Monday, September 4, 2023

HRW - Rouse

We decided to do girls night with a HRW.
This is one of the few menus that are $39 and their website showed pretty well in terms of food and drinks...

Pretty simple on their menu - no descriptions or anything.  Let's talk food first, and we'll talk about the experience later.

For app - we have beef yakitori.  The meat and sauce are good - that was a suprise start.

I asked for Bourbon Chicken, since there's no description there was no way to tell what was going to come.  The chicken was lightly fried, and the sauce - to be honest I cannot taste bourbon, but it is a bit sweet. 

For dessert, I got the Apple Empanda. It came with vanilla ice cream and fruit.  It's not bad for end of the meal.

Ok, the experience.  First of all, for a hotel restaurant, this is a step up from Days Inn's breakfast bar, but many steps down from say a classy joint like Xochi - which is also inside a hotel.  I will tip my hat on their PR company which drafted a very beautiful website and created a very up-class vibe for the place.  While the food is decent for $39 is on par.  I wouldn't have paid for extra say some of the other HRW that are charging $55.  That said, whatever listed on the menu isn't exactly available.  For example, there's no Red Snapper - they only have Mahi Mahi.  That dish supposed to come with butternut risotto, but instead mushroom risotto showed up.  We tried to compare what is listed on HRW to their regular menu in attempted to get some description.  But that was no help if they changed everything over. 

When I checked out the site, they did such a good job hyping themselves up that I made a reservation, turns out that's not needed.  Having server to attend to you, however is a whole different story.  Our server is also doubled as bartender, the person who takes in-room service order; because she's doing so many roles that it took a good 10-15 mins before we get our water.  Once our order is in, that was better, the pacing on the food was fine.  Mind you, we were the ONLY table for the majority of our time there.  Later on another table came for dinner, but it's not so swamp that her and another staff cannot handle.  The dessert took extra long not because we were slow but both staffers are tending to other things. 

What I want you to pay attention is your check!  We were looking our check over, they all have a 'Service Charge' of 27%.  This is doing a great disservice to your staff.  I want to pay them extra for their work, but I am not a charity or a bank, if the hotel charge me a 27% of Service Charge, that makes it difficult for us to put down extra for tip.  This ambiguous Service Charge doesn't say who eventually benefits - the hotel alone? the Staff? our server???

Parking, yes, you can valet.  There's also self parking.  Follow the signs, however! For a not-busy hotel in the heart of Galleria and high traffic area, they blocked alot of spots for Valet.  Your force to go to 2nd floor, which is not fully opened.  They do ask you to take down your license plate and use the QR to pay later.  We did check with our server, and if you dine at the restaurant, you can get your parking validated.  The front desk staff was super polite and friendly and accommodating.  So be sure to have your plate number handy, they cross check the camera that take down an image as you enter, so they can credit on your way out. 

  The only 2 things that came out of that evening was: 1, I know some of the proceed do get to Houston Food Bank because it's Restaurant Week.  2, my friends and I got to catch up.  The hotel has potential, has a decent pool.  But the entire experience was subpar.  Again, credit the great job the PR company did, but other than that, it's just a pretty facade.

Rouse Craft Cooking
inside Chiefly Hotel
2400 W. Loop South
Houston, TX 77027
713-586-5143



 

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