies when preparing dishes. My friend ordered the spicy shrimp, avocado, and mango salad and swapped the shrimp for chicken. I chose the nicoise salad with the olive oil on the side.
Even though the restaurant was full - we came during prime lunch hours - the volume of chatter was not very loud. We were able to enjoy our own conversation without raising our volume or constantly asking "what?" "huh?" The view of the garden through the windows was pleasant, and the walls were filled with large canvases of curvaceous, colorful flowers. The artwork seemed a bit too surreal for the rest of the classic and upscale decor - exposed brick, crisp white/spring green/dark brown furnishings, but I appreciate their risk in displaying original art.
Food arrived relatively quickly and our glasses were promptly refilled throughout the meal. My friend's salad was delicious - a bit salty, but well balanced with the sweet mango, mild cheese, and creamy avocado. While my olive oil came on the side, the entire salad was already coated thickly in oil. This simply would not do. I called the server back and expressed my dissatisfaction with the salad based on my dietary preferences. She explained that all the components of the nicoise salad are pre-marinated in olive oil, but that she would be happy to bring me something else. She remained calm and genuinely pleasant the entire time. To prevent further complications, I simply ordered a house salad with dressing on the side.
In minutes, my salad arrived. A lovely plate full of mixed greens, heirloom tomato slices, and some other pink-hued root vegetable - very finely sliced. The vegetables were extremely fresh and full of flavor.
The service was stellar, the food was delicious, and the atmosphere was chic and relaxed. I only wish their menu provided more vegetarian options, but I suppose I could always special order.
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cute place definitely but food needs some serious improvement. i was here last night for a birthday party. we ordered lots of appetizers and the only one that was good was the shrimp tempura.
ceviche was bland. queso was clumpy. guacamole had too much lime juice in it. salsa was more reminscinent of a gazpacho. duck meatballs didn't taste like duck at all. pulled pork on corncakes weren't anything magical. cheese plate may have been good but we didn't have a knife to try it. service was terrible. someone in our group asked for bev naps and our server actually said, "i'm sorry but we have a limited amount of them. i'll see what i can do."
i planned on having dinner there, but high-tailed it out of there trying to cut some of our losses.
the tree house is a nice place to hang out and have drinks. the mojito and palomas are good. but leave when you get hungry.
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The Grove is a new addition to downtown Houston and sits adjacent to a beautiful new park with large trees shading a walkway, benches, and plantings. I came here for lunch with my boyfriend, his bro, and his bro's gf on one of the hottest days yet. We had the option to sit outside, but indoors seemed like a more comfortable choice on this afternoon. It was a late lunch, so luckily the lunch crowd was just breaking up, and a wedding was beginning??? anyway...
ATMOSPHERE
Wood paneled ceilings, tones of green colored the walls, floor to ceiling windows brought in the light, an open floor plan made us feel free to roam, and the lacquered blue bricks lining the open kitchen kept the space feeling fresh and clean.
SERVICE
Was so-so. My waiter was confused when I asked for a Hendrick's and Tonic with a Cucumber and it took almost 15 minutes for a bottle of beer to arrive. He said, "what kind of vodka do you want??" That's not a good sign... For a $9 cocktail, my waiter better know that Hendrick's is gin.
FOOD
The menu fit on a page, but there were a decent variety of choices between apps (cheese & meat plates, ceviche, fried shrimp), salads (ceasar, cobbs, tuna nicoise), burgers + sandwiches (beef, shrimp, chicken), and entrees (big plates. nuff said). I ordered the irresistable burger topped with cheddar, avocado, bacon, anaheim chiles, onion, lettuce, and tomato (whoa). It was hand packed, sizable, cooked to order and juicy. It came with a healthy serving of hand cut fries. All this for $12.
Overall, the menu was a bit on the pricy side, but I was intrigued enough by the menu to want to try it again, maybe even for dinner, or late night chillin. Of course, I'm only here for another day and a half and I've got some Mexican to try!
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I love the design and decor of this place. It's so open and spacious inside with huge windows looking out onto the park. It's clean and modern without being too over-the-top trendy. The chairs are nice, and comfortable and the booths looked equally fun and cozy. The exposed brick, hardwood floors and blue tile add charm as well. There looked to be a room towards the back for private functions and I hear the upstairs is wonderful. The ladies room was clean with spacious stalls, automatic flushers, automatic warm-water sinks, lovely smelling hand soap and fresh flowers. Kudos to the architect and the designers. Job well done.
I know this place is new and probably needs a little time to work out the kinks so I'm sorry if this review is harsh. But honestly, the food is not good. Not good at all. It is absolutely not worth the high cost. They need a different chef and a new menu and fast. I went for lunch today and all I can say is that I HOPE the dinner menu is better. I had a veggie sandwich that was so bland... I could have made it myself at home. My cohorts said the same about their ceaser salads and chicken sandwiches...total dullsville. I saw no creativity in any of the meals at my table and everyone seemed totally unimpressed. All I can say is that I was glad my sandwich came with fries or I'd be somewhere right now ordering a burger to go.
Before we ordered they brought us a very random dish of olives and almonds. The almonds were good but in my opinion I don't want to sit there in a nice eatery and pull olive pits from my mouth. What if I was on a date...or a client lunch meeting? Eeew. Also, for some reason my water was served without ice. Where was my ice? It was just a glass of...water. Weird. It took forever for us to get our drinks and then we waited for about 30 minutes or more for our food. When we all got our food, one person in our party had to wait an extra 5 minutes...for his ceasar salad. What were they doing? It's a salad.
Like I said before, the overall design is beautiful and I'd really love to hang out in there again. I'll probably go back to check out the dinner menu or try the bar, but I'll probably never go back for lunch...unless they get a new chef.
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I just visited this fine establishment Friday for anniversary dinner with the girlfriend, and I must say I left impressed.
The decor is amazing. Walls of windows, clean and simple design and contemporary architecture. Lots of wood. Balcony "tree house" upstairs had one of the most amazing downtown views I've seen. 4 stars on atmosphere.
Food was good. I'm not going to say it was the best I've ever had--but I wasn't disappointed. Plus, it ended up being pretty cheap considering how nice it was! Two entrees, an appetizer, and a nice bottle of wine and our total was about $75. Not too bad I'd say.
Now if they only had a way to fix the parking. I'm not a big fan of valet--but at this establishment there is really no alternative. Might as well add $8 plus tip to your dinner to pay to retrieve your car at the end of the night. Dumb.
The upstairs patio makes this place. I loved the furniture, atmosphere and great view. Amazing. But the "world/jungle music bullshit" they were playing started to make my ears bleed after about a half hour. Star loss anyone?
Overall, i would suggest this restaurant as a great spot to take a date and look like you're hip, sophisticated and trendy. (Just don't let her figure out you're not.)
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We went to the Grove during opening weekend for discovery green. First, let me say that the park is fantastic - Discovery Green is a great addition to Downtown Houston. We are big, big supporters of Downtown & had SUCH high hopes for The Grove as a strong anchor to the park. We've been twice and they truly have the worst service in town. We waited 10 minutes for menus & finally had to order drinks at the bar because our server never showed up for our order. The food is okay. But, because the service is so poor, it's hard to even think about the food.
The good news is this: the park is ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. The planners really got it right. So, even without a trip to the Grove, the park is WELL WORTH the trip!!! Don't miss it!! It's a world-class city park!
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The Grove is proof positive that the devil is in the details. The food is great and could contend for five stars, but the restaurant only earns three after several errors.
The space is stunning. It looks like Design Within Reach morphed into a restaurant. The room is modern, hip and warm. There's a great sense of space and the architect and interior designer obviously worked very closely together. However, the decor has flaws. The lights over the tables are excessively bright. We're talking interrogation bright and I was literally blinded whenever I looked up at the server. The sleek and modern chairs lack only one thing: comfort. You definitely won't linger on these chairs. Such mis-fires are disappointing given the meticulous attention paid elsewhere throughout the interior.
The Grove is happening as it was absolutely packed on a Tuesday evening. It started clearing out by 9:30, but that is expected mid-week.
My meal started off with roasted almonds and mixed olives. They were a welcome respite from omnipresent bread and butter/olive oil elsewhere.
The menu is divided into sections and I began with an appetizer from the "To Share // Or Not // To Share" section. Props on the Shakespearean allusion; it's entirely unexpected given the "see and be seen" vibe. I like a restaurant that makes fun of its patrons as the "Hamlet" reference is lost on many. I ordered the Stuffed Squash Blossoms ($11 on the menu; $12 on the bill...but more on that later) with Texas goat cheese, basil and pine nuts. It was served on a bed of zucchini slices (not mentioned on the menu) that created a nice contrast given the "before" blossoms and "after" zucchini. Executive Chef Ryan Pera is an educated and cerebral chef. The portion was petit (with two small fried blossoms), but it was adequate as a starter for one. All it needed was a touch of salt, but none was on the table and the waiter never came by to check on me while I was enjoying the dish.
The entrees are divided into "Cast Iron Seared," "On The Spit," and "From The Wood Fire" sections. I was leaning toward the Seared Ahi Tuna. However, I was steered to the "From The Wood Fire" section when the waiter recommended the Charcoal Grilled Skirt Steak ($24) and I am so glad for the redirect. The waiter described the dish as spicy fajita meat with tomatillo salsa and jalapenos served with chili cheese fries. The waiter noted the chili is made from the kitchen's steak trimmings. I ordered the dish for its uniqueness. Red onions were included, but not mentioned on the menu. A dear friend has an allergy to red onions and the omission would have been a huge deal if she had ordered this dish. Like the appetizer, the menu description for this dish was incomplete. The fine print on the menu notes, "Please let your server know of any food allergies." I'm not sure that's fair warning and the waiter never asked about any food allergies. However, this hangover fare was elevated to the sublime. It's rare after thousands of restaurant meals to be delighted, but The Grove did just that with this eclectic dish. It was just spicy enough to leave a tingly afterglow on the tip of my tongue. Divine!
All of the desserts are $8. I had the Summer Cherry Bread Pudding with toasted walnuts, dark chocolate and cherry ice cream. It was tasty, but only served with a spoon. I really needed a fork to eat the bread pudding and I ended up using the spoon and my iced tea spoon, but it was awkward to eat a dessert in a restaurant like this with two spoons. Again, the waiter was nowhere to be found.
The other offerings are chef's desserts (e.g., they clearly don't have a pastry chef on staff). They include Pecan and Key Lime Pie Squares; Vanilla Pound Cake with strawberries, basil and Grand Marnier; Berry Cobbler; Banana and Caramel Sundae (basically a banana split); Old School Chocolate Cake with chocolate frosting and vanilla ice cream; Butterscotch Flan with seasonal berries and Jack Daniels; and "Handmade" Cookies. At $8, I question the value-for-your-dollar on many of these desserts.
The service was spotty. The waiter did not introduce himself as such and it was confusing as he asked only about beverages at first so it took a while to realize he was in fact the waiter. The bill also arrived with $12 for the appetizer instead of $11 on the menu; the extra dollar wasn't a big deal, but I pointed it out to the server on principle. The error was NOT corrected (WTF?), so I subtracted a full star for that as it is sketchy to knowingly charge more than the price on the menu. I also deducted $1 from the server's tip, which brought it slightly under my standard 20%. The cost of dinner for one was $60 with tax and tip.
The Grove is good, but this place is the Devil's playground when it comes to the details.
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Just a caveat before reading this... I'm normally not the complaining type. :)
Service: Awful. We went to the Grove to celebrate two b'days as a party of 10. Reservations were made a couple of weeks in advance, yet upon arrival we still had to wait 30+ minutes for our table. We got drinks at the bar while we were waiting, but the bar service was so slow, we were told our table was ready while the bartender was still preparing our order. Not a good start! Our waitress was really nice but overwhelmed. It took so long for her to get each round of our drinks, we had finished our current drinks and had to wait 10-15 minutes until the new ones arrived. The appetizers were served promptly, but we waited along the lines of 50 minutes to an hour to get our main courses. Not until a rather outspoken gay man in our party got the manager's attention did service improve. They added another waiter to our table and the speed of service picked up considerably. Although the added waiter didn't seem too happy to be working our table for some reason.
Food: I got the Grove cheeseburger. For $12, I'd rather have had 6 Whataburgers. It was pretty flat and just unremarkable in general. Other people at our table had entrees that looked and (according to them) tasted good. Only problem, a few of them had lukewarm to cool food. The drinks were outstanding (especially mojitos) once we finally got 'em!
Atmosphere: If you want to be part of the latest and greatest urban scene, this is the place to go. It's filled with people who want to be seen. Personally, that's not my type of place, but to each his own. The bar is very cool looking with mirrors and glass. The entire restaurant has a very open & airy feeling with floor-to-ceiling windows.
Overall: I can't recommend this place because the service was awful and the food was mediocre. I am not a "complainer" by nature, but the Grove honestly was not worth the money or the hype. When you're spending on average of $70 per head including drinks and food, I expect more.
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It was difficult for me to get on the wait list for Saturday. The Wednesday before, my party of 4 could only reserve a table at 5pm or 9pm! Later, when my party changed to a party of 7, they gave me a bit of a hard time about fitting that seventh person in. After some finagling and multiple phone calls, they told us 7 would be fine. (I suppose it depends on who you talk to.) When I finally got there at the geriatric hour of 5pm, there were perhaps three other tables seated! I shook my head at the trouble I had to go through.
All that aside, once we finally got in, I really liked the restaurant. A mixed and nonpretentious crowd, the waitstaff was timely, friendly and knowledgeable about the park being built up around it. I love the 'green' theme! The takeout boxes are cardboard and the bags are bio-friendly. The dining area is not huge but has an open look to it which makes it feel friendly. There's also a large bar which seemed as big as the dining area in addition to the rooftop bar (where you can order food at if you can't get a reservation). A party room is also available.
The chef has an affinity for comfort foods, like pairing a skirt steak with chili cheese fries (although the chili might need a bit more flavor) and offering warm apple cobbler for dessert (very tasty with a flaky crust!). Olives and almonds are the new bread! Also, the portions aren't too big, you can see from the pics.
For drinks we ordered the lychee martini and the champagne mango cosmo, both very yummy drinks. Our party started with the Duck Meat Balls, Ceviche, and Pulled Pork. The meat balls were peppery goodness and the pulled pork was good (nothing to write home about), but the ceviche was really exceptional. We had to ask for some more plantain chips that it came with! I am tempted to order the deviled eggs next time! For the entree, I ordered sea scallops with lemon aioli and mashed potatoes. The scallops were large but not to die for. The aioli was excellent because I am a garlic and lemon lover, but beware, the garlic is potent! Mashed potatoes were a little dry, but I enjoyed the cheese, bacon and chives that it was topped with. Their steaks are very tender and The Grove Steak Sauce was a superb complement. Yes, they gratted us.
Great vibe, not too loud, some dishes are must-haves, find your favorite!
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I don't know how the food here is so good when the service is so awful. I really enjoyed my meal and it was more than expected and very fresh. But like others have commented the terrible service completely overshadows the entire meal. Although nice, there doesn't seem to be ANY organization to the wiatstaff. Managements fault. Both times i have had to go find someone to get a menu from.
If you sit on the 2nd floor patio they will not come to you for anything. It's like a waiter no-mans-land and when someone finally came they had that DMV level motivation to please.
I would be exrtemely cautious about doing a private event here. I don't think they are quite ready for it.
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Went here for a Sunday afternoon lunch. Overall, lunch was fine. Nothing special, but not bad. However, I did not appreciate the unenthusiastic hostesses who did not greet guests upon arrival and absent-minded servers. Food was average - imagine a slightly jazzed up cafeteria meal. Quality ingredients, but lackluster flavors. I'll save the $50 and make a better lunch at home.
The Grove does have great views of the park and nice decor, but I will not return.
I was in Houston last week for business travel and went to the Grove two days in a row to dine. Both times the food was great and service excellent.
The first time I went we had the private dining room in the back that seats 24. The decor is very pretty and sparkly and the room has a plasma TV which was great to watch the Super Bowl on. We ordered lots of finger foods to munch on while watching the game. My favorite was the pulled pork sliders and guacamole n queso. I would pass on the fish ceviche as it was pretty tasteless sitting on the plantain chip.
The next night, we had a private event and rented out the entire restaurant. The place completely transformed. All the dining tables were removed and with a few highboy cocktail rounds, pretty decor and lighting the space did not even resemble the restaurant from the previous night. All the food was great, including the mashed potatoes and pizette with arugala and prosciutto.
There's even an outdoor deck to enjoy the great Houston weather during the winter months.
Good food, good company and good times!
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When the city of Houston announced that this latest venture from Robert Del Grande would be one of two restaurants on the Discovery Green Park... I predicted that this place would be amazing upon completion. The buzz surrounding this place was constantly mentioned in almost every Houston publication for the past few months. In a city with so many great restaurants to choose from, this place was instantly accredited with success even prior to opening. With the former Executive Chef of 17, Ryan Perra running the menu, you knew that this place would be special. Well after experiencing it this past weekend, I have to say it is special... to a certain degree.
I can't really give this place 4 stars yet, more-like 3.5 seems befitting. I simply love the interior design of this place. Totally refreshing and unique compared to alot of the nice establishments in H-town. From the floor to ceiling windows surrounding the restaurant to the rich woods encompassing the interior... this place simply made a great first impression on me. I also like the high ceilings and mint green chairs and booths. I always like an establishment that have clean lines and minimal interior decorating; that's a big plus for me.
After finally walking up to the hostess, I was afraid I would have to wait because it was packed inside. Especially when I walked in at 9:00 when my reservations was for 9:30. But we got seated within 5 minutes, so that was another big plus. I said to myself... "Finally I'm here", I was dying to try this place months ago. But my rule is to always let a new restaurant open for a few months to iron out the kinks. 9 out of 10 times I tend to be disappointed when I don't give it time to get situated.
As I sat down and looked over the dinner menu, I was quite surprised by the prices... I anticipated it to be pricey, but was glad to see the prices were very reasonable for this type of establishment. I started off with the duck meatballs ( 6 pieces)and Fried Gulf Shrimp (5 pieces) w/ a red Ginger sauce dip. Both were fairly good. The softness of the meatballs along with the crisp texture of the shrimp were both pleasantly welcoming in my mouth. As I moved along to my entree... I was actually disappointed in this dish. The skirt steak w/ tomatillo sauce was very tough and chewy. I know that this is a tough cut of meat, but I assume an establishment as this would know how to make it tender. Granted it was a generous helping, unfortunately I only ate a third of it. I had initially ordered it medium-rare, but I asked to have it sent back and grill it up some more in hopes it could help. Regrettingly, like all meat when you thoroughly cook it... it got tougher. The chili cheese fries that accompanied the dish was delicious though. Then again, I consider any chili cheese on fries great. My friend had the ribeye, and that turned out good for her. She likes her steak medium-well (eek! please forgive her) and it came out the way she ordered it. At least someone enjoyed their entree. I'm pretty sure if I had ordered some other entree, this place would easily get 4 to 5 stars. It's just too bad that I happened to order a bad dish and it skewed my rating for this place.
All-in-all, this place was a good experience with the service being excellent as well. It did dazzle me at first, but after getting all the glitz out of the way the food to me was just slightly above average. Also the charge for $7 valet is another downer. The interior design alone warrants me on coming back. However, I'll never order that skirt steak again... NEVER!
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I ate there for my birthday a couple weeks ago, with a party of 6. I made reservations the Wednesday before, but when we arrived they could not find them!!!?? However, they did have a table, and luckily my party was not there yet so it wasn't too embarrassing. The place is pretty nice, simple decor and the music is not too loud. I ordered the daily special, which was duck 'peking style' with sweet potato. It was delicious, very juicy and tender without being too fatty. Other dishes sampled were the flounder (excellent), the skirt steak (best chili fries ever!) and the pork tenderloin (also very tender and juicy). The only dish that didn't measure up was the ahi tuna w\ grits, it was a bit bland. Overall, they have an excellent view of the park and downtown, and the bar selection is great. Once the patio opens and the park is finished i will be a regular at the bar. Will go back to sample the lunch menu and a desert or two now that lunch is available. Oh, and i almost forgot, the wait staff is great, its too bad he gratted us, i would have tipped 25%. Ahh, maybe next time!
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Tucked away in downtown is this tres chic establishment. I went for lunch, and it was like having lunch somewhere "not Houston". It is open and inviting. The dcor fresh and modern. Valet is $7, but there's no alternative unless you are up for the $10 it costs for the discovery green lot or searching on the street...something short of impossible of finding.
Instead of bread and butter, you get toasty almonds and an array of pretty olives. Tasty! There are lunch specials which include a salad, entre and dessert, which isn't bad for $20. Dessert was icecream Sunday which had an assortment of cookies. Fantastic! Meatloaf was surprisingly moist. Potato Salad, nothing to write home about, but then again, I'm not much of a fan of potato salad. The deck seemed promising, but not open until March 1. Believe the bar will be called Tequila bar. The patio area for this bar is amazing! Can't wait!
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