Fuad's — Restaurant in Houston

My husband, sister and brother in-law came this past Saturday for Houston Restaurant Weeks. I wanted to experience for myself what other reviewers have said. We arrived at 6:30 and left close to 11 pm. Part of a great dining experience is having the visual, sensory and palatable characteristics along with ambiance and good service. This was NOT our experience. The tables were so cramped up that people, including us, had to get up from our table so the owner could retrieve a bottle of wine. A bottle of wine fell and almost hit me on the head but fell on my sister's purse smashing her cell phone which we didn't discover until we got home. Going to the restroom was another feat as a result of the cramped space. We could not even see our food. We had to use our mobile flashlight to see if our steaks were medium and medium rare. We received our vegetable plate at the end, long after we were through eating and only because I kept asking for the rest of our food. I had to get up and retrieve forks for my table. So the tables alongside the back by the winerack received very bad service. The vegetables were bland. Using my Vivino application I can say all of the wine is marked up beyond reasonable market value. Because this is a very nice and expensive restaurant, we expected more. We were very disappointed but tried to still enjoy ourselves. My advice is do not come Restaurant Week. We felt sorry for the hostess who also had to assume the role of bartender. We felt bad for the 2 waiters who were stretched beyond capacity. I know the chef must have been exhausted. We still left a nice tip only because the attendants were overworked and overwhelmed. They did have live music around 10 pm and the gentleman entertainer was excellent! Despite my review, we enjoyed our salads, appetizer and steaks ala Fuad. These aspects of the meal were good. This place is just too small, and way too dark, and looks like a dungeon from the 18th century. The manager kept a calm demeanor and was nice but I know he knows, that this was not a good night for his restaurant. If we return, it will be to have a cocktail and listen to the entertainment. It's too bad because Fuad's has an established clientele, and we would have enjoyed being part...

It is safe to say that I have never regretted a meal this much, and have never been met with such a poor dining experience in my life. I get the no menu thing, strange and perhaps obselete but nonetheless probably tradition. Ordering through the host felt like entering a negotiation blindfolded. When asked if he was the owner, the host sarcastically replied, "no, no, I'm just a poor Mexican," much to the dismay of my nearly entirely Mexican guests. Oh well, maybe racism is just part of the old-school dining experience offered here? We ignored it and continued ordering; I used the Google menu to browse their offerings, but beware that the prices on the online menu are completely different from what they will actually charge you. A guest in my party ordered what was proudly declared as the specialty dish: a peppered filet mignon with cognac sauce cooked medium rare, and, surprise, it was totally raw throughout. Sure, the outside was seared, but inside it wasn't even blue rare at the very most. It was impossible to even get a clean cut through the disgusting, squishy, almost gelatinous insides of this filet, and chewing through this monstrosity was like chewing the densest, slickest gum you have ever had. Thankfully, this dish was comped and replaced with a simple chicken pesto pasta. I am unsure if this was personal, but the replacement dish was entirely inconsistent in quality compared to another chicken pesto pasta ordered earlier at my table. To be sure, everyone in my party sampled a bit from each, and it was clear the replacement dish's pasta was, just like the steak, severely undercooked. This doughy, unforgiving pasta mixed with a clearly much more greasy and runny sauce made for a totally unsatisfying bite. For over $50 per person, I felt like I got robbed exiting the establishment, and I'm sure my guest, who was only able to donate his to-go chicken pesto pasta to the trash bin, was satisfied as well. I wish my party went with our initial instincts of just leaving after our interaction with the...

I came into restaurant a reservation I made through Open Table, I didn’t really look to deep into how or what the restaurant offered. I came in with low expectations just because there wasn’t a deep description of how it works. It’s tight due to location but what makes this one great is that if come in prior to the crowd picking up you’ll really enjoy it.

We were thoroughly impressed with atmosphere, and food. However, they made it huge deal upon our entrance my significant other and myself on how young we looked. I was offended, I understand as an establishment you don’t want to lose your liquor license but your hostess prior to even sitting down asked for our ID’s. Which we had no problem giving, I served in USMC and now veteran. I’m 24 years old, yes I do look young. However for the chef, waiters , and hostess to all check our ID’s to see if they were fake was bar far unprofessional. Then, when chef was explaining why they were doing that so, he coughed in my face. Come on now! I was disgusted before we even got our drinks.

That first impression lowered my expectations even further. However, due to how delicious the bisque, lamb, wine, and dessert. That’s why it got the 5 stars. I recommend for future people to come dress in casual evening attire and understand that is extremely small inside the restaurant. Also, this not for those who aren’t willing to pay a lot more for good food. Wine is a bit overpriced but worth it if paired with meals.

Be patient, and...