Houston's2991 Michelson Dr
Irvine, CA 92612
949-833-0977
Houston's. Yes Houston's is part of chain. Yes, it's overpriced. Yes, the food is good. But it's just not worth the time and money to dine at Houston's.
I ordered the pork ribs, for $27. These were the small ends of the spare ribs. Ask the server what kind of ribs, she will say baby back STYLE and pork ribs. The ribs are not smoked but slowed cooked in an oven and finished on a grill. There is no smoke flavor to the ribs. But these ribs are good. Meaty, not a lot of fat, since it's the small ends, and the BBQ sauce doesn't overpower the taste of the meat. You get your choice of two sides, I picked the cole slaw and mashed potato. Both were average, nothing special about them.
Service was good. Our server was helpful and we didn't lack for many things. Everytime I ran out of my drink, she quickly came by and refilled the drink. But the hostess here suck. I made 8:30pm reservations. When we arrived, the hostess said you will be seated in about 5 to 10 minutes. No problem I figure. So we wait and wait and wait some more. I see three parties of two people get seated before us. Now why the hell did I make reservations? Aren't reservations suppose to get seated before people who are just walk into the restaurant? Finally we went up and the hostess gave some BS excuse that people were staying longer. What a bunch of crap. She was kind enough to offer a free appetizer. But that doesn't make up for our wait.
I would not go back to Houston's again. Even if we got seated quickly, the food just isn't worth the price. $27 for a rack of ribs? I can go to Phillip's and get two rib dinners, 2 sodas, and 2 red velvet cakes for less than that. Ok, ok mayb $5 more. But the point is Houston's is overpriced and there is no reason to go back.
5 comments:
If you can make it to Houston's you can make it to Taleo. Be sure to use the coupon from my site when you go.
"...the food just isn't worth the price. $27 for a rack of ribs? I can go to Phillip's and get two rib dinners...for less than that."
You said it, Brother!
When you're in the area again, you can try out Antonello right next to this Houston's. I have a post on my blog if you want to take a peek.
Drop a line when you find a great BBQ place in the OC! I'm still searching myself...
Try Bad to the Bone BBQ in San Juan.. Excellent.
My family and I have been dining at Houston's for over a decade now. It is excellent food and by far one of my favorite restaurants.
Seems like you have never worked in a restaurant before. The hostesses at Houston's are by far some of the best. They do not send out those vibrating pagers as they are extremely tacky. How do they find the party that is to be seated next? They pick something very distinctive and write it down.
Now, reservations only work if there is available seating for your party. So either you had more than two guests, or those people had a reservation before you did.
As for the price, I'm sure you'd make the same comment about other high-end restaurants, such as The Loft at The Montage or Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. It is clear that you are not used to this type of dining because you called Houston's a diner (and new)- and it is far from these two classifications!
Houstons is one of my favorite restaurants.. though I admit I have not gone in a few years.
the pricing has nto changed in years. Last time I went the Prime rib and the ribs were still $27.
Houstons is not a place to go eat smoked ribs. there ribs are oven ribs. Did they offer you a choice of sides?
I remember my last meal, i ordered the prime rib for $27 and had choice of 2 sides. and boy.. were they great. one was a swiss chard and the other was a red cabbage with some kind of reduction sauce... but boy was it good. The prime rib was excellent, but what really stow the show were the sides.
they pay immaculate detail to their food.
but again, i've not eaten at the Irvine location in a few years.
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