Brennan's Houston

08/28/08

The worst restaurant experience ever...my stomach still hurts a day later!

by giuls21 at Citysearch

Though I would not define myself as a renowned food critic, I try my best to dine at the finer institutions in the various cities in the US I visit. Upon seeing Brennan's Dirona award, I put it on my list to visit while in Houston this past week.

I do not think it is possible for a restaurant to be worse than this one. They charge $5 to valet your car...so they enter your valet before you even walk in the door. When you walk in, it looks like a cheap antique store...I really thought I was going to come away with a lamp from 1920. Enough about the awful ambiance...when we were finally seated in the backroom (we didnt have a jacket...so we weren't allowed to sit with the "regular people") we sat by ourselves for a few minutes and then were handed a menu...I honestly had to spend 10 minutes trying to figure out what would hurt my stomach the least. Before they took our order, they brought out a single piece of bread...it was stale on the outside and frozen on the inside...awesome start to the dinner!

I ordered the seafood gumbo to start...major letdown. My wife makes gumbo that is about a thousand times better....so based on what I eat at home, I felt like I should be paid to eat Brennan's gumbo. Still it was marginal, so I thought okay....maybe the entree will be better. Not so...I got a pecan crusted Amberjack. The fish was obviously not fresh and the pecan encrusting of the fish was poorly done and done with very low quality pecans. I love pecans...and I had to choke down these "chewy pecans". My stomach gave me the headsup that it was in no shape to eat dessert after the two disheds erstwhile...and therefore I declined dessert. My dining partner had the chicken and grits...and he was also amazed at how bad it was...

If anyone has eaten at Cheesecake Bistro or Cheesecake Factory....think of this place as a worse Cheesecake Factory. If you care about your wallet, your stomach, and having a great dinner...skip this overrated restaurant.

• Pros: None
• Cons: Ambience, food, parking, everything and anything

10/14/07

Worst Fine Dining Experience

by badd02 at Citysearch

My husband and I decided to dine here for our anniversary and everything from start to finish was a sore disappointment. First, we were promised a romantic table for 2 overlooking the patio area when we called for our reservations. When we arrived, we were seated at a 4 person table in a room that resembled a wedding banquet hall with no view at all. We could see our "reserved" table, and it was empty! Needless to say, we asked to move and they accommodated (why didn't they get it right the first time?). We were seated at least 30 minutes before anyone brought us a dinner menu. We ordered a bottle of red wine which was poured into what appeared to be water goblets that were already sitting on the table. The waiter did not mention any "specials" for the evening, so I presume they do not have "specials." The web site menu lists a soft shell crab entree, however this was not an option and the waiter replied "we do not have any in house." I ordered the Escargot appetizer and when it arrived it was COLD. The waiter took my plate, microwaved it, and brought me back the same plate which was now burning hot to the touch. My husband ordered the grilled filet of beef medium-rare with emphasis on RARE several times, but it still arrived "MEDIUM". Overall the food was unimaginative and lacked in presentation. At most establishments someone in management checks to make sure the service is satisfactory, however at Brennan's the waiter was the only person we saw despite making it known that things were unsatisfactory. The waiters do not reflect the caliber expected at fine dining in that they were friendly but lacked sophistication. I have never had to wait in line to use the restroom at a fine restaurant because they only had 2 stalls to service hundreds of people daily. In summary, it would appear that Brennan's is getting by on their past reputation, rather than trying to maintain quality and reputable service. Your money would be well spent elsewhere!

• Pros: Praline
• Cons: Service, Ambience

06/30/07

Turtle soup

by delicatessecritic at Citysearch

After having heard that the turtle soup is outstanding I decided to give it a try. I have eaten pretty much at most restaurants that have received high ratings on the French Michelin's Restaurant Guide, as such I had high expectations. Well either I had my expectations too high, or Brennans is truly just one big market joke. The turtle soup has all the taste of the spices that make up the soup, but you cannot even taste a hint of the turtle in it. I like food in which you can taste each ingredients and allows them to come alive in harmony. None of this was accomplished. Again, I fell flat on my face. This is another Nuvo Rich joint I hoped to have never been gone too. Kudos or should I say No Thank you!!!

In houston this restaurant might be popular but in France this would not survive!!

• Pros: Location
• Cons: Taste is too strong not refined, Freshness would not matter as it is too spiced and overcooked.

02/19/07

Serious let down, extremely rude hostess.

by golfchic_4 at Citysearch

I was very disappointed by my lacquered duck, the food was almost inedible. We had an extremely rude hostess this last friday night, who does not belong in the customer service field. We had reservations, and we were still told that there wasn't a table for us. After a long wait, we were seated. They did however have good wait staff and the wine guy was very nice. I wouldn't recomend as a fine dining experince!

• Pros: Poor flavor in the food, and rude hostess.
• Cons: Good wait staff.

02/12/07

Completely Subpar

by bw123 at Citysearch

Went here once and they'll have to pay me to return there. First of all, getting there was a pain and then the valet service was terrible: slow and obviously didn't care at all about your car. Then the wait staff was even worse. They were equally slow and when they did come around, they were quite pushy as if they were trying to rush me through dinner so they could get another group in to earn more money in less time. Waiter was completely unhelpful with the menu and didn't even know what mineral water was. Food that arrived was extremely subpar. You can get food just as good at any other generic restaurant/steakhouse for less than half the price. The meat was cold and dry with minimal taste and the seafood was oversalted and didn't taste entirely fresh. The grits were reasonably good but were made so rich that I could hardly stomach more than half of it. I was hoping that the grits would be something lighter to help compliment the food. The cheese tasting menu was reasonably good with good cheeses but the portions they give you are hardly even large enough to be considered bite sized. The dessert was also less than impressive and you can get stuff that tastes better at a bakery. I wouldn't recommend anyone to go there unless they're the type that just thinks that food tastes better if you spend more on it. Awful restaurant.

• Cons: Everything

09/15/05

Bad brunch experience

by retta3 at Citysearch

I was very excited about the Sunday jazz brunch for my birthday celebration. Unfortunately, my family & I found the food to be overpriced, the atmosphere uncomfortably pretentious, and we all ended up sick. I've heard many great things about this place, but I was severely disappointed and we will never go back. Not a place for "average Joe's", even on special occasions.

05/31/05

didn't even get in the door

by fuzzzycatt at Citysearch

valet service was very rude. we finally found a spot and they told us it was reserve and we would have to move. so we did. when we finally did walk in the door, the host looked us up and down. i was wearing jeans, i did not know of the dress code. instead of being polite the host was really mean and snotty and told me i could not go in. so we walked out and vowed to never come back ... funny, we didn't even try the food, but i'm sure if service is this bad, not much can be said about the food

10/26/02

snobby

by ivorytower3 at Citysearch

We had a special occasion dinner planned @ Brennan's of Houston well in advance. We arrived approximately 3 to 4 minutes before our reservation time. After being asked to wait @ the bar (where very over-priced drinks are served) for over 50 minutes, during which time we saw several groups that arrived after us seated, we left.

Would not have any one else, except the rich-o's who do NOT have reservations ?

09/15/02

Decomposed rabbit

by cwouters at Citysearch

Ok, so we went to Brennan in Houston on our anniversary. The place is definitely overrated. The service was OK. In fact the service was high average. The food, however, was another story. The appetizer (Butcher's Plate) was mediocre.The main dish (deconstructed rabbit) was NOT good at all. My wife doubted that the meat was Rabbit at all. In addition, the potatoes, collard greens and sausage were heavily OVERSALTED. It was NOT an enjoyable experience YUCK. As a place to have an EXPENSIVE business dinner it's Ok, but as a Gourmet place, it was a disaster. Total damage (including tip) for two of us was $140.00. For that price, I expect better. A lot better. The bread was even stale. Nothing was good.

• Cons: Food, all of it, Overrated

06/13/02

Don't Waste Your Money

by michelleamos at Citysearch

Over priced, living on their past reputation, diminished quality in food and service. Food was not equal to the cost. Staff was not attentive and did not act as though they appreciated my business. Wasted $250 - would rather eat at a diner then return to Brennan's. Worst dining experience in my life.