Italian pages Sponsored by Crapitto's Cucina Italiana Reviews / Profile Lunch & Dinner Menus Website Simposio Ristorante Hours: See Profile   8401 Westheimer Rd Houston TX 77063 713.532.0550   5591 Richmond Ave (CLOSED) Houston TX You might also be interested in these:     Italian Food Restaurants    Romantic Restaurants    ZIP 77063 Profile Description: We are moving! We close after service Saturday, October 6, 2007 and will re-open as Simposio Ristorante, at 8401 Westheimer at Dunvale, on Thursday, November 1, 2007!!! To be invited to the Grand Opening, send your email address to: Simposio@comcast.net   Add Review PROFILE     8401 Westheimer Rd, Houston, Texas 77063  713.532.0550 MY REVIEW: I order the 4 course chef choice dinner with my wife, And I asked the waiter what is being served tonight, He went back and check with the chef and gave a a run down of what will be served. He said Osso bucco and whole fish were the 2 main choices for entres', Mid stream the waiter told me that the osso bucco was not available because it's too big to break apart, and he suggested alternates of lamb or filet, so reluctantly I chose filet, When the dinner come, The fish was maybe a 5 oz filet size and my filet was 4 once at best no where near what I saw what the other table is having. on the Osso bucco. And the desert was not what was promised, everything was completely wrong, it was adequately executed, but no where near like the old simposio we love with the old world charm. I did talk to the mgr, and he said the waiter misrepresented the chef and what we are having is more than the value of the dinner(is he insinuating that I am cheap?) And he offer no solutions!!! I'd rather go to a*mici and G*rotto's at least they serve what they promise. And the new chef's quality is no where near the old chef's work. I think they must have sold the name simposio to some business venture. NAME: VL SUBMITTED: 6/20/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: june/2008 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times 8401 Westheimer Rd, Houston, Texas 77063  713.532.0550 MY REVIEW: I made reservations for Valentine's Day due to the advertised Celebration of Chocolate dinner. We arrived about half an hour before the reservation time, and was asked by the hostess if we wished to sit at the bar for the next 30 minutes or be seated immediately. Common sense would dictate that patrons would want to be seated upon arrival if there is a table available. Upon being seated, we asked for the Celebration of Chocolate and the waiter looked at us with complete confusion and proceeded to tell us that a manager would be right with us. The manager arrived and proceeded to tell us that the menu was pulled because the resident chef was in Italy and the restaurant did not want to poorly execute the intricate dishes. It was not advertised that the menu would not be executed. We decided to stay and try the "excellent food," as praised by so many people. The decor of the restaurant was beautiful. The ambiance was a bit loud for conversation. The waitstaff is subpar. When dropping about $200 on a meal for two, you expect amazing food and impeccable service. We ordered the calamari. The best part of it was the 4 fried shrimps and 2 fried scallops. The dish was ok. We each ordered different salads. He had the Caesar and I had the House salad. The salads were ok. The best part of the salads was the thinly sliced cheese on top. Entrees were a toss up. He had the mixed grill consisting of a veal chop, beef tenderloin, and venison chop accompanied by rabe and mashed potatoes. The best part of his was the 3-4 oz of beef tenderloin due to the tenderness. The veal chop was overcooked and rubbery. He had asked for the meat to be medium cooked, it was medium well/well/overcooked. I had the carne special of the evening consisting of a prosciutto wrapped beef ternderloin flambeed in a cognac mushroom sauce accompanied by lemon mash potatoes and asparagus. Other than not being medium rare, mine was excellent. The best part of the meal was the wonderful bottle of chianti that we had ordered. The meal took 2 hours and 10 minutes from when we stepped in the door to when we left. There were gaps in the food service and no apologies or explanations were given. I want to atribute the quality of food to the resident chef not being there, but I can't explain away the mediocre waitstaff. Overall, it was a disappointing meal for our 1st Valentine's together. The Celebration of Chocolate dinner is suppose to occur. We will try this restaurant once more on that evening. We are hoping for an amazing meal. NAME: Hoang Vy SUBMITTED: 2/15/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: Feb. 08 FREQUENCY: Visited once 8401 Westheimer Rd, Houston, Texas 77063  713.532.0550 MY REVIEW: Great service and food. The dining room is large but not too large and the atmosphere is wonderful. I've been to the new location three times and have been pleased with the service every time. The new chef is great: I had a chance to talk with him personally about the special menu for my party. I'm also intrigued with the new bar. They're working on improving the bar menu from the old place. It's fine now, but Emmie the bartender says better things are coming. Recommended! NAME: John Martin SUBMITTED: 1/24/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: January 2008 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times 8401 Westheimer Rd, Houston, Texas 77063  713.532.0550 MY REVIEW: I just visited the new location of Simposio restaurant on Westheimer and I loved it. Beautiful decor, nice casual chic bar with patio. The food is delicious, real Italian recipes prepared at the perfection by an Italian Chef and friendly outstanding service. A perfect place for a romantic date and Italy lovers. NAME: Giulia SUBMITTED: 11/17/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: Nov/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times 5591 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas    MY REVIEW: I have frequented Simposio over the years and have been a huge fan of their fish soup (doesn't appear to be on the menu any more). Today I went here for lunch. I ordered the strozzapretti pasta with spinach and Italian sausage. It was tasty, though there was a little bit of gristle and fat in the sausage. I suspect they make their own and wondered if they might increase their quality control a tad to make the sausage better. The pasta was chewy. I would rate this dish as "just okay". I was really concerned about the wait service though. I seemed to be ignored. No smiling faces, no one came over to see if everything was allright and when I asked for my check no one asked if I would like to take the rest of my meal with me. I was intrigued. After I paid, I sought out the waiter and asked if I had done something to make him angry at me and explained why. He apologized and said that he hadn't asked me if I wanted a take-out container because he thought I might still be eating my entree. NAME: Jay Francis SUBMITTED: 8/14/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: August 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times 5591 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas    MY REVIEW: What a mess!. What does it take to have a cell phone policy? Visited for Valentines, just got a bottle of wine, started to toast, cell phone at next table goes off, and four people start passing it around..., then, same table, a second cell phone goes off. Anticipating that I will spend over $100 of food and wine (and we did), I called the waiter over to ask for a table in the second dining area, and he did move us. I collared the Manager and asked him why he did not ask the table members to go into the restroom, or outside, to conduct their obviously very important personal business..., and he had no answer, did not even try to help. Last time to visit this restaurant, and from now on, and we eat out a lot since we are grown and children gone, we are going to ask any restaurant about a cell phone policy when we make reservations. When spending $100 or so, and wanting an enjoyable meal, I don't want a d____ cell phone conversation going on anywhere near me. NAME: lantana SUBMITTED: 4/5/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: Valentine's 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times 5591 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas    MY REVIEW: The last time I visited this quaint restaurant was about 4 years ago. My husband and I were in the area and decided to drop by and to my surprise and delight I discovered chef Andrea Pintus formerly from Patrenella's has taken over the kitchen! What a treat!! The food was magnificent and the service impecable. The Osso Bucco was to die for; perfectly cooked, tender and moist; not to mention the huge portion. My husband ordered a perfectly broiled Chilean Sea Bass, the best he has ever tasted. Though a new wine list is in the works, chef Andrea had already brought in his Sardenian wines which we were able to enjoy with our meal. We will certainly be back for the wonderful food, excellent ambiance and service and Chef Andrea's magnificent hospitality. NAME: Betty SUBMITTED: 1/6/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 12-06 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times 5591 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas    MY REVIEW: I wanted to find an Italian restaurant that had great food, an outstanding wait staff and a superb atmosphere. My co-worker suggested Simposio. Taking his word, I chose Simposio to wine and dine two very important guests last Friday night. The food was out of this world (it literally tasted like it was flown in from Italy). Together we chose the trout, veal and beef entrées with one house salad, an order of spaghetti and one dessert (pear and apple strudel with ice-cream, berries and caramel sauce), to be placed in the middle of the table, for sharing. The only thing wrong with the entire evening was the decision to “share” the last three items, which was done for both caloric and financial reasons. Next time we will each have our own salad, spaghetti and dessert. In order to offset the financial and caloric issues we have decided to walk to Simposio, thus saving on the high cost of fuel, and walking home from the restaurant, thus taking care of the caloric problem. You are going to love this restaurant. NAME: MS SUBMITTED: 8/14/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: August 2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once 5591 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas    MY REVIEW: I eat out frequently and don't like to spend more than $10 on myself at lunch. I obvioulsy thought the lunch menu at this restaurant was not competitive. That probably explained why there were only 5 tables being used when I ate there. I ordered the cheapest item I could eat, Lasagna ($12). It came w/ an assortment of breads that I really enjoyed, and a Caesar salad that I thought was among the best I've had (slices of cheese on it- nice touch). The lasagna had bits of ham in it that really complimented it well, but the best part of it was the tomato sauce. I could have had just a bowl of that and been in hog heaven. The portion was small; however, it was very rich and buy the time I finished it, I wouldn't have been able to eat more anyway. Overall, I thought the entree was $2 overpriced, but the food is great and the service, good. I will go back when I get a raise. NAME: Darrell SUBMITTED: 7/29/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 7/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once 5591 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas    MY REVIEW: This is one of our favorite places. Lunch is an especially good deal. Their ossobucco is to die for and even better than my grandmothers. I have taken business clients there and everyone had a delicious meal. The waitstaff is attentive but not instrusive. This is an especially good spot for a special occasion. NAME: Colleen SUBMITTED: 5/18/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times 5591 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas    MY REVIEW: Just wanted to say that your food that the Menu of Menus was by far the best food in the house!!! I went back more than once. I’ve sent you web site address to my entire data base telling them about your food and I intend to bring my family soon. The servers didn’t know where to put the voting pieces and I didn’t get a chance to vote for the best restaurant. I really enjoyed your food I just need more of it!! NAME: Andrea Robinson SUBMITTED: 3/30/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once 5591 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas    MY REVIEW: !Wow! no other words. I love this place and for sure will become a favorite on my list. Last Saturday didnt exactly know what me and my wife wanted for dinner and they had recommended Simposio on various ocasions but its a little drive from home let me tell you it was worth the drive. The waitstaff is excellent and lets not talk about the Manager Domenico he makes you feel right at home like your family. My wife had the Osso Bucco that she just loved, and I had the Pork chop marinated in mustard sauce don't even have words to explain the fabulous taste. I'd highlt recomend this place as a first date or just for anything we loved it!!!!!!!!!!! NAME: Andres SUBMITTED: 3/17/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/11/06 FREQUENCY: Visited once 5591 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas    MY REVIEW: Simposio is my favorite restaurant in Houston, and I have been going there regularly since the year 2000. Despite a change in upper management last year, the food has gotten even better. Dominico, the maitre d', has taken a hand in the kitchen with new ideas that have simply been stunning. And if you are serious about wanting a special dish for your next trip, mention it to Dominico, and it will be there. For example, he overheard me one night exclaiming about a small, whole red snapper that I recently had in Mexico. Sure enough, on my next trip to Simposio, there was my small, whole red snapper presented tableside, fresh as could be. I asked that it be prepared Veracruzana-style, and it was perfect. The waitstaff is as good as I have ever had, anywhere. For my tastes, the ambience is exactly what I prefer--small, but not crowded; cheerful and busy, but not frantic, rushed or overly loud; and best of all, a table of four can engage in a conversation at reasonable decibels. NAME: Jim SUBMITTED: 3/17/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: March/2006 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... 5591 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas    MY REVIEW: I recently revisited Simposio for lunch with friends. Service was very attentive but not interruptive (strong points for this!). Our fried calamari appetizer (don't remember the Italian name) was perfectly tender and includes scallops and shrimp with a good spicy tartar sauce. My mixed seafood risotto was creamy and fabulous. One friend had a salad and the other had the grilled trout on polenta with Mediterranean salsa: red peppers, onions, black olives and olive oil. This trout was huge. We all ate off it and he had plenty left. A delicious meal, lingering was fine - no rushing, and I enjoyed the Italian spoken at tables around the room. People were still coming in after 1pm. I'm recommending this to associates for business lunches. NAME: Gloria SUBMITTED: 3/14/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: Feb 2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times 5591 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas    MY REVIEW: I travel to and from Houston and New Orleans and have eaten at Simposio since they have opened. Dominico and his staff are so attentive to every detail and take care of you so very well. I am so very happy with the recent change in chefs, the cuisine is divine. I had the mushroom raviolli and it was divine. I would highly reccomend Simposio!!!! NAME: Chad Kruebbe SUBMITTED: 3/8/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 3/06 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times 5591 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas    MY REVIEW: The waitstaff is excellent, and very attentive. Bread is yummy, and I had veal saltabucca, which was really good. BF had spagetti squash ravioli that was super!! The chef came by to say hello and check on us too. I think this place is well worth the money! NAME: Lottalindy SUBMITTED: 6/15/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 6/14/05 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times 5591 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas    MY REVIEW: This place is awesome. It has a personality. It is such a rare occurence when the owner greets you or comes to the table to check in. The menus has tons to choose from. The pasta is fresh. The lamb kicks ass. The wines are resonable. The bar has some interesting local flavor as well. Enjoy. NAME: Franz SUBMITTED: 5/6/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/05 FREQUENCY: Visited once 5591 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas    MY REVIEW: We had not been to Simposio's for a while and decided it was close to home and we would go back. What a great decision! The food was fabulous and the service impeccable. The waiter was well versed on the evening's specialties and did not steer us wrong. When the wrong entree was brought out, he immediately caught the mistake, whisked it away and brought out an appetizer for us while we waited for the right entree. Would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone. The only drawback is that it can get quite cold in the restaurant. NAME: bjd SUBMITTED: 4/24/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 4/05 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times 5591 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas    MY REVIEW: After listening to Stevens & Cleverley's live review of Simposio with Alberto, two of us ready for dinner decided go there and have the same dishes Mark Stevens had (without telling them what we were doing). Mark said they'd been wonderful two weeks earlier but not good at a recent dinner. We ordered the calamari that Mark said on his last visit was doughy. It was crisp, delicately breaded, and there was a lot seafood on it. The warm marinara sauce served with it was worth the whole dish. Spectacular. We tried to find the next dish on the menu but could only remember it had a whole shrimp on top and a dark sauce. The waiter didn't recognize that from our description but suggested the seafood risotto and we had that. When it arrived we knew it wasn't the same dish but was creamy and delicious with a lot of fresh seafood. Excellent. Our last course (even tho we were stuffed by that time we carried on with our test) was Spaghetti alla Bolognese. The menu had only fettucine but there was no problem substituting spaghetti. I enjoyed that but my companion didn't as much that night but did say later he tried it again at 2am and it was delicious and he'd order it again. So, even tho we can't say about the shrimp-topped course with dark sauce, everything we had was excellent. Service was attentive and friendly, other diners seemed happy, sound level allowed conversation, and, as one reviewer here asks for in reviews, the room temperature didn't require a sweater. Recommended. NAME: JH SUBMITTED: 3/26/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: March 2005 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times 5591 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas    MY REVIEW: Just came back from that place. I will have to agree with some previous posters: if you have high expectations, they will not necessarily be satisfied. The food wa s good, but did not take my breath away. I had had better. The service was attentive, our server was kind of snotty, but nice overall. I would give this place 8 on the scale from 1 to 10 NAME: Tatiana SUBMITTED: 2/13/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 02/12/05 FREQUENCY: Visited once 5591 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas    MY REVIEW: Food was EXCELLENT! So if you love food you will not be disappointed here. That said, the ambiance is somewhat lacking since you just can't shake the strip mall feeling. Price is so-so. I had lunch here consisting of tea, one of the recommended specials and a dessert for about $35. Really, that's not bad given the quality of the food but given the atmosphere, I think I'd rather go somewhere else. We can only hope that the chef is saving up to move to a better location or for some renovations. NAME: Miami Chica SUBMITTED: 10/22/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/20/04 FREQUENCY: Visited once 5591 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas    MY REVIEW: This was my most favourite italian place to eat. I have not visited for almost a year and something happened in that time. Today it was just average with a high price tag. Only the creme brule was as good as ever, the rest of the food was good but not great, we were not offered any butter with the bread, waited for a long time to have our order taken, and so on. To be fair everything was OK except that on my past visits I loved everything and so had high expectations. NAME: Summer SUBMITTED: 8/15/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: 08/04 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times 5591 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas    MY REVIEW: We had a delightful lunch of trout pasta and fresh veal prepared by a brilliant young Italian chef. Where else in Houston can you eat a meal prepared by a nationally reknown chef at bargain prices? Don't let the drab strip-center location fool you, it's a serious first-class restaurant. NAME: googie SUBMITTED: 7/9/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: June 2004 FREQUENCY: Visited once 5591 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas    MY REVIEW: Took my father and and old friend there for a group birthday dinner. Just wonderful. Server was very helpful and gave us a great deal on wine. The venison was PERFECTLY cooked (not dry) in a delicious red-wine shallot reduction sauce and my father's trout was seasoned flawlessly. The bruschetta was fresh and juicy, the focaccia was warm and moist, the salads were crisp and tangy, and the vegetables were all al dente. The desserts were some of the best I've ever had--very artfully presented. Service was dead on the mark--attentive yet unobtrusive. Only place in H-town worth the money, if you ask me, and if even my persnickety dad was impressed, that's really something. Go there as often as your budget will allow. NAME: Food Freak SUBMITTED: 3/22/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/19/04 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times 5591 Richmond Ave, Houston, Texas    MY REVIEW: This restaurant can be summed up in one word "AVERAGE". Nothing about it really makes it any different from the scores of other average italian restaurants around town. The service can be a little spotty, especially when they are busy (it took them 10 minutes to get us water and I didn't get a wine list till I asked for it). The waiter wasn't as familiar with the menu as I would expect from a restaurant that bills itself as one of the best there is. My lamb dish was overcooked (a deadly sin) and the pasta dish did nothing to distinguish itself from the 500 other Italian restaurants out there. Overall I can't say this was a bad restaurant, it just doesn't elicit any passionate feelings from this lover of Italian food, and at the price range they are in that is not good enough. A decent meal perhaphs but not memorable dining. NAME: Foodgourmet SUBMITTED: 2/16/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/13/2004 FREQUENCY: Visited once More reviews If you don't agree with these comments, agree with them or have additional comments, click here to Add Your Review. Restaurant Owners & Managers Curious about your Activity and Ranking on b4-u-eat? Want to Create or Update your Free Profile Page? Click here to Login. ©Copyright 1991 - 2008 B4-U-EAT.COM. All rights reserved. Design and database by B4-U-BUY