Bludorn — Restaurant in Houston

I wanted to book a reservation at another restaurant for Valentine's Day weekend. However, my initial choice was booked, so I stumbled upon Bludorn during my google search. The reviews were stellar and some of the users described the atmosphere as romantic so booked a reservation with a friendly host over the phone. Bludorn has a modest appearance from the outside. I drove right past it when I scouted it out after making the reservation. Once I made turn I saw the illuminated Bludorn sign on the front of the building. Another reason why it is easy to drive past Bludorn is there were no cars in the front or side of the building due to parking spots being blocked off for valet parking which costs 8.00.

My date and I found parking on the street directly behind the restaurant and that must have been where the rest of the patrons parked because the restaurant was packed once we entered inside. The hostess and I presume a manager were welcoming and complimentary of my outfit. We were sat at a table that was close to where they cooked the food. The restaurant had dim lighting and the atmosphere romantic.

We started off with two complimentary rolls with butter that were good. Additional rolls are available at a cost. I ordered a 6 piece clam appetizer that consisted of half baked and half fried. In hindsight, I wish I would have ordered all baked oysters because it was my favorite. The baked oysters have a cheesy and I assume garlic topping and it tasted delicious. The fried oysters were okay and nothing I would order again.

For the main dish, my date ordered the Black truffle noodles ( I don't recall the specific name of the dish and I don't see it on the online menu) that the waiter recommender and she said liked the noodles but did not like the Black Truffle. The Black truffle might as well been decoration as it did not have much taste. I ordered the crab rice and it was good. Customers can order a small or large portion at a more expensive price. My date and I both ordered small portions and the portions were adequate. My date ordered a tequila drink which she liked, but she said she should have waited to our next destination to get a drink because of the price. Neither my date nor I had room for dessert. The total price of the bill came out to 115.00 so a person does not have to break the bank to dine here, although they certainly can break the bank if they choose.

Our waiter was personable and attentive and the restroom matched the posh and clean restaurant. We had a memorable first date and I chose the perfect restaurant in hindsight for the occasion. I highly recommend Bludorn and I would return during my future...

I so wanted to love this place.. The interior is beautiful. Absolutely stunning. Cozy and ambient lighting. The hostess was friendly and welcoming. The food was not up to par with my partner and I's expectations, especially for the price point. I don't mind a price tag but when dishes lack flavor it is just disappointing. Service was okay, it felt pushy.

We were sat at a table and were greeted with hand towels which was a nice touch. Shortly after sitting down we were greeted by our waitress. The waitress then informed us about where to find things on the menu... example: "proteins are on the right side of the menu," it would have been nice if she described what plates or dishes are a must-try or what the popular dishes are... What she would recommend, etc. We heard her do that with her other table, but not us. So we already felt as if maybe she didn't want to put as much effort with us. Maybe that's not the case, but it's how we felt when we saw her give her other table the whole run-down and we got a minimal effort welcome into the restaurant. She did tell us she is going to take our whole order at once. Typically I would have preferred not to do it like that but I understand that may be the way this restaurant operates.

We ended up ordering a mushroom appetizer and received fresh bread at the table as well. The bread was good. The appetizer was underwhelming. Next was the short rib ravioli and the risotto.. Ravioli was delish! Pricey but worth it. Risotto was good too, but definitely no "WOW!" Third course we split the dry aged NY Strip, and we were majorly disappointed. It had no flavor at all and was super tough. Even to cut into with a steak knife, it was oddly tough to cut into. For $70, definitely disappointing. The bordelaise sauce paired with the steak seemed pointless almost as there was zero flavor from that. The side of creamed spinach was amazing though. For dessert we got the Big Alaska, and that was heavenly! Beautiful presentation for sure with that one.

Drink wise, I got a carajillo and old fashioned. Both were good.

Service felt a little pushy and we felt like we were a turn n burn table. I was asked three times if I wanted another drink when my carajillo was low and each time I said I'm fine for now.. Tell me that's not pushy haha.

Food highlight is the short rib ravioli, creamed spinach, and big alaska. Steak was probably the worst steak I've ever had in a restaurant and I hate to word it like that but it truly was... My partner and I both left feeling a bit disappointed. We probably won't be back.. I wanted to love this place but maybe we ended up picking the wrong dishes and had an...

I really wanted to like Bludorn, unfortunately the main thing it has going for it here is the service and wine. The food, on the other hand, left much to be desired at the price point and perhaps the kitchen requires improved quality control.

With a group of six, we were able to try a significant portion of the menu. The good: the desserts were fine, the duck was well executed, the uni spaghetti was delicious, though not the best I’ve had. The not-so-great: They burnt my husband’s first steak to a crisp and still served it up. Luckily, he was given a replacement quickly, but still found the steak underwhelming and unmemorable. This is Houston, after all! They then tried to charge for 2 steaks on the bill. The famous pot pie, priced at over $70, seemed to have very little meat inside and was more of a watery soup than a hearty bite as one would expect. The lobster inside was completely overcooked and rubbery. The crust was good and perfectly flakey though. The $180 seafood tower felt like a complete scam. It came with a dozen oysters (at least they were Canadian and NE, which we specifically requested, otherwise 1/3 would have been Gulf), “lobster” that was served up cubed in a tiny cup and only enough for each person to have a tiny bite (same with the smoked redfish), and a bland trout dip. The shrimp inside little lettuce cups were a nice bite for each of us, but overall we completely regretted ordering the tower as it really just felt like 12 oysters and 6 shrimp LOL They left skin on my friend’s branzino entree, which would typically be fine if the skin is crispy. Except, it was soggy, and he described it as “pretty gross”. The pastas tasted good, though for ~$30 per small portion, we would have expected the pastas to be gamechangers, which they were not.

With that being said, I do commend the service overall. We never had to ask for any of our cups or wines to be refilled, the server was knowledgeable of the menu, and the environment was warm and intimate, great for a group dinner to catch up with some friends. We felt welcome and everyone was extremely respectful. However, the quality of execution for the food left enough to be desired that we probably would not return. I understand that seafood ingredients like lobster, uni, etc. will drive up the price point, but great care must be taken to honor these ingredients to their fullest potential, not just thrown onto a plate to increase margins and...