Reviews / Profile Menus / Delivery/Catering Website laidback manor (CLOSED)   706 Main St Houston TX MY REVIEW: We tried the Laidback Manor on recommendation and were delighted by the wholly refreshing approach that is so rare nowadays. The originality and complexity of the food shows true creative genius. The duck confit was particularly wonderful and the wine list included some very differnt options. Definitely not the place for the burger or enchilada brigade so I hope there are enough gastronomes in Houston to ensure this family-run delight remains profitable and gives the chef the success he deserves. Next time we will arrive hungry and prepared to try the tasting menu. NAME: Galloping Gourmet SUBMITTED: 7/29/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: July/06 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: My wife and I were introduced to laidback manor by friends who had assembled a dinner party of about 20 people ...... and that's the best way to approach this amazingly different restaurant. We had "the treatment" which is I think a ten course meal with wines selected to match each course. Of the ten courses, I would say five were spectacular, three were great, one was fair and one was lousy. But that makes chef Randy Rucker's batting average better than Lance Berkman's. We started at about 7:30pm and didn't leave until almost midnight. Not sure I would choose this place for a quick dinner, but if you look at it as both dinner and the evening's entertainment, it's great. Counting drinks, the wine and a generous and well-earned tip, the evening set us back $150 per person -- but nobody was complaining. Well, you wouldn't do it every week. I won't go into detail on the food, but I have the say the Watermelon Soup was out of this world fantastic. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did. NAME: Bob SUBMITTED: 7/16/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: July 2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I have been to Laidback Manor many times now so I figured it's time to write a review. Overall, I like this place, I like it b/c it's different. The menu consists of items you will not find at any other restaurant in Houston all prepared expertly by Chef Randy Rucker. I'm not a big foodie person so I can't go into each item, but I will say that I have enjoyed everything placed in front me! The things I wasn't familiar with, I was just able to ask and the waiter (and sometimes Randy himself) would explain it all. So, if you're looking for inovative food prepared by one of Houston's top Chefs, go here! On the other hand, if you just want a good beer, bbq rib, while you listen to some blues... you can do that as well. It's really cool. It's definitely worth checking out. NAME: KC SUBMITTED: 6/29/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: June 2006 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: I would definetly recomend this place to those who are looking to have a good time and learn something new. It is a very educational and exciting dinning experience that will have you talking about your evening for an hour after you have left the restaurant! The Chef is a very young talented chef that has a unique syle of cooking that will amaze you! After the Chef educates you on your meal, and how he prepared your dish, you will amazed! It is like watching a magic show and after the show talking to your friends saying, "wow! How did he do that!!!" Laidback Manor is well worth the trip downtown to experience the buzz!!! NAME: P SUBMITTED: 6/28/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 05/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: we went for lunch as a party of 4 and selected a range of dishes from the menu. sadly all of them were disappointing, the food lacked flavor and more attention was payed to fussey presentation than the quality of the dish. The ravioli arrived cold and the sauce was congealed, when I complained I was told it had been freshly prepared at 6am and was fine. The customer is apparently not always right. The overall impression was the chef's obsession with ice cream and froth. He should concentrate on substance and keeping his guests happy. NAME: Rubbish SUBMITTED: 6/23/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: june/06 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: My Wednesday did not start out memorable. I didn't think I was going to have an adventure, but I did, it was amazing and the experience is filed away as one of my best culinary trips ever. While the decor is unassuming at best and reaching at worst, it is all about the food at laidback manor. We had six amazing courses with cocktail parings. It would be silly to recommend something because I am sure I will try something new every time. Expect the most creative, whimsical and fine food in this city. When you want something magical and are bored with sushi and new-american, come here. If you need more art in your life, forgoe the galleries and skip the opera. Get Chef Randy Rucker to tell you what's going on in his charming mind. Think of it as an experience and you will love this place. NAME: brandy SUBMITTED: 5/12/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: may2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I had the pleasure of dining at laidback tonight. Here are some of my stream of consciousness thoughts, which is the only way I can write. The wife was at a baby shower and my attempt at doing the Cinco de Mayo thing didn't fare well. I tried out the new El P**** near S***'s downtown, but left after only a little while. Although, I did start the day with a terrific plate of Enchiladas Potosinas at a Stafford taqueria for lunch. I think that, had I just ordered just one entree off the menu I would not have been as pleased as I ended up being, by doing "the voyage". This is a place where one should eat slowly and savor every little surprise. And I did have some favorites. The duck was great, the substitute of grilled scallops for the egg dish (that I declined) was great, the flatiron steak was great. At one point I decided that I would eat these tapa-sized entrees with my fingers and that was a good decision. There was this dill puree that melted in my mouth, definitely the winner of the evening, but, I'm afraid only because I did not mix in the goat cheese that it came with. The cheese would have overpowered it. As I slowly made my way through the dishes I realized that I would be perfectly full. As the Brits say, I would have had an elegant sufficiency. This isn't a good place to come to if you're super hungry, but if you plan it as a one event evening and take your time with everything you will be rewarded. Kind of like jazz, you let everything just flow over you, intellectualize a little but mainly just go with the flow as each dish follows the last. Now, hats off to the pastry chef. The desserts were wonderful. Especially loved the semi-freddo caramel gelato with little bitty popcorn pieces and a chocolate ganache that was intense and not too sweet. I would come back just for the desserts. Randy's mom was there and we got to chat about chicken enchiladas which was fun. The meal, with bottled water, tax and tip came to $100. NAME: Jay Francis SUBMITTED: 5/5/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 05/06 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: My wife and I along with my parents visited this small yet ecclectic restaurant to celebrate my mother's birthday. Everything about the food and service was immpecable. I am an Executive Chef in a local Houston restaurant and was very impressed. There is no other place like this in Texas. Extremely inventive and flavorful food assisted by polished unpretensious service. It was a pleasure to dine in a place like laidback manor. Thank you for the memorable dinner. The only way to truly describe this place is REFRESHING! NAME: Greg SUBMITTED: 3/31/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: March 29, 2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Exceeded my expectations! We gave laidback a real test for dinner; our party included two 14 year-old girls and a 76 year-old male. After reading reviews of how different the dishes are, all week we warned them to prepare for the adventure with open minds. They all loved it. We all loved it. The food is innovative and imaginative but don't expect strange. The tastings are small servings but none of us were hungry afterwards... and there was enough per serving we were able to share. The food is delicious. The corn dumplings have the taste of fresh corn kernels. The bacon and eggs are.. well, not what you expect but are bacon and eggs. There are too many dishes to describe them all but we couldn't stop talking about them on the way home. I have places I take out-of-towners. This place I'm taking locals and will never again warn one to have an open mind. The food stands on its own. And I love the bread plates! NAME: Gloria SUBMITTED: 3/24/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: March 2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: This was defintely inspired food. I love the lighting and the waitstaff is very friendly and attentive. We decided to go with the tasting menu, as did most every other table in the restaurant. The flavours were great, however I cannot say that anything was "mmmmm....delicous!!!!" I was kinda sad because the waiter said the chef would come out and ask us our likes/dislikes. In fact, my wife who is pregant, specifically requested no raw meat. But she was given 3 courses that contained raw or undercooked meat. I like to do my thing also, however such requests as no raw meat have to be adhered to. Every dish featured a purée of some kind or another. I think I became puréed out after 9 dishes. I think the concept is great, but even I who am not a big eater, came away hungry. I had to eat 2 hours later. The best dish of the tasting was the almond milk and chocolate madelines. These I would go back for. NAME: keiocorp SUBMITTED: 3/23/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/2006 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: second chance....tried happy hour....much better than supper.....menu gave you choices...the food was excellent (but we knew that)..service was good...price was right...this is a good way to try this place....BUT do not get the "specialty" drinks....once again, too much innovation, not enough good libation... NAME: Face of Downtown SUBMITTED: 3/5/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 3/06 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: The Houston restaurant scene has seemed stuck in the mud lately, and I had begun to believe that weren't that many ambitious, passionate "out there" chefs working among us. Then I went to Laidback Manor, and was astounded--in a good way. There's not an iota of corporate thinking here--there's just a trio of chefs working from sheer passion for food and experimentation, and succeeding brilliantly. Get the 10-course tasting menu and strap yourself in for the ride. By the way, if they don't stir up more business soon, Laidback Manor might not last. If you care about having adventurous (and truly delicious) cooking here in Houston, get thee to Laidback Manor. NAME: dtheis SUBMITTED: 2/13/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: Feb 06 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Relaxed ambiance with wonderful, fresh, unique food. The complimentary fresh bread was addicting. My friends and I ordered a variety of items from the lunch menu (from ribs to chicken to a sandwich), which were all perfectly prepared and delicious. Yes, the complimentary appetizer was a bit profound but it was fun and different and tempted the taste buds. Wonderful! The chef is very informative and involved and the service was great. I will be back! This place is a fresh change of pace from the ordinary. NAME: Foodie SUBMITTED: 2/13/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 01/06 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: there is no selection, you get what is being served that day, so you best have a flexible dining partner....the food is sophisticated and tasty, but too cool for school...is a frothy presentation really that desirable?....the portions are small, the price is high....you might go just to say "that was interesting", but definitely not a place to be a regular. NAME: Face of Downtown SUBMITTED: 1/15/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 1/06 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Wow! This is european style food at American prices. With the extras provided as part of the meal, two courses turned into a tasting menu. Wines are reasonably priced, so you don't mind getting a second bottle. The chef gave us a tour of the kitchen and his enthusiasm for his food and kitchen shows through in his dishes. Our only wish is that there had been a little something sweet at the end of the meal. NAME: Chef Buster SUBMITTED: 1/12/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 1/06 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: The food was wonderful. Everything from the bread to the multiple "compliments of the chef" were great. The menu was creative and unlike anything else in Houston. The service was very good and very attentive. Only negatives were a slight septic-ish odor when you first walked in and the tables were a little small, so lingering was a little uncomfortable and not so sure I'd want to bring a big group because of the elbow-pinching that would likely occur. But even with those complaints, I highly recommend it and encourage everyone to try it. NAME: Brutus SUBMITTED: 1/4/2006   LAST VISIT WAS: 1/06 FREQUENCY: Visited once ©Copyright 1991 - 2008 B4-U-EAT.COM. All rights reserved. Design and database by B4-U-BUY