Claire W.
Yelp
Finally found the opportunity to try this relatively new offering in Baytown - notoriously short of good places to eat. I will try not to be overly critical, given my many years of hospitality experience in Australia, and the fact that I am a self-confessed wine and food snob :).
First impressions - signage to find the restaurant was lacking, it was almost like trying to find the restroom, and once found, decor looked a bit "food court", but the welcome was friendly, and a nice touch after being seated was the service of a canape of prosciutto and smoked cheddar, before our waiter, George, arrived. Delightful young man, articulate, friendly, knowledgeable, courteous, attentive, without being intrusive. So refreshing to have a waiter who actually knew what he was doing and was not some kid hired off the street who didn't know the difference between a fork and a spoon.
The dinner menu is not extensive, but it is certainly interesting. For starters, I had the Blue Crab Baos - delicious, fresh flavors with pickled cucumbers to die for. Mr M chose the Brisket Burnt Ends - beautifully smoked and flavorsome. For main course, I chose the scallops - cooked to perfection, laid on a bed of fried rice, with fresh peas in the shell. Himself had the 1/2 chicken - everything George told us it would be - moist, tender and so delicious. Yay! sous vide
Pros: the food was delicious. George (waiter) was great
Cons: the service was a little rushed. I had not finished my appetiser before my main course arrived. Waiters should be keeping an eye on their customers and not rush through the service. I would have liked to sit a while longer until the main was served and the Baos are essentially a finger food and not something that can be easily eaten. Chef should have had the timing right on that too - I know once those scallops are cooked they need to be served asap but a little more on timing in the kitchen would be great. This is something I struggle with constantly in Texas - having come from a mostly European-influenced and silver-service restaurant waitstaff training background - where a meal is an adventure, an outing, an experience - not something to be rushed through and over and done within an hour. It's not a night out in Texas - it's arrive, eat, go home. But I digress.
The wine list was shallow - not a lot of choice - but I took a chance on an unfamiliar Californian chardonnay which fortunately complemented our dishes. Oh and by the way, even though it was a screw top and not a cork secured wine, I should have been given the opportunity to taste the wine, prior to it being served to both me and my husband as if it was perfectly ok. Another piece of training required to be given to your waitstaff.
The meal portions were not huge - about the right size - but given the rush of serving we did not feel we could do dessert, although the Lavendar Lemon cake was calling my name. We will come back and next time perhaps skip the main course, have an appetiser and move straight to dessert! Overall a most enjoyable experience.
