New Houston Restaurant Recommendations

[huge 3,793]

That Ninfas was in the toilet for a while but they seem to have righted the ship.

Both the Hiccups place and the new thai place (Aroy) serve good enough noodles but are pricey.  Everything is expensive now, breaking news.

[Lazarus Bocanegra 304]

another not new, but I am consistently impressed with every meal I've had at Mastranto's.  Just found out they bought Weights and Measures to make a brunch restaurant.  Will be interesting to see what they do there.  

[closetojumping 62,510]

Going to dinner tonight with another couple and the females switched the reservation from Brennan's, which is a favorite of mine that I haven't been to in months, over to "Little's Oyster Bar", which I know nothing about at this point. The females normally have good taste, but it kind of irritates me. Anyone know much about "Little's"?

 

[Da Fino 2,772]

9 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Going to dinner tonight with another couple and the females switched the reservation from Brennan's, which is a favorite of mine that I haven't been to in months, over to "Little's Oyster Bar", which I know nothing about at this point. The females normally have good taste, but it kind of irritates me. Anyone know much about "Little's"?

 

I went last week but had to order with picky eaters in mind. Grouper was good. Burrata was failure. Kids liked the fries. The crudo and the croquettes I saw on the other tables looked great. My wife sent back several glasses of wine (which she rarely does) so hopefully they got that sorted out. I'll go back, but I'll let you pay until they work the kinks out. I'm still surprised they opened that concept so close to Navy Blue. 

[closetojumping 62,510]

26 minutes ago, Da Fino said:

I went last week but had to order with picky eaters in mind. Grouper was good. Burrata was failure. Kids liked the fries. The crudo and the croquettes I saw on the other tables looked great. My wife sent back several glasses of wine (which she rarely does) so hopefully they got that sorted out. I'll go back, but I'll let you pay until they work the kinks out. I'm still surprised they opened that concept so close to Navy Blue. 

Thanks for this, it's helpful.

I haven't been to Navy Blue, but I have been to Bludorn. The food was okay but gloriously overpriced. I don't even normally notice things like that, but holy shit. Apparently we should have ordered the Lobster Thermidor but we didn't know that at the time. They also do the whole "you have to order everything now so that the chef can course it out" pomposity. Andiron does that too. At least Andiron's absurd pricing was semi-justified by excellent food.

[Da Fino 2,772]

3 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Thanks for this, it's helpful.

I haven't been to Navy Blue, but I have been to Bludorn. The food was okay but gloriously overpriced. I don't even normally notice things like that, but holy shit. Apparently we should have ordered the Lobster Thermidor but we didn't know that at the time. They also do the whole "you have to order everything now so that the chef can course it out" pomposity. Andiron does that too. At least Andiron's absurd pricing was semi-justified by excellent food.

I hate that shit too. Navy Blue tries to do orders that way also and it absolutely doesn't work well for business dinners. However, at Bludorn we usually tell them that we will order after appetizers and raw bar. Much more enjoyable and they never have issues with it.

[royiv 9,244]

6 hours ago, closetojumping said:

Going to dinner tonight with another couple and the females switched the reservation from Brennan's, which is a favorite of mine that I haven't been to in months, over to "Little's Oyster Bar", which I know nothing about at this point. The females normally have good taste, but it kind of irritates me. Anyone know much about "Little's"?

 

Little's is Pappas fancying up the old Little Pappas Seafood. Haven't been yet, but the building looks nice.

[royiv 9,244]

6 hours ago, Da Fino said:

I'm still surprised they opened that concept so close to Navy Blue. 

Not to mention the Clark's Oyster Bar going in at Montrose and Alabama.

[billfromlaketravis 11,445]

I’ll put in a plug for my folks at Brennan’s. Food is also fantastic, and one of the few current restaurants they can claim a professional wait staff. 
 

If you’ve never been, I’d suggest going for lunch. 25 cent martinis. They killed off the $30 salad/soup and entree option, but you’ll still get out of there alright. Drinks are usually 40-45% of my tab.

Their bar is alright but their bourbon selection makes me sad.

I like to sit by the windows in the big chairs in the main dining room, but the Terms of Endearment room ain’t bad. They also have a room to the left of the front door that is pretty nice. 
 

Dress code is pretty simple. No jeans. Wear a sports coat and slacks. 
 

All that said, I’d careful about bringing a George Constanza SOB Yankee crew there for lunch. They will gladly cut you off if you abuse the 3 martini policy. They’ll definitely cut you off after 4.

[Smax 3,800]

On 6/8/2023 at 3:43 PM, Fud said:

I need an anniversary dinner rec not named Bludorn. We like all food. What do you got? 

Potente, I love this place

I don't get the Bludorn hype, its really good but this is Houston, there are good/great restaurants all over the city.

[ERhine 1,894]

I attended an event at Navy Blue a few weeks back. Probably tried most of the menu as it was served family style. The food was great. No clue on the cost value analysis because I never saw a menu and didn’t pay for dinner.

[Fud 9,551]

3 hours ago, Smax said:

Potente, I love this place

I don't get the Bludorn hype, its really good but this is Houston, there are good/great restaurants all over the city.

It’s the first recommendation you get any time you ask for a nice dinner rec, unfortunately 

[tx 3 putt 76,862]

3 hours ago, Smax said:

Potente, I love this place

I don't get the Bludorn hype, its really good but this is Houston, there are good/great restaurants all over the city.

 

i also love potente. the whole place is just tits. food is excellent, desserts are great. highly recommend 

[TonyTexas 10,504]

Pretty cool for Bun B and Trill Burger

 

[SydneyCarton 48,053]

On 6/15/2023 at 7:58 PM, billfromlaketravis said:

I’ll put in a plug for my folks at Brennan’s. Food is also fantastic, and one of the few current restaurants they can claim a professional wait staff. 
 

If you’ve never been, I’d suggest going for lunch. 25 cent martinis. They killed off the $30 salad/soup and entree option, but you’ll still get out of there alright. Drinks are usually 40-45% of my tab.

Their bar is alright but their bourbon selection makes me sad.

I like to sit by the windows in the big chairs in the main dining room, but the Terms of Endearment room ain’t bad. They also have a room to the left of the front door that is pretty nice. 
 

Dress code is pretty simple. No jeans. Wear a sports coat and slacks. 
 

All that said, I’d careful about bringing a George Constanza SOB Yankee crew there for lunch. They will gladly cut you off if you abuse the 3 martini policy. They’ll definitely cut you off after 4.

Are you drinking approximately 68 martinis per bill? Because this could explain some of your other takes recently. 

[huge 3,793]

19 hours ago, SydneyCarton said:

Are you drinking approximately 68 martinis per bill? Because this could explain some of your other takes recently. 

What is funny is when you dont specify the $.25 martini and they bring you the OG one that is $16

[tx 3 putt 76,862]

On 6/20/2023 at 9:46 AM, TonyTexas said:

Pretty cool for Bun B and Trill Burger

 

when I went to his pop up, bun b came out several times to hand out water and talk with the people in line and take pics. He kept  updating that they wouldn’t run out of food. He was working behind the counter, bringing  orders. Whole time he was thanking people for waiting and coming by 

[Tonesky 932]

Dinner at Navy Blue last weekend was very disappointing. The service was poor and the food was underwhelming. We would not return at half the price. 

[billfromlaketravis 11,445]

On 6/20/2023 at 9:46 AM, TonyTexas said:

Pretty cool for Bun B and Trill Burger

 

I’m glad they did something cool /unique with the space. Pretty close to my office. I’ll definitely give it a try. 

[GreenspointTexas 9,598]

Havent tried Trill yet, but went by Stuffed Belly yesterday.

 

 

best burger in the city. Holy fuck its good

[tx 3 putt 76,862]

48 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Havent tried Trill yet, but went by Stuffed Belly yesterday.

 

 

best burger in the city. Holy fuck its good

it’s on the list, thanks 

[HoustonHorn 1,062]

Hit up Potente last week and the service and food were exceptional. Did not have dessert though which I will rectify next time.

[royiv 9,244]

3 hours ago, HoustonHorn said:

Hit up Potente last week and the service and food were exceptional. Did not have dessert though which I will rectify next time.

Potente is probably my favorite downtown proper spot. Service is always fantastic, they have a great wine list and the food never disappoints. It's in the rotation for nice nights out with the wife. It's also a fun place to grab a drink at the bar before an Astros game. Grab a seat by the windows and people watch while pre-gaming and having snacks.

[mycox 582]

I went to Elro Pizza + Crudo tonight. Decently priced and will be back.

Nothing spectacular but it was solid food. I prefer NY style thin crust, but the crust was still crispy and toppings were good. Crudo was good.

 

[royiv 9,244]

16 hours ago, mycox said:

I went to Elro Pizza + Crudo tonight. Decently priced and will be back.

Nothing spectacular but it was solid food. I prefer NY style thin crust, but the crust was still crispy and toppings were good. Crudo was good.

 

Drove by there last week and it looks like a really cool spot. That patio should be popular when it cools off.

[mycox 582]

It's a nice spot. I have a feeling that corner area is going to get some new development coming up.

[elfenix 34,221]

is walk-in at all possible for street to kitchen?  open table shows it booked solid

[ERhine 1,894]

Not really. You may get lucky but they turn people down a dozen times each time I’m there.

Go for lunch. It’s a limited menu but you can get a reservation a couple days out usually.

[tx 3 putt 76,862]

7 hours ago, ERhine said:

Not really. You may get lucky but they turn people down a dozen times each time I’m there.

Go for lunch. It’s a limited menu but you can get a reservation a couple days out usually.

correct go for lunch, pick me up on the way 

[tx 3 putt 76,862]

If you find yourself in the area, this new Italian place is very good 

https://www.mimohtx.com/

 

[Tonesky 932]

1 hour ago, tx 3 putt said:

If you find yourself in the area, this new Italian place is very good 

https://www.mimohtx.com/

 

We’ve got reservations for a few weeks from now. Really looking forward to it. 

[tx 3 putt 76,862]

3 minutes ago, Tonesky said:

We’ve got reservations for a few weeks from now. Really looking forward to it. 

https://www.instagram.com/mimo_houtx/

[tx 3 putt 76,862]

On 5/10/2023 at 12:53 PM, ERhine said:

 

Probably my favorite restaurant in town over the past six months or so.





The dessert literally brought my wife to tears it reminded her so much of a dish her mother made.

 

 

 

moving into the old Louie's Italian spot, about 1.5 miles down harrisburg. Closer to downtown / eado area. it's a good location, should work great for them. maybe they'll have a shuttle to astro games ? 

*louie's was very good, sad they flamed out

Edited July 20, 2023 by tx 3 putt

[closetojumping 62,510]

I went to Toulouse with my wife on Saturday night. We've been many times and she loves it. There are always a ton of euros there and it's a whole thing, for those who have never been. That may be relevant for what I am about to post.

We'll never be going there again. Dinner was fine. They presented the check and it was substantially higher than I figured. Normally, I don't pay a ton of attention (I get it, shame on me, whatever), but this was around $100 higher than I figured. "huh" I think. Then I read the bill and there's a large "service charge" on there.

I see that in other countries. I'm not used to seeing it in Houston for a two top. I asked the waiter and he confirmed that it was an auto-grat. They're doing this for every ticket and he claimed he didn't know that started. I'd be fine, I guess, if someone was doing that and informed the customer of that. But that's not what they did. They auto-gratted and then presented a credit card payment slip with the normal tip space. Not "additional" tip space, but tip space, as though I hadn't been gratted. Fuck that deception. I don't care if they have some explanation for why they're doing that associated to the euros being shitty tippers or whatever. 

Maybe that's been a thing for them for a while, and I go every few months and never noticed because I'm an idiot, or maybe that's new. Fuck them either way. I also am nauseated by the notion that that is going to become a regular thing at various restaurants. I know numerous posters like to glamorize Europe, but I've been over plenty and while it is a great place to visit, they're doing a whole bunch of shit wrong and that includes compensating servers. The service sucks 10 times worse in Europe, including at the top end, and that, in part, is absolutely because the servers don't give a fuck, since they're getting paid no matter what. And I say that as someone who worked for tips as a grocery sacker, a busboy and server for years. 

[Foosters 17,820]

35 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

I went to Toulouse with my wife on Saturday night. We've been many times and she loves it. There are always a ton of euros there and it's a whole thing, for those who have never been. That may be relevant for what I am about to post.

We'll never be going there again. Dinner was fine. They presented the check and it was substantially higher than I figured. Normally, I don't pay a ton of attention (I get it, shame on me, whatever), but this was around $100 higher than I figured. "huh" I think. Then I read the bill and there's a large "service charge" on there.

I see that in other countries. I'm not used to seeing it in Houston for a two top. I asked the waiter and he confirmed that it was an auto-grat. They're doing this for every ticket and he claimed he didn't know that started. I'd be fine, I guess, if someone was doing that and informed the customer of that. But that's not what they did. They auto-gratted and then presented a credit card payment slip with the normal tip space. Not "additional" tip space, but tip space, as though I hadn't been gratted. Fuck that deception. I don't care if they have some explanation for why they're doing that associated to the euros being shitty tippers or whatever. 

Maybe that's been a thing for them for a while, and I go every few months and never noticed because I'm an idiot, or maybe that's new. Fuck them either way. I also am nauseated by the notion that that is going to become a regular thing at various restaurants. I know numerous posters like to glamorize Europe, but I've been over plenty and while it is a great place to visit, they're doing a whole bunch of shit wrong and that includes compensating servers. The service sucks 10 times worse in Europe, including at the top end, and that, in part, is absolutely because the servers don't give a fuck, since they're getting paid no matter what. And I say that as someone who worked for tips as a grocery sacker, a busboy and server for years. 

It see it in US restaurants quite a bit. When asked, restaurants will tell you that its "necessary to afford living wages and/or health care for the staff." 

Regardless of your thoughts on the need for such a charge, I cannot imagine restaurants would not be better off just slightly increasing each items' price as to avoid situations like the above. 

[Da Fino 2,772]

That must brand new. They weren't doing that shit a week or two ago. Grace's on Kirby does it, but they are very transparent about it, and I get it. 

[TonyTexas 10,504]

Anyone been to Amore on S Shepherd?  It’s the newish restaurant owned by the longtime chef from DeMarco. 

[closetojumping 62,510]

22 minutes ago, Foosters said:

It see it in US restaurants quite a bit. When asked, restaurants will tell you that its "necessary to afford living wages and/or health care for the staff." 

Regardless of your thoughts on the need for such a charge, I cannot imagine restaurants would not be better off just slightly increasing each items' price as to avoid situations like the above. 

Yeah, if you want to draft off of customers to pay your staff, charge more. If you're as good as you think you are for what you're charging, business will be fine. Frankly, the argument about "living wages and health care" is absurd for nicer restaurants, and intellectually insulting. 

[royiv 9,244]

Toulouse is douche-tastic with middle of the road food. The row of neon colored McLarens and Lambos at the valet stand should be a warning sign.

[PRONG HORN 3,130]

2 hours ago, royiv said:

Toulouse is douche-tastic with middle of the road food. The row of neon colored McLarens and Lambos at the valet stand should be a warning sign.

 

is there still a Toulouse on 6th?  

 

[closetojumping 62,510]

15 hours ago, royiv said:

Toulouse is douche-tastic with middle of the road food. The row of neon colored McLarens and Lambos at the valet stand should be a warning sign.

The food isn’t middle of the road. That’s bullshit. Agree about the sports cars and douchery, which I already alluded to in regard to its inherent euroness. But, hey, my wife is from that part of the world, so what can one do?

[royiv 9,244]

2 hours ago, closetojumping said:

The food isn’t middle of the road. That’s bullshit. Agree about the sports cars and douchery, which I already alluded to in regard to its inherent euroness. But, hey, my wife is from that part of the world, so what can one do?

I've never had a terrible meal there, but I've never had anything that I thought was excellent. That's pretty middle of the road in my book. Nothing bad, nothing amazing. Add in the douche factor and the only time we go is when someone else chooses it. In the same general vicinity, I think Etoile does French better.

[Tonesky 932]

On 7/15/2023 at 9:15 PM, tx 3 putt said:

If you find yourself in the area, this new Italian place is very good 

https://www.mimohtx.com/

 

We had a terrific dinner at Mimo on Saturday night.  Food and service were spot on.  Sorry, no pics. 

Note - they don't serve spirits, so I asked about BYOB.  They allow, with a $20 corkage fee.

[tx 3 putt 76,862]

1 hour ago, Tonesky said:

We had a terrific dinner at Mimo on Saturday night.  Food and service were spot on.  Sorry, no pics. 

Note - they don't serve spirits, so I asked about BYOB.  They allow, with a $20 corkage fee.

thanks for the invite, im about 6 mins away. Still need to try it 

[elfenix 34,221]

On 7/20/2023 at 4:23 PM, tx 3 putt said:

 

moving into the old Louie's Italian spot, about 1.5 miles down harrisburg. Closer to downtown / eado area. it's a good location, should work great for them. maybe they'll have a shuttle to astro games ? 

*louie's was very good, sad they flamed out

did they not open angie's or did that flame out already?

[tx 3 putt 76,862]

3 minutes ago, elfenix said:

did they not open angie's or did that flame out already?

It never took off. They moved the pizza oven into ‘how to survive’ wine bar next door

louie’s and cafe louie’s before that, we’re both very good

its a great space, street to kitchen will crush it in there. Much bigger kitchen and more than double the tables

[mycox 582]

On 7/15/2023 at 9:15 PM, tx 3 putt said:

If you find yourself in the area, this new Italian place is very good 

https://www.mimohtx.com/

 

I was there for lunch Saturday. Really good food and wine at affordable prices.

[Tonesky 932]

3 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

thanks for the invite

That required being married to my wife (also no pics) or one of her brothers….

[Storm the Field 5,291]

Is this the longest a restaurant has ever taken to re-open?

https://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/baba-yega-reopening-delay-renovations-fire-2024/

Baba Yega burnt down way back in 2018, and was supposed to finally emerge from the ashes late this Summer. Apparently they had another fire while wrapping up construction a few weeks ago and will remain closed until sometime early next year. 

[Da Fino 2,772]

2 hours ago, Storm the Field said:

Is this the longest a restaurant has ever taken to re-open?

https://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/baba-yega-reopening-delay-renovations-fire-2024/

Baba Yega burnt down way back in 2018, and was supposed to finally emerge from the ashes late this Summer. Apparently they had another fire while wrapping up construction a few weeks ago and will remain closed until sometime early next year. 

I parked in front of that place not long before the last fire. It looked like shit and unkempt.