Seasons 52 — Restaurant in Houston

Seasons 52's reputation of being upscale and romantic falls short of those. One is to imagine chic, modern, or unique decor and ambience but the reality is it is a higher class fast casual chain restaurant. Cleanliness and lack of originality hurt this restaurant's potential. It has its pros but are outweighed by the cons.

The pros: It is set in a prime location within the Memorial City Centre, near the free parking garage.

The staff are very welcoming, courteous and knowledgeable about the seasonal menu.

The restaurant showcases a wine collection in the middle which has a pretty good selection of Californian and some international wines. I forget which wines my wife and I had but they paired well with our meal.

The menu sticks to the seasonal aspect (Autumnal, for this review).

The pork chop and cedar plank salmon were cooked to the right temperature, seasoned nicely, and very moist.

The cons: The decor and furnishings are outdated - drab booths/scratches on tables. They are reminiscent of fast-casual, chain restaurants that offer midweek specials on lesser cuts of beef and a baked potato.

The menu does adhere to being in season but lacks originality and better local selections. It would be nice to see other game meats aside from pork chops and beef filets. American or Texan game meats would work well. The butternut squash soup was a bit grainy and lacked flavor. Crispy mushrooms on top are supposed to add texture but become soggy almost immediately. Cedar plank salmon is nothing new and creative. Although cooked well it does not pick up any woody/smoky flavoring. Roasted brussel sprouts are done everywhere. Nothing amazing here. The bacon bits are not crisp and somehow lacking salt. A bit of acidity and herbs would freshen up this side dish. The desserts look like they were transported from a previous decade; presented in dessert shot glasses to look trendy but provide the least food to the customer. At $3 they seem like a good deal but they're nothing to brag about.

The wine list surprisingly does not have any regional selections. Sourcing wines from Australia, NZ, California and South America are fine but the upscale wines don't make sense with mid-tier food.

Cleanliness is subpar. Many times dust would float over our table, wine and food. It's disappointing to look up and see dusty walls. If an establishment does not take the time to clean the areas where patrons sit then how can a customer be assured the kitchen is held to a higher standard.

Overall, food is good not great. Decor is middling. Cleanliness needs to be addressed. There is some value in the costs of the items but Seasons could do better in elevating their menu. The prices will go up, which is expected for a better overall product and experience.

It's an acceptable product at fair prices. Don't expect too much and you will come...

I had the worst experience I have ever had here. We went in with reservations and were sat accordingly. The waitress told us her name was Karter and we proceeded to order our drinks and appetizers. When we ordered our meals I ordered the filet mignon and lobster, and 1 of my sons also ordered the filet mignon but without the lobster. We also asked for it to be cooked differently, as we both don't like our steak cooked the same way. When our meals started coming out the kitchen staff was handing me the filet mignon without a lobster tail, so I figured that it was my son's dish, but the kitchen waiter told me it was mine. When I told him that mine comes with small potatoes and lobster he tried to tell me that that plate was my order. I handed that one to my son as it was served on a bed of mashed potatoes and asparagus, clearly not what I ordered. Our waitress Karter then came over and told me that I had ordered the filet mignon and became condescending when I let her know my dish comes with a lobster tail and mini potatoes. She told me I had not ordered that and that the dish that had come out was what I ordered and that if I wanted a lobster tail then they can add it ( as if I was lying and didn't know what I had ordered)! I have been to this particular location several times and this was the worst experience. I always order the same thing. The manager eventually came over and we spoke about the incident. The manager was cordial and took care of my meal. After everyone had finished eating my meal had finally come out. By that time I took it to go as I could no longer enjoy my meal. I was disappointed that the manager sent the same waitress back to our table when she clearly lacks the training needed to speak with customers. We got our bill and left. This was not the Birthday experience I was hoping for and my husband had told the waitress we were celebrating my birthday. Clearly Karter doesn't know how to speak to adults in a respectful manner and should not be serving...

Fantastic in every aspect, from first greeting onward. Manager Steve was Superb, and subtly attentive to every detail to assure the best experience as we enjoyed watching him attend in custom ways to each varying party at each table (from Teens with Mom to Fancy Adult Birthday to us- out for our Nicest Dinner yet since CoVid - coming here for a 6 PM Dinner, with Movie to Follow - elsewhere).

Server Jessica was also excellent throughout, giving knowledgeable menu recommendations when asked, refilling glasses with zero delay, observant and checking in prudently - but not too often.

Immediately after Jessica brought our entrees, the (seemingly coreographed) Executive Chef personally brought out and presented a FANTASTIC-TASTING (share-able) Cast Iron Skillet Side Dish of New Potatoes we had also thought to try, with a sophisticated cheezy creme sauce and bacon bits. We DEFINITELY recommend that!

All was great - including perfectly-seared and delicately-sauced thick (and perfectly cooked) bone-in pork chop with fresh green beans for me, and VERY NICE flatbread pizza with Pepperoni and really nice Mushrooms also happily added at my wife's request.

Oh, and Jessica's recommended Strawberry Lime(?) Mocktail (in lieu of any flavored iced tea) also brought my wife's smiling compliment. And yes, its refill was also attentive!

Value for Money was HIGH, making this a Perfectly Memorable dining experience. This location of Seasons52 (named for seasonal menu variations of in-season fish and farm-to-table vegetables, etc) is someplace we will DEFINITELY return to. (And, we're thinking to bring...