The Encore — Restaurant in Houston

About a year or so ago I went to Cle after reading a lot of bad reviews because the pictures and ambiance looked nice, and I don't want to judge a place totally based on what other people say, as their experience may have been different. I get there, dressed in nice slacks, dress shoes, and a button up shirt. But I'm immediately asked when I get to the entrance to stand to the side. I say to myself, ok no biggie, they are probably just letting everyone in a few at a time like a lot of places do. But then, the doorman repeatedly lets in person after person and group after group which were also all non black and mostly female, and greets them with smiles, hugs, and handshakes. But again I tell myself no biggie. He eventually has to let me in, especially since I'm the only one waiting and there is no line.

I waited there for about 30 minutes, and during that time at least 20 people were let in. It became clear to me what was going on, and I only waited that long in hopes that they would prove me wrong in what I was assuming. But unfortunately they didn't. At that point I had enough and left, probably to the delight of the doorman as it seemed like that was the overall intent. To make me wait until I eventually gave up. I left Cle that night very disappointed, but at no fault of anyone except my own as I read the reviews but did not heed the warning.

Fast forward to today. Earlier in the week a friend of mine who is a food critic and writer for the Houston area, invited me to Cle as he was going to be hosting. At first thought I told myself, I don't want to go back there. But then I thought, maybe I should give it another chance. Maybe things are different, maybe I'll have a different experience since this time I actually know and was invited by the host right? Heck, I even told myself, if this experience is better, I may even consider hosting here soon for my business and network of local business owners and creators.

I get there, and the entrance is actually roped off. The officer at the entrance says the doorman will be back in a few minutes. There was a few others waiting outside with me also. The doorman comes, and immediately starts letting the others in. When it got to me, he asked who did I work for or was with. I told him my friends name, and he tells me that he has already reached his limit of guest. I told him that I was only one person and I was invited. He responded, "there has been at least 10 people that have already come in using his name and were only one person and he has reached his max, you gotta have some girls or something with you or I can't let you in." All the while others are being let in left and right. All non black except one very attractive female. When you are hosting, since when are you only allowed about 10 guest? Or do you mean a certain "kind" of guest? That's beyond me.

One group of 4 walk up and use my friends name, and they were let right in without questioning. Again non black. I call my friend, and he says that he isn't at his limit and the doorman has been giving many of his guest a hard time. He tries to send someone to let me in, but the establishment would not let him do anything. I'm standing there saying to myself you gotta be kidding me that this is happening again. At that point I don't even want to go anymore. Apparently Cle does not want me to spend my money there, and for that reason I won't. I won't get into a rant about race or ask for sympathy. All I can do is spend my money elsewhere as there are several places in Houston where there is a far greater experience to be had. I'm simply writing this to inform others of my experience so they can decide for themselves if this is a place they want to visit....

Like every other event, this event had early bird tickets which usually mean if you come on time and early and get your ticket early enough, you could get in free which me and my friend did over a week before . We get there on time. They told us to leave and come back a little over a hour after they open Because they’re not ready, we came back in 30 minutes to get our spot back in line And still had to wait another 40-45 minutes. Mind you they’re only open for 4 hours. As we finally get to the front with the rudest staff I ever encountered in my life.. the bald man with glasses tells us he’s stopping the early bird tickets at me and my friend because it’s too many people getting in free which defeats the whole purpose of the early bird ticket* even though we’ve been there a hour and a half waiting for them to open. Charged us 40 each on top of $40 parking and the performer did not come until closing at 2:00am and the club closed 15 minutes later. I would give this place 0 stars if I could. Never again. All the staff was rude except the bartenders even the top flight security who repeatedly very disrespectfully kept telling me and my friend to either pay or leave after we tried explaining to him how long we been in line and what we was told. As I’m reading the comments, apparently this is nothing new everyone is aware of the unprofessionalism and disrespect, yall say it’s under new management but the environment and professionalism is exactly the same I don’t know how this place is still running....

Went for the night club, which is a drastically different place than the day club. Better than Pretty Liar and decorum (pour behavior). It's got a better layout with a more focused dance floor and MUCH better acoustic design. The speakers are thankfully better than they need. This is not a walkable club like 77 degrees, it's in the same situation as Barbarella, so plan accordingly.

The security was perfect, it wasn't over-protective, but they rooted out weeds quickly. Definitely a fun place worth checking out.

One thing to remember is to dress elegantly... Even if it is a rap or deep underground techno artist is playing. This is strictly enforced and is part of what makes this place a bit unique... Its clientele and crowd management transcends the artist. Unlike Stereolive where the artist determines who shows up. If you like rap or techno, but don't like rap and techno crowds this is the place for you. It does mean it's not the ideal place to fully experience your favorite rap/edm artist in their native environment. But at least it's a fun place, unlike Decorum, where the DJs dread every second.

About 10% of the dancefloor requires earplugs. It's a big place with high ceilings so the volume drops off quickly with distance. But if you like bass... That 10% is very good. Not as good as Sekai's floor shaking bass, but the balance is far better. It is far quieter than the second floor of Bauhaus, where the whole room is earplug level. It's effectively about the same as the new...