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Valentino Houston - Hotel Derek

MY REVIEW: Dreary food, enormously over-priced. None of the interesting dishes mentioned in the other reviews were on the menu when I went. It was all a grilled meat with some basic side dish, perhaps covered in a melted cheese.

The butternut squash ravioli came with one limp sprig of green and was so bland that any flavor was lost in the cumulative butter and cheese. My companion's carpaccio with a drizzled horseradish sauce was scanty, but the flavor was nice. The veal was tough and dry, which I would have told any waiter or waitress who might have come by to ask if everything was all right. When I finally told a manager who strolled by, he nodded and walked on. The sauce for the veal was a drizzle on the plate that tasted like a blend of soy sauce, vineagar, and sugar, with no relationship to the meat. The waitress reached in front of my face to pour the last of my carafe of wine into my glass, so that she could take the carafe away. Food was presented, particularly the desert, with no implements to eat it with. We lifted silverware from nearby place settings. The bread was sliced so thin that it was toughened and dried when they warmed it in the oven. My companion said that the fish special of the day was excellent. It had what appeared to be a lovely sauce.

The deserts were good and seemed like a reasonable value. The wine list runs heavily to bottles over $100. House wines by the very small carafe were much more reasonably priced, $10 to $12 each, but not particularly flavorful. They brought a last carafe and charged us for it, just as we were finishing desert. For this mediocre meal, the bill for two people, including tax but not tip was $170. Adding a reasonable tip came to $100 per person. Houston has better for much less money.

NAME: Ethnic food lover
SUBMITTED: 5/17/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: may 16, 2011
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Made it back for dinner which was quite different for lunch. Well executed Northern Italian cuisine. We had eggplant parmesan, mushroom risotto, squash anglotti, buffalo tenderloin and striped bass which ramnged from very good to excellent. Amazing cannoli and creme brulee and very good gelato for dessert. Service was adequate for that level with miscues of a late arriving glass of wine and a limoncello which had been forgotten, was procured and comped (good for them). The kitchen paid attention to the various requests for omitting salt and spices which we appreciated, even if the captain was a little flippant about the issue. Not unusual for younger staff to fail to understand the issue of restricted diets for people who still want to enjoy fine dining but just don't have the constitution they used to.

Valentino is a clear alternative to D* M*rco for grand Italian cuisine and an upgrade from B*ce in that category. We used to go to the latter restaurant and it was nice that one of the captains recognized us from there.

NAME: FoodMaven
SUBMITTED: 5/12/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 05/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: Went for lunch; very disapointed by the fact that the menu was basically a hotel coffee shop lunch, not grand italian cuisine. I'll try sometime for dinner but I think they are making a mistake by not competing with T*ny's and R*G for the upscale lunch crowd and instead aiming at the Gr*nd L*x Cafe. I had a Caeser Salad with grilled shrimp and my guest had soup and a Turkey sandwich. They were fine for what they were but why would I go there for that?

NAME: FoodMaven
SUBMITTED: 12/10/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: December 2009
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Make your way to Valentino's for a well executed dining experience in a pleasant environment. The sashimi platter was excellent. The pumpkin squash soup of the day was presented with truffle shavings and nicely toasted croutons, great. Main course of crusted lamb chops were superb and prepared just right. The chocolate tart desert was terrific. The staff were polite, efficient and attentive but not intrusive - a big plus in my book. I am grateful to my friends for introducing me to this restaurant.

NAME: Brad L.
SUBMITTED: 11/10/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/2009
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Okay, my wife and I returned to Valentino last week. Our guest was a native of Australia who spends three months a year in Japan - meaning he knows a LOT about sashimi (and therefore crudos). We started with the assorted crudo platter, which was wonderful. We followed with soup, and our main dishes were pasta, fish and lamb chops, all well received. For dessert, the men each had chocolate tart, and my wife had lemon and raspberry sorbet - again, all were terrific.

Needless to say, we will be back.

NAME: Byron Hood
SUBMITTED: 11/9/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/2009
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: My wife and I attended the opening party last night. This place is incredible! We tried a dozen or more different items, all terrific. And the prices are very reasonable! We have already made arrangements to take another couple to Valentino to celebrate their anniversary.

NAME: Byron Hood
SUBMITTED: 10/16/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/2009
FREQUENCY: Visited once

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