Doris Metropolitan — Restaurant in Houston

I'll only talk food, but the alcohol is on point. I have found myself there at least 5 times, and I think I have tried most of the menu sans the Wagyu - there are some things that even expense reports cannot justify. But one need not experience the Wagyu to taste easily one of the top five steaks you've ever had (and think about it, I have been there 5 times...). Let's put it this way, once you sit down, you are treated to some of the most heavenly bread you will experience, a word carefully chosen because you are not simply inundated with taste; it is a true experience. I found myself explaining the bread to our client tonight as the first one is a heavenly rosemary roll that goes great with what I will call Israeli salsa (really more Mediterranean, Doris' olive oil and balsamic mix comes with fine herbs and a tomato puree that is out of this world), an onion roll that my wife would kill for, and this other bread that is just f**ing good. The crazy thing is that the bread is but a start - people would eat it as a meal and be very satisfied. Part 2: Appetizers are out of this world. This time we had Carpaccio, tartar, and perhaps my favorite the beat. Let's talk about this beat - I have never EVER enjoyed beats before. The general notion of a beat is something I just wouldn't order, purchase, or even look at. But try it - It is completely worth worrying that you are dying when you go to the bathroom the next day. Google it; again, still worth it. A roasted beat injected with seven types of cheeses and Crème Fresche. Holy GOD. I have also tried in the past: 1) the octopus which is itself great but strangely the smoked tomato salad that comes with it outshines the octopus and should be available on its own and in a bowl in front of me as I write this...OMG. 2) the artichoke salad which is plated on a bed of tzatziki sauce with what our table coined a queen (larger) artichoke surrounded by its smaller minions. I kid you not that our table had a ten minute conversation about tzatziki after trying this. The consensus is that our typical Greek and Lebanese restaurants have overly Americanized their version of the sauce too much and that this tzatziki is all that is right in the world. The problem with this restaurant is that you can too easily get happily filled on appetizers. BUT YOU CAN'T, or at least shouldn't. The steak is the main show. On one of the five trips I have made to this restaurant, I took my mother in law who live in Houston. Sometimes you just have to do the right thing. She ordered the fish. I would never go to a steakhouse and order fish. Its not that I think lesser of people who do, but I am a happy fatty who loves meat. I tried the fish, and it was fantastic, but again I would not order it. Let's get onto the steaks - this is Houston, a city that knows meat. Second.to.none. And each cooked perfectly. Check out the massive closet of dry aging meat. No trip to Doris is complete until the bartender or hostess has to chase you away from the glass to prevent your drooling. Excepting the Wagyu, of course, I have now tried every steak at this restaurant. The filet comes with a side of bone marrow. I am not normally a filet person, but it is really good. For those who like filets, you can't go wrong and the bone marrow might be reason enough to order it if on the fence. The bone in ribeye was my choice tonight. I didn't finish it. I tried. I loved it.. And my hotel doesn't even have a way to microwave it. But rest assured, client took up the leftovers. His breakfast will be legendary tomorrow. Weep knowing that yours will not compare. Let's talk about the ribeye - you really need to get it medium rare or more cooked to let the fat break down and seep into the meat. Yeah, good things can seep too. Ribeye cap is great as is the hanger steak. Might suggest just ordering the meat board for the table and trying it all. Try to save room for desert. Your pallet will meet some of the most perfectly complex dissert flavors I have ever experienced. Basil and/or Amarillo ice...

The first two times I went - it was ok. Not my crowd. My partner really really wanted to go and try their cocktails/food.

The third time was a mystery. We had 1 drink each and ordered food. I was completely sober when I arrived but my partner had a few drinks before dinner. In no way was he acting up nor was I.

This was a normal date night but our server began setting the stage. She snatched the menu out of his hands and put it on the floor next to him making a scene. I almost asked to change servers then. She did the same to me almost throwing my menu next to me on the bench. I braced for the rest of the night. Why be abrasive and make a scene? We consciously started monitoring her behavior because she was escalating. I was slightly concerned but wanted to have dinner and leave without incident. Nobody wants to be man handled. When the food came we waited. We were being ignored. My partner had no silverware to eat with. The team and our server ignored us for some time despite my efforts to reach them so that we could eat maybe have another drink and leave.

I finally got up and patiently waited in the spaces between the tables and bars. I cordially asked someone to provide silverware to eat. I have worked at a restaurant as a server in a past life. I treat wait staff with care. My goal was to get past dinner because of our server and her behavior. To be clear she was setting the stage the entire time and until this day I’m not sure of her motives.

On being aggressive:

When the food came she dramatically arranged the table as if she was working oh so hard. It was rude she was in our faces needlessly. Really she was failing to manage the food coming out and the space provided. We remained patient. She became more and more aggressive. After trying to order a second drink. She exclaimed that she didn’t think so and that we were clearly drunk. I was sober and my first drink was close to being water. If she was so concerned, maybe they would have helped us get home as we used the valet and drove right out of there after politely asking for the check. I let her know that I was far from drunk at just one drink and then asked for the check. She accused us of dropping stuff. Not the case. I was firm about the check - now.

On another note - There was a lawyer at the table to my right getting rowdy celebrating with his team slamming drinks being quite loud. If I recall correctly they had bottles of some sort. He seemed to know the staff maybe even a regular. My thoughts are that because that lawyer and I knew each other from a past life, he put a word in to our server and she acted accordingly. He had relentlessly tried to date me years ago. His table was at. 8/10 we were at a 2/10 and somehow we got cut off. The receipt is attached here. Still doesn’t excuse her behavior. I’m serious about this. If they were somehow close or friends she may have wanted to impress him by making a scene at our table. She was a defunct Wendy Williams type who specializes in gaslighting. If I had had two more drinks I may have thought harder on if we were drunk. However, I understood immediately that she was having a day and that we were the subject of choice.

To be clear our server went out of her way to be aggressive not provide timely service, and then accused us of dropping things and being sloppy after one drink each. It felt strange, personal, and I could have said the same for her throwing around menus and plates and then expecting my partner to eat with his hands. We waited a while for his cutlery and I practically had to get it myself.

This place seems to be a club we were and are not members of.

My background is having lived and worked abroad for much of my life. I travel a lot and have dined around the globe several times over at top venues. So has my partner. This experience was lame and somewhat laughable given the drama our...

I stumbled upon Doris Metropolitan in New Orleans and fell in love with the concept and the restaurant. I was (and still remain) particularly intrigued by the "classified cut." It seems like a flank cut, but it is still quite delicious.

We had an 8:30 reservation and the place was packed on a Tuesday. It looks like they had a corporate event that might have booked multiple tables. We showed up early and decided to sit at the bar and wait.

Hostess: There were 2 hostesses that greeted us. 1 lady was very welcoming and warm. The other lady had total RBF and an incredible condescending tone. The way she threw her hand up and turned her head the other way while pointing to the bar was just so weird. I am not easily offended, but it was certainly a bit rude. Thankfully, we didn't have to interact with her again.

Bar: The bartenders were amazing. The drinks were delicious. We ordered the dairymaids cheese platter while we waited. The cheese was great! They even delivered the bread service to the bar and it was simply amazing. Hands down, some of the best breads I have ever eaten at a restaurant. I would come back here JUST for the bread.

Service: Terrible. Terrible service. The hostess came to get us at the bar and told us our table was ready. We were seated and waited a good 15 minutes before someone came over to ask us if we had been helped. We finished our drinks at the bar so we were just sitting there with water staring at each other. By this time, the restaurant had emptied (the corporate party must have left) and there were at least 10 other tables open. They weren't busy and there was no reason to make a table wait that long for service. The waiter finally came over said, "Have you been helped?" We replied, "Nope it's been a while, we thought y'all all got lost!" He replied, "That's how we do it here..." Interesting comment. Either way, the service was terrible. What a shame. This was the largest factor for me not to return.

Food: I already commented on the cheese platter. It was yummy. Did I mention the bread was AMAZING! I ordered the classified cut and my friend ordered the ribeye. We ordered "greens" and polenta as our sides. My steak was mediocre at best. My friend likes RARE steak and the waiter pressured her into getting medium rare. Apparently they place the steaks in some sort of "cooler" or holding area afterward and he was mentioning that the ribeye would have raw fat if it was too rare. Whatever... The steaks were a disappointment. Oddly, they sprinkle a small mound of salt and pepper near the steaks. It was DEFINITELY required. My steak was terribly under seasoned, as was my friends. Once we added the salt and pepper, it tasted better, just not what I expected for the price.

The straw that broke the camel's back for this meal was the greens. ABSOLUTELY terrible. TERRIBLE. It was bok choy, lime juice, olive oil, RAW jalapeños, and squash. It was so weird. We both took a small sample and with every bite you had a large chunk of raw jalapeño. We stirred it several times, but still, raw jalapeño everywhere. We didn't even eat it and thankfully the waiter noticed and removed it from the bill. He thanked us for the feedback and said it was a new menu item added last week. I would highly recommend altering the recipe or removing it from the menu all together. Terrible.

The polenta was good, but the mushroom ragu on top was a weird addition to a wonderful starch. The root puree is just mashed potatoes. It was good, but nothing to write home about.

Overall: I will not be returning. The service was terrible, the steaks were mediocre and there are plenty of other steak restaurants in the city with a better experience. If you decide to go, I would recommend...