17 Restaurant - Alden Houston Hotel Located in the Alden-Houston hotel, the award-winning *17 features New American Cuisine in a luxurious setting   1117 Prairie St MetroRail Line: Preston Station Houston TX 77002 832.200.8800 Reservations Profile Description:   Add Review PROFILE   Website  Menu MY REVIEW: WOW is all I can say, again, and again. This is my FAV restaurant in Houston. I have been going to 17 for several years now, and although the old chef created and left his mark, the new Chef, Wes Morton has definatley began to mold the menu to his tastes. I have been twice in the last month and both times, service, food, everything I have come to love, were all at their best! Try them once and you will be hooked! NAME: Robnhou SUBMITTED: 5/22/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 5/08 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: This has become my husband and I's favorite restaurnt after one visit! We came for our anniversary and all our requests were met for our reservation through open table. We had a table waiting for us right by a window :) We did the Chef's tasting menu with a bottle of wine we chose and it was fabulous!!!! The chef came out and talked with us before the meal and made sure to check which wine we were drinking so he could come up with a menu to compliment it. The meal was nothing short of perfection. The chef even made it a point to serve us his favorite dish of the night he had prepared (the duck) which we were so delighted about! We love duck. Everything was perfect. And we will definitely be back. Pricey but well well well worth the money. This restuarant will truely kill your expectations of other restaurants you go to from here on out. And the ambience is so serene and beautiful. Very trendy yet comfortable and the lighting is spectacular. Parking is alittle difficult but we valet and it wasn't a problem at all. That can be expected in the heart of a big city. NAME: NickyG SUBMITTED: 11/5/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: September 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Oh, wow. I can relate to Everyman's comment about the softshell crab (8/26/2007). I, too, thought it tasted like saltwater. For my first softshell crab experience, I'd have to say it wasn't a good one. However, my friend and I loved most everything else we ate. We enjoyed the heirloom tomato salad and the green salad with almonds and fresh figs. She thought her lobster love letters (aka lobster ravioli) were a little too al dente for ravioli, but not bad. We both really liked the rice pudding cannoli with cherry and Thai basil compote and cherry sorbet. That dessert redeemed the restaurant for me after the eating the softshell crab. I knew there was a good reason I liked 17 after I paid two visits two or three years ago. (I remember enjoying the jumbo lump crabmeat appetizer.) I was glad to finally get back, and I can't wait for my next visit. NAME: Lynn SUBMITTED: 9/5/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 9/3/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: Yet again I have enjoyed another great meal at 17. Lucky for me, I was using my company's expense account. The breakfast is top notch. You're not going to find "Moons Over My Hammy" or "Rootie Tootie Fresh and Fruity" here. For those of you NOT on the Atkins Diet, I highly recommend the biscuits and gravy. 17 is not packed like I*HOP, so the service is great. The waiter named Chris (or maybe it's Christopher) has helped me the last two times. He is much friendlier than me that early in the morning. I'll make up for being a grump some time at dinner with a fat tip. As for the hotel, well …. it’s fantastic, but I’ll review that somewhere else. It’s not cheap, but neither is the quality of the food. If you want to get a taste for 17 without spending too much, try the $17 lunch. NAME: F.A. SUBMITTED: 8/27/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 08/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: Here's the scene- Saturday night, just after 8 pm. The light show from the lounge illuminates the empty restaurant in various colors. No worry- we go to the bar to wait for our group of 10. We quickly triple the attendance, which is made up of single depressed men who thought it would be hip to stay at this hotel for their business trip. We collect our group and are seated at a long table in prime location. There are only two other couples there so we anticipate excellent service. It is carried out with stiff formality but fits with the image of the restaurant. That is, until the appetizers arrive. Two of us ordered the soft shell crab and both agreed that it was undercooked and tasted like the salt water it came from. There was barely a bite of meat and we had to scrape the shell in order to find it. When the waitress was called over, she began to debate with us, justifying the taste as a consequence of the salt the chef finishes the dish with. We are familiar with the taste of salt, as well as with what a poorly cooked crab tastes like. She did not offer up any apologies or suggest another appetizer. Worse, she did not remove the dish from the final bill. She took our critique very personally, as if she had cooked it, and perhaps she did, considering that they must be laying people off with the recent lack of customers. My entree- coconut curry shrimp was good, but I would have enjoyed it equally at Mai's Vietnamese restaurant and paid a quarter of the price. The halibut was overcooked, but still smelled of the sea. Perhaps they finished it with the same salt as the crab. The other main courses were all adequate, but that is not what we are paying for. If there is a premium because of the light show coming from the lounge, then I would rather stay home and eat in front of my lava lamp. Pro: You can get a table anytime Con: Why would you want to. NAME: Everyman SUBMITTED: 8/26/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 8/25 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: I really have nothing bad to say about this restauraunt. Our server Diana was great, praised our selections, and I couldn't have asked for a better meal. A very unique addition to this restauraunt that other places don't do is they offer complimentary samples of items from the Chef w/o us asking for us to taste, which was a very great addition. The Manager checked up on us a couple times just to make sure we are satisfied. I would say this is the best hotel restauraunt in the city. NAME: diner SUBMITTED: 8/12/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 08/07 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Once again, Chef Ryan Pera and team have done an excellent job here! 17 has to be my favorite place in the city to dine. Seasonal menus that change with constant favorites that stay on! Must haves are the country pate, the braised short ribs, and the mac and cheese. Service is always top notch. If you dine here more than once, they will know who you are. They do not rush the dining experience. They allow you to savor each course without the presure to turn the top. Ambiance is elegant while not being too stuffy. Management is almost always on hand to greet and ensure a wonderful experience. A must try gem on the Houston scene! NAME: Loves17!! SUBMITTED: 7/29/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 7/07 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: Service was very good unitl the end or our meal when our waiter seemed to get overwhelmed. He did a great job but was sat too many tables later in the evening. The atmosphere is very nice. My complaint was with the food. For the price paid, it was nothing special. My girlfriend's shrimp curry was pretty good but the rissotto with artichokes I order was very unimpressive. This place has potential. It needs a big upgrade in the kitchen and be careful about giving waiters too many tables. NAME: David SUBMITTED: 7/18/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 07/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: very disappointing, actually. the service was great, the room was lovely, but the food was lacking in originality...although not in salt, as my shrimp curry was terribly salty, and it wasn't the only dish that was. the drinks we ordered tasted off (a mojito and a kir). other entrees at the table ranged from 'just okay' to worse...halibut that smelled quite fishy, a tortellini that tasted day-old and the coup de grace, a tiny piece of strawberry on the lovely little dessert that tasted strongly of onion. we were a group of six, and there was nothing outstanding on our plates. i had been looking forward to this meal, but we won't be going back. NAME: karenkay SUBMITTED: 6/5/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: may/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: the food was amazing! friendly staff, quiet atmosphere. recommendations: lump crab salad, roasted quail for appetizers. for entrees: rack of lamb, shrimp curry, or halibut. NAME: foodlover SUBMITTED: 4/9/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 04/07 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Elegant and outstanding! This was our first time. Note that this is a very relaxed, take the time to smell the roses type of place - if you are in a rush you will be frustrated. We actually got to enjoy our cocktails a little before having to order. Our waitress, Diana, was very good - just the right contact and very good at helping decide on menu dishes. My wife had an excellent piece of halibut with tortellini (could have been a few more tortellinis) and I had the angus steak done perfectly. The wine list is very nice - including a number of half bottles for those of us who just want a glass or so. Our salads and our bread were very tasty. Dessert (chocolate tort with malted ice cream) was unique and delicious. The decor was very nice: casual, romantic. You could easily go here for an elegant date, or a little more casual dinner. NAME: eriol SUBMITTED: 10/9/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Good food and service; pleasant ambience. Not too noisy. Striped Bass special was well prepared. We will be going back. NAME: FoodMaven SUBMITTED: 7/5/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: June 2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: 17 is one of my favorites. The ambiance, the service and the food are amazing! My boyfriend and I have dined in 17 a few times over the past year or so. I am continually impressed with the Chef's creations. The short ribs are tender and delicious. My boyfriend loves the halibut. The homemade ice cream and chocolate tart are decadent! I recommend 17 to everyone I know. I have also had lunch there- a 3 course lunch for $17. Great deal! NAME: Houston Foodie SUBMITTED: 6/19/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 05/06 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: i've only been once, but i can say that the service was excellent. the filet was the best steak i have ever had. i literally could cut it with the side of my fork. as tempting as it might sound, stay away from the tempura caesar - just too rich.... great place to go. and right across the hall is a+, which is a nice little cozy bar. good for before or after meal drinks. NAME: o4 SUBMITTED: 6/7/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 02.2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: We really enjoyed our experience at 17. We started with an excellent Meritage from their wine list. I ordered the beet & navel orange salad with candied pistachios - wonderful! The waiter brought us a chefs sampler of wrapped tuna - great! Husband had the Foie Gras - excellent! My main course was the filet with a side of their vegetable risotto - yum! Husband had the lamb and it was cooked to perfection. We skipped dessert - limited selection. However, the waiter brought us a small dessert bite - very good. We also ate breakfast the next morning & the food was excellent! Servers were attentive - will definitely return. NAME: enjoycuisine SUBMITTED: 5/20/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 05/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Never Again!! Service was horrible and the food took to long, only to find out that our order was incorrect. High prices and forgetable food. We decided to stick to our favorites M*arks and B*ank... NAME: mandelsonfood SUBMITTED: 9/16/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 09/2005 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I came here by choice the first couple of times, and on business the last three. My five visits are spread out over the entire 2-something years the place has been open- and I've seen a lot of change. For starters, the service went from excellent, to dreadful, and back to friendly and prompt. The wine list went from unbelievably inexpensive, to outlandishly over-priced, and now it's comprehensive and perfectly reasonable (higher than retail, lower than steakhouse). The food, however, has always been tip-top. I've never had a meal that I didn't absolutely love. And I eat all over the map: meat, pasta, soup, etc. On my last visit, we probed our waiter for information about the apparent identity crisis of such a beautifully crafted place. He was diplomatic, but gave insight into a frequently changing management team due to the fact that the "hotel higher ups" don't take any sh*t. Fair enough. He also mentioned that new management has been put in place. My overall impression: I will be back on both a personal and a business note. The food rocks, the sweeping wine list is impressive, and if all else fails, there's a great bar across the hall. To qualify: my favorite places in town are I*biza, M*ark's, H*ugo's, and Da M*arco. NAME: big bad eating daddy SUBMITTED: 8/14/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 8/2005 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: 1 visit was enough. I took co-workers and my clients here for a weekday dinner. Called ahead for a reservation and let them know there would be one vegetarian in the group since the online menu did not offer anything for me (it's 2005, people). Arrived at 17, service definitely tried a little too hard to be as snooty as possible - while apologizing for the delay in our wine bc they could not get the wine closet open. Huh. Informed waiter I was the vegetarian who had called ahead and he acknowledged receipt of this information in advance. I knew I should have been worried when he told me the chef was preparing pasta for me. (it's 2005, people) Pasta arrives. It is quite possibly the WORST meal I have ever eaten in my life. The pasta had been boiled in salt with a little water. And I like salty food... Had I not been there with a client, I would have asked that the chef taste his creation and give me his thoughts. In my pasta was 3 pieces of cauliflower and less than 5 pieces of another vegetable lacking substantial taste. I picked out the ~8 pieces of veggies and left the rest. The best part is that the waiter didnt even ask me if I "liked" my Chef's vegetarian special, much less note that I didnt eat it and offer to replace it with something else. I take a lot of clients out for dinner. I will never go back here again, they lost my business and even my clients from the northeast were marveling at how they handled my food. NEVER AGAIN. Do NOT waste your money here even if you do eat meat - there are too many good places to eat in Houston to put up with this kind of attitude. NAME: chow queen SUBMITTED: 7/29/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 7/05 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Fantastic Dining room....very beautiful but not too stuffy. I had the tuna and it was cooked to perfection, my wife had lamb and she raved about it. The wine prices were very reasonable and the selection was nice and eclectic..just like i like it... Service seemed like they were trying to hard at times but E for effort! Dessert were also most excellent...and the illy coffee in a french press should be a staple in restaurant. Overall Food and Drink A+ Atmosphere A+ Service B+ NAME: RB SUBMITTED: 3/15/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 3/2005 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: Horrible service. Had made reservations for Sunday at noon, making a point that we were going to the ballet at two. When we arrived we once again said that we had to be out in an hour and a half as we were going to the ballet. Ordered from the fixed price menu. Food did not arrive. Waiter was no where to be found. We asked other wait staff for help. Got apologies but no explanations. Kept being told food would be right out. There were a few other tables who seemed to be being served by a different waiter. Finally, after almost an hour, we started being served in a very rushed manner. Did not have time for a leisurely coffee and dessert which is what we were looking forward to. I wrote to the restaurant, telling them what happened. The first time we went we had a reasonable experience. The food is good. They never even acknowledged our terrible experience. We like to go out and always have Sunday brunch before the ballet. They upset 6 Houston women for no reason. We would have loved to have made 17 a regular place to go, but will never set foot in there again. They just didn't care at any level. NAME: Nancy SUBMITTED: 3/2/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 6/2004 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: Disappointing. We had early reservations but were led past numerous empty tables to the far back. Appetizers were mediocre (quail OK, crabmeat and avocado a sodden tasteless blob)but the shortribs were exellent. Thin, bland pinor noir by the glass (after "Sideways" no less!!). Desserts so-so. Biggest complaint -- indifferent, slow, amateurish service. Guess they were all too busy reading their glowing magazine reviews in the back to pay attention. No plans to go back. NAME: bcr SUBMITTED: 2/21/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: January 2005 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: My husband and I had dinner here before attending the Opera. The food was excellent and the pricing for the food was not out of line for similar quality restaurants. The pricing for the wine list, however, is another matter. We are accustomed to paying at least twice as much for a bottle of wine in a restaurant as we would at the store, but approaching four times as much is rather excessive. Since we like to have a nice bottle of wine when we have a good meal, we will not be frequenting 17 as much as we would like. . . . NAME: RedRider SUBMITTED: 2/17/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 02/05 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: They just started brunch....at 45 per...but that does include one glass of champagne...the food was excellent...particularly the cheesecake sundae dessert...entree of duck hash and appetizer of crabcakes...all excellent....but the previous writer is correct in that portions are small (although I did see another table get a doggy bag)....service was timely and management attentive....if you have the money and are not ravenous...go for it.. NAME: RRM SUBMITTED: 2/14/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/05 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: Outstanding atmosphere does little to make-up for the limited menu selection and high prices. I had the tuna medium-rare which was quite nice. It was accompanied by one bite of spinach and also sweetbread (aka pancreas). If you don't like pancreas don't bother asking for a substitution. The small portions left me hungry and looking forward to dessert. Once again I was disappointed--again, very limited selection. NAME: Not Goingback SUBMITTED: 1/27/2005   LAST VISIT WAS: 01/2005 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Nice atmosphere but please do all the waiters need shaved heads and weird glasses. The food was pretty good, the prices were high since everything is a la carte. The wine list was a total joke. Nary a bottle below $50 and all the cheaper wines are crap so you have to buy an expensive bottle. Same for the wine by the glass. Good food, over priced with crappy wine for $10-15 per glass NAME: The admiral SUBMITTED: 12/30/2004   LAST VISIT WAS: 1 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. 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