Chardon — Restaurant in Houston

The experience at Chardon was disappointing at best. Chardon had been recommended to me by someone whose opinion I respect and we were excited to visit for our anniversary. While the service was slow and not very attentive, it could have been forgiven with good quality food.

Some points for consideration:

The cocktails were great, but it took some time from when I finished my first cocktail before I could order another one.

The croque monsieur gougeres were terrible and inedible - my wife and I each took a bite and left the rest. We could have given feedback on this except our server did not return to check on the quality of the food.

It appears that there was a cutout of the menu included with my food. Not sure why or what the purpose was, but not something I would expect and certainly not something I appreciated.

I had requested for the burger to be cooked medium, it came out well done. Once again I was unable to give this feedback for quite some time as the server did not check on us. To their credit at least the flavor of the burger was good.

Our macaroni gratin was served with some unknown plastic which was beyond disgusting to have to have in my mouth and spit out. See attached images.

The greatest issue I had - if something like this were to have happened anywhere else the meal would have been fully comped, instead I had to pay money to have a bad experience, bad food, bad service, and literal trash in my food on my anniversary.

We do not intend to...

I stopped by Chardon for Sunday Brunch later in the day, arriving around 2:45 PM. By that time, the earlier rush had cleared out, and the dining room had a calm, almost serene vibe. The location is beautiful, with a stylish bar and warm lighting that gives the space a sophisticated yet relaxed feel.

Unfortunately, the service didn’t match the atmosphere. Even though the restaurant was far from busy, our server took a long time to bring simple requests. There was no sense of urgency or attentiveness, which was surprising given how quiet it was.

On the positive side, the food was excellent. The presentation was thoughtful, and everything we ordered was flavorful and well-prepared. The espresso martini had a smooth balance of coffee and sweetness, the baked crab dish was rich and satisfying, and the steak frites were cooked perfectly, with tender meat and crisp, seasoned fries cooked in duck fat.

The drinks were decent overall — nothing groundbreaking, but enjoyable enough to complement the meal. Still, great food and drinks can only go so far when the service leaves you feeling overlooked.

I had been looking forward to trying Chardon and, in terms of the menu, it delivered. However, dining out is as much about the experience as it is about the food, and the inattentive service made this visit less enjoyable than it could have been. For that reason, while I appreciated the flavors and the setting, this will likely be a...

Came for HRW brunch: 2 courses, 8 menu items to choose from.

My friend and I visited for the first time to try the HRW menu and celebrate her birthday. I had high hopes based on the reviews and elegant atmosphere — even considered it for my own birthday dinner — but now I’m not so sure.

Though I had a reservation, the restaurant was nearly empty when we arrived around 1pm. Still, it took a while for our server, Chad, to greet us. He apologized, saying he was handling something else, which we understood.

However, his tone during ordering felt passive-aggressive. He remarked we were speaking “too quickly” and complained about not being able to read the menu upside down. When we later asked for cocktail recs, he pointed out — a bit curtly — that we were looking at the happy hour menu (next to the cocktails), mentioned he doesn’t drink, and left it at that. No offer to help or refer someone else.

We eventually asked another server for drink recs, and she was much more helpful. Chad’s attitude improved later, but the awkward first impression stuck. On the bright side, the host, the helpful server, and the viola player were all lovely.

The food was mediocre. We had the avocado tartine, deviled blue crab (+$15), pain perdu, croque monsieur, and two cocktails — around $110 total. Both the tartine and croque monsieur had bread that was overly tough. Drinks were good, but overall, the uneven service and just-average food left us...