08/05/08

Bland and Boring Paella

by mutt82588

Took my girlfriend there on a Tuesday night. Ambiance is good, but food was sub par. We ordered the paella de Meson, supposedly their signature paella, the classic mixed meat and seafood. Presented well, but nearly tasteless. No saffron, no tomato, nothing. Rice was soggy too. Steer clear of this $40 plate of rice.

• Pros: ambience
• Cons: food, service

08/05/08

Excellent food and wine

by foodienuts

I've visited this restaurant several times, some with big groups. Sitting was prompt and service was good. Food is always excellent. Have tried everything from the paellas, tapas to the Cuban dishes - all were yummy! I definitely prefer it to the tapas restaurant a few doors down. This place you could actually hear your party talking.

08/03/08

Disappointing Paella

by lindsay83

El Meson has a nice little spot in Rice Village, lots of street and foot traffic to take advantage of. If you find yourself in the area and looking for great paella, keep looking. We had to pay $4 dollars (actually $5 since the vallet took our $5 bill up front and never offered change) to have the vallet park our car in a spot blocked off in front of the restaurant where we could have parked ourselves- confusing as to why we needed to pay for parking since we were going inside the restaurant to SPEND money. We expected a place like this would be packed on a Saturday night, but walked in for our 7:30 reservation and found it half empty. That was the first sign that we might be disappointed. It was also VERY warm, seemed as though they were trying to save money by keeping the AC off. The service was par, not spectacular, but satisfactory. The wine list is quite extensive- the only request I might make would be for a greater Texas wine selection- my pinot grigio was quite nice and my fiance enjoyed his cab. We had been craving paella for a few days, and were excited to find several choices on the menu. We ordered the "Del Meson" and tried to keep our mind off the heat by watching the Rice Village pedestrians as we waited. The paella was ready right on time within the promised 25-30 min window, and was quite a generous portion for two people. Upon tasting, none of the promised saffron was discernible and a lack of basic seasonings like salt and pepper was also found. The rice had no uniform consistency- some undercooked, some overcooked- and lacked the crispy bottom layer usually found. Overall, El Meson leaves a bit to be desired. I'd only return without the parking fee and to sip on wine, nevermind the food. Will continue the search for good paella.

• Pros: Satisfactory Service, Wine List
• Cons: Parking, Lack of AC, Food