Restaurant Review: Arcodoro Ristoranti

Houstonist doesn't get it. What's with all the hype surrounding Arcodoro? Why is this place getting such rave reviews from foodies we usually respect? Are we missing something here? Perhaps Houstonist readers can shed some light on our very dark Arcodoro experience.

Houston's recent annual Restaurant Week was a great opportunity to sample a three course dinner from a variety of notable restaurants. After careful scrutiny, we chose Arcodoro, a restaurant we've heard a lot about but haven't had the chance to check out. We read a few reviews and anticipated fine Sardinian cuisine. At $35 per person for three courses, we figured it would be a fairly economical way to test-run a fancy shmancy restaurant. Upon arrival, the host asked us if we preferred the casual dining area or the fine dining area. We tend to be more comfortable with the common folk (except on airplanes where we'd happily give up a few pints of blood to sit in first class) so we chose the casual option. And then it was downhill from there. Like the curtain that separates first class from the peons who sit in the back of the plane, the "casual dining area" patrons were cast off like second-class citizens. Our server, we swear, seemed to judge us - that is, when he would finally come around to actually serving us. He must have been moving slow due to the weight of the giant chip on his shoulder.

Houstonist started dinner with a soup of Sardinian cous cous, rock shrimp and shiitake mushrooms in a light saffron basil broth. Sounds good, right? We're not sure what makes this dish Sardinian, but the shrimp was overcooked and the only thing that wasn't bland was the shitake (no, that wasn't a spelling error). Our main course was the seasonal ravioli stuffed with pumpkin, ricotta and a hint of amaretto. Again, this dish sounds good in theory but tasted more like ravioli stuffed with pumpkin pie mix. Our dinner companion ordered the Salmone al Coccio, Scottish salmon cooked in the wood-burning oven topped with a spicy tomato relish. Yet again, the dish sounds divine but was bland and unmemorable. We were started to get it...the Arcodoro M.O.: dishes that sound sexy and exciting but left us disappointed and unsettled...kinda like seeing a porn star in high-def. We were not remotely excited about our third course, dessert. In fact, we can't even remember what came to the table...something with salty cheese in a fried pastry with honey on top. We could only manage a few bites before the taste of bitter disappointment took over. While poking at our dessert and waiting for our bill (for a really long time), we couldn't help but wonder: Are the people sitting in the "fine dining area" getting better food and service?

It physically hurt us to cough up the $70-plus for dinner for two at Arcodoro. We're almost sure that our fellow foodies that gave rave on-line reviews of Arcodoro tricked us into going there. And that hurts. Deep down. It really hurts. So, do tell, all you Arcodoro fans...what's with all the hype?
------
5000 Westheimer
713-621-6888