Houston’s
In February 2006 we went to Houston’s in Memphis, TN. Several of Shinta’s co-workers had recommended that we try it out sometime. We went for an early dinner. Upon arriving we put our name on the waiting list. We were a bit surprised that there would be a waiting list so early. Anyway, we waited in the growing crowd for about 15 minutes for a table to become available. The ambiance was quite nice. All the servers are dressed in black. The color of the carpet and furniture were dark. I’d say black, but I don’t recall for sure. The lighting was very very low. To the point that I’d suggest that the only real lights were on each table. The net effect is that as the servers move around they almost appear to come out of nowhere. Neat. As we were seated we ordered our drinks. Another server appeared quickly to tell us about the specials and ask if we were wanting any appetizers. When the server came back around for our order I ordered their New York Strip special, and Shinta had the Swordfish steak. We also go Caesar salads. The Caesar was okay. It was certainly a lot better than many places, but for me there was something that it was missing, I just don’t know what. Shinta seemed to like it quite a bit. When the main course arrived they were well prepared. The steaks were both large and well presented. My New York Strip was fine. It was cooked about right (I ordered it “medium”). The quality of the meat was very good. It was quite lean and the cooking was pretty even. The taste was great. Shinta gave me a piece of her Swordfish. It was quite good. I tend to want steaks more than fish, but I would have been plenty happy ordering either dish. Then came the only negative — the ticket. The cost was rather high, without dessert we spent about $85. I’d rate Houston’s about on par with what Steak and Ale used to be several years ago, but with a significantly higher price. In terms of value, I’m not so sure Houston’s stands up to the mark, but I can’t denigrate the quality of their food and service.
