The Empty Glass — Restaurant in Tomball

Allow me to share with you my worst restaurant experience in recent memory:

My wife and I went in last Friday night for the first time. I love wine, and the Empty Glass was close by, so we decided to give it a try.

I arrived and sat at the right end of the bar, the bartender greeted us promptly and handed us menus. So far so good.

I open up my menu and as I begin reading, ice cold water drips onto my head. I look up and the AC is leaking through the vent. No big; I’ll just move.

We move tables, and the bartender comes over with water. We had looked over the menu before arriving, so we were ready to order. The waitress informed me that they were sold out of Pizza, Chicken fried lobster (sounds interesting), and Hummus. No big, I had my heart set on pizza, but hey, it’s 8:45pm on a Friday, so whatever.

I order the Bruschettas. The bartender returns a minute later to inform me that it won’t be on bread as they are out, but instead on crackers. I ask what kind of crackers, she goes to find out.

She comes back, poppy seed crackers. Sounds fine. Not thrilled, but not upset.

We order a $50 bottle of wine. Not insanely expensive, but it was clear to me that the bartender had never been taught wine service. She opened the bottle at the bar, didn’t show me the label, couldn’t open the bottle unless it was on the table (she opened it across from my table at the bar top). She offers that I taste the wine, which at this point is just a strange formality in a completely casual wine experience. It all just seemed rather odd.

Bruschettas come. They are pretty good, even on the crackers. There were six, my wife and I split them, and we decided to order spinach dip.

Waitress takes our order, comes back a moment later and informs me that there’s no more chips in the house, and that the dip will be served with vegetables. I decline and ask if they can just serve it with those cheap poppy seed crackers they put our bruschetta on. She returns and tells me there are no more crackers....

I asked, well, can I just order Bruchetta again? She checks. Comes back. “No, we don’t have that anymore either.”

Well, I’m now looking at a menu that is 75% unavailable. It’s 9pm. Restaurant is still open for another two hours.

Yelp friends, there’s only few things that upset me when I’m dining out as much as a restaurant not having even half their menu available. But it’s not just that. It’s that I felt like the bartender and the kitchen were not communicating, or that they were just making it all up. It all felt very unprofessional.

All in all. The wine was good, but I’m glad I didn’t drop more that $50 because if I’m going to a wine bar, there’s just a certain level of service I expect.

I still tipped 20% because I didn’t feel like the bartender let me down. Rather it’s the management who clearly hasn’t trained their staff nor knows how to keep food in stock on one of the busiest restaurant nights of the week.

My wife and I aren’t going back, and I don’t recommend you waste much time here either. Could be we had just a bad luck of the draw. Could be that when they turned out the lights while we were still sitting on the porch was all just a series of unfortunate events that started with cold water dripping on my head and ended with my wife and I drinking $50 wine in darkness on the porch.

What I do know is that I’ve never been to a wine bar, let alone a Chili’s and bad this many problems in a single...

Nice little facility, tucked behind a courtyard between an ice cream parlor and a burger joint in the front (both reportedly very good, YMMV). Be careful or you might miss it; it's hard to see from the road unless you are right in front of it.

Interesting selection of very good and great Texas wines (including wines from Newsom Vineyards, now one of my favorites). If you're in the area, drop in and enjoy a taste. Better yet, drop by in the early evening (Wednesday thru Sunday, but check their web site or call to confirm the days and hours that they are open) to taste some of the wines they will be happy to recommend that pair with a great steak. Then buy a bottle of one you like, and carry it to the nearby Brazilian steakhouse: Che Gaucho Restaurant, which is BYOB only.

On Saturdays from 2 to 4 PM, they frequently host a winemaker from a Texas winery. If you meet the winemaker from Newsom Vineyards (the third generation of his family doing that job, who is very knowledgeable about great wineries and their famous wines), tell him which wine(s) you like, and why, and then taste one of his wines that he thinks will please you (frequently better than your famous, favorite [and usually expensive] wine).

Be warned, the wines offered here are not inexpensive; they do not come from mass market operations like other well-known Texas wineries (even if they are good), but if you find any you like, they...

Friendly employees with welcoming attitudes. The service was quick and the food was great. I recommend the Burrata cheese with fresh sweet tasting arugula and prosciutto that was not too salty. This paired really well with the spice from the spanish tempranillo wine. There was live music that was tasteful and not too loud. I sat in the seat directly in front of the amplifier and was still able to have a conversion with my date. This was a great experience and the vibe of the people there was very welcoming and comfortable. I will be returning to sample some more of the wines they have on the menu, most of which I had never heard of. I was pleasantly surprised by a zinfandel that I tried called Moss Roxx. I usually don't care for zinfandel because it is too sweet for my taste but the owner suggested this one based on my preference for wines with a spice profile. Very happy with my visit here. This was my first time visiting this establishment but it will not be my last. If you're looking for a chill vibe spot to kick back and relax with good people, food, and drink then this...