City:
A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z
 
A

Chamberlain's Fish Market Grill
4525 Belt Line Road
Addison, TX 75001

Chamberlain's Fish Market Grill is actually pretty decent. Go for the lobster mac n' cheese and Chilean sea bass. The other dishes are decent but I haven't found anything else I would order multiple times. It's on the pricier side, but it seems on par with the other restaurants in the area. The service and food seems constant and good…unlike their sister restaurant, Chamberlain's Steak and Chop House.
American - Seafood
 
Chamberlain's Steak & Chop House 5330 Beltline Road
Addison, TX 75001 		Stay away from John, the manager with the bad attitude!

A group of my coworkers and I went to dinner here after work. It was at the recommendation of an Addison, TX native. He said it was one of the best steaks he'd ever had, so of course we had to try it out for bitch-n-wine. It was a nice looking chop house, like any other. Our server, Joseph, was reminiscent of a young Matthew Fox.

Three of us in the group ordered a sampler of beef – three small pieces (one each) of filet mignon, rib eye, and best of all – the Kobe sirloin. The pricing for Kobe was inexpensive so of course, my little red flag was waving, but we gave it a go. The filet was good, and the rib-eye was decent. The Kobe was chewy, and had a tangy, rancid flavor. The marbling was there but it was as if they “aged” the meat by forgetting it in the back of the fridge. As my friend so cleverly put it, “it's like I'm tasting the wrong end of the cow.”

Joseph, the server, was very professional about it. He tried to correct the matter by consulting the manager, John. Ah John, who came out and pretty much told me that I didn't like Kobe ! How dare he say such slanderous words! I love Kobe ! I've had it in multiple places, including a much higher-end steakhouse where the little piece of deliciousness was $200. Mmmmmmmm… Back to this piece, bleh! The issue was more the fact he told me what my problem was rather than dealing with the bad steak. Things happen, I understsand that. I didn't wail on him. I wasn't rude. I presented the matter Question: How is your steak? & Answer: the Kobe is chewy. Don't talk down to me!

After a few minutes of dialog and my explanation that I know what Kobe is suppose to taste like, he said he'd fix the matter and brought me out a piece of burnt filet to make up for it. I misunderstood the gesture to be something good – I could nibble on this while I wait for the replacement Kobe . When Joseph asked how the steak was I told him that it was a piece of burnt filet. He was confused too. Where's my Kobe ? Why didn't John ask me what my preference was instead of substituting one bad piece of meat with another bad piece of meat?

There were two other people that ordered Kobe that I tasted. Their steaks were good. So obviously we can tell the difference between good and bad. Bottom line, this is Texas. There are more steak houses than coffee houses on every corner. Pick another one to go to!

American - Steak
 
B

Douzo
131 Dartmouth St
Boston, MA 02116

This was a recommendation from our friend Paul. He definitely loves to bitch-n-wine with us. I was a little leery when entering the restaurant. I'm use to sushi restaurants looking like…well…Japanese. Douzo looks more like a trendy bar where beautiful people should be sipping brightly colored elixirs from funky shaped vessels.

The service has been excellent both times we've been there. The food was fresh and fabulous as well. It's on the pricier side but definitely worth the splurge every now and then. We had a variety of dishes. The hot Asian duck appetizer was a little over done, but the texture and flavor were still wonderful. The cod was good. The variety of rolls are creative and definitely help keep patrons coming back to taste their way through the list. My salmon sashimi fix definitely was satiated here! The firm sweet fish melted in my mouth. The chutoro and toro were not worth ordering. Save the money for an extra roll!

Great place! Great food! Worth a visit!
Japanese - Sushi
 
     
Neptune Oyster
63 Salem Street
Boston, MA 02113

This was a recommendation from some of our dearest friends. They're bitch-n-winers - like us. The experience was a small step up from horrendous. The wait for a table was about an hour, so we decided to go with the smiling waitress' suggestion - the full-service bar. We sat down and was promptly greeted about 10 minutes later. Ok, it's a little busy, I thought to myself, but the whole restaurant can only seat 50 people max. I've hosted parties bigger than that by myself! Our section was overseen by Jeff (or perhaps Geoff?) He was a stocky guy that couldn't be bothered by us. We sat about 10 minutes before he decided to take our drink orders. I had a diet coke that took him another 5 minutes to pour and 10 minutes to get my straw…not too bad if he wasn't just standing around staring off into space or chatting with the parties either side of us. HE WASN'T DOING ANYTHING! Then, the bartender took pity on us and took our order. Jeff asked my fiancé if he'd like another beer, pointing at the empty glass. My fiancé nodded yes please. He took away the glass and walked away to continue his conversation with the party sitting directly next to us, never to be seen again.

The food was overpriced, small portions, and the flavors were not anything close to fantastic. The oysters were their selling point, and they were decent and fresh. The clam chowder was rather tasty – creamy soup with great flavor, and the clams were sweet with a little bit of bite (like al dente) rather than being chewy. The langoustine salad was good but the head was not really edible. For entrees, we had the salmon and cioppino. The cioppino deserved nothing of a rave, and the salmon was really dry.

All-and-all, it was hugely disappointing! The other bartender (I think her name was Bonnie) whom took pity on us was deeply apologetic and tried to make excuses for him. I didn't buy it – he had been standing around chatting up the other people on either side of us, so it wasn't as if he was too busy in another section all together. If they didn't pool their tips, I wouldn't have left anything at all. And I told her that what I did leave was only for her. I wouldn't go back to that fiasco for a good bowl of clam chowder.

American - Seafood
 
E

(Sushi) Katsu-ya
16542 Ventura Blvd.
Encino,CA 91436

11680 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City,CA 91604

 

Arguably the best sushi restaurant in the country!

Very bizarre that the Studio City locale is situated in a little strip mall next to a pet shop and grooming center. Don't let this detour you! The service is not usually very good, and the décor is exactly what you expect from a strip mall sushi restaurant. The Encino one is on the first floor of a corporate building.

The food has nothing strip mall about it! Each dish is deliciously different. Nothing has ever disappointed but one. It's not usually on the menu anyway. The seared albacore in garlic sauce with black truffle. The normal seared albacore in garlic sauce is amazing, but the particular truffle we had that day was dry and hard (not in a good way) and expensive. We've never ordered it again. The other dishes are awesome. We highly recommend the spicy tuna on crispy rice. The textures and flavors marry so well, that you can easily eat an order of 4 pieces by yourself and be plenty ready to eat everything else on the menu.

The pricing is on par with a mediocre sushi restaurant, but people tend to come out spending more. It's because you're gonna eat more than usual.
Japanese - Sushi
 
H
Azuma Sushi & Robata Bar
5600 Kirby Dr Ste 5
Houston, TX 77005
Phone: (713) 432-9649

 

We read a great deal of reviews on Azuma. They were all positive and some claimed it to be one of the best, if not the best, sushi in Houston. Now I have not have been to every sushi joint in Houston, but I hope that the statement is untrue. Azuma is not bad, but it’s not that great either. Perhaps we are just spoiled by the fact we have access to fresh fish on the west coast. The cut rolls were decent, some were even innovative. The regular sushi was lacking. When one bites into a good piece of sushi, it should be moist and tender – not slimy. There should be a bite or a crunch to the chew, al dente for a lack of better description.

It was disappointing to see a matte like quality to the fish – dry. I looked into their case, and noticed that while the fish were probably well refrigerated, nothing was wrapped. No wonder everything was dehydrated.

I wouldn’t go out of my way to dine at Azuma.
Japanese - Sushi
 
     

Mia bella Trattoria
320 Main St.
Houston, TX 77002

Mia bella is a middle of the line Italian restaurant. I would say this is a step up from an Olive Garden…but not a huge one.

We shared a Pizza Margherita which was ok – nothing too exciting. We had Rigatoni con Salsicca and Ossobuco di Capretto for entrees. The Rigatoni was decently flavored but the pasta was not al dente. The Ossobuco was tasty. The lamb was cooked to tender in a lovely port sauce, but the vegetables had a lack of flavor and texture. The mashed potatoes lacked luster as well.

The service won't be drawing us back either. The waitress was fine when she was around, but I had to get up once to refill my soda and a second time for the check. Unfortunately, this is also a “pass it up” for me.
Italian - Trattoria
 
     
Timpano Chophouse & Martini Bar
610 Main at Texas
Houston, TX 77002
713-223-2622

At last! We found a good restaurant in downtown Houston. The prices are mid to high. The décor and ambience were nice. You can dine while enjoying the live music…the only drawback was the volume – it was good, just too loud for the space. Even our waiter had difficulty with the sound level; we had to point at the menu to place the orders. The food was tasty and fresh!

Beer battered onion rings to start – hot, crisp and flavorful. We had the wedding soup which was ok, a little bland for my taste. The crisp half chicken was fantastic. The skin was crisp and not greasy, and I got spinach instead of the mashed potatoes. The veal parmigian was fantastic! It had a nice light panko crust that held crisp while floating in the marinara sauce. The side of pasta that came with it was lovely! The tender spaghetti was definitely fresh, not made from dried pasta.

I definitely recommend this place! Wine glass up to toast this place!
Italian - Steakhouse
 
S

(Sushi) Katsu-ya
11680 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City,CA 91604

16542 Ventura Blvd.
Encino,CA 91436

Arguably the best sushi restaurant in the country!

Very bizarre that the Studio City locale is situated in a little strip mall next to a pet shop and grooming center. Don't let this detour you! The service is not usually very good, and the décor is exactly what you expect from a strip mall sushi restaurant. The Encino one is on the first floor of a corporate building.

The food has nothing strip mall about it! Each dish is deliciously different. Nothing has ever disappointed but one. It's not usually on the menu anyway. The seared albacore in garlic sauce with black truffle. The normal seared albacore in garlic sauce is amazing, but the particular truffle we had that day was dry and hard (not in a good way) and expensive. We've never ordered it again. The other dishes are awesome. We highly recommend the spicy tuna on crispy rice. The textures and flavors marry so well, that you can easily eat an order of 4 pieces by yourself and be plenty ready to eat everything else on the menu.

The pricing is on par with a mediocre sushi restaurant, but people tend to come out spending more. It's because you're gonna eat more than usual.
Japanese - Sushi