Food Delivery sponsored by Pico's Mex-Mex Restaurant Reviews / Profile Dine-In Menus / Catering & Bulk Delivery Menus Website Artista Hours: See Profile   800 Bagby St Hobby Center Performing Arts Houston TX 77002 713.278.4782 Reservations You might also be interested in these:     American Food    Business Lunches    Food Delivery    Online Reservations    Outdoor Dining    ZIP 77002 Profile Description: Artista offers inspirational contemporary American cuisine in a theatrical ambiance featuring high ceilings with glass walls that afford sweeping views of Tranquility Park and the immediate Houston downtown skyline. The menu, much like a painter’s palette, presents each entrée, sauce and side dish as a separate culinary color. Diners can either choose to rely on Artista’s culinary recommendations or tap into their own imaginations for a work of art that is as individual as their total dining exp   Add Review PROFILE     MY REVIEW: My husband and I went there last night as part of his birthday celebration. It was our first time there so we were excited about it since we have enjoyed many meals at the other Cordua restaurants. I won't say that we will never go back but it will certainly not be a first choice for future celebrations. The service was very slow; in fact, we had to ask for our waiter. This should not have been the case as we were the second of the first three tables filled and there were at least six waiters lounging at the back of the restaurant. We both ordered appetizers - ceviche and crab taquitos - which were excellent. Based on those, our expectations for dinner were high. We were very disappointed. I ordered a seafood combo of swordfish, lobster, scallops and shrimp. The shrimp were good as were the mashed potatoes. The rest was, to put it mildly, awful. The swordfish was overcooked to the point of being flavorless and the lobster was salty to the exclusion of any other flavor. My husband ordered a surf and turf combination and his experience with the lobster was the same as mine. His steak was ordered medium but was deliverd to the table on the verge of being a true rare. We ordered desserts in the hopes of saving the meal; he ordered the bread pudding and I ordered the chocolate hazelnut tart. The bread pudding was ok but unspectacular and the tart was difficult to cut and the chocolate so dense that the hazelnut notes did not come through. Over all, the meal was mediocre. For the money, it should have been better and the service more attentive. There are many other restaurants in Houston that deliver a fine meal for the money spent on that one so we will think a long time before we go back to Artista. NAME: Houston Foodie SUBMITTED: 4/6/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 4/5/2008 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: MY REVIEW: This is our firts time going to Artista. The Artista ambience is good with comfy seating and large windows. However,their service was very slow. I had to ask where the waiter/waitres was. food was slow getting out, very expensive, and unappetizing. There's not much to choose from on their menu. The waitress was not very attentive. Needless to say, we will never go back. NAME: Unhappy Costumer SUBMITTED: 3/2/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/2008 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: We have gone to Artista and other affiliated restaurants for years. The Artista ambience is wonderful with comfy seating and large windows. However, last nite when they rolled out their new menu, the food was slow getting out, very expensive, very small portions and unappetizing. There's not much to choose from on their new menu. We were almost late to the performance of TUTS. The hostess was rude and wouldn't give us better seating than in the aisle. Needless to say, we will never go back. NAME: poptart SUBMITTED: 2/27/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 02/08 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: I wish I could just add on to my review below.....after that visit, things have gone downhill...I took in another wine dinner and a special peruvian chef event...both had a common theme....the food is getting way "too cool for school"...portions are small and more creativity and foo foo than a good dish. They have two chefs and I think the one that did the Spanish dinner that I described below did not do the other two, at least I hope not. There was a restaurant downtown that lasted about 2 months called "F*ront Porch" or something like that, same exact problem....hhhmmm....same chef? And another thing, both times the place has been empty when we arrived and less than half full when we left, but the surly, unmotivated seating hostess refuses to seat me where I want or to give me options or to even discuss it...ridiculous and very irritating....I think I will give this place a rest for awhile. NAME: Face of Downtown SUBMITTED: 1/23/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 1/08 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: I have to clue you in to this. We went to a wine pairing dinner, the feature country being Spain. I am not a big wine drinker, but all 5 wines seemed perfectly fine. But the food was fabulous. The paella was without a doubt as good as any I have ever had and I have had it all over the world over the past 30 years. I only did this "event" for the paella and I was not disappointed. Now for the other dishes, wife went on and on about the chocolate & peanut butter bread pudding dessert. How about a stuffed scallop...yep, stuffed with smoked salmon, you dont see that everyday and it was great. Now how about minced lamb, seasoned with raisins, capers and cumin...again, imaginative and delicious. Mix all of that with a serrano ham salad, add in great service, a nice visit with the chef, that great view, heavy pours on the wine....just a fabulous dining experience.....aaahhh....paella NAME: Face of Downtown SUBMITTED: 11/20/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/07 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: I am amazed everytime I visit! The view and decor are outstanding! I love all the windows. The food is very tasty. I had the crab caprese salad which was a great way to start the meal. Then I followed with the shrimp and ravioli. Yum-o! I do not even want to know how much cream they use. You have to save room for the Tres Leches. It is the best in the city! If you go there before a play then the restaurant is usually full and festive. We made reservations and then were unfortunately running a little late. I called ahead and they were very accomodating. You must try this place.! NAME: Trust me SUBMITTED: 6/30/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 06/07 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: This was my first visit to Artista and what a wonerful experience. Seeing as though it was 8:00 pm on a Tuesday night, we were one of only 3 tables in the house; but that made for a very intimate dinner. Food was amazing! The crawfish taquitos were great, wonderful steaks and sides! A+ We'll be back! NAME: flawson SUBMITTED: 4/25/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: April 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I love the food at this restaurant and if anyone asks me where I'd like to go for a treat, it's Artista. The business lunch specials are the best options, I believe, as you get a better price for soup/salad, entree and dessert. Their low fat (?) cilantro dressing is the best, and the entree options I've tried as a part of the special have all been excellent. I'm not a tres leches fan for dessert but the creme brulee option is wonderful. NAME: Houstonian SUBMITTED: 9/4/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: Great View, good decor, good service, good food, terrible management. They lost a reservation made 2 days before, and confirmed. They did not apologize, the hostess even told me "This never happens". After the show starts at the Hobby, the place is deserted, cold. It is pricey, you can eat better for less money in Houston, in restarurants where the management appreciates your business. NAME: CV SUBMITTED: 3/16/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/06 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: It is a beautiful setting for pre-theater and with a 5:30 seating we were at the show on time. I asked for no shrimp in my empanadas, but 2 of the 4 were shrimp. The one they brought as a correction was also shrimp! Sauces are amazing that go with the meats. Tres Leches was perfect - and they comped it because of the earlier mistake. Starbuck's coffee with dessert - it was a good ending. Presentation and atmosphere are the big points here. NAME: Catabino SUBMITTED: 10/24/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/2005 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: The service at this resturant is excellent. I have always been impressed with the service because the servers are always personable and attentive. My husband and I went there for our 1 year anniversary to have dinner. We ordered off the menu, and I must say with the food, the ambience and the view, it made for a rather romantic evening. I had my wedding reception there the year before and the server actually remembered us. We had less than 100 guests and I must say the service that we received that day was exceptional. They food was great as well as they way the staff took care of our large party. The events coordinator worked with me one on one to turn Artista into everything that I wanted for my reception. From the menu, to the arragements of the tables, to the flowers, the cake set up, the entertainment..everything was transformed into exactly what I wanted. Of all the things I remember about my wedding day, my reception was definatley one of the most memorable. NAME: Happily Married In Houston SUBMITTED: 7/27/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 7/24/2005 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: The ambiance at Artista is warm and inviting, but the service, food, and value fall very short considering Houston's other tremendous restaurants. The portions were small, three items were unavailable, and the service was just a step above a C*hilis or B*ennigans. Our food was brought to us less than five minutes after we ordered, which made us a bit uncomfortable and rushed. (We even told our waiter that we had just come from the production.) With such fine restaurants in Houston as M*arks and T*ony's I doubt that I will be returning to Artista any time soon. NAME: Jeff SUBMITTED: 7/25/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: July 2005 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Strong points: Excellent food, rich ambiance. Weak points: Very poor service. I visited for lunch and ordered the design-your-own salad. They give you a card listing the different salad ingredients, and you can pick what you'd like on your salad - 8 for $8. My selections included grilled potatoes. The salad I was served didn't have the potatoes, so I asked one of our waiters (we had multiple waiters) about the potatoes. He evidently didn't speak much English. He gave me a puzzled look, repeated something that sounded a bit like "potatoes," and came back with a dish of mashed potatoes. I didn't bother after that. The service is slow, but the plantains and dipping sauces they give you to start are so delicious you'll hardly notice. I would probably visit again, but not if I had a show to catch! NAME: Nick SUBMITTED: 7/5/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 7/2005 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: The food was fabulous. Crawfish taquitos were terrific. I had the surf and turf and it was outstanding. I wish I could say something decent about the service. The waiter we had was completely inept. My husband chose this restaurant for his 50th birthday celebration dinner. I had my doubts about this place, and justly so. I wish it could have been a better experience. I was a little taken aback by the continuous show tunes being played by the pianist. Not my idea of dining music. Then I realized most of the diners were there for Peter Pan. We were going to the opera... I ordered a second glass of wine that never arrived. Our waiter was very attentive to one table. We, on the other hand, were ignored. He seemed to have a melt down at one point. A woman at another table next to us got very loud and began complaining about him to all that would listen. She was rude, but she got a manager involved because of this guy!!! By the time he did come and ask if we'd like coffee, my husband explained that we did not have time before our show. We never mentioned the non-delivered glass of wine. But, I looked to made sure it was not on the bill before I paid. We just quietly settled our tab. I gave the waiter MY credit card, as this was MY treat for my husband's birthday, I just knew that the waiter would return the bill to my husband instead of me. And he did!!! That was just how out of tune he was to us. And that is a real pet peeve for me as a woman, when I am not acknowledged as the purchaser of the dinner. But, the man is!!!! My husband did not hand him his credit card, I handed him mine!!! We vowed never to return. Why I left a 15% gratuity, I'll never know. It was to just get the heck out of there!!!! One entree, two meals and two $7 glasses of wine came to $112.35 with tip. No coffee, no desert because there was not time. I would have thought that just fine if I had had some semblance of a decent dining experience. I could not wait to get out of there. Thank goodness, Verdi's Falstaff was tremendous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NAME: Laura SUBMITTED: 5/11/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: May 2005 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I made reservations through Open Table for Sunday brunch before a matinee performance at the Hobby Center. Our waiter, Hector, was informative and we were well attended. My wife had the goat cheese salad which was pretty sparse for a Houston restaurant. I had a delicious cup of potato leek soup. My wife had the pricey churrasco steak which was a perfectly cooked piece of meat and I had a very good roasted salmon entree. We asked Hector if we could order dessert for the intermission and he said yes, so we came back at intermission to our same table and everything was set up right on time. The tres leches was very good as was the Artista coffee that my wife had and my regular coffee. This was the first time we have been here, but we'll come back again. NAME: glmori SUBMITTED: 4/18/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 04/17/05 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: THE FOOD WAS EXCELLENT. A LITTLE PRICEY BUT THE ATMOSPHERE AND THE CONSISTENT KITCHEN JUSTIFY THE PRICES. THE STAFF REALLY NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THAT A 7:30 SHOW TIME DOES NOT MEAN TO BRING THE COFFEE AND DESERTS ORDERED AT 7:00 AT 7:25.THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I DID NOT TIP, SINCE I WAS FORCED TO LEAVE A SIGNIFICANT SUM OF MONEY IN COFFEE AND DESERTS UNTOUCHED ON THE TABLE. (THE WAITER WAS INFORMED AT THE START OF OUR DINNER AT 6:00 THAT WE WERE GOING TO THE 7:30 SHOW ) NAME: DR. D SUBMITTED: 3/10/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 3/10/05 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: 1st visit ... mike or david?, our waiter, was superb! answered all our questions, very attentive (wasn't too crowded so he had more time to serve us), quick, and nice personality. the ambience was very romantic, especially the view from the booths (ask to be seated next to the windows - good view of downtown). skeptical at first because there weren't too many guests, but our first bite of the "crawfish taquitos" appetizer (7.5/10) made us forget that the restaurant was a little empty. unfortunately, our 2nd appetizer, the "tuna tartar" (3/10) wasn't as good, too many tomatoes!!! steve and i split the "seafood trio - swordfish, scallops, shrimp" (8/10) with side of asparagus (6/10) and we're glad we did. the trio was too much for one person. the menu was very versatile in that you could choose your choice of meat/fish/fowl and choice of vegetable side and your choice of accompanied sauce. if you're unsure, the menu also has the chef's suggestions as well. when dessert came around, we got the "chocolate gateau" (3/10) - not anything good. steve had some coffee and it turns out that artista contracts with starbucks to service the coffee. upon questioning us, we were honest with our waiter and told him his recommendation on the dessert was "okay," but the rest of the meal was great as well as his service and the ambience. as we got up from the table, he was so sweet in bringing us some of their famous "tres leches" (10/10) to take home with us. highly recommend this dessert!!! we will definitely come back ... steve likes the atmosphere and will plan to have a business lunch for 6 people. NAME: ANNE & STEVE SUBMITTED: 6/25/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: June 2004 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Great lunch spot. Have taken clients, staff and friends. We have never been disappointed. I read the reviews about the staff and wonder if the reviers ate at the same place. The staff has always been friendly, attentive and helpful. I will go back frequently. The food is interesting and always well prepared and presented. NAME: lin SUBMITTED: 6/9/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: June 2004 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: Having gone to the 2pm Sunday show and since we love Cordua restaurants, we had to try Artista. We did have a reservation through O*penTable.com and the restaurant was not crowded. The staff and service was very friendly to us and kept chips and wine etc. coming. We even had a cozy booth facing the windows across the restaurant. I had the crawfish taquitos for an appetizer and my husband had a salad. Although unique taquitos, you might need to eat more plantain chips. When the entree arrives, you feel like they're bringing out an appetizer and although yummy, you might go away hungry. They don't serve the extra grilled vegetables like at A*merica's and C*hurrasco's. The prices are steep for what you get so enjoy the atmosphere at least once and call it a day. NAME: JAN-JAN SUBMITTED: 5/17/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: 5/16/2004 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY HERE! Go to the A*mazon Grill instead. Even though the food is good, you are paying a premium due to the location, plus the service is 'dangerously' slow, and on more than 1 occasion, our food has been not just room temperature but REFRIGERATOR cold because they didn't cook it long enough. Is it safe to eat chilled pork? And the waiters have a rather ambivolent attitude, I assume because they think only picky snobs go to the theater. On the most recent visit, I had called ahead and asked for reservations. They said they were full, but we decided to show up anyway an hour before showtime. There were several tables available and we were seated immediately. I think they probably get a lot of reservations in advance and then people either change their minds because they know the service is slow and think they will miss the show. They should just forget the reservation service because they seem to have so many cancellations anyway. I heard this same thing from others on previous visits as well. Don't get me wrong, the Cordua's are a good family. My girlfriend professionally knows them and I have been enjoying their food ever since the C*hurascos by Westwood Mall opened. But I must recommend their other restaurant, the A*mazon Grill over Artista. The pricing is better, the service is faster, the food is actually hot and you can get many of the same great tasting flavors there. Plus A*mazon is a much more interesting restaurant and has great outside eating and is not far from the Hobby center if you have a show to make. In order for me to recommend Artista in the future, they need to do the following: 1. Improve their delivery time - this is ultra important when you have a show at 8:00 with no late seating. 2. Better q/c on the food before it gets to the table. They should invest in a meat thermometer and check temps occasionally. 3. Sensitivity training for the waiters. This isn't San Francisco or New Orleans. 4. The pricing...eh, I can live with the pricing if they can accomplish 1-3. P.S. Michael, if you see this and guess who this is, please don't hate me. Just take it constructively. NAME: Signed, Friend of the Cordua's SUBMITTED: 5/13/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: April 2004 MY REVIEW: People from my office go to this restaurant often because we love the food. Unfortunately, the service is quite slow and every waiter we've gotten seems to be operating under the influence of some mind altering drug (it's like they're in a dream state). If they could get their staffing problems corrected this restaurant would be a Houston hotspot. NAME: luvtoeatout SUBMITTED: 5/5/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: May/2004 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: Our group of 4 ladies visited Artista on a Monday (slow) night. Of course, the food was fantastic. I recommend the "just salad" with the creamy cilantro dressing and I'd pass on the tortilla salad unless you really like lime juice. Enjoyed the empanadas and the crawfish taquitos although 3 of the 4 of us felt weird eating the crawfish shell. The churrasco dish with bernaise sauce was wonderful but I'd recommend the grilled zucchini as the side dish vs. rice or potatoes. Our only complaint....and it's a big one.....was that our waitress was a complete ditz. She never asked us if we'd like more wine. In fact, we weren't offered drinks of any kind, including water. Such a lovely restuaurant with such delicious food but the service was a real downer. It's not like they were busy. There was no performance at the Hobby Center that evening and we were only one of 3 parties in the restaurant. Thank goodness the tres leches dessert ended the evening on a positive note. NAME: girlzniteout SUBMITTED: 4/23/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: April/04 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: Typically good Cordura food with efficient, if a bit clinical, service. The dramatic and broad expanse of windows allowed a wonderful view of a valet service in total chaos. NAME: Scotman SUBMITTED: 3/5/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: February/2004 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I was invited for lunch and was impressed enough to have an important meeting. We will dine tonight (Feb. 19). I'll post you with more info. later. NAME: For the Second time SUBMITTED: 2/19/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: Jan 2004 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Beautiful place, excellent service, beautiful and delicious food. Unique menu. The mix and match menu is clever and gives you an unlimited choice of flavors and textures. The desserts are to die for, especially the pear creation. Have recommended it to many friends. Will return often. NAME: Marianne SUBMITTED: 1/20/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: December 13, 2003 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