Clayton L.
Yelp
I am dying to give this restaurant 5 stars, but I just cannot as it would be unfair to other restaurants that check every box and have earned that rating.
This restaurant has all of the fundamentals in place to truly be a great Houston staple/headline restaurant from the food, the historic location in Montrose, the massive Oak trees that surround the building, and the beautifully decorated interior.
I would describe this restaurant as the Italian BCN.
AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT:
1. What separates other great restaurants from Fiori, the vibe. The vibe is the final key and essential ingredient to creating the experience that leaves lasting impressions on the patron. I would highly recommend that Fiori enforces some sort of a dress code. You have a beautiful restaurant, and I believe it is fair that you uphold the patrons dining within to some sort of minimum dress standard. When I dined last night I noticed many patrons in casual business attire for the most part; and then you had one guy with an Affliction t-shirt on, and another guy with an Astros jersey and hat on. There is a time and place to wear a t-shirt, or an Astros jersey and hat; and you should make dining in your restaurant not one of them. By upholding a dress code, it keeps the experience special for all the other patrons who have dressed up nicely to celebrate an occasion.
2. The waiting staff. Our waiter last night in all fairness was not terrible, he just seemed exhausted and was not all too excited to be there. When you dine at great restaurants the waiting staff is excited to welcome you to their establishment and review the menu; which I experienced non of this. Additionally, you have your waiting staff in white t-shirts and aprons on. Your waiting staff is not working in the kitchen, why do they need to have aprons on, and why not have them wear something a bit nicer than a plain white t-shirt (perhaps some sort of collar shirt). You are trying to set the tone, this is your restaurant, so you have to make this initial investment in your staff.
Food Review:
1. Overall the food was great. I will say that I truly appreciated that Firori has artichoke on the menu, which took me back to Europe. However I would have appreciated if that artichoke was served warmer, as it seemed like you must have steamed a bunch of them during your prep, and just pulled directly out of the cold storage to plate (maybe a quick flash on the grill could do the trick).
2. I cannot stand when you purchase a bottle of wine, and it is served at 80 degrees. I cannot think of anyone that wants to drink wine that is room temperature (even warmer because it's by a kitchen). I had to ask for an ice bucket for a bottle of RED just to try and get the bottle down to a palatable drinking temperature.
3. I am going to finish on a positive note. I had the Branzino at BCN a few nights prior to ordering it at Fiori. Fiori in my opinion completely mastered the fish, and beat BCN. The fish was baked to absolute perfection, prepared simply with olive oil, and complimented with cherry tomato and asparagus (nothing that over powers the flavors of the fish).
Thank you for having my wife and I, but I would love to come back after the aforementioned improvement areas are addressed and give you a 5 star rating.