REEF

04/17/2008 Posted by crepko

The seafood and service was outstanding. Highly recommend the scallops and the fried macaroni and cheese as a side dish. We had seafood shooters as an appetizer and they were very tasty and fun to watch everyone at the table try. The only down part was the bar--drinks were good but could not carry on a conversation in the bar because of the noise level. We will return for the food.

Pros: Modern atmosphere, clean, super fresh seafood

Cons: was hard to find, parking is difficult, bar is noisy

04/04/2008 Posted by htowncoog

I was there with a group of about 15 people and even with a reservation it took them nearly an hour to seat us so meanwhile we were drinking their super watered down drinks at $10 a pop. After being seated, instead of the regular menu with the usual specials and complete descriptions and pricing, they gave us this laser printed menu with a choice of 4 dishes and our party's name on it that didn't even include their signature fish dishes. I had been looking forward to the salmon so I ordered off the real menu and knew exactly what I was getting and how much it would be, but the rest of my party ordered out of the 4 specials and got a nasty surprise at the end of the night when the so called "specials" were about $30 more than the average dishes on the regular menu. The dishes were tiny too. That seems shady to me but we all paid on one ticket to make the server's life easier and overall was very nice to them and on a $1200 tab, left a tip of more than $220 for the server(s) which is almost 20% and what bothers me the most is the servers in plain view were slamming the dishes as they were picking them up and giving us dirty looks as if we didn't tip them enough. I really had to bite my toungue because I knew it would get ugly if I did. So there you have it. the place is across from a car dealership, overpriced food with tiny portions, and very rude service. There are plenty of classy places to eat at in Houston so skip this one if you want my advice. Oh, and as mentioned there is not even ONE parking spot for this place that's free unless you want to park in the street. And this is isn't in downtown exactly.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful

04/02/2008 Posted by MikeGe

This is a great restaurant. Good atmosphere with a great and reasonably price wine list. The sweet potato ravioli are a great starter. The scallops and snapper are both excellent entrees. I have been to Reef numerous times and have never had a problem with the valet until this past week. Upon arriving home, I realized two bottles of wine and my sunglasses had been taken from my vehicle (yes, I stopped by Spec's immediately before going to Reef). I called Reef, who was apologetic, but I have not heard anything back regarding what they determined. Shame on me for having any trust in the valet. Take my advice; find somewhere to park on the street. Do not trust this Valet Company.

Pros: Wine List

Cons: Sticky fingered vallet

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

03/30/2008 Posted by snipdoggydog

This restaurant has received so many mixed reviews that I didn't know what to expect. My friend and I had an early reservation on a weeknight before the theater, so the restaurant was not very crowded. The space used to be a car dealership so it is big and open. I can see that it might be very loud on a crowded weekend night. Our waitress was very helpful and explained the most popular dishes since it was our first visit. I loved the menu because I am primarily a seafood eater and there are many interesting choices. My friend and I split the crabcake appetizer which was very large and meaty. I ordered the baked salmon and lemon risotto, which was excellent. She had the spearfish with an orange sauce and broccoli rabe and it was also very tasty. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meal and would definitely go back and recommend it to our friends. The only reason I can see for the bad reviews is they may not perform as well when they are very busy. If so, they need to work on their staffing because they have a great menu and space. The valet parking is also very akward because of the location on a two way street. They need a circular drive where you can drop and pick up your car without blocking traffic.

Pros: Excellent seafood, great space

Cons: Valet parking hard to navigate

02/25/2008 Posted by ChiOCay

We visited Reef on Saturday night 2/23/08. It was loud, crowded and rushed. Our waitress told us if we did not order immediately our dinner could take as long as an hour to be served. There are no specials because the "chef is proud of his menu as it is". We ordered the scallops and our guests ordered flounder with the mushroom ragout over polenta. Our guests were sick most of Sunday from their meal. We did not finish the 4 scallops shared between us because they were inedible. Perhaps that saved us from getting sick.. The only winner was the crab cake. Order it to go.

Pros: Crab cake

Cons: Everything else

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

02/24/2008 Posted by coog78

Nice restaurant, great location. The scallops are incredible, order the scallops! I enjoyed the decor and will definitely make a return trip. Solid spot, not much more to say!

Pros: food, location, service

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

02/17/2008 Posted by iDot

My experience started when we pulled up to the restaurant and the valet didn't even want to park our car. I know our Toyota isn't a Lexus, but still where is the customer service? We proceded into the restaurant while getting the funny eye from the valet's and were seated. Our waitress was decent until the middle of dinner when I asked for mashed potatos because my salad was way too oily and too salty. The crab cake was too tiny to pay $18.00 for. Their whole theme is sea salt in that restaurant and I don't think they know when it's overkill. The Grilled Chicken was $15 and it consisted of 2 tiny, poorly seasoned chicken cutlets with that over salted/oily salad. My waitress now wasn't too attentive and forgot to fill my soda back up and didn't come back for a while. The only thing that my husband and I finished was the Chocolate Cake, the one thing they didn't screw up for us. We went home still hungry. I went here with a gift card and I am glad because I would hate to pay for that food out of my pocket. I will definitely not be sending my guests here.

Pros: Decorations

Cons: Everything else..

02/08/2008 Posted by roneyc

The food is on par with comparably priced restaurants. We were disappointed when informed by wine captain that the "innovative cocktail" referenced in editorial review was unavailable, but the plain Mojitos were satisfactory. The Kumquat Mojito still shows on website menu, so perhaps it was just a misunderstanding. The ceviche was fresh and nicely presented. The grilled shrimp was reported to be on the salty side, but spearfish entree was grilled to perfection. A side order of fried mac and cheese was creamy with a crispy crust, but the flavor wasn't memorable. The proportions were on the large side for us, leaving us filled before dessert. Based on food alone, I'd have given it 4 stars. The service we received was top notch. Our Open Table reservation details were followed to the letter. We had an early reservation in order to attend a musical. The staff asked at the beginning what time we felt we needed to leave by. Our 2-person team was attentive (if only slightly hovering at the beginning, but that ceased as the restaurant filled). In addition, they comped us each a small liquored milkshake on a decorative platter and enthusiastically, but discretely, wished the wife a happy birthday. They earned their abundant tip for the evening. We were back at the valet at the precise minute we had specified upon our arrival. This restaurant will definitely be added to our monthly list.

Pros: Service, separate rooms for large groups

Cons: Concrete floors need covering to dampen noise

01/28/2008 Posted by OverRatedTrendSpot

After much anticipation, our Friday night dinning experience was quiet the dissapointment. Our waiter, Carlos barely made eye contact with us, had to ask him twice for water and he had no personality whatsoever! To top it off, the dishes we ordered were over priced and nothing to write home about. The scallops, 3 to the plate was $23 and the salmon was non-discript for $22. The only positive moment was the chocolate cake dessert. Needless to say, we will not return.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful

01/19/2008 Posted by elnatty007

What a great place for seafood. I love the ambiance, as well as the food. Just a little expensive... I can't wait to go back, though!