Monday, November 2, 2009

Vic & Anthony's Downtown

So, we had a bday dinner for our friend Holly. Somehow the idea of steakhouse was in our head and Vic & Anthony's came to mind.

The place was gorgeous, marble floor, beautiful staircase, and wood everywhere. It was gorgeous and our waiter was attentive to us and our quirks. I don't know if you have a chance to check out the restaurant websites, but lately, alot of them started to have Stimulus Dining plans. That is: a deal for eating at the restaurant, for instance, Vic & Anthony's has a $45 deal where you get 3 courses, and none of the choices are shabby at all.

We started off w/ Chips & Strings, which is really their version of potato chips & shoestring onion rings. Though, I'm sure it's homemade everything. It was delicious, plus we were all hungry, so we cleaned the plate with no problrm. I had the Lobster Bisque, which was a tad tangy-ier than I'd like. Nice lump of lobster meat, which is truly what I enjoyed most. Second course, I had Scallops. I know what you're thinking, you're at a steakhouse, have steak, not seafood. But, see here, I know that most 99% of the steakhouses also have the best seafood, I had to do it. Otherwise, my choice would've been the 9oz Filet Au Poivre. Anyway, my jumbo scallops came with noodles and a side, I picked Au Gratin. I hardly touched the potato, but trust me, by then I was so full and wanted to save room for dessert, I basically ate all the scallops and skipped the noodles and the potato. For dessert, I always order Creme Brulee to measure between restaurants. To me, it's the most 'basic' thing that a good restaurant should do well in. Do I know how to make it? No. Does my tastebuds knows the difference? You betcha.

The creme brulee came on a plate. Yes, you read right, a plate, not bowl or a dish, on a plate. So, that presents a very interesting situation. You don't get the depth like you're used to, but you get the spread more than you're used to. Either way, I loved it, the sugar crust was done just right, you don't have to crack hard at it, and you can see the vanilla bean mixed into the brulee. It was delish!

It is definitely worth returning to that place, maybe not before a ballgame (it is literally across from the Ballpark). Wine list was gigantic, I just lost patience after the white wine. But, if you're a wine-o, I'm sure you'll appreciate the variety they offer there. I was disappointed that they didn't have a drinks menu, or I was just expecting they have some exotic martini to go w/ the steaks.

Vic & Anthony's
1510 Texas Ave
Houston, TX 77002
713-228-1111