DNC Worldwide

You want the short version? This place is awesome. Go try it now.

Long version of our experience below.

I selected The Grove upon the recommendation of several colleagues. I actually took a look at their menu/website on line as well and decided to make a reservation for Saturday night at 8:30pm.

Reservations, Seating, and Parking

This was very easy. Utilizing the Open Table system on the site, I was able to schedule reservations in less than five minutes for my desired time. Had that not been available, the system gave me earlier and later times as well.

Seating was equally convenient. We let them know of our reservation upon arrival and were promptly seating within no more than a minute.

Parking beforehand was a little more of a challenge. They do have affordable valet $8 but being that we had to cash on hand, we ended up driving up and around for a few blockd before finally parking on the other end of Discovery Green Park. No big deal but I could see how this could be an issue on busy event nights downtown. Fear not though, there is paid parking in several garages in the area, including the Hilton, George R. Brown, and Toyota Center a few blocks over.

Ambiance and Location

Probably the most pronounced reason to dine at The Grove. Overlooking Discover Green Park near the George R. Brown Convention Center, Minute Maid Park, and the Toyota Center, this restaurant offers the most wonderful view on downtown Houston.

The downstairs dining area is spacious and well-lit. The booths are lined with pillows. And looking out on the rest the floor, it is easy to people watch without feeling crowded or crowding others.

Upstairs on the deck, The Grove offers a truly wonderful view of Houston. The noise is well disipated with music barely playing in the background so its really a nice place to enjoy a bottle of wine and talk the night away.

Food and Drink

The Grover offers a menu of gourmet dishes of American Cuisine priced at $20-$40 a plate. They also offer a decently expansive wine list that offers CA, Spanish, French, and Italian wines.

I  would the food as 7/10. Simple but not awe-inspiring. Our party ordered Gnocchi for an appetizer followed up with Braised Veal, Colorado-grilled Lamb, Sea Scallops, and Duck for dinner. We also enjoyed the butterscotch flan and Pie Duo (key lime, pecan) for dessert to complement our meal’s worth of 2 bottles of Cabernet.

Like I said, I was definitely impressed with the presentation. The taste was passable but not spectacular. For that, I would recommend Mark’s in Houston in the genre of American Cuisines.

Overall Impression

I would have to say that I recommend The Grove, especially for first time visitors to the city or Houston itself. The ambiance is the number one reason to visit so it makes for a good date place as well as a nice location for an evening business meeting with out-of-towners. Just be careful and try to spill red wine all over yourself like I did and you’ll be pleased with an enjoyable dining experience!

This entry was posted on November 9, 2008 at 8:00 am and is filed under Food. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.

Tags: American Cuisine, Discovery Green Park, Hou, Houston Restaurants, Restaurant Review, The Grove