More of a 4.5 out of 5 stars for their food and service, but stands out from other 4 stars in my opinion so rounding up! I had no expectations for Tony's whatsoever since I've never heard of them-- I drive by on the way to Costco, it's so discrete, and their current Yelp ratings are subpar. But luckily I was pleasantly surprised with their delicious food and gracious service :)
Dinner starts off complimentary cheese crisps that are reminiscent of both cracker and chip, doused in baked-on Parmesan, super tasty. The complimentary bread, on the other hand, is forgettable.
The octopus appetizer arrived sliced in pieces, but it was cooked perfectly-- slight char on the outside and super tender in the middle without being too chewy. I was happy that whatever sauce was drizzled on wasn't too overpowering or salty. Wow, probably my favorite octopus in the city now! The "mushroom of the woods" side consisted of garlic mushroom caps and Maitake mushrooms, which had a nice texture contrast (juicy and soft versus slightly crunchy), really liked that. The cone fries side is... a cone of fries, haha, and aren't well seasoned enough for my tastes, although it comes with a generous helping of ketchup.
MT came for the truffle pasta and it did not disappoint. As a truffle skeptic, I had doubts, but the dish tasted like fresh cream in a good way and cheesy but not too cheesy. The truffle was enjoyable and not overwhelming-- super good! The delicate thin pasta was cooked nicely without being too soggy. Worth the price tag to try~
The butternut sage ravioli was worth trying too, slightly sweet from the butternut but a strong punch from the sage. All combined with a creamy cheese sauce that was delightful~ I think the ravioli pasta part itself was just slightly overcooked though.
We also tried the fettuccine which had crab, sausage, and vodka sauce-- although it had a milder flavor, it was enjoyable. The crab chunks were big (although not the sweetest), and the sausage were like pieces of breakfast sauce (and not the type in casings).
Lastly, my favorite of the night-- soufflé!! They have individual servings and a to-share serving in an impressive range of flavors (chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, Nutella, blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, mixed berry, banana foster, just to name some!) that come with a mound of whipped cream. As one who has never had a blueberry soufflé, I was super impressed-- the outside has a sugared crust and the inside was so incredibly soft and fluffy (borderline not cooked, but in a good way) and it wasn't sour from the berries nor was it too sweet. It was piping hot and a perfect way to close out the night. Tony's is now my favorite soufflé place! The to-share version is enormous (ramekin diameter probably a normal dinner plate), definitely for 3+ people, and probably not as fun to eat as an individual portion.
As none of the entrees sparked our interest, we were pretty full from 3 appetizer pastas, an appetizer, two sides, and dessert. The prices are pricey, just like most Houston restaurants nowadays! But if you're planning to order drinks as well, your meal is going to be $$$$.
The crowd is definitely on the older and more graceful side, with most in suits and dresses. We saw several tables celebrate birthdays, where a statue cast comes topped with a giant mound of cotton candy (think Marge Simpson hair but pink!) and sparklers. As it slowly got busier in the evening, they had a live pianist singing and it was lovely :) The service was really nice and didn't give us attitude when we didn't order drinks or entrees. No parking lot-- there's only valet ($7) and the interior is a bit dated for me, womp womp, but those won't stop me from a trying another fantastic soufflé next time! We had a lovely fun date night! read more