11/03/09

Best italian food in all of Houston

by The Restaurant Critic

As owner of HoustonRestaurants dot com I dine out frequently and when I do not have a new place to try, I spend my time at Sorrento Ristorante on Westheimer sampling their fine food and excellent wines.

I have know Abbas for 20 years and he always delivers. His staff is very attentive and makes you feel like family.

I have very few "Favorite Italian Restaurants" and this is one of the best.

You have to try the Sea Bass and the lamb!

• Pros: Fine dining, great wine, excellent food
• Cons: need more locations in Houston!

10/28/09

Pleasantly Peaceful

by Jeremy Turner

As soon as we walked in the door we were greeted by a pleasent valet parking staff and the host at the door was very professional and accomadating. The food took a little longer than expected but our waiter was very professional and apologized because our food had been ordered after a larger party which is why it took so long. Other than that the environment and service were wonderful and I will certainly be visiting again.

• Pros: Great food, good wine selection, and quiet atmosphere
• Cons: smaller restaurant

08/14/09

A Disappointing Anniversary

by txfoodie2009

We went to Sorrento for our 10th Wedding Anniversary. But the night was pretty disappointing. The foie gras was bitter, and the toast it sat on had been burned (literally black in parts). The calamari was mediocre, but nothing special. My husband's lobster bisque was great. But my butternut squash soup was really bland and very very thin -- almost watery. I had to ask for a salt shaker because it wasn't properly seasoned. Our entrees were okay (a snapper special and the filet/lobster) but for $36 each, I was expecting something that made me say "wow" -- and I just thought, "this is okay -- good, but not great." Finally, we had a chocolate souffle for desert. Again, good but not great (and slightly overcooked). To add insult to injury, the table next to us was celebrating their 11th anniversary. For some reason, they were brought a desert "on the house" and a big deal was made. Our desert was brought with a candle (they knew it was our anniversary) but not comped.

I love food, and I'm usually pretty easy to please. I did have high hopes for Sorrento. But at the end of the day, we had a bill of more than $150 and a big feeling of disappointment. Maybe we just visited them on an off night and got a bad waiter. But if I were celebrating an anniversary or special occasion, I wouldn't take a chance on Sorrento.

• Pros: free parking if you get there early; live piano
• Cons: bad food; not great service; not good for special occasion