Monthly Feature
Mondays are dedicated to restaurant reviews. This week, you get two opinions for the price of one. Time for another He Said, She Said for Carrie and me. But we’re changing things up!
Here’s how it works:
* We went to the same Houston-area restaurant at different times.
* It’s our first time eating at the restaurant.
* We read no previous reviews.
* I wrote the review, and Carrie gave her React.
Atmosphere: 1 Star
How does a restaurant in one of the nicer hotels in the city get one star? Because they had a private party the night we went, closed down about 80% of the restaurant and shoved us to the side next to a bachelorette party. There was nothing special about this typical hotel setting restaurant.
The React: 3 Stars
Granted, I, too expected more of Noe…but 1 star? The restaurant is intimate, dimly light, but very hotel-y. Nothing outstanding, but it’s not as if there were cockroaches crawling on the walls…
Menu Selection: 0 Star
Wow, my first zero star EVER! NOE had almost no appetizers (pretty much just salads), limited entrees, and no desserts. Oh, and because of the all the parties in the hotel that night, no specials.
The React: 2.5 Stars
Wow…Kevin’s tough. 0 stars? Really? I, too, anticipated a more extensive menu, especially for appetizers. However, there were several entree options ranging from chicken to fish and several cuts of beef. The sides all sounded yummy (I think there were 6 or 7 options) and the dessert menu featured about 8 desserts ranging from chocolate mousse to our choice, the bananas foster ice cream cake. One gripe about the wine list…while there were extensive bottle options, the by-the-glass options were only listed by type, leaving me feeling like we were being fleeced even more than usual on the wine.
Pricing: 0 Star
I ordered the Bison Short Ribs…$27! And they tasted no better than just about any barbeque I’d ever eaten. They screamed average! The meat was tender, but damn, $27! Our bottle of Messina Hof was $35. We dropped nearly $200 for average food.
The React: 2 Stars
I agree that for the quality of food, the price was high. And, I’m never a fan of having to order sides separately. It was expensive and nothing was outstanding.
Taste: 2 Stars
My wedge salad was delicious, as was my creamed spinach. The short ribs, as stated, were just there…nothing special, and very fatty. Sara’s sea bass was potato crusted and fairly tasty. I tried a bite of our friend’s steak. Guess what? Average.
The React: 2.5 Stars
My entree was definitely the highlight. A large portion of perfectly cooked sea bass with a crunchy potato crust. Delish! It was served with yummy asparagus and squash and carrots that were so undercooked that I couldn’t even eat them. Warren’s ribeye was very average. We both felt that we’d had better from some of the better chain steakhouses in the area…sad! Our sides of garlic, jalapeño smashed potatoes and the vegetable casserole both had good flavor, but the casserole needed about 10 more minutes in the oven, as the center was room temp. Our bananas foster ice cream cake…so good!
Service: 5 Stars
Our waiter was the best part about the evening (our company as well). He had a nice sense of humor, was honest, and very attentive. If only the food had matched his level of service.
The React: 3 Stars
Again, nothing outstanding. Our waiter was very polite, but really offered nothing else to our meal.
Overall Opinion: 1.5 Stars
Average food, boring atmosphere, and high prices…I’m never going back to NOE. Ever.
The React: 2.5 Stars
Very average overall experience. But, like Kevin said, when you’re dropping this much on a meal, it had better be something special. This was not.