Houston Grand Opera

[peter j]

I'd be interested in any dining suggestions near the Houston Grand Opera. Anything from barbecue to fine dining. Thanks!

[peter j]

Trip report: We dined at the Bistro in the Lancaster Hotel before the opera - great food and service, and conveniently located too.

During the rest of our stay we also tried Gatlin's BBQ which lived up to the hype, and Underbelly which was recently featured in the New York Times. My favorites there were the swordfish, Korean braised goat with dumplings, vinegar pie, and caramel popcorn pot de creme. Very creative and well executed.

We enjoyed out visit and plan to return soon to try the other recs on this thread. Thanks again for your responses.

[DoobieWah]

And thanks for the report.

We always appreciate our visitors letting us know what they tried and how they found it. It helps us to make recommendations to future visitors.

Come back any time!

[Lambowner]

The HGO performs at the Wortham Theater in the Theater district downtown Houston. Their website has some nearby suggestions.

http://www.houstongrandopera.org/hotels/

For theater dining, I like the Bistro in the historic Lancaster Hotel. I also liked Artista before a recent event. Artista is a Cordua restaurant with a South American flair. Further afield, but still not far are places like Reef, Ibiza, Damian's (Italian) and Piola Pizza. You will need a car or short cab ride to get there. Let us know what you found!

[peter j]

Thanks for these suggestions. Is it easy to get a cab ride in Houston? If so I may decide not to rent a car.

[James Cristinian]

Not really. There won't be a problem at your hotel or the opera, but you can't hail one on the street like you can in NYC or Chicago. You have to call one to your restaurant. I'd rent a car.

[brucesw]

Depends on what you consider easy. If you're staying at a major hotel there will be cabs standing at the front door, probably, or, if there are several hotels in the neighborhood, a cab stand nearby that can be summoned quickly.

It is illegal to hail a cab on the streets so there are no cabs cruising looking for fares.

Calling one to pick you up at a restaurant will not be a big hassle; the resto might even do it for you.

The major companies are Yellow, which dispatches Yellow and Taxis Fiesta (bilingual drivers) and United. Yellow has a smart phone app I think.

[peter j]

Thank you both. This info is very helpful!