Sorrento Ristorante in Houston, Texas: A Review

Sorrento Ristorante, an Italian restaurant in Houston, Texas, tries to be a five star restaurant but falls short. We went o Sorrento during Houston's Restaurant Week so admittedly they were more busy than usual, but we've dined at other restaurants during Restaurant Week and they didn't seem to have a problem keeping up with the demand. The décor is lovely but it's so darn dark inside that you can barely see anything. Fortunately the sun was still out when we arrived, but as soon as the sun set, it became too dark for the diners.

We were stuck in the corner at a very small table. It was so small in fact that we had to move the table out just so we could get in and sit comfortably. The table also did not accommodate all of the plates and glasses so it was a like a game of chess trying to move things around. Because we were in the corner, we were often overlooked. We had wanted more bread but the bread server never walked near our table. I wasn't fond of the amount of garlic used in the dipping oil-an entire bulb which contained at least 10 cloves of garlic.

Our waiter was lovely and did his best but unfortunately the food left me disappointed. We ordered off of the Restaurant Week menu (where we received three entrees for $35/pp). I had the beef tenderloin Carpaccio which came with arugula and shaved parmesan cheese. The beef was flavorless and much too soft. I enjoyed the arugula but that one is difficult to mess up.

For my entrée I had the mushroom ravioli. I was disappointed because it only came with four ravioli pieces which isn't enough for a main course. The ravioli (which was very thin) did not taste like it was cooked thoroughly and I wasn't fond of the mushrooms used. It came with a strange sauce that would have been more appropriate for chicken Marsala, and the entire entrée just left me wishing I had ordered something else. Fortunately my dessert didn't disappoint: raspberry sorbet with berries, but we did have to wait a very long time for it. We were never offered coffee or tea.

For a starter, my husband had the arugula, fig, Prociutto, and gorgonzola salad. He enjoyed the salad more than he thought he would which was a good start to his meal. His entrée was the short ribs which he had never had before and loved. I wish I would have gotten the short ribs because they looked filling and appetizing. For dessert he ordered the gelato but it turned out to just be ice cream. You'd think an Italian restaurant wouldn't try to fool the customers. Gelato is gelato, ice cream is ice cream.

We wouldn't return to Sorrent Italian restaurant in Houston, Texas but I wouldn't deter anyone from trying it. Restaurant Week can be a difficult time and perhaps the dishes I ordered were not their best meals.Valet parking is required so make sure you bring your tip money.

Sorrento Ristorante is located at Westheimer (in Montrose), Houston, Texas, 77006. Their web site is: http://www.sorrentohouston.com, and their phone number is (713) 527-0609.