Bistro Vino

05/25/09

DO NOT HAVE YOUR Wedding Reception HERE!!

by Citygal at Citysearch

I thought this restaurant would be romantic for a wedding reception, so I had mine there. First of all, during the whole planning, the owner was rude and not very helpful and very impatient (this was after I had left a deposit to reserve the date). A wedding reception is the most important date of your life, and if the people are not very helpful or seem like you are wasting their time, then you should not have it here (by no means was I demanding). I had to even pay for my own dinner to taste-test the different items I chose for my dinner menu. On the wedding date, my dad had asked for more chairs, and one of the waitress was very rude to him. Also, the food that was served is buffet-style, but not self-service. When the food came out, the servers gave small portions of food. Some of my guests asked for more of the meat, and they only gave one small extra piece. Afterwards, the servers were in a hurrry to clear up the buffet tables. I asked the head waiter to hold off on clearing the buffet so that my guests could have more, but he said that everyone was finished and not wanting seconds. After my reception, I asked my friends and family what they thought, and they said that the had just a little to eat, then when they went back for seconds, the buffet table was cleared and gone. My GUESTS LEFT FEELING HUNGRY, and some had gone out to eat again!!! I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE FOR A WEDDING RECEPTION. The reception costs around $6700, and for $67/person, you would be better off having it at a nice hotel where the service is better and you have the support of a wedding coordinator that would help you..... and your guests leave feeling full!!!

• Cons: bad service, rude owner

04/25/08

RUINIED My Valentine's Day!!!

by GMamanda993 at Citysearch

I had been wanting to go to Bistro Vino for a while and I kept dropping hints to my boyfriend to take me there someday, He surprised me with reservations for Valentine's Day. We showed up on time for our reservations, but when we were seated...no one bothered to greet us, give us water, take a drink order, or even aknowledge us. We sat for LITERALLY TWENTY MINUTES before we got so frustrated with trrying to get service, that we left!!! We couldn't even find a manager to complain about our non-service. Anyone in Houston knows that if you want to go somewhere nice or even mediocre for Valentine's Day you have to have a reservation to eat at a decent hour!!! We couldn't get a table anywhere nice so we had to settle for...a chicken wing joint...Where we actually got great service...better than that at Bistro Vino!!!!

• Pros: NONE
• Cons: Non-exsistent service

02/18/08

Not Recommended

by AlaskAnne at Citysearch

We went to Bistro Vino for a romantic evening and were disappointed. There are several better places to dine for the same price within an 8-mile radius, several of them within walking distance. The piano music upstairs was intrusively loud. We had no choice but to stay there ? the weather was too inclement to eat outside and a reception was being held on the first floor. We had to shout to make ourselves heard, and could easily hear the conversations of other diners shouting at each other.

My potato soup was so heavily salted and peppered that I could detect no other flavors. My husband?s steak was good and cooked correctly. I opted for the classic Italian comfort dish Osso Bucco. Bistro Vino?s version is definitely not the traditional dish. Instead of being served with risotto, the veal shank came with tomato-sauce covered pasta, which my husband compared unfavorably to Chef Boyardee?s canned creation. If there was any of the traditional garlic and lemon zest in the dish, I could not detect it. The bone was empty of marrow ? one of the hallmark features of this dish.

The wait staff was attentive, but seemed unfamiliar with the level of service expected for this price point. The service would have been fine at a chain like Chile?s. However, whether because of the noise or plain carelessness, they could not fulfill our requests on the first attempt. Repeated requests did yield the desired results, though. We won?t return ? there are too many other better places to dine for the price. This evening was memorable, but for the wrong reasons.

• Pros: Pretty setting, good steak
• Cons: Everything else

02/15/08

I couldn't agree more

by MJS0006 at Citysearch

I was going to review this restaraunt, however, swheel1212 took the words right out of my mouth. The wait staff was the worst I've ever seen at a $$$$ restaraunt and the food was rushed and tasted awful.

• Pros: Parking
• Cons: Everything else

02/15/08

Long Wait, Bad Food

by swheel1212 at Citysearch

We went to Bistro Vino for Valentine's Day expecting total over-the-top romance. We knew that it would be very busy due to the holiday. It took at least 15 minutes for anyone to approach our table and greet us. Then we had to ask for menus, then we had to ask who our waiter was. The paper menus were brought to us with a fixed menu with the items that were included in the $65 per person valentine's rate. The wine list was puny, and had very few selections. We were seated in the line of traffic in the center of the restaurant, and there was NO romance as we had expected.

I can deal with bad service, and I expected it because of the valentine's holiday, but bad service and bad food, I CANNOT handle.

We ordered a steak, medium rare....it came out well done. The waitress was very rude when we asked her to take it back to the kitchen. She brought out the second one, it was worse than the first. Needless to say, it was not eaten. It tasted like old hamburger meat

The pasta dish that I had was decent, but I already had a bad taste in my mouth.

We didn't bother waiting for our dessert, we asked for it to go. The $200 we paid was not well spent, and we will not be returning.

• Pros: valet parking was fast
• Cons: service, food, seating arrangement

12/14/06

Worst Service Ever

by jipijapa at Citysearch

Our company Christmas party was at Bistro Vino this week and unfortunately it was one of the worst dining experiences ever. We should of known how bad it would be when the waitstaff gave us approximately 30 seconds to review the dinner options and forced us all to choose a salad, entree, and dessert in that time. We had to hurry they said because "we need to get your order into the kitchen before that other party." When the food was ready each of our courses was thrown in front of us and the waitstaff kept coming around asking if we were done when we were obviously still eating. They didn't give us any water or refill the wine glasses until it was asked for more than once. Why they were in such a hurry all night we don't know. However, they managed to ruin the entire evening. This is one restaurant I will never recommend to anyone.

11/27/06

One of the Museum District's most intimate, continental dining experiences.

by Contributor at Citysearch

The Scene
Adjoining this 19th-century, French Normandy house is one of Houston's most romantic garden dining areas. In addition to the garden, the house offers two dining rooms. Downstairs, an open and airy room with French doors looks out onto the live oak trees, flowers and fountain that adorn the garden. The more intimate upstairs dining area and bar is surrounded by dark wood and spotted with European antiques. The attentive, but unobtrusive waitstaff is well-versed in the menu.

The Food
The menu is a combination of inventive French and Italian dishes. The quail, stuffed with veal and apple mousse, is served on a bed of linguini with a rich brandy cream sauce. Sea scallops are served with linguini and spicy pepper vodka sauce. The indecisive will enjoy the mixed grill--a selection of quail, prime beef filet, lamb and shrimp. Spa selections include Scottish smoked rainbow trout with avocado.

11/14/06

Most romantic dining experience around

by txfudie at Citysearch

Recently my spouse and I went to Bistro Vino for our anniversary, we hadn't been there for quite some time. I am so happy to say that it was as wonderful and romantic as we had remembered. The staff are friendly and attentive and not in your face. It's nice to go out and not have someone interrupting your conversation every few minutes to ask how things are. It's also nice to not be rushed through my meal and allowed to have a conversation while I'm eating and not worry about the main course coming before I've finished my salad. My partner had ordered the veal chop with crab meat in a champagne sauce and I had the filet au poivre... can you say "melt like butter?" It was absolutely terrific!!! And since it was a special occassion, we split a piece of the pecan pie with Hagen Daaz ice cream ( or should I say, fought for the last piece!) and I have to say it was the best pie if you like to have more nuts than goo, which is right up my alley! I recommend this restaurant any time of the year, for special occassions or just for a nice night out. Thumbs up Bistro Vino!!!

• Pros: great food, beverage, staff, ambience
• Cons: weekends are really busy

11/14/06

Wonderful Restaurant

by loveshiner at Citysearch

My husband and I have eaten at Bistro Vino several times over the last few years. The food is to die for (very fresh), and the romantic setting can not be beat. I love the salmon and beef Wellington. The service has always been friendly and knowledgable. The bartender is very enjoyable. The outside patio with the twinkling lights is our favorite spot. Can definitely recommend this one!

• Pros: Fresh Good Food, Fabulous for romantic dinners, outdoor dining under twinkling lights and lush landscape
• Cons: Can not think of any!

11/14/06

Everything

by houstonbluedeer at Citysearch

This place is tops! My wife and I used to be regulars before our kids came along. We went back a couple of weeks ago and were happy to learn the wonderful Bistro Vino we remember was still there. It has beautiful decor and a gorgeous garden. However, the food is what makes Bistro Vino. Traditional, elegant, continental dishes that are cooked to perfection. We started with the country duck pate. MMMMMMM. I had the veal chop and my wife had the salmon. Both we delicious. Do not pass up the warm pecan pie with Baillie?s ice cream! If you like a circus atmosphere or hate making a reservation only to find out you still have to wait an hour, Bistro Vino is not your place. If you?re a grown up and want the best fine dining restaurant in Houston, look no more!