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Billusa99, anonymous:

Overall:

• Quality:

  4/5

• Vibe:

  4/5

• Service:

  4/5

• Value:

  4/5

Agent 99 and I headed out again this past Saturday to Cafe R&D, after shaking off the last vestiges of hanging out at an east suburban pool hall till way past our normal turn-in time the night before! The eclectic bunch there kept tugging at the 'interesting conversation strings' and before you know it, was midnight and time to board the pumpkin home.

At 7PM on a rainy, freezing Saturday, R&D place was jammed, but we timed it right to get an elevated oval table on the bar side that backs up to the half of the room that is dining (all banquets and booths). Ours was a prime spot for people watching and our service was superb, too. We started with splitting a Mediterranean Seared Tuna Salad, which was sushi-grade ahi, avocado, baby cukes, baby beets, mild goat cheese (like a Point Reyes), blanched haricots vert, grape tomatoes, and unique little yellow tomatoes shaped like miniature pears. The vinaigrette had dash of hot mustard (we think) and it suited the salad perfectly (although it was spread a tad heavily). The seared tuna was melt in your mouth, peppered on the outside, and the dish was entree size -- it's a meal unto itself.

Then came the pan-seared fish special for that night -- halibut. It's flash seared to give it a golden crisp crust and then (obviously) roasted in some sort of salamander at very high heat for a very short time. It's blazing hot, but butter smooth inside, and cooked perfectly. Which means, moist, not dry and it was fork-flaky. Sided along were smashed potatoes with sweet corn kernels wedded in and a nice beurre blanc was pooled along side, in case any of it wanted a swim. Wines, like the food, are 'Houston's priced' which means at the high end of average, but there was a quality assortment in the $9-12/glass range.

We are normally not chain people, but Houston's has always been the exception. Service is always stellar and the food is always top quality and prepared exceptionally well. Cafe R&D is right up there and should do extremely well with its less formal atmosphere. In fact, the swooping blonde wood beams to the windows are stunning, and the entire backside could almost be the underside of a roll-top desk. It's minimalist modern, done well. 99 had fun... just like at that pool hall... so we'll be back!

toflorium, anonymous:

Overall:

• Quality:

  4/5

• Vibe:

  4/5

• Service:

  4/5

• Value:

  4/5

We had a wonderful meal here tonight and excellent people-watching for entertainment. Nice selection of beers on tap and wines by the glass. The cheese and guac dip starter was much better than it sounds, probably due to the cayenne zip in the cheese. Steaks were cooked as ordered and had a crusty exterior. Sides of mashed potatoes with green onions and spinach wilted in cream were great companions to the steaks. Service was perky and efficient.