A Review of Damian's Cucina Italia Restaurant in Houston, Texas

I chose to make a reservation at Damian's Cucina Italiana restaurant in Houston, TX for my husband's birthday because the restaurant received many positive reviews; however, I was less than pleased with the food and left feeling gouged and disappointed with the quality and flavor. The service however, was very good.

I appreciate when businesses call to confirm a reservation but I was phoned not once but twice to remind me of my dinner reservation. Naturally, I assumed they were full that evening and just wanted to double check that we would be there. While they had a good crowd, there were plenty of empty tables. The Houston restaurant had a professional photographer that evening to take promo photos which is probably why they needed to know exactly who would and would not show up.

ATMOSPHERE

The atmosphere of Damian's Cucina Italiana restaurant in Houston, TX attempts to bring diners to old world Italy but falls short in my opinion. As one who has actually visited Italy (not once but three times while living in Europe), I thought Damian's was more like a regular upscale restaurant with a mural on the wall than anything I've experienced in Italy but that's okay; the atmosphere was lovely and I enjoyed looking at the murals. Too bad my husband couldn't see the murals because of the direction of his chair. I especially liked the one mural that made it seem as if a table was looking out onto the countryside. That was really the only Italian influence if you ask me.

The lighting was perfect: not too bright and not too dim although about halfway into our dining experience, they did dim the lights. The color of the walls was bisque and neutral and the wooden trim was dark. I liked the interior and thought the seats were comfortable so Damian's Cucina Italiana restaurant in Houston, TX gets bonus points for that. The noise level was neither too high nor too quiet which meant I could hear everything the waiters (who hovered near our table) said. I usually prefer not to hear all of the activity in the restaurant so I was slightly put off by this as they seemed to only loiter near our table (probably because of the photographer).

PARKING

As we approached the parking lot we noticed it was blocked by orange cones so we were forced to use the valet parking (something I appreciate but don't think customers should be forced to do -- especially if they don't have small bills with them). So if you dine at Damian's Cucina Italiana restaurant in Houston, TX, be sure to bring a few dollar bills.

THE FOOD

Appetizer

I wasn't too keen on any of the appetizers listed on the menu so we opted to share the cold appetizer plate where the waiter picks a bit of each item from the cold appetizer bar. We did not have any choice as to what we could receive and when we asked what the appetizers were, we simply got a confused answer that told us the obvious: cold appetizers from the appetizer bar. Unfortunately all of the appetizers were a bust. I couldn't eat most of them and the ones I did try were not to my liking. There was a fried meatball with strange orange seasoning on the ground meat, fried fish, cold chicken, and a lot of ham (something I don't eat at all). For the sake of food allergies and intolerances, the waiter really should have known and been prepared to tell us what exactly everything was.

Entrees

My Husband's Meal

We were there for my husband's birthday and at the end of the day, all that mattered to me was whether or not he enjoyed his meal. Fortunately he loved his main dish so mission accomplished. My husband ordered the fish special which was breaded, pan fried flounder in a butter sauce served with sautéed spinach and polenta. While he did not eat his spinach (guess he doesn't want to get big and strong like Popeye), he did devour his fish and even ate a lot of the polenta (which was a nice portion size and sliced like pie). My husband raved about the quality of the flounder and told not just me, but the waiter as well so well done to Damian's Cucina Italiana restaurant in Houston, TX for satisfying my husband's pallet on his birthday.

My Entree

My meal, however, was a different story. I ordered the shrimp, crab meat and linguine pasta special. It sounded delicious when the waiter told us about it and I had had a similar dish in Sedona (which was a big hit), so I was really looking forward to my meal. Sadly, the chef let me down with this one. The shrimp were indeed an oxymoron because they were gigantic (I love humongous shrimp) so I was impressed with their size however, they died in vain as the chef overcooked the shrimp to the point of them being as hard as rocks and consequently, I could not eat the shrimp.

The crab meat was the big ticket item and it was very fishy. The linguine, ah the linguine, how I love pasta but why oh why did the chef at Damian's Cucina Italiana restaurant in Houston, TX decide to serve this dish with no flavor? It was supposed to be in a garlic and olive oil sauce which sounded savory but alas, it was bland, bland, bland. I poured ground black pepper over it and even had the bus man (aka the bus boy) sprinkle Parmesan cheese over it but nothing worked. Where was the flavor? In Italy, this would never happen.

After trying everything I could to make my dish edible I gave up and waved the white flag. Actually I complained to the waiter when he asked if I wanted my leftovers (which was an entire plate) wrapped to go. The waiter then called the manager over (which was kind of embarrassing but also showed me that they cared enough to take it to the next level). The manager listened to my specific complaints and apologized several times. He also removed the item from our bill which I appreciated especially since it was $30. Had the dish been as spectacular as I had hoped, it would have been worth every penny but $30 for an inedible meal is a big no-no.

I dine for the food and mine was too disappointing to give them a second chance. I suspect my husband would be willing to return (with someone else that is, and that someone else didn't order pasta or shrimp). And to be honest, I was disappointed they did not do anything for my husband's birthday especially since I made it know when I made the reservation. At other restaurants they offer free desserts, the wait staff sings, gives a card, or even takes a photo, but not a Damian's so I wouldn't recommend going there if you want to make someone feel special on their birthday.

Damian's Cucina Italiana restaurant is located at 3011 Smith Street Houston, TX 77006. To learn more about Damian's restaurant or to make a reservation, visit their website at Damians.com.

*Disclaimer: My review is based on our visit in June, 2011. I encourage people to dine at Damian's and formulate their own opinion.