The Grove

10/01/2008 Posted by houtx224

The Grove was quite disappointing. We went on a Wednesday night with some friends who insisted that they love the place since they had a wonderful experience with hosting a birthday event there. So...we went in with high hopes that we'd find another great restaurant to frequent. We had a pulled pork appetizer, squash blossoms, and the chips and queso. The pulled pork was tasty but nothing special. The squash blossoms were strange and unidentifiable. The guac and queso were not very good, I prefer my at home versions of each. For dinner we had Prime Rib and the Filet. The Prime Rib was disgusting, bad flavor and undercooked. The filet was ok, but overcooked. For nearly $50, ok is NOT acceptable. Wine list was great, atmosphere very cool. Valet was busy busy and $8 seemed steep.

Pros: Wine list

Cons: everything else

09/29/2008 Posted by phamd

Probably one of the worst restaurants I have ever been too, first of all the food is below average, the service is bad as well. the only plus is it is a beautiful restaurant. We had a party of 15 and the waiter barely came by to check on us, we only had 3 choices for our main course and each of them were overly priced. My friend and I shared the chicken which was so dry and flavorless! If you are debating on this restaurant choose something else!!!!

Pros: pretty decor

Cons: everything else was horrible

09/28/2008 Posted by vhara

Had dinner there last night with friends. Wine, drinks, staff, ambiance were all lovely. The food was very average though for the price. My boyfriend had the tuna and it arrived with nothing, Seriously a lone little tuna steak on a big plate with not one vegetable - we couldn't believe it especially given the price! C'mon The Grove, veggies are inexpensive and add a little inspiration to the plate. I had the sirloin which was fine but it was slathered with BBQ sauce! I want to taste the steak with complimentary sauce not just tasting the sauce - what were they trying to hide about the steak is what it made me think! Another in our party ordered the skirt steak and chilli fries which on arrival looked like it was a miss mash of goo on the plate. Presentation for all food did not correlate with the prices nor the great ambiance, location, staff, drinks etc. My advice? Get there as often as you can for drinks and a great night, but don't go for the food until they resolve the quality.

Pros: Location, ambiance, drinks and did I mention location? Up at Tree House is just perfect!

Cons: Quality of the food

08/06/2008 Posted by obika

In short everything about this restaurant is decieving. Granted the inside is decorated beautifully, the food and beverages were horrible. Our waiter was very sweet and informative but his kindness did not make up for the food. I've had way better food for 1/4 of the price. The bartendar did however make a fabulous mojito but the food was just horrible. Please save your time and money. If you're going to make a visit to the grove, play it safe and smart and ONLY order from the beverage menu. Stay away from anything that comes from the kitchen. Let's hope they improve thier menu and seriously consider replacing a beautiful spot for some better qualilty.

Pros: Service and drinks

Cons: Parking, hostess, FOOD, oh and the food

08/06/2008 Posted by MLYates

Order the $12 burger and you are guaranteed to be dissapointed. Also someone at the table ordered the develed eggs and they looked pretty unhealthy.

07/24/2008 Posted by cba77007

I visited this place last weekend when attending a rehearsal dinner, and really liked the atmosphere and food, we had some sort of chef's tasting deal on each table, that was pretty good, service was good considering that the party was close to 100 people; and decided to come back tonight with a group of 12; we were seated promptly, considering the place was full, our server, very cute and friendly, suggested the chef's tasting that I convinced everyone on my table to try, suggested some california wine, pricey but perfect for the occasion. Everyone on the table was very immpresed with the food, the service, the free almonds on the table (THANK GOD FOR NOT OFFERING BREAD & BUTTER!!!), the atmosphere, the place, the park, and the DESSERT!!!!!! (and BTW .......I DO NOT WORK THERE, OR I AM NOT THE OWNER, OR THE MANAGER) everything was super! Despite what some say here, but our food was really good, the service was immpecable, we always had someone re-filling water or pouring wine or bringing more complimentary almonds.. we can't complaint about anything! yes, I can understand why some might feel out of place, you kinda have to look good and have some sort of look or class to feel welcomed, only because the place is so impressive and modern, that I can see why some people feel "out of place" and intimidated. I don't even know who the chef is, or the owners, or managers, or whatever, but whoever they are, and whatever they are doing, it has to be good, apparently this restaurant is always packed, and hard to get a table. I can't see why some feel jealous???? maybe??? BTW they must be making a fortune! I know that I will be back, I will bring more people, and keep coming back; for those that say they won't be back, please don't... you might be better somewhere else! don't waste the space for those that enjoy the good things, leave some space for us, that like to be seen there! :)

Pros: Food, Service, Ambience, Furniture, Wine list, PARK

Cons: Too good to be true!

07/24/2008 Posted by bulldog0711

We went for dinner in June. Street parking was hard to find, so stick with the reasonably priced and acceptably speedy valet. We had reservations, so we were seated promptly, and we also were able to request outdoor seating. It was noisy inside--but not prohibitively so--and a lot of people were at the bar. The atmosphere and the decor were refreshing. There were mostly people in almost-cocktail attire and business casual. Young families also were eating there, some with jeans, which made the atmosphere less classy and romantic. The view of the park and the skyline in the evening was nice though, and there are big windows. We just loved our waiters (but not their drab uniforms). The host and all of the waiters we came into contact with were very nice and obliging. Everything arrived quickly--almost to a fault because we weren't finished with our appetizer by the time our entrees arrived. Cocktails were good. I recommend the champagne mango cosmo. My mom was also happy with the wine selection that the waiter suggested. The menu was uninspired and boring. We had a tropical mango ceviche, which had good flavor but was soggy. For entrees, the selection was not exciting. We stayed away from the fish considering the food's reputation and decided to play it safe. My shrimp burger was palatable, but it wasn't delicious or anything. My mom said the same of her cheeseburger. They were ok, but I could get something better for $5 at any burger place. The presentation wasn't that impressive either. We had the flan for dessert, and it was good. We also enjoyed the complimentary kalamata olives. I don't regret going, but I wouldn't go again. It was nice to be able to walk in the park afterward, though, and it may be worth going if you haven't made it to Discovery Green yet. P.S. It can get kind of windy I guess, so if you are going to wear a dress, wear something more fitted than I did! I accidentally attracted some attention as I was walking out to the valet.

Pros: The view, waitstaff, cocktails

Cons: Menu, the eclectic crowd

07/23/2008 Posted by jhaopu

Five of us went to The Grove for dinner on a Saturday night. While the hostesses were rather unfriendly and lacked personality, they were the exception. Everything else was wonderful. We were immediately impressed by the decor and the great table we were seated at. Our waiter was cute and friendly. The wine list was great and the food was so tasty. I had the salmon salad and it was truly one of the best pieces of salmon I've ever eaten. Everyone at the table loved what they ordered (tuna, chicken, steak). The fried shrimp appetizer is great too. We all had a very nice time and really enjoyed this meal. I'm not sure why The Grove doesn't get better ratings. We typically visit the new restaurants in Houston after they open, and The Grove impressed us much more than some of the other places people rave about. We had such a great time and the atmosphere and decor is so warm and lovely. It is great to take a walk around the park after dinner too. This is our new favorite restaurant.

Pros: Atmosphere, decor, food, wine list, view of Discovery Green

Cons: Hostesses are unfriendly

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

07/17/2008 Posted by adanary

I chose to experience The Grove for my birthday celebration in May. Misled by their website, attracted to its ‘newness’ and the appeal of their menu! Folks, talk about ‘tootin’ your own horn’! We had to practically tap the hostess on the shoulder for her attention. We had arrived early for a 9:30 reservation (the earliest management allows) but the two ladies at the podium seemed surprised. Evidently they were not expecting our group of 8. Without saying a word to us, one girl walked away and the other got on the computer while we just stood there - since I don't read minds I had to ask if we should wait at the bar, mean time. Of course, she said 'yes, we'll come get you'. Our area at the bar had not been cleared of place mats and empty glasses from the previous group standing there, we had to wait for the bartender to acknowledge us. I ordered a Lychee martini - he said he was out of the ingredients. Before I could ask for something else he'd walked off! At 9:50, the hostess finally had our table. She walked us over and just pointed to it then walked away. We sat and waited...the theme of the night...waiting. Eventually our server showed up - inexperienced and inattentive, slow, to say the least. Counting our seating aloud he took our drink order and went off to who-knows-where? 15 min later we were served expensive martini's - 2/3's full, beers - warm. Our appetizers took 20 minutes & were cold. Pulled pork wasn't glistening, the queso seemed to be 'cheez whiz' right out of the jar! Guacamole is small. Water was served only after our 4th request. We were ready to order but no waiter! After much thumb twiddling, fearing more disappointment and at the expense of leaving without our fill, we unanimously decided to pass on dinner and ask for our check. Once paid-out, my partner discreetly approached the manager, merely to suggest that our waiter simply was not up to par, the manager was arrogant and non-receptive. Nodding our heads, we indignantly walked away.

Pros: Many better choices within minutes of here for true upscale dining.

Cons: Waste of exceptional geographic location, impressive design and decor. Employs incompetent staff and fails to train adequately.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

07/09/2008 Posted by florida0619

There were a group of 6 of us sitting out on the patio for lunch. Two of us sent our food back and I would have sent it back if I didnt fear getting my food messed with. The hamburger tasted like charcoal. This was the first time in my life I couldn't eat something because it was so horrible. It was disgusting. The french fries were burnt. The other two people had some sort of veggie sandwich and sent it back after one bite. I heard the steak sandwich was good, but I will not go back to find out. Way too expensive. McDonalds serves better quality meat.

Pros: Nice view of the new park. Seems like a nice place to go for drinks.

Cons: Food is not edible.