Had dinner with Mrs. Doc there yesterday evening. I have heard many great things about it. In fact, Gourmet rated it one of the top fifty restuarants in the States. I know that it usually rates in the top 3 in Houston. We decided to give it a try...

Notes: Excellent food; service is average; very loud for my comfort although after 9 it did become rather quiet; tables are way to close for me; wine is list very overpriced; also I did not expect the food to be slanted toward a southwestern fusion;

Starters: quail with fois gras & rabbit tamale

Entree: mixed grill (buffalo tenderloin, venison sausage, and venison chop) & double lamb chops

Dessert: we split the toasted pound cake with vanilla ice cream with caramalized nuts

Doc

HI Doc - Cafe Annie is nothing if not southwestern. They are probably resting a bit on their laurels as the last time we went there it was about the same - above average food, good but overpriced wine list and OK service.

Next time you come to Houston try Aries. The chef, Scott Tycer, is receiving some national acclaim. Their tasting menu was excellent. The wine list is robbery. Another one we like alot is Cafe Laurier which has both good food and a great wine list.

Winetex,

Thanks for the heads up on the other places.

I agree with you on the food. I actually enjoyed the food though, but it was overpriced.

Doc

Doc, so what would you rate this on a scale of 1-100? Rate it on food, service, decor/ambiance, winelist and overall please.

Tj,

This is a tough call to make. I do not think that it is worthy of one of the top 50 restaurants in America IMHO. Not bad, but for the money, I expect much more.


Food: 90
Service: 85
Decor/Ambiance: 85
Winelist: 92 (but very pricey)
Overall: 87

I think Doc is right on with most of these. I might pull the service up a point or two.

This restaurant just lost their sommelier (one of the few Masters of Wine in the US). He's going to the French Laundry. A pretty good choice from his perspective. He was intereviewed in the Houston weekly rag and made some pretty funny comments about the clientele here. I believe he mentioned "Silver Joke". The Silver Oak folks probably won't appreciate that when he hits Napa.

Ah, that is who the French Laundry is picking up. I asked about the new wine dude today while I was there. They said he should be showing up around May 1st.

Wow. From Texas to the French Laundry? Not a bad career move at all. Can I be his assistant?

Actually there are already two assistants in place (I met one last night). Sorry TJ.

very interesting and good move to FL from Cafe Annie.

Doc

Well, maybe they'll let me be a bus boy and I can finish off anyone's glasses of wine or wine left in the bottle or maybe the slop buckets or something.