Tatemó — Restaurant in Houston

Giving it 4 stars because of the service, attention and experience. Food will be talked about little bit further down You do not need a fancy building to serve amazing food - this is Houston, do you realize how many amazing gems there are that don’t have a brick and mortar establishment??? The restaurant is small, the kitchen is small, but man do they give big impressions. It didn’t feel like I had to worry about another table being taken care of better than me, or that the kitchen was going to be exhausted by the time they had to serve me, that’s exactly what I loved about the intimacy. You can relax for a minute, talk with your table, we did not have alcohol which I think this restaurant should probably reconsider as they have the opportunity to bring out amazing drinks but I think in the future this will change as I did notice when we visited we may have been in the beginning stages. There are 7 small dishes served and they all were presented nicely and while others were more tastier than some I was excited to see the next dish nonetheless. I want to make note that there is hardly protein/meat/fish and was initially disappointed with lack of thereof BUT the focus was corn. And if they start adding more stuff and protein it will take away from that. Plus, protein is extremely important in making sure it is quality. I would be pissed if I am paying top dollar for protein that can be purchased down the street at the local meat market, at that point I would just get it myself and cook it for a big fraction of the cost. This is what is different from this place, the dishes there are something I cannot just make on a whim, people are forgetting that and focused on the superficial aspects of this place that while yes can be somewhat better but the food overall is something fun and unique! They did have some things outside of corn that was just as lovely and when mentioned it was a special occasion chef made small buñuelos when told about it which was a nice touch. Also you did not need to know a special instruction on how to eat the food which was refreshing you just enjoyed it really. The first dish was ceviche which was a good starter in addition to the “corn chips” not too overwhelming BUT I think it could have used some form of cilantro *(that is just me though). The Gordita was nice and light flavored which was cute and I wish it had more cheese! (Again all my comments are just personal preferences) especially to compliment the machaca (dried meat). The quesadilla was my absolute favorite, the colors and the shape…. These were so wonderful and I wished they served more than one. Next was the plantain enmolada which as also tasty. And at that point we were eating fast which was our mistake because we should have savored it all. The Tamal de calabaza was my second favorite the squash in there was just very homey feeling (if that makes sense). Next was taco de camote which had peanut sauce?? But it didn’t look like it, i think the greens were overwhelming in this one, even the look of it - you ever get a taco or tamal that just has too much lettuce or masa and not the special stuff? Well it felt like that with this dish which I hope they improve to follow the flow of the dishes. Finally the postres, they were a nice finish, but temporada again could have had something a little bit more beautiful to finalize the “feast” maybe a nice flavored powder and I think the bowl served with with was too much empty space and when I was served the buñuelos I think would have topped the temporada with those. When being served the buñuelos I think coffee or tea would have been nice to accompany it. I think those drinks were missing and could help complete the picture, that homey feeling would more present with some coffee with the postres. My review is more of a 3.8 which i rounded up to 4 stars because of the above opinions and again, it really depends whether they take the feedback as genuine support for them to continue on, but in the meantime these were my thoughts and hope to try again when the lessons...

Disclaimer: food is subjective, and as the restaurant shared in a post, they won’t be for everyone. My experience is is an opinion but I also think that if they worked on parts of the hospitality and fine tuned technique it would be a better experience.

Expectations are a tricky thing. Getting a James beard nomination raises expectations, a prepaid tasting menu of $125/p + tax and tip comes with a certain level of expectation. Expectations can be damning sometimes. I had really high expectations for this meal and maybe that was part of the problem. I was also really excited for this meal because of their story and what they focus on which is high quality heirloom corn that they nixtamalize themselves to create a better product. But that was the problem, for us anyways…their main focus: the corn, was their most poorly executed item in almost every dish. The dish I liked most ironically didn’t have corn in it, but rather had nixtamalize plantain that they made into a tortilla that I enjoyed with a mole. The masa was either over cooked or undercooked and very under-seasoned (except for the dessert which was very salty and strange). And it wasn’t the price that was the problem, it was the quality of food and the experience compared to the price that felt unsatisfying. The portions were small, in my opinion but it was mostly the lack of protein. Only 2 of the 7 dishes had protein and it was very little in each course. Next to no octopus in the ceviche and the steak in the other course was well cooked but just was wishing there was more. But while the portions felt small, I walked away feeling very bloated which can happen sometimes when you’re not used to eating nixtamalized corn all the time.

I am all for elevating humble ingredients. But if that’s what you want to do, under the premise of a tasting menu at that price, it has to be flawless and this wasn’t. There were components of each dish that I enjoyed but also too many technical errors. It feels like they’re so focused on “the story” that they’ve forgotten the important part-having emotion and feeling with it (the whole cooking with love) and more importantly that it has to be delicious. There was no course I was dying to have again. Not inedible (minus dessert) but not wow I want more. Tortillas were bland and it was a difficult dish to make your own taco with but I enjoyed the individual components.

The staff was nice but it all felt a little awkward and robotic. And when it was clear that I was trying to take pictures and videos of the meal (with a light and all) the server didn’t make the small adjustment in hospitality to help me get a better experience. A minor detail but a really easy one to make a guest feel seen and appreciated. There were multiple courses that had a pour to them and she kept rushing to pour my dish before I ever got a chance to take a video. I care more about the food and socializing with my dinner companion than a perfect picture or video shot, but it was just a small thing that could’ve elevated the level of hospitality. And when my dining companion barely touched his dessert because he didn’t like it, the one lady asked if he didn’t like it followed by you can be honest but we just left it be; didn’t feel like they really cared what we thought.

Maybe a better spot to go for brunch. Was hoping to enjoy it. And with so few seats and so many hands to help in front and back of the house, there’s just so much more potential this place could have.

Other notes: there’s no sign on the door so other than the sign on the strip mall collage of signs , you wouldn’t know where it is other than a lady standing outside at the curb awkwardly. It was a bit confusing. Then felt kinda cool like a speakeasy but just could be done a little more smoothly. BYOB was nice to have. Enjoyed a great bottle of wine brought from home. Servers all wear cheap black kitchen gloves which was odd. and at the end that’s it, no bill because it’s all prepaid but they don’t put one down in front of you to see if you want to add more tip...

Our first time at Tatemó was an exceptional experience all around. The food was incredible. We all knew that so honestly, I won’t talk about it much. Just go knowing even if you don’t like seafood or any other particular ingredient you think you don’t like, you will still thoroughally enjoy every dish (I generally dislike seafood and I ate every bite of the fish). This is a journey through Mexican cousine like you’ve never experienced before. Most Texans think of Mexican food as TexMex with lots of oil and cheese on top of everything. This is not TexMex. This is authentic Mexican food at its finest, and then leveled up. If you have never been to Mexico and eaten true Mexican dishes made by family (or friends that have become your family), you may not be familiar with some of the true base dishes that these are built from, but I promise you will love it.

A few tips that might be helpful: Try to get the bar seating - it absolutely made the experience with my husband more intimate and enjoyable in addition to giving a peek into the kitchen. We loved to watch the preparation and precision that goes into every plate coming out.

I promise you are in the correct parking lot. Having slight difficulty finding the door to go in actually added to the character of the place. Use the actual numbers/digits in the address to find the correct door. You will not see any giant lit up signs and the windows are tinted so dark that you won’t see anything inside at all. Upon walking up, it’s likely one of the waitstaff will open the door for you and you’ll know you are in the right place.

Michelin stars do not mean gold flakes on the walls and ornate decor. This restaurant perfectly encapsulates the ambiance and casual relaxed experience I would want for upscale Mexican cuisine.

Do not be afraid to use your hands to eat. Some may be easier than others to eat with a fork and knife, but don’t be afraid to go without utensils at first.

This is a very small restaurant and I felt like the waitstaff were giving us the utmost care and attention at the perfect level of involvement. I want to note that every person on staff seemed as if they were thoroughally enjoying their job and their night. They were knowledgeable, entertaining, and everyone had a smile on even when interacting with other staff members and not just patrons of the restaurant. This place is probably a great place to work, which directly translated to our amazing experience.

We have eaten at a number of Michelin rated restaurants, including some 3 stars in Paris, and we’ve made it to half of the recently rated ones in Houston so far. The ones we’ve been to in Houston so far have certainly lived up to their earned star, but this was the first of those experiences where I felt a second star had most certainly been earned and was undervalued at only 1 star.

We will most certainly be back and already have it on our calendar to check in for the next release of...