Gravitas
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MY REVIEW: I like their upscale bistro concept, and the food is excellent. We will definitely return. I was surprised at the variety in the entrees--more choices than I was expecting. I had the tripletail and my wife had the mussels. Both were well prepared and tasty. As expected, the baked bread is great, and we managed (with limited success) save some to complement the broth. We found the salmon tartare appetizer a little too salty for our tastes. Obviously, the open layout means that the place is loud. Our waitress was very nice and attentive, but she was a soft talker who wasn't always able to make herself heard over the ambient noise. Sidebar is a nice space for before and/or after dinner drinks.
NAME: Dave7
SUBMITTED: 7/29/2008 LAST VISIT WAS: July 2008
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: Me and my wife went to gravitas last night, April 18, 2008. It was the best meal I have had in a long time. I had been here previously and was mildly impressed, but last night blew me away.
Our waiter (young guy with shaved head and sideburns) was excellent. He was able to answer all our questions and describe the specials very well. He was very attentive, and even apologized when we had to wait 5 minutes for a dessert menu. I hadn't noticed because I was having such a good time. Also, the Hispanic gentlemen who cleared our plates and put my wife's food in a to go box was just as attentive as the waiter. The service we received was better than I am used to, even for Houston, land of the restaurants.
My wife started off with the tomato basil soup, which she enjoyed. I had the potato-fish pancake and it was excellent. It comes with capers, which I normally do not like. However, the capers provided a tart flavor that melded well with the pancake.
For entrees, my wife had the beef bourguignon which melted in her mouth. It comes with a potato puree and asparagus. Really an excellent dish. I had the pork chop, which is so delicious that its my favorite dish in Houston right now. It came with a sweet potato puree and sweetened cabbage. All these flavors went together really well. Sweet potato puree was out of this world good. I have had the pork chop from S*hade restaurant, and Gravitas' is much, much better.
For desert, I had the butterscotch bread pudding with ice cream. It was excellent, although I like my bread pudding to be slightly more moist. However, the butterscotch sauce amazing. My wife had the maple syrup creme brulee. She liked it, but V*ic and Anthony's still has the best creme brulee in town.
All in all, last night at gravitas was the best restaurant experience I have had in quite awhile. We will be back. This time there was adequate parking because the valet service was thankfully not there. The parking lot was empty, yet the restaurant was nearly full. I am still trying to figure that one out. Anyways, long review but as you can tell I was very impressed.
NAME: Andy
SUBMITTED: 4/19/2008 LAST VISIT WAS: 04/08
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times
MY REVIEW: This is a jewel in our city. Like a piece of trendy casual Italia I recommend calling ahead. It is worth it.
The "Side Bar" is a very cool environment. I like to sit outside. It is illuminated with a thousand candles, and in the shadow of our downtown skyline.
Do not miss the Beef Tenderloin, Acorn Squash soup, and this crushed peanut olive oil dipping mash and killer fresh bread they give you when you sit down I don't believe they even have a mediocre wine here.
This is a place I would bring anybody.
NAME: Sebastian
SUBMITTED: 2/25/2008 LAST VISIT WAS: 2/16/08
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times
MY REVIEW: Strong points: Steak tar-tar appetizer was awesome, I would go back for this alone. Dessert was a butterscotch bread pudding that was out of this world, great flavor and texture.
Weak: Steak frite entree was average at best. The steak and fries had way to much salt and seasoning. The fries would have been good I think if there wasn't a pound of salt and what tasted like chili powder on them. Waitress was also weak, she was akward and seemed to know little or nothing about the menu. I would expect for from the staff when the food is in the 20 - 30 dollar range for entrees alone.
Ambiance: hip /trendy as expected. Overall decor was pretty good. Lighting is dark and candle-lit at night, but its not so dark that one can't see the menu etc. Noise wasn't an issue on the 2nd floor where we were. I can imagine it must be loud downstairs. We were 15 min. late for our rez.@ 8:15 but were seated right away. With some tweaks this could be a new gem on Taft.
NAME: a diner
SUBMITTED: 2/11/2008 LAST VISIT WAS: 02/08
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: excellent menu selection, attentive waitstaff. My partner had the trout and it was perfect. I had veal cordon bleau, never better. Will go back for sure.
NAME: Bob
SUBMITTED: 10/24/2007 LAST VISIT WAS: 10/23/2007
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: We keep trying Gravitas because we want it to work but probably will give up. Last brunch service as very poor, food was cold.
NAME: CHAS
SUBMITTED: 10/23/2007 LAST VISIT WAS: OCTOBER 2007
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times
MY REVIEW: First time to Gravitas. My wife and I went for dinner, and overall we were impressed. I would agree that the restaurant was a little loud. Mind you, this was a Tuesday night and the restaurant was only half full. I can only imagine how difficult it could be to hear the server with a full restaurant; we had trouble, and we skew toward the younger demographic. The winelist was serviceable with some strong points. I don't understand why some labels are only available in 1/2 bottles. Our server also suggested that the chalkboard wasn't accurate; I guess it's mostly for decoration perhaps to leave the impression that there is a broader selection?
My wife had the prix fixe menu, and I opted for the goat cheese tart, the veal cordon bleu, and the butterscotch bread pudding. Don't worry, I'll be seeing my cardiologist tomorrow. The tart was excellent; perfect belnd of salty and sweet. The cordon bleu was a little over cooked and somewhat short on veal, but excellent. The butterscotch bread pudding was some of the best bread pudding in Houston...great texture, without an overwhlelming butterscotch flavor.
The food was great, although I don't understand their pricing on the prix fixe menu. $51 for an appetizer...duck, entree...braised pork, and desert, fresh berries served over shortbread/biscuit filled with cream. My experience with other prix fixe menus in Europe and the U.S. is that they tend to be a better value than ordering each course separately. Generally, not a huge discrepancy in price, but a better value. If they're not a better value, they tend to provide more upscale fare than the regular menu items. This wasn't the case, unless I'm underestimating the cost for the pork entree...which incidentally was not the best cut of pork. My three course meal was $5-6 less than the prix fixe. Maybe the duck accounts for the difference?
The service was good, but I was a little perturbed that when we asked for suggestions the initial response, without fail, directed us to the most expensive items for each course; this included both the menu and the wine list. Although to our server's credit, she had good suggestions when we were asking questions or were trying to make a decision. She did not always defer to the priciest item and seemed to be knowledgeable about the menu.
Overall, Gravitas is a little pricey with good execution, and worth the trip at least once.
NAME: Tblue77
SUBMITTED: 8/29/2007 LAST VISIT WAS: August/2007
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: This place is SO close to being a hit...but can't quite hold the high notes. Great atmosphere, cool bar, impressive chaulk board of wine that seemingly is never in stock.
Have been there three times for dinner and on all three occassions, one of the "featured" entrees was out as was one of the "featured" wine selections. On all three occassions, I was offered an "equally impressive" entree at a higher price as well as an "equally impressive" bottle of wine at, you got it, a higher price.
So close, yet so far...for me, three chances are two, too many. I probably will not be returning.
NAME: GW
SUBMITTED: 4/4/2007 LAST VISIT WAS: February 2007
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times
MY REVIEW: Not only does this place have the best fries in the world, they also have won me over with their venison chili. I love having a bowl of it outside on the patio now that the weather is a bit cooler. If you're looking for something a little lighter try the tuna carpaccio - the flavors will make you drool!
I've discovered that the bar is really cool also. I had dinner with some friends last week and we ended up going into the bar afterwards and had so much fun that we stayed almost till the place was closed. There's a DJ and the place has a great vibe.
The food is awesome and the space is very chic so it is always at the top of my list when deciding on a place to go.
NAME: lizzie
SUBMITTED: 11/13/2006 LAST VISIT WAS: 11/06
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times
MY REVIEW: Strong: Cool space, pleasant staff, good wine selection
Weak: Food is too salty, portions pretty small for price, wine prices very high
My husband and I have been to Gravitas a few times. Although we really like the ambiance of the place, we have not had the best of luck.
We have tried several of the dishes and I have yet to find one that is not too salty for my taste. My husband is not sensitive to salt and he has agreed that all the dishes we have had are too salty and even today, could not finish my venison chili due to the intense salt taste.
Today we went for lunch and on top of our salty dishes, we also had poor service. Although our waiter seemed nice enough, we were not ever served water, our tea glasses were never refilled, after waiting 10 minutes for my decaf cappacino he brought me caffienated cappacino (I had to wait another 10 minutes for them to make me a decaf), and we had to go to the kitchen staff so they could ask our waiter to bring us our tab - he had simply disappeared.
We really want to like Gravitas, but honestly, I am not sure we will return for fear of another expensive over salted meal.
NAME: J&C
SUBMITTED: 10/30/2006 LAST VISIT WAS: 10/30/06
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times
MY REVIEW: I went in with a party of co-workers and the service and food were outstanding. Our waiter, Frank, was very knowledgable and attentive about the food and wine. I had the steak frite and it was delicious, and the desserts were awesome. All in all it was an outstanding experience and we will definitely be going back.
NAME: Irishguy
SUBMITTED: 9/27/2006 LAST VISIT WAS: 09/06
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times
MY REVIEW: Shame to hear about their dinner service, but lunch was fabulous. My five colleagues and I headed out there for a lunch-social - first time for everyone. It wasn't super busy, so the service was pretty good. We ordered a variety of dishes from tortillini to trout salad, and salmon to cheeseburger. Everyone enjoyed their food. Presentation impressive. Desserts mouth-watering! It wasn't particularly noisy, but we joked about how loud it could get in the evenings. Wanted to introduce our friends to Gravitas this weekend for dinner, but having second thoughts now. :-(
NAME: Fine dining fan
SUBMITTED: 8/3/2006 LAST VISIT WAS: 08/02/06
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: Average food, average service, very loud. Now some details. 4 of us with reservations were seated at the appointed time. Waiter was helpful and pleasant without any arrogance, etc. as noted below. For what ostensibly is an upscale restaurant, the food, from appetizers to the end sorbets was certainly not on a par with other upscale places such as glss wll, msrffs. The food was fine just anything special. We had trout, quail, cod as entrees. The appetizer potato salad was a loser. Salmon appetizer was very routine. Desserts less than spectacular. Average, average, average.
NAME: bibliomaven
SUBMITTED: 6/11/2006 LAST VISIT WAS: June/2006
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: I visited Gravitas for the first time last night for a casual business dinner. My first impression was unfavorable. The only parking is on the streets behind the building. The spaces in front of the restaurant, and to the side were reserved for the valet. It would seem to me that these spaces should for those who wanted to park themselves, and the valet spaces would be around back. I have a hard time paying someone to park my car twenty feet away. This seems to be unfortunately a growing trend with restaurants in this area.
Once inside, the food was ok. I had their equivalent of steak and fries. The waiter recommended that I get it medium rare. I requested medium. It, however, did come out quite red.
The decor was subtle and nice. I did not find it to be loud. The service was fine, although there was a slight arrogance noted.
NAME: Skierdoc
SUBMITTED: 4/28/2006 LAST VISIT WAS: 04/2006
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: Very eccletc restaurant. The cement floors lend to the noise level of the restaurant. We orginally went to hear music on the patio...great band!! Too bad I did not catch their name as it started to rain and we still had not recieved our food. Music was perfect, not to loud not to soft, great tunes!!
Menu is wonderful! Very eccletic mix of choices. I shared the Cheese Platter with Pear Jam...bread was wonderful! It was the rasin and walnut mixture. Venison Chili was to die for! A meal in itself. I had the Ahi Tuna Carpiccio, very fabulous and filling. Tuna was so fresh it melted in my mouth. The Potato and leek soup was very delicous as well. Just enough creaminess to slide down.
Wine list is excellent! Eschlon Pino Noir was fantastic! They also have a great list of beers,, better than most restaurants.
Prices are somewhat high, but the quality matches to the price. I did not feel like I over paid for what I recieved.
Service is a little unorganized, but no one is rude or curt. If you are in a rush I would not suggets this place. This is the traditional restaurant to come and linger over good food and company.
Give this place a try, it is off the beaten path but a gem of a find!
NAME: Lovetoeatout
SUBMITTED: 4/26/2006 LAST VISIT WAS: 4/25
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: Strong: Very delicious food, good wine
Weak: A bit loud
I was a bit apprehensive about going to this restaurant after reading various reviews, but I was pleasantly surprised. We had reservations at 8:30 on a Friday for 4 and they were honored within 10 mins. We arrived at 8:30 and they had informed us that our table was nearly ready. So, no big wait there.
We were seated and promptly served water and bread with olive oil. Shortly after, our waiter took our drink order. We received our drinks, and he left while we deliberated over the menu.
I had the oven-roasted chicken and onion soup. Both were very very good. The portions are huge. If ordering soup with someone else, I would recommmend sharing a bowl. If you're ordering an entree and eating the non-stop bread, then soup could put you over the edge.
Unlike most restaurants, I never felt rushed to finish my meal, pay the bill and clear the table for the next party.
I will definitely go back again. Hopefully my experience means they worked out their service kinks and the great food can be enjoyed properly.
NAME: Jen
SUBMITTED: 3/24/2006 LAST VISIT WAS: 03/2006
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: OK..here goes. Was looking forward to visiting Gravitas for quite sometime now and I wasn't disappointed. Fortunately, a few friends and I decided to go this past Sunday evening and the place wasn't packed, which meant the service was great. The fresh bread was delicious, as was the oil and spices that came along w/it. We ordered a great bottle of red wine (forgot the name, but it was $45). Anyways, I ordered the pork chops (a little tough), but still very delicious. My girlfriend ordered the Halibut (Delicious!) and my other friend ordered the Steak (Delicious!). Shared the bread pudding (Delicious!). All in all, great food and great service. Will be back again.
NAME: foodismyfriend
SUBMITTED: 3/21/2006 LAST VISIT WAS: 03/2006
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: Absolutely the worst service I've ever experienced. Loud setting, average food. They forgot my girlfriend's entree, forgot several of our parties drinks several times and forgot my dessert (which WAS delivered to me after they cleared everyone else's dessert plates.) Staff was plentiful but appeared to be hurried and struggling to keep up(??)I NEVER complain in restaurants but I couldn't even bring myself to speak to the server by the end of our meal. Appetizer to dessert took 3.5 hours. Man oh man!! I will never return - ever.
NAME: Gary
SUBMITTED: 2/26/2006 LAST VISIT WAS: 2/06
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: This was my first and last visit to Gravitas. We endured a one hour wait in the bar, being pushed around by waiters during the course of the wait. When we finalyl were seated the service was cavalier at best. Management was not the least concerned that a reservation meant a one hour wait. The food was good, although a simple request for a substitution of a vegatable was charged $ 9! I had read poor reviews but had heard good things as well. The poor reviews were right on. I eat out frequently but will NEVER return to Gravitas.
NAME: Deborah
SUBMITTED: 2/7/2006 LAST VISIT WAS: Feb 2, 2006
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: If hell is where the Germans are the Valets, the French run the bar, and the English are the cooks, then this is the place. After seeing a jaw dropping demonstration of the acceleration, braking and cornering of my CLS 500 in front of the restuarant, we got to stand in the Bar until 8:20 for our 7:30 pm reservation. This was plenty of time to be pushed aside at the bar by the waiters who needed their drinks worse than I did. Too bad they did not stop me from buying one of the most expensive but ordinary drinks in Houston.
Just as we were walking out the front door, we were intercepted and taken to a table. At 9:00 the free appetizer we were offered in the Bar at 8:00 arrived. It was tasty, better than the meal. It is no wonder we had to wait so long for our table. The food arrived so late that I am sure the folks sitting at what should have been our table were still waiting to see their meal.
At least the owner came around and asked about our experience. When we tried to share some of our problems with him he told us he was sorry and then turned with a "stuff it" attitude and left. I guess that was a signal to the waiter to block one of my guests from going to the bathroom.
The topper was when we got the bill and I realized it was twice as much as any restaurant with comparable food. In short, if there is a restaurant in Houston where 2 couples can have a worse experience, after eating out 300+ meals a year for 50+ years in Houston, I have not found it.
I did not think any place could be as bad as the reviews for this place. I was right, this place was much worse in every way.
NAME: James
SUBMITTED: 2/4/2006 LAST VISIT WAS: Feb 3, 2006
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: We went on a Saturday night about 7:30 and had no reservations, so we had to wait in the lounge for a table to open up. The service in the bar was fair but acceptable. We were told the wait would be about half an hour, but it turned out only to be about 15 minutes (you have to close your bar tab before moving over to the restaurant).
Once seated our server (Frank) was attentive and engaging but not intrusive. The service was timely and we thought the food was quite good but maybe a tad overpriced. I was tentative about trying Gravitas after reading some of the reviews but we had an extremely satisfying experience. I will definitely go again, but ask to be seated in Frank’s section (why alter a good experience).
NAME: Walter
SUBMITTED: 1/16/2006 LAST VISIT WAS: January/2005
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: Seriously, french fries as the side? How original! I paid over $30 for a mediocre steak and french fries. The apps are okay, salad was ok. Staff was GREAT! The only bright spot was the service! Stay away!!!
NAME: Adam
SUBMITTED: 12/29/2005 LAST VISIT WAS: 12/05
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: I have eaten here 4 times and was eager for its arrival since the owner's Ariel is so good. Only on one of these occasions was the meal acceptable. On the other 4 occasions, the food was not quite what it should have been for the taste. The staff were always courteous. On the last occasion, I had a lunch special, was given a too large salad, was told the entree was not ready, and eventually accepted just the salad and dessert for almost the price of the trio. The dessert was too large and also had a sort of synthetic taste. I am not eager to return here and note ambivalences in the local reviews by Mr Walsh and Ms Cook. It should be better than it is.
NAME: wxs
SUBMITTED: 12/18/2005 LAST VISIT WAS: 10/05
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times
MY REVIEW: Weak points
I have read many mixed reviews of this place so we thought we would wait and go once they got past the bugs. I was very dissappointed in the service to begin with. We had to get up from the table twice just to go find out waiter, our drinks (wine and water) were never filled and the food once finally served it was cold. The dinner was ok, not bad but I really expected something outstanding from the A*ries people.
NAME: Bobby J.
SUBMITTED: 12/13/2005 LAST VISIT WAS: 12-9-2005
FREQUENCY: Visited once
MY REVIEW: Strong: The interior looks great left and right of the front door.
Although there is really no where to stand in the front, once you dodge the valet parade directly in the front door.
Ambiance: Once inside the place, the open atmosphere really grabs you. The kitchen is open towards the back. It would be nice if they allowed for 2-4 bar stools at the kitchen counter to allow for those daring enough to enjoy their meal and a drink while watching the "work" being done in the kitchen.
My meal, the pork chop, was good. It wasn't the best I've had, but I could tell that it can become great. A bit too much cabbage and potatoe underneath. I didn't have an appetiser, but the table next to us had the Mussels. They looked great.
Weak: They were out of the wine I had set my mind on. I hate that more than you know. We tried the suggested substitute, and it was quite nice...for about the same price. Nice recovery. We kinda had to wait...on our waitress before we could get our first drink. That needs to improve.
The private room upstairs looks more like a meeting room, but with the right foilage could be brought alive.
With time, I think they can and will improve on the small things that can get out of hand if they don't correct them early.
NAME: His Honor BK
SUBMITTED: 11/7/2005 LAST VISIT WAS: 11/05
FREQUENCY: Visited once
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