08/24/09

Horrible Experience, Unacceptable Service

by longhorn00

Went to Feast with a large group (8 plus) b/c of the multiple great reviews about both food and service (IE: 10 best new restaurants in America - Bon Appitit). When called for reservation, was told they would only seat a group as large as ours at 5pm - no later. I asked if they could bump that at all and they bumped it to 5:30pm... a little bit earlier than I typically eat, but was willing to overlook. Everyone in our group was there either early or right on time. Those that arrived at 5pm to grab a drink 1st, were made to feel as if they were putting the owners & wait staff out. We all were sitting at a long table with 4 on each side, with the 9th person situated at the very end (little to no room for plate & drinks) and against the wall. Before this person had even gotten their 1st drink, he walked up to the hostess (also one of the owners - unbeknownst to him) and asked if she would be willing to either move the table away from the wall or add a small table to our table. She promptly said no, with ZERO explanation and would not elaborate. He was a little perturbed by her shortness, and tried to explain what he wanted. She refused, and he asked for her name and came and sat down with us. Within 2 minutes of his sitting down and briefly explaining what had happened, the chef/owner/husband asked my friend if they could speak. My friend got up to speak with him. 5 minutes later our friend called us to say he had been asked to leave the restaurant! He said for us to stay & finish the meal and would meet us later for drinks. We ended up staying, after a lengthy discussion amongst the group. Neither the hostess/owner or chef/owner ever walked over and explained what had transpired in their view to myself (who made reservation) or anyone else at the table. The food was neither remarkable or bad. The dessert (sticky toffee pudding) was excellent, best thing by far had by anyone at the table. Our waitress overall was good, but no explanation or acknowledgement from wait staff / hostess / owners as to why our friend was asked to leave. We were there for Houston Restaurant Week which is a 3 course meal for $35 per person. FYI - we ended up spending over $70 per person by ordering drinks and a few dishes off the normal non-restaurant week menu. My family has owned many restaurants in the Houston area over the years, and I have also worked in the industry in younger days. I know my friend well and believe he took no actions warrantying being asked to leave the restaurant (at this point he had ZERO alcohol and being belligerent is not in his nature). Unacceptable conduct by the OWNERSHIP to not even explain to the table their version of what had transpired. I also had to wait for 20 minutes for valet after dinner. I eventually went up to valet with $3 & asked for my keys, with which I went & got my own car.

• Pros: Decent Food
• Cons: Unacceptable Service

08/14/09

A good deal and a GREAT meal!

by txfoodie2009

We recently tried Feast for the 1st time, and we'll definitely be back. You sit VERY close to other diners (the person next to me kept asking me about every course I received), but even this reminded me of Paris bistros. The food was excellent. I had pork belly, and my husband had cassoulet. Both were excellent. I'd give the nod to the cassolet, but it was very rich -- luckily, we split both. But the best part of the meal was the dessert. We had sticky toffee pudding and it was out of this world good. We also shared a scallop appetizer, and although good, it wasn't up to the level of the rest of the meal. In the future, I might forego appetizers (the entrees were very large). An appetizer, 2 entrees, a bottle of wine, and dessert was less than $100. And the service was wonderful -- friendly, laid-back, and with opinions that seemed genuine and without regard to the prices on the menu. I'd highly recommend this little Montrose jewel!

• Pros: fun, quaint building; incredible food; great value
• Cons: mandatory valet that isn't free

07/14/09

Feast-astic!

by Queenie77

After reading about Feast in Houston magazine, my bf and I were anxious to give it a try. We made a reservation right away. There is a lack of parking – or it may be valet only, as it is located on the side of Westheimer. There is a sign at the door that says “watch your step” which I tried to heed, but the step goes down, while I assumed it went up. Luckily, no stumbling occurred :) Feast is set in a cozy old house with dark woods and interesting knick knacks. Simple wooden tables and chairs also keep things friendly and informal. There is also a balcony (and lounge?) upstairs. Their menus are printed daily on regular paper, no fancy cardstock or padded books, which is just fine with us! All the staff was very friendly an knowledgeable and non-intrusive. OK on to the most important part, the food! I had read that things could be quite heavy so we decided to have multiple appetizer courses and share an entrée.

Scallops with Cream, Mushrooms, Brandy and Cheese – sweet little scallops served in the shell smothered with mushrooms and a mild brandy cheese sauce. A squeeze of lemon gives just a little bit of acidic contrast.

Potted Cheese – as described by our waiter – a sharp cheddar cooked down with cream and herbs, then reset and eaten as a spread. Mild at first, with the cheddar flavor emerging as it melts in your mouth. I could snack on this anytime!

Smoked Mackerel Roe, Spinach and a Fried Egg – bf’s eyes lit up as this dish arrived. This could be a true foodie’s breakfast. Smoky roe took on an almost ham-like presence, with just the slightest hint of proper fishiness at the end. The inside of the roe sacs were creamy, reminding me a little of sweetbreads. A fried egg on top gave us a runny yolk to mix up with the roe and spinach.

Roasted Chicken Necks – one of the specials of the evening – chicken necks simply seasoned and roasted. A definite finger food! The sauce was savory with a touch of sweet, almost like hoisin.

Crispy Roasted Pork Belly, Potato Cake and Red Cabbage with Apples – seems like this is the dish to try for all newcomers. And why not? What could be more wonderful than a superbly prepared slab of pork belly with the crispiest skin, fat rendered down, meat that falls apart, paired with lightly pickled cabbage, mashed potato cake and still tart apples?

While we did take a few things home, we were pleasantly surprised at how UN-heavy the evening turned out to be. We are not particularly sweet-toothed people, and so decided to skip dessert (though I hear they are quite good). Our bill came out to less than $90 (incl. a bottle of wine) which is very reasonable for what was perhaps one of the best meals we’ve ever had. No question that we will be back; and probably pretty soon!

• Pros: Food, service, atmosphere, pricing
• Cons: Parking