MAD — Restaurant in Houston

We came here with my girlfriend and I were celebrating our year anniversary. She had been wanting to come here because of the lights in the bathroom as all her girlfriends have been talking about it. So we made the decision to go and try the place, we didnt make reservations because we got there at 6 and being a Tuesday we didnt see the need to make reservations if we were going to seat at the bar. We got there and the hostess told us that if we wanted to sit at the bar we had to make reservations which I thought was very odd, but the place looks fancy and so we didnt make a big deal. The only seats available were all the way to the back next to the kitchen. It was very hot as the ovens are right there but we manage. The drinks were very good, service was on point. We got to see how they made the food and all the plates looked delicious. We saw paellas been made all night straight out of the oven. My Grandmother was from Andalucia Spain and her Paella took hours to cook and this guys make it un 12 minutes inside an oven, rare but maybe it is good. We decided not eat there and head some where else to get a table and enjoy our dinner and we would come back to MAD and make a reservation and try the food at a different time. We order a last round, right when the cocktail runner was bringing our drinks with her cute high heels and dress she slipped right next to us because of the grease coming out of the kitchen and spilled the entire 12oz beer on my girlfriend. I am not exaggerating when I say the entire beer it was the ENTIRE beer. The waitress was so embarrassed and apologetic, she even explained it was her first day. We get it, mistakes happen and we werent MAD at all. We both own businesses and so we get it that things like these will happen. The manager came out and offer to send our stuff to the dry cleaners which was nice. The couple next to us made a joke saying, "At least the drinks are free now" my girlfriend very embarrassed just noded as she knows it wasnt the point. We then told the waitress that we wanted to close out and when she brought the check I was very surprised as nothing was comp, not even the beer that was spilled on my girlfriend. We paid the tab and left 20% gratuity as we werent MAD at the waitress but now we are definitely MAD at MAD management. After leaving the establishment we didnt even get a manager to come check on us or walk us out the door. My girlfriend is a very girly girl and she always likes to look nice, she wanted to go home shower and change. She felt gross and I understood because I have had beer spilled on me and it gets sticky. So we drove all the way to Katy to her place, she showered and got dress and by the time she was ready it was almots 9:00 pm. Needless to say we ordered sushi take out and stayed at home. So yes I am MAD because the least that they couldve done was to comp at least that one beer if not the entire tab. We werent looking for a free tab, we wanted the good experience. But all the troubles that we went, the embarrassment (the entire restaurant saw it), and our time was worth more than your $66.00 + tip that we paid. Needless to say we are not coming back again, she got her pictures at the lights hall which she will use to make her statement about what happened. Oh, please dont let staff wearing heels deliver drinks and go close to the kitchen. Is a huge liability and will cause a law suit in the future for sure. Thanks MAD for making us MAD!! The 2 stars if for the girl who spilled the drinks, we...

The name of this restaurant is really fitting of my mood.

I will start by saying the interior decor was chic/trendy and the atmosphere was great for a nice dinner spot. Also our waitress was extremely attentive. We felt like we were her only table with the number of times she refilled our water, came to check on us, etc.

But, the floor manager was horrible. My husband and I got the tasting menu because we wanted to try a bit of everything and felt this was the best option. He is vegetarian and the waitress and manager assured us the chef will create a tasting menu specifically for him while I got the regular menu. Our waitress even checked to make sure dairy and eggs were fine (which it was). Everything was okay until my husband noticed in his 4th dish something that looked like fish, so he stopped eating after a couple of bites; he thought it might have been a pickled vegetable from appearance. I could tell immediately it was raw fish (see picture). We told our waitress and then the floor manager. They leave to check on it while the next item comes out. A few minutes later the manager comes back and this is our conversation:

Manager: Sooo...it IS branzino from the Mediterranean region. And it is just a very thinly cut slice.

Husband: But what is that? That's seafood, right?

Manager: It's a branzino, and it's cut very thinly.

Husband: That's a fish, right?

Manager: Yes, it is a fish.

Husband: Well, I'm vegetarian, I don't eat fish.

Manager: Well, there are a lot of vegetarians who do eat fish. You know, now a days there are different type of vegetarians...Some eat fish, chicken,...

Husband: No, you're wrong. If someone says they're vegetarian but eat fish, then they're not a vegetarian.

Manager: Well, there are people who say they are vegetarian and eat seafood.

Me: Well regardless, this conversation should have taken place before us being served if you are unclear 'what kind' of vegetarian he is, not after you've served us seafood.

Manager: Okay then, well we are sorry. (walks away)

It took them until the very end of our conversation to even get an apology, and begrudgingly at that. They obviously messed up on his order and tried to blame it on the definition of vegetarian, as if it was open to debate. The manager even tried to defend their actions by emphasizing it was a very thin piece so it not that big of a deal. I was beyond fuming. I was MAD.

The head chef, Luis Roger, came by to check on how we were enjoying the dinner. When we brought this up to him, he agreed that seafood shouldn't have been in this dish but there wasn't any follow-up on how this happened or a proper apology. This experience left a scar on my husband who has been vegetarian for his whole life. This is the first time this has happened. The rest of our meal was essentially ruined as my husband had to thoroughly check each dish that came out afterwords; our moods had soured by this point.

For a restaurant trying to cater to create an experience with their food, they need to retrain their manager to give a better in house experience for all guests.

To comment on the tasting menu I received, the food was good but not something that left me...

Edit: After writing the below review I was contacted by MAD manager, Adriana. After speaking with her about our experience, she was extremely apologetic and kindly invited us to come back and try them again. We came back again on Sunday and it was a completely flipped experience. All staff were much more welcoming from the jump and throughout our meal. We were offered to order off of a similar tasting menu to the Houston Restaurant Weeks menu. The food was honestly really delicious and not at all rushed as it had been before. The portion sizes were great, and food was coming out in a more orderly fashion. By looking around the restaurant, it seemed like all around us were having the same experience. I was also assured that they've made changes to their seating times and how late the kitchen stays open to accommodate for any later reservations.

I want to make it clear that MAD did not ask that I adjust my review, but that I am doing so because I really felt as if they cared. I know we were special guests last night, but the ambiance around truly seemed like that is more the norm there and that we must've just been hit with a REALLY bad night for our first experience. I so appreciate Adriana and the MAD team's attention to the issues and willingness to make changes that are best for the customers. We will most certainly be back to visit soon!

Original Review: I tried reaching out to MAD privately but received no response, so now posting here. We visited MAD on Sunday, August 31st, for Houston Restaurant Weeks and were extremely disappointed with both the service and overall experience.

Our reservation was booked specifically for HRW, but upon arrival at 8:30pm, we were told the HRW menu ended at 8:00pm. Nowhere on MAD’s website, the HRW site, or OpenTable was this mentioned. The hostess claimed she left a voicemail earlier in the day, but no voicemail was received. This lack of communication was unacceptable.

We decided to stay and give it a try anyway, though it just continued to get worse. Once seated, we were told we had to order by 8:45pm since the kitchen was closing. Dishes arrived in a disorganized rush (entrées before appetizers, paella before raw hamachi, some food even before drinks), giving the impression food was pre-made and reheated. The food was not terrible tasting, but nothing blew our socks off either. For the quality of restaurant and reputation, we expected much more. At 9:00pm—just 30 minutes into our reservation—the lights were turned up, killing the atmosphere and making us feel pushed out, despite OpenTable stating reservations are allotted two hours. I understand restaurant closing times, but then do not allow for an 8:30pm reservation if you're going to push people out.

For nearly $400 for our group of four, this was not the level of food or hospitality we expected, especially when there are so many other AMAZING restaurants in Houston. MAD advertises being certified authentic by the Spanish Ministry of Tourism and Commerce, yet the experience felt rushed, transactional, and far from authentic. We left disappointed and would not recommend MAD for HRW or a fine dining...