When we were in Vegas, we talked by Toca Madera.
Realized that they also have a location in Houston, so decided to come home then go try out the place.
I got a watermelon mocktail. Drinks are not bad, but I will say, 3 girls 2 rounds of drinks, that was $150 (luckily gratuity was included)
When we sat down, they gave us chips and pico.
Pretty hallway to the bathroom, kinda reminded me of MAD that has similar set up, except theirs is red.
We got the Queso Fundido - it has queso, onion, and mushroom, and they give you a basket of flour tortilla. It's not bad, I mean, it's cheese. But maybe not a 'must try'.
We saw someone ordered Guac, so we decided to do that too. Who knew that plantain works so well with guac? Yes, it's pomegranate seeds on there. That was a good item to order.
For entree, we ordered Enchilada with short ribs, salsa and cheese, of course. The sauce was so good, the rest was decent, again, not a 'must get' dish.
Now the Branzino, THAT is a 'must try' dish. It was so good that despite our bellies were full, it was a dish we kept picking on.
For sides, we got Truffle Mac and Cheese, it's got too much truffle oil on there. I can smell it a mile away. It was an ok side.
Now, the Street Corn, it's so good, and I'm not usually a corn person. I'd get this again.
For dessert, we split the Strawberry Tres Leche, it was like mini pancakes and you get the anglaise, and the marscapone cream, The combo was very nice and goes well with coffee.
Overall, it feels like they try to bring Vegas to Houston. They love fire here. There's a few drinks that are known of being lit up and showy. Then they have fire dancers here, dancing to an electric guitar player. Not to mention they have a DJ pumping up tunes. Basically, we couldn't hear each other because of the jammin' tunes. Yes, they really try to make the place a seen or be seen type. (so yes, a reservation is a must, you'll be chancing it if you were to walk in, unless you're somebody in the Houston area).
Few things to note, when we arrived, the only entrance is from Allen Parkway, there are no options for self-park. But there are options if you want to park on the parking surface for $40+tax - which according to the guy they can get our car faster. Or in the underground garage for $10+tax. Then, we were a few mins early for our reservation, the hostess basically force us to go to the bar, where we incurred the $150 tab (yes gratuity was included). Then the meal, there's alot of large parties there, and again there are food items that can be lit up. So be careful where you walk, because that's a show for them. The food tab was $360 and yes again, gratuity was included. Was our meal worth that much, the answer is no. Though I do not want to minimize that the service was fine, everyone were attentive to us and the wait for food was not long. Just the whole environment is a show. As we leave the place, there were 'bouncer' type at the door. I'm just here for the meal, but maybe more action after dark?
Toca Madera
1755 Allen Pkwy
Ste 101
Houston, TX 77019
