Del Frisco Houston Sucks

Del Frisco. Steak. History. Now in Houston. We decided to give it a shot. What a horrible, horrible mistake that was. Not only will I never eat at that Del Frisco's, I'll never eat at another Del Frisco's ever, even if I'm paid to eat there. If anyone at my company plans an event at a Del Frisco's and I find out about it I will do everything in my power to prevent it. Our experience was that bad.

Where to start. Early reservation on a whim. We're seated and the high pressure sales job begins. And I mean HIGH PRESSURE. No casual meal out tonight.

We're seated and immediately attacked by a waitress that clearly tells us that she's not our waitress, some other girl is, but what type of water would we like? OK No problem, water ordered.

As soon as I pick up the wine list to look for a pre-dinner aperitif a besuited bald man attacks the table. He's basically straddling the corner between my wife and I. And he starts going off into sommelier outer space. I tell him we're looking at South America for the evenings wine. I guess he doesn't understand Texan as he hears that as South African. And he goes of in great detail on how wonderful the two South African selections (at an entry price of $122) are.

We had just sat down. We don't have any water.  We haven't even ordered any aperitifs and we're basically assaulted by service. Bad, bad, bad.  I haven't had a chance to peruse the 33 page wine menu.

Our waitress returns to take our drink order and then begins to read from her memorized script of all the wonderful wine available not on the menu or just in. All starting, starting, at $150 a bottle.

We listen politely and finally order our overpriced aperitifs. Champagne for the wife, a nice Pinot Noir for me.

Once the wine was delivered, before we took a sip, the menu sales job began in earnest. We were taught how to read the menu and all about the wonderful and again ridiculously expensive off menu items. I try to shoo the waitress of and tell her we'll figure out our menu when our first drinks are nearly finished. Sure enough, as soon as I get close to the finish line she's there in all her sales glory. Push Push Push

I'm getting very pissed and we have not ordered a thing. I came very, very close to closing our tab on the two drinks and the water and walking out. The sales job was that oppressive.

But we decided to stick it out.

Appetizer is crab cake. We ask for the sauce on the side and we heard a long involved story about the glory of the sauce and that yes, our waitress would actually make the sacrifice to ask the kitchen to put the sauce on the side. Really. Sacrifice. It was almost as if she was offended that I wanted to taste the cake by itself without its frosting.

On its own the crab cake is pedestrian. Good crab meat, very bland cake. Wife loved the sauce. These guys are not selling a crab cake with sauce, they are selling a sauce with crab. Very disappointed. (If I can make a crab cake better than you your crab cakes suck. Period).

Salad course and I passed. Wife has the onion and tomato salad and likes the flavor but hates the honkingly large presentation. Three giant refrigerated slabs of tomato nestled around two giant refrigerated slabs of onion. The lack of sweat and gloss on the vegetables made me think they were not fresh cut for the salad. But refrigeration could have done the same thing.

Salad enjoyed and remainders bagged to go home. Bag presented and placed on the table.  PPV time (Personal Pet Peeve)

People. I'm spending damn good money at your fancy restaurant. Take a clue from Tom Collichio and give your guests a food claim token (like a coat check token). That way I don't have to look at the ever growing mound of food in the chair next to me and I can pick it up on the way out. Best concept ever and I've only seen it at Craft Dallas. Learn people, learn!

Steaks arrive and are presented. We are asked to cut into our steaks to assess their doneness factor.

Sorry restaurant people. I don't play this stupid game. Your chef knows how to cook a damn steak or he doesn't (this one doesn't). I'm not your monkey, you're my monkey.

Wife's steak is exceptional but undercooked. Mine is fair and overcooked. We could be asses and send them back but we'll just keep them, eat it and never come back. Pathetic.

Side dishes were spectacular and the highlight of the meal. Potatoes and onions were brilliant and the creamed corn with tasso ham and jalepeno was magnificent. Easily the highlight of the evening.

A small boy's worth of to go bags piled up in a chair, we peruse desert. And again are assaulted by a sales job for incredibly high end products. It's not funny anymore, it's just sad.  We've learned to basically ignore the frequent and long verbal incursions of our waitress throughout the meal. Nice gal but obviously on a stage and being forced to attack us at all peaceful moments to sell us something expensive.

A giant chocolate cake slice (that is the same one Strip house orders from the Chocolate Bar or a straight rip off of that fine slice) and some after dinner drinks and we are finally free.

Final assessment? Order a side dish and the cheapest glass of wine you can and you'll be happy. Otherwise this is the most offensive restaurant I have ever entered in my entire life. And you know what, jackass management? I can afford everything you're pushing down my throat. But that sales pressure not only made me say no, it made me say no to Del Frisco's  forever. Worst major steakhouse experience I've ever had. And if you're worse than Fleming's you just need to quit now (I'll never go to another Fleming's I and have successfully shot down a 25 person corporate meal there as well).

Morton's does a phenomenal job

Strip House does a phenomenal job

Mahogany is phenomenal (Tulsa)

Capital Grill is OK

Pappa's Steakhouse is OK

Del Frisco's is a joke

Fleming's is a joke

Smith and Wolensky's is a joke