Textile

I told you so… and its official, Textile is closed but owner Scott Tycer is planning to turn the place around with new concepts, lets wait and see…

This is one of the more impressive places that I’ve had the pleasure of eating at. I generally have come here during the early evening and their food has always been well made during the times I’ve been here. They can be quite a bit pricey but Daniel and Chef
I will admit I miss their desert samplings, but the lamb that I ordered was lightly seared and cooked in a red wine. Alas the name of the wine escapes me but it was quite pleasant. It was very pleasant in it’s texture, the flavor was very balanced, and the smell was delectable.
I do believe my favorite part of this restaraunt is the communication my family and I have with the chef and owner of Textile. I’ve gotten to see the food being made and was able to go in the kitchen any time that I’d like. As a man who enjoys cooking this was quite the delight for me.

My wife and I have wanted to try out textile for a while and when we heard they offer a happy hour for their degustation tasting menus (W-​F from 5:30 — 6:45), we decided to check it out one day after work. We almost drove by it without noticing the modern sign in front of an old building (an old school perhaps?). Surprisingly, it was not that busy the entire time we were there — only one other table occupied when we got there and it was half full when we left around 7:30.
The first thing we noticed when we entered was the smell of freshly baked bread. We did not realize the owner also owns a bakery off Montrose (Kraftsmen Baking). Correspondingly, the bread was amazing. The 5 courses were exquisite (despite 2 courses deviating from the website). Both of our favorite dishes were the Salmon course and the dessert (popcorn ice cream, smoked brownies and spiced nuts). We also enjoyed the amuse bouche (reverse chicken fried steak) and the shortbread and pistachio chocolate truffle we were served after the meal.
What added to our favorable experience was when we asked what was is in the rest of the large building besides the small dining area, they gave us a tour of the kitchen, office, bakery and garden. We definitely recommended textile as we had a great overall experience.

Consistency is so hard :(

I decided to take my fiancé to dinner at Textile on the night of Sat. Jan. 16^th, to celebrate her 30^th birthday. I didn’t say where I was taking her and we both wanted to try this place for a long time, so it was a big surprise. We arrived to a completely packed parking lot and ended up having to ask permission to park across the street in a private lot. Luckily the owners were friendly folks.
Upon entering the restaurant, we were given a choice of three different tables — a nice surprise considering the reputation of having a packed house every night.
The wine list was very short. The sommelier, Frank, came over to take our order and I asked him to recommend one of the four Chardonnay’s. He curtly answered my question with another, «Well, what do you like!?» and just stood there sort of glaring at us. It seemed as though we were wasting his time. And there was just an overall lack of respect, maybe because my lady and I both look very young??? I’m not really sure. (She’s 30 and I’m 34)
Frank suggested the most expensive bottle of the four, to which I agreed simply on principle. 10 minutes later our waiter arrived, never introduced himself, and managed to entice us with knowledgeable descriptions of the menu items. He also decided to try his hand at comedy, rudely blurting out his prediction that my fiancé would be having the vegetarian tasting menu. She quickly cast back the fact that she gladly eats meat in proper restaurants, much to the anonymous waiters bewilderment (just because she has the proportions of a model, doesn’t mean she eats like a rabbit all the time, man) We made our choices, and made an attempt to toast away the BS with the wine that Frank brought around while we were ordering.
At this point the birthday girl brought to my attention that the ambient temperature in this former textile factory was well below the comfort zone. A look around the restaurant revealed we weren’t alone; almost no one had taken off their coats.
20 minutes went by before the first items of our 5 and 7 course meals arrived, still a welcome sight. We progressed through the courses, each taking more time to arrive. Sometimes carried by the hostess/chef’s wife, and other times by the bartender, the bus staff, even the sommelier, who at one point, also decided to take a crack at my fiancé by making fun of the way she was bundled up in her wool wrap, trying not to freeze.
We started to notice a tension in the air. The staff seemed to be glistening with a stressful sweat, food was dropped off without any explanation, glasses were empty, and the complaints of other diners were clearly audible.
Suddenly I remembered reading on their website that «Textile just finished construction on it’s adjacent, private dining room for 25 people», which happened to have an engagement party going on inside. Our dinner ended up lasting 3 hours, 45 min due to the restaurant’s failure to prepare themselves for the workload of two dining areas. This — compounded by the anonymous waiter’s and sommelier’s rude and inappropriate attempts at comedy all at my fiancé’s expense, made for the downfall of my attempt at showing my girl of 14 years a good time on her birthday. And I just had to sit there and deal with it, less embarrass her by making a remark myself.
I have to say, most of the food was amazing. Not to mention the music playlist — 90% songs we listen to every day — so cool. As was the interior space — great décor and atmosphere. But these excellent points were overshadowed by the terrible flaws in planning and management that we suffered that evening.
It just had to be her «30^th» birthday too…

A small group of us headed to Textile to take advantage of their $ 55 5 course degustation menu on Thursday (1÷28÷10), during the drive up I was amazed at how hidden the place was, but was comforted once entering the door to be greeted by Daniel Rich. He seated us at the table and asked us for cocktails. After asking him for a sazerac, he was a bit worried about making one after telling him I had been getting them from Justin at Anvil. During dinner Danny would come tell us about the dish and all of us would chat about food and where we’ve been in Houston and around the US. Once the asian in all us came out (READ Cameras!), he commented on us «damn bloggers», thank god we all have a sense of humor lol. At some point during our meal he offered to take us on a tour of bakery which we happily agreed to.
In addition to the 5 course menu, we decided to order the sweetbreads and steak tartare. Daniel commented that they changed up their tartare recipe and I honestly could have gone without that dish, but the sweetbreads were another story. Two large pieces came out and looked like the most amazing Wendy’s chicken nuggets you’ve ever seen, only difference was, these were $ 17 for two pieces (lol) and their execution of the sweetbreads had me wanting more with every savory bite.
1. hydro bibb, forme d’ambert, onion strudel
Amazing presentation, the hydro bibb was perfectly wrapped up in a small bundle but the biggest kick came from the forme d’ambert, the flavor was out of this world,
2. bacon tart, based quail egg, wilted bitter greens, balsamic
Again, amazing presentation, small quail egg perched atop a small arrangement of greens with bits of bacon. My first bite was a cross section of bacon bits, quail egg white, bitter greens and bread. The first bite wasn’t all that impressive and at first lacked any punch, this made me taste the ingredients as single pieces to the complex puzzle that would make sense once the next bite included the quail egg yolk. The yolk offset the interesting tastes from the other elements and everything came together
3. salmon, miatake, basil fed snails
When the salmon arrived, it wasn’t as visually stunning as the previous two dishes, but I expected a dish to amaze me in flavor, this is where they lost a bit in the food rating for me, I am used to eating my fish raw, and the fish was just a tad overcooked for my personal taste, however my dining companions commented about how much they loved the flavor and smoothness of the fish.
4. lamb rib eye, picked summer veggies, mache
The lamb came out with exciting presentation, the bone sticking straight up with some slivers of veggies surrounding the edges, I was the first to taste the pickled veggies and immediately commented on the punch of flavor. Daniel decides to give us all a glass of wine on the house to complement the lamb. Great addition to the dish.
5. bread pudding with salted caramel and foie gras ice cream
Daniel got sneaky on us and changed out the normal dessert in favor of the bread pudding with foie gras ice cream. He had over heard us talking about foie gras at different places and wanted us to try it out in a completely different style. I fell in love with this dessert immediately.
6. bon bons.
Again, Daniel went above and beyond and brought us more food to stuff our face with, an assortment of pecan tarts and almond cakes made their way to the table and immediately into our stomachs before we all happily paid and went on the bakery tour.
The end of the meal definitely left me wanting more of the dessert, but I guess that is why they do a 7 course dessert tasting menu as well. The $ 55 happy hour price is a steal for the amount of quality food coupled with great presentation that they offer you. The food definitely gets a ⁴⁄₅ from me because of the fish, but the service gets a 5/​5, Daniel was a delight to have as a waiter during the 3 hour dinner, he went above and beyond what we all expected while dining at Textile.
Cliffs: Eat here!

Textile is a small restaurant, with only room to seat 30 people. The bar is about the size of my bar at home with only 4 stools. It’s very clean, simple, no over the top fancy décor. It is a restaurant that I’ve heard about but have yet had the opportunity to go. Despite the bad reviews from Citysearch and from a friend, I still really wanted to try it. Their foodie happy hour prompted a small group of us to go and check it out, it was definitely worth it!
Textile’s Deaugustation Menu of 5 courses is normally $ 85, however with the foodie happy hour promotion, it is only $ 55 before 6:45. The 5 of us arrived around 6:30, time of our reservation, and was greeted by Daniel. The amuse bouche of cauliflower cream soup was quickly brought out to us and upon taste, my fear of bad food started going out the window. It was thick, creamy with hints of sweet corn and cauliflower. I took the bread (which was baked in house — Kraftsmen Bakery) to get every last bit of it out of the tiny cup.
1^st Course: Hydo Bibb, Forme D’Ambert, Onion Strudel
When I saw the blue cheese, I was a little turned off because I really. really dislike blue cheese. The crumbly, creamy texture and overpowering taste kills my taste buds. However, I was quite surprised by the Forme D’Ambert. It was extremely soft and creamy, with a mild taste to it that complements really well with the Onion Strudel. I’m still craving the Forme D’Ambert…
Added Course: Steak Tartare & Sweet Breads
Daniel informed us that they have changed out the Steak Tartare a bit, switching out the Parmesan Reggiano for Cheddar. Of course, this is not your typical cheddar cheese, however I think I would’ve liked it better with Parmesan Reggiano. The Steak Tartare was a bit creamy and soft, reminds me of the Wagyu Tartare at Morimoto’s. However, it paired well with the bread and I liked that it had capers in it.
Sweet Bread is the pig’s thymus, it sounds kinda gross, but it really wasn’t bad. It was coated in bread crumbs and fried, served on top of a bed of black eyed peas. The black eyed peas looked like lentils to me and taste nothing like what I expected. The sweet bread had a firm texture, the coating was good, it did have a faint taste of pig organs to it…
2^nd Course: Bacon Tart, Basted Quail Egg, Wilted Bitter Greens
The wilted bitter greens was a little overpowering to me and reminded me of stir fry Chinese leeks. Once I was able to taste the Bacon Tart, it was much much better!
3^rd Course: Salmon, Miyatake Mushrooms, Escargot
I didn’t enjoy the salmon as much as the rest of the group, simply because I don’t eat cooked fish, especially salmon. I rarely ever eat fish cooked, and if I do, it’s a white fish because of the mild flavor, it’s much more tolerable for me. But the crispy skin of the fish was good and I think if I enjoy eating cooked fish, I would’ve liked it better. The Miyatake Mushroom and Escargot was soooo good! I think they were some of my favorite parts of the meal, think I stole some Escargot off Charlie’s plate…
4^th Course: Lamb Ribeye, Bread Pudding, Pickled Summer Vegetables
The lamb was really good but it was a little bit undercooked for me, I still couldn’t stop eating it though. The Bread Pudding was nothing I expected, it was served with a crispy membrane holding it, making it look like a sausage or part of the animal. Once I cut into it, it was dense and firm, not soggy and the savory flavor paired so well with the lamb. Daniel was so courteous and gave each of us a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon to go with the lamb. I’m not a big wine person, however, I really enjoyed the wine and it made the lamb even better.
5^th Course: Salted Caramel Bread Pudding, Foie Gras Ice Cream
Originally we were supposed to have Sweet Potato Beignet with Bacon Ice Cream, but Daniel decided to switch it out for us because of our earlier conversation about Foie Gras. The ice cream may sound horrible, but it was actually oh so good!!! It tasted just like the Foie Gras I had at Aka the night before.
Bön Bons: Pecan Tart, Shorbread, Coconut Petit Four
Lastly, a plate of bon bons came out, I wished I had ordered tea to go with it. The Shortbread was sooo good, it was rich and buttery. It was also airy so that made it easy to eat, unlike other shortbreads that I’ve had, which were quite hard.
We were one of 2 tables that were that night, it saddened me that there wasn’t more people there to appreciate the food. The food was nothing like I expected, it was better, despite all the reviews. The waiter, Daniel, talked to us throughout the night, his service was impeccable. He imparted a lot of knowledge of food, pay attention to what we liked, gave us wine, and took us to tour the Kraftsmen Bakery and Textile kitchen. I don’t think there are much fine dining restaurants that have service like that…

A-​W-​E-​S-​O-​M-​E
Expectations:
First of all, I did not know what to expect coming to Textile. I first heard about it from Travel + Leisure magazine when it was ranked one of the top 50 new restaurants in the USA. However, the last time I tried a restaurant from that list (in Chicago), I was somewhat disappointed because I’ve had better. I digress. So I did some research and read multiple reviews online and they were polar opposites — people raved all the best and many complained of the slow, spotty service.
Food:
WOW! For those of you who don’t care for too much commentary and detail eat the bacon tart, their fish is good, and bread pudding is flavorgasmic! Don’t expect Maggiano’s portions. ok now to the detail…
Hubby had the 5 course degustation (tasting) menu and he was ever so kind to let me taste with him.
1) A salad + onion strudel + dried fennel — the onion strudel with that bit of green was a really nice pairing and tastes the way onion smells when it’s baking in the oven.
2) Bacon tart (a small basket) with greens topped with quail egg — according to the waiter, this would be Textile’s signature dish… and rightfully so. the tart was crispy and the marriage of quail runny yolk with the balsamic was quite flavorful.
3) Salmon, miatake, snail — this is probably some of the best salmon I have tasted in North America. Usually, salmon is overcooked but the way this salmon was prepared… it broke off with the touch of the fork and the sauce pairings just really topped it off. I’ve only had better salmon in New Zealand.
4) Veal tenderloin schnitzeled accented by mole. This was substitued for the lamb that usually comes with the 5 course but we do not care too much for the flavor of lamb in general.
5) Sweet potato beignets with bacon ice cream — It was like a donut hole and the ice cream was not gross (sounded gross to me at first). it was quite good and had an accent of bacon. The bacon was pureed.
A la carte:
Starter — Warm mushroom salad with a potato croquette type thing and topped with bacon «dressing». This was quite good. Chef used a type of mushroom I never heard of and it actually almost tasted like meat. I quite liked it because I’ve never tasted anything like it.
Entrée — Kona sous vide lightly penko-​ed accented with an egglant ravioli type of carb with some sort of butter reduction and foam. The moment I took a bite into the fish, it was destiny that «Hallelujah» started to play over the speaker because it was heavenly. There was just enough penko crust on the outside and the fish was just the right amount of tenderness.
Dessert — BREAD PUDDING with salted caramel and FOIE GRAS ICE CREAM. ok when I read this I was also quite conflicted. First reaction was, wtf… foie gras ice cream? WELL. The waiter was so confident I would like it that he said he’d pay for it if I didn’t. He was so right. The bread pudding isn’t your average Treebeards slimmy and soggy hot mess. This bread pudding was a clear cut slice of pastry that most resembled a vanillaish brownie (totally not doing it justice). The foie gras ice cream didn’t even taste like foie gras. I am not sure what it tasted like but I do know it tasted good.
Cocktails:
Strong, different, and good! I had a cocktail that was called a _​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​Collins. I am not sure what the first part of the name was but the bartender named it after the first couple he served the drink to at Textile. It was gin + some sort of spice + club soda + honey. It was like spiked sprite with a spicy kick at the end that lingers at the back of your throat. never had anything like it.
Service was excellent. I can sort of see what ppl are talking about because it did take over 30 minutes from the completion of hubby’s 4^th course to dessert. However, totally understood because ingredients for the dessert were being pureed. When you go here… come with the expectation it’s like a European meal. We spent 2.5 hours there and the service really didn’t feel like it was lagging. My tap water glass was always full and my table was clean. Also, I thought it was great that they brought out extra silverware for me because they knew I’d be eating off my husband’s plate. :)
Textile got it’s name because it’s housed in a building that was originally a textile mill from the late 1800s into the 1920s. During prohibition it turned into a brewery. SICK!
Free food: We got a complimentary bao/​steamed bun stuffed with pork and a side of cole slaw — korean bbq sauce style. it was good. At the end we were given complimentary bon bons — buttery goodness.
The music was comforting. It wasn’t your typical pretentious trance-​y music that you don’t recognize. They threw in some familiarity from the late 90s and early 2000s (Oasis, Moby).
Overall, a great dining experience. Come with a good attitude, patience, and good company. We’ll be coming back again to try to waygu beef. It’s not on the menu now but we’re going to give them a heads up so they can be ready for us.

i went to textile last night for the first time, and it was amazing from what i could tell! i tend to be very cheap so when friends wanted to go to a place that does reservations i started sweating. the bartender anthony was amazing. hes so creative with the drinks, all i did was say i liked clear drinks and he made the best lemonadeish thing i have ever had! i had five i think!
as far as the food i had a little of the bacon tarts, and the cheese plate at first. oooh soooo good. the bacon tart was warm and crunchy and soft and melty.
but the real thing that freaked me out was the dessert… BACON ICE CREAM!!! and sweet potatoe little things. yummy for real.
try it.

Just to preface my review, after my meal at Textile tonight I decided to create a Unilocal account just to write this:
I was so looking forward to dining at this restaurant after hearing that it was The French Laundry of Houston. Unfortunately, Textile was a COMPLETE disappointment. Not in all ways though — the décor is nice (in a spare/​modern sort of way) and the food is not bad.
However, the service was absolutely horrendous. We ordered the 5 course tasting menu and every course was served by busboys with almost no explanation. The head waiter (bald man with glasses) instead of doing his job by serving the dishes and then explaining them, was nowhere to be found. Instead, he would come at the end of the dish, apologize for not being around, then tell us what we ate. How absurd! He did this for all 5 dishes and for all the 4 tables around us. I’m not sure what he was doing (clearly not his job), but it was kind of silly to hear him apologizing to every table tonight saying «Sorry it took me so long to come by but …» They need to fire him and hire 2 real waiters in his place.
In even more obnoxious behavior, this particular waiter embarrassed a nearby party of 4 who were celebrating some kind of occasion by making a huge deal about some gift certificates they were using to pay for their meal. He spoke really loudly and pretty much embarrassed them in front of the whole restaurant. In the end, he even apologized by saying «I’m sorry to have embarrassed you all but…»
The food was the right proportion and well cooked/​seasoned overall. However, service is a huge component of a dining experience when you are paying $ 85+ per person. In all of the high-​end restaurants I have dined in, I have never experienced such horrible and obnoxious service. I feel bad for Chef Scott Tycer that while the cooks are busy preparing a nice meal, someone out front is ruining the experience for everyone.

Very disappointing. I was hyped up about this place by my wife and she apologized for taking us there on our anniversary.
Food: ⁴⁄₁₀
Service: ²⁄₁₀
Atmosphere: ⁸⁄₁₀
Creativity: ⁶⁄₁₀
My wife surprised me on our first anniversary by taking me to dinner here. Very sweet of her to pick this place, because I have been waiting to go. She emailed Textile for dinner reservations stating that she needs a table for two for our anniversary (no mention of by the waitstaff). We arrived on time and quickly seated. We sat down and I noticed only five other tables seated with about six empty ones. Not a good sign for a Friday night.
They offered two tasting menus and no a la carte entrees. My wife told me that they use to have both, but that has changed. So we were stuck ordering the two prix fixe meals. Naturally there was a wine flight to match each tasting menu. We decided to order a bottle of wine… and that’s when everything started rolling downhill. The sommelier dropped off a wine menu that barely had any options. There were only five different bottles of cab to choose from and only two bottles were under $ 100. So, really only two bottles to choose from. We ask about two bottles and ask for a minute to make a decision. However, the sommelier didn’t return for fifteen minutes and made us wait for drinks.
The food was ok. It sounds great on the menu, but when they drag out the courses and it doesn’t knock your socks off… then you start wondering why you are here. It took them at least fifteen to twenty minutes to bring out the next course. Sometimes the food runners would drop of the plates and the waiter would arrive five minutes later to explain what we are eating. I expect the courses to arrive quickly after the previous course is finished. Our totally dining time was three unhappy hours. The couple that came in thirty minutes after us finish before we did.
The food did not impress me. For example, I was eagerly waiting to try the wagyu steak. I have never had it before, but it did not taste good. It was undercooked, chewy and very oily when you chew it. I usually clear plates at restaurants, but I left alot behind hoping the next course would be better. I was disappointed.

Absolutely Wonderful! We had the tasting menu and it was delicious. My favorite thing was the amuse bouche which was a red bean soup topped with crème fraîche and bacon. I wanted a gallon of it! The steak tartare was really good and I usually don’t care for it. There was a delicious Wagu steak and a great mushroom and arugula salad.
Enjoyed the simplicity of the décor. I do think they should light the exterior better. If I am spending over $ 400 on dinner I don’t want to worry about getting mugged walking back to my car. Also, it would make it easier to locate as it is encased rather anonymously within a neighborhood.

As a fan of the late Aries, I was a little disappointed in our first foray to this new ambitious Tycer spot. We arrived almost to the nose on time for our 8:30 reservation. We were asked to sit at the «bar» while our table was readied. There were 3 open tables, but I went along. 5 minutes later, a group of 4 octogenarians arrived and were IMMEDIATELY seated. There was then a great to-​do as one the group was simply unable to withstand the A/​C vent near them. We continued to wait, and were eventually seated 15 minutes late at one of the tables which had remained open since we arrived. I felt like having it out with the hostess, but I wanted to enjoy the meal and let it go.
We both ordered the 5 course tasting menu; it is usually a way to try things I normally wouldn’t order and wind up being pleasantly surprised. $ 85 is a bit steep, but not horrible. The wine was a bit high as well. It also had quite a bit of sediment, but I asked for a decant and all was fine. The first course (lettuce & cheese) was unremarkable, and then the third course (snapper w/​roasted mushrooms) arrived before the second — it was good, if a bit salty. Upon realizing the error, the waiter brought us a bonus course, sweetbreads. Again, not something I would choose to order, but surprisingly very tasty; our misplaced second course then came. The fourth, a veal dish w/​a vegetable sausage (!) was excellent. The highlight, though, was dessert. It was a pumpkin cake with a liquid center — an amazing dish. I was full at this point, but just had to finish it.
Overall, Textile is about the food. Some of it may be strange and not to your tastes, but most is excellent. The overall experience, though, is a bit uneven, both in terms of service and the location, especially at this price point. If you’re comfortable with that, roll the dice. However, if you need the five star restaurant experience, you’d be better off at one of the old venerable spots around town.