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NOE - Omni Houston Hotel

MY REVIEW: My husband and I go there for our Anniversay Dinner. We have the 9 course with wine paring each time. The food is worth more than the price. It is that good. The wait staff is always excellent. It was very romantic, and we also had fun. I did not go this year, because last year we had an Anniversary present from Noe. He was born this March, and we stayed home with him this year. My husband will take me there again before the year is through. He wants baby number 2.

NAME: Taste like heaven
SUBMITTED: 9/12/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: 07/08
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: My wife and I went for our 1-year anniversary to Noe. I thought it was an excellent visit. We were seated immediately and two glasses of complimentary champagne for our anniversary were brought out. We didn't need to see a menu because we told our waiter we wanted to do the tasting menu with the wine flight. The tasting meny was well thought-out and very good. To start things off, we had a shot glass of leek (?)soup topped with caviar (not one of the courses). Then we moved on to a quail dish (both of our favorites), a salmon dish (good), a foie gras dish (very good), a beef dish (good), cheese plate (good but very small portion), dessert was a hazelnut cake with fruit compote and then we got a special dessert from the chef for our anniversary which was a small piece of chocolate cake with some more fruit compote. Overall, everything was very good and the wine pairings were excellent (we got a tawny port with the cheese plate and a very good dessert wine with the dessert). Valet parking was complimentary. Ended up being $320 with the tip - we both thought it was worth it and it was a memorable evening.

NAME: exillinimj
SUBMITTED: 4/2/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 3/07
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: I agree with the last reviewer on the bread. For the price, the bread should be hot an fresh, I did not appreciate this. That being said, the food itself was top notch if a little pricy (the top of the line 12 course meal (small coures) will run you over $100 per person. The entry level semi pre-fixed 4 course meal is around $60 per person. I think the food blows some of the more mainstream restaurants in town away, including T*ony's. Presentation was nice, overall a romantic and enjoyable experience, with some unique touches not seen at other fine dining restaurants in h-town.

NAME: HtownDiner
SUBMITTED: 12/13/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/12
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: WEAK POINT: Strong smell of cigarette smell throughout the restaurant all night(given the premium prices -- to smell like a pub is not very seamly). The restaurant is adjacent to the lobby and the bar, and appears to share the ventilation system with the bar. The cigarette smell was so strong, it detracted from the ambience and from the delicious food. We asked to be reseated in an area away from the shared ventilation system, but were not adequately accomodated.

AMBIENCE: I felt the decor was cold. I think the decor could be far more inviting than it is. From the chairs, to the surroundings it was very average. The tablcloth linens on tables near us were extremely wrinkled. I found this to be very odd given the price/caliber of the restaurant.

SERVICE: average -- a menu did not come to our table for more than 30 minutes due to a "shortage" of menus; the cheese service (dessert) was very skimpy); our waiter was decent and did a solid job -- but as my husband said -- the service didn't knock your socks off. It was our anniversary. They asked us what we wanted to start with -- so we ordered champagne. Instead of putting the initial champagne on the house, they brought champagne at the end of the meal when we were ready to pay the bill and go. A bit anti-climatic.

FOOD: Very good to excellent (we ordered the 6-course tasting menu) -- top notch were the flounder sashimi and the foie gras; WEAK: bread was stone cold served with the cheese dessert plate. Given the prices charged at this establisment -- the bread should have been fresh out of the oven.

WINE LIST: Expensive for what you get. It's an OK list, but prices are way too high relative to similar restaurants in the area of similar quality.

FINAL SUMMARY: Food was great, but given the other detractors mentioned, we'd likely go to several other dozen restaurants that are comprehensively better than this in terms of food quality, service, wine etc...

NAME: Foodie
SUBMITTED: 12/10/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 12-9-2006
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Great experience. We went here for our one year dinner and were blown away. Great service, everything from the olive oil on the table to the desserts were very tasty. I won't go into all the details on every course, but everything was creative--and the presentation was outstanding. I too have been to T*ony's, M*ark's, and most of the other fine restaurants in Houston and this one is now my favorite. The dessert involved cranberries which I don't like in general, but here I did, so that says a lot. The staff and chef and very accomodating to tastes and allergies--very rare to see this type of service. They even go as far as to ask for your likes and dislikes to personalize your tasting experience. If you want a unique and romantic experience go here. Hit up their bar too, it's romantic and the walls have a "changing color" effect that changes the color of the room every few minutes. Very cool, we will be back.

NAME: AmericanDiner
SUBMITTED: 11/26/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/25/06
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: OK, this is officially the best restaurant in Houston. After our first visit a few months ago, we were amazed at the experience and couldn't stop talking about it. Still, at $400 for two, we can't go as often as we'd like. However, we went back again last week and it was still amazing, if not even more so. The nine-course tasting menu with wine pairing is a gastronomical adventure that will leave even the most critical foodie raving. It is truly one of the great dining experiences one can have, and we've been to the best in New York. The closest comparison I can make is to Le B*ernardin, and if I had to choose between Le B*ernardin and Noe, it would be a toss-up - assuming they were both nearby and Le B*ernardin wasn't $900 (all in) for the 9-course tasting menu with wine pairings for two. So with Noe you get equally creative, amazing, delicious, exciting, fascinating food, just like Le B*ernardin, but it's only a few miles away and costs less than half. I cannot WAIT to go back!!!

NAME: Spring Gourmet
SUBMITTED: 11/22/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/06
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: Holy Smoke! Where did this place come from? I was having drinks in the bar of the hotel with an out-of-town client, when we decided on the spur of the moment to eat dinner in the hotel. We had no idea what was served there or what it was like -- we went solely for convenience. We walked in at 7:00 p.m., and were seated immediately. The restaurant is lovely, dark, intimate, good for conversation -- not too loud like some restaurants. The wait staff was impeccable and didn't hover but appeared when needed. We ordered a $40 bottle of wine which was excellent. The food was (I think) of Japanese-inspired orientation and preparation. We both had fish (I had Hawaiian Oho) which was outstanding, as were the appetizers, and the desserts, and the coffee. After coffee, nonstop conversation and an empty bottle of wine, we looked at our watches and realized it was 10:30 p.m.! The service was not slow, but timed well to our conversation and pace. The bill was high (about $270 for 2 people) but well worth it. It is hard, any more, to find good location, nice atmosphere, attentive service, and outstanding food. Thank you very much Noe. I will be back with other clients and my family too!

NAME: Karen
SUBMITTED: 11/4/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: October/2006
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Wow! What a great experience. We were a party of 4 and got the tasting menu. We did 9 courses and it was perfection from 1st to last. They were so flexible and accomodating and, despite food and wine that warranted it, there was not an air of snobbery about anyone on staff.

They made a couple of special dishes to accomodate my diet (I am pregnant) and others to accomodate the general pickiness of my friend. The husbands just ate anything and everything. All of us said that we ate certain things that normally we would not b/c everything was presented so well and the flavors were amazing. I have always hated mushrooms, but ate several.

We were there for a solid 3 hours, but never felt rushed and never went long with out a new plate in front of us. I did't drink, but my husband (the wine snob) raved and the waiter was accomodating whenever he was asked for a refill.

Overall, there was not one drawback to the whole experience. Even the check was paid with comments on how it was worth every penny.

NAME: kitten eats out
SUBMITTED: 10/24/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: october 2006
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: I cannot describe to you how beautiful the meal was. We ordered the 6 course menu and everything was so delicious and at the same time, exciting and new. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who craves a food adventure.. I can't wait to go back!

NAME: your foodie friend
SUBMITTED: 6/20/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: December 2005
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Nice ambience. Excellent service, waiters knwoledgable, without being pompous or overwhelming. The food was outstanding in presentation, taste and combination of flavor, often undefinable but with a fantastic taste.

Expensive but worth every single penny one pays for that check. It was my first visit but for sure no the last one since I elevated to # 1 in my private list of preferences,

NAME: drdelat
SUBMITTED: 5/29/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: May 26, 2006
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: This is my third time to the restaurant. Again, we (my wife & I) enjoyed the meals, each time we got different tastes, good flavor, good presentation, good colors, good taste. The chef deserves the appaluse. The service is excellent, our waiter, Richard, he knows what he is talking. The atmosphere is usually great, except, this time there was a big table of people talking too much & too loud. Next time, would be better to arrange those big group of people in a special room.

NAME: Dr. E. Carr
SUBMITTED: 1/23/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: Dec. 20th.,2006
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: We again tried the 9 course menu and it was indeed totally different than the last time (about 3 months ago). I believe I liked it better this time around. I believe the cehf is really getting the hang of Chef Gatsby's approach to food and flavoring. meat (quail) courses were much better this time around and there was not the same let down in originality or execution (compared to the apps) as the first time. Congrats to Chef Potowski in embracing a truly difficult approach to cuisine.

NAME: sh
SUBMITTED: 11/4/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/2005
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: Food is excellent, but you don't get enough of it! Once you really start to enjoy it, it's gone.

NAME: worldcuisine
SUBMITTED: 8/15/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: december 2004
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: My thoughts are that after the nine course meal it was just average. Great service and atmosphere but the food is just OK. The appetizers were the highlights. The entrees we had were fine but nothing exceptional.The short ribs dinner could have come out of the giant can with the thumb print. The salmon and shrimp was mediocre. I do not think it compares with the best in Houston.

NAME: Bibliomaven
SUBMITTED: 5/29/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: May, 2005
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: I have a new favorite in Houston. I would not consider myself an expert restaurant critic, but over the last few months, I have had the opportunity to eat at some of the most critically acclaimed restaurants in the country. (D*aniel, G*rammercy Tavern, N*obu, C*ommander's Palace, L'E*scalier, S*pago, Le C*irque, T*ru, etc..)as well as the usual top eateries in Houston (M*ark's, T*ony's, Cafe A*nnie, A*ria, ...) I would rate Noe equal if not higher than all. Without a doubt, the dining experience at Noe was the best I have had in years, and easily the best I have ever had in Houston.

NAME: DC
SUBMITTED: 4/4/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: March 2005
FREQUENCY: Visited once

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