Navy Blue Review - Rice Village - Houston - The Infatuation
"Rice Village’s upscale seafood spot Navy Blue falls really short of the standard set by its older sister restaurant Bludorn. Unlike the impeccably designed , Navy Blue feels a bit scrapped together, like someone raided an interior warehouse going-out-of-business sale. Everything looks nice, and feels expensive, but also disconnected to any discernible concept, like a fancy restaurant designed by a corporate AI-bot. Similar to the structure at Bludorn, Navy Blue also insists on a clunky service system where guests are somewhat forced to order everything all at once, because “the chef asks.” Unfortunately, even though making people order everything at the same time would suggest the restaurant can course out dishes with expertise, seamless service doesn’t appear to be within Navy Blue’s wheelhouse. Too many dishes arrive at the same time, creating an unfortunate catch-22: do you choose between letting cold oysters get warm or warm dishes get cold? Adding to the stuffy chaos are too many staff members constantly reaching in and changing plates and utensils, but not quickly or with any seasoned finesse. This feels especially heightened when the mussel soufflé arrives and a server clumsily cuts it open before plunking four measly mussels into a tepid, watery bisque. Plus, with a textured placemat on top of the textured table, bits of food inevitably get stuck in the cracks for the entire meal, no matter how many people attempt to wipe things down. Everything feels confusing and broken, as if the entire staff has no idea why they are doing what they’re doing. While some of the food at Navy Blue tastes excellent—the Dover sole fileted tableside remains a bright spot—the entire experience feels like a Bludorn ripoff, and not a very good one, especially when the bill comes out to anywhere from $100 to $150 per person. If you do visit, we suggest caviar service at the bar, or even just grabbing dessert. Get dinner somewhere else." - Chelsea Thomas
