Eculent

15 course dinner at a small intimate restaurant that is part of Clear Creek Winery. Everyone seats at around 7pm for the 15 course dinner. Restaurant was ready to sit everyone at around 6:50pm though last night. You’re taken on an adventure from their local garden and food lab. All the courses were very unique and tasty, and I’m told they change frequently. The wine is from Clear Creek Winery too. Glass of wine as $ 12 (very generous pour). Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir were excellent. It’s pricey, but I will never forget this dinner. A secret gem of Houston.

Blah blah blah… what is the point if food doesnt taste good. Overated and waste of money and more importantly. .my time… go back to cooking class 101.

This is the most FUN I’ve had at a restaurant. I don’t want to give anything away but it’s scientific and flavorful. Everyone needs to dine here! The owner is a genius!

Food is 5 stars. Service varied from uncomfortable to excellent to awkward.
We were informed that dinner started at 6:30 and that the kitchen tour was before dinner. Furthermore, that we should arrive early to tour the kitchen, so we arrived at 6:00 but the tour did not start until 6:50. This made for an uncomfortable wait.
The kitchen tour was interesting and the service during the meal was excellent.
I will point out at this time that the same songs were heard about 3 times throughout the dinner which became annoying.
The bill came with an $ 85 «service fee» which was expected, but also had an option for a «tip». First time I have seen this, and the table next to us was also confused. It was a bit awkward and we decided to leave it as is. Not sure if we were rude or wise to do so.
I think it’s a great food experience and if you are on the fence, I would get the groupon but be prepared for the service charge.

My husband moved me from Chicago to Houston — no, not Houston, the suburbs of Houston… I thought I had left the world of Alinea, Next and the Aviary far behind me… and then, tonight, I was introduced to Eculent! Not as refined as the Grant Achatz restaurants of Chicago, but in some ways SO much better. Not as hyped, you get a behind-​the-​scenes tour of the science lab and ingredients behind the unique meal you are about to indulge in. The restaurant lives and embodies the farm to table and local food movements. After our balanced menu — I highly recommend the wine pairings which are perfectly picked to enhance each bite of food — we sat for an hour with Blake and Chris (Manager and Chef) discussing the thought process behind each of the dishes. Just a great experience overall. I can’t wait to come back every few months to keep tasting the seasonal, creative menu. Venture outside the loop (and the beltway) to enjoy this incredible dining experience.

The dinner was unbelievable! Great place and even better food! We will definitely be back again! Nice to have a place like this NOT in Houston. Definitely needs to be tried! Go gastronomy!!!

AMAZING! I am so glad and excited to have such a wonderful place so close to home. Usually we have to travel into the city (Houston) to eat more creative cuisine. Oh how surprised I was to find this place 10 minutes from my house.
Not only was the food incredibly creative but it also taste incredible. Sometimes with fine dining taste is comprised for creativity, oh but not here!!! Every dish was delicious despite the fact that it may have looked like a science project.
I happen to have a gluten intolerance and they were VERY accommodating. I never felt like I was missing anything because of the substitutions.
The ambiance is very nice and intimate. The photos on the wall and lighting change with the courses. This is the perfect place to bring a date. The manager was SUPER friendly and very passionate about what he does. He so kindly gave us two free passes for a winery tour. The owner was also very present and served us a few of the dishes personally, which I really enjoyed.
No it’s not cheap but it is well worth the money because you are paying for an EXPERIENCE and not just a meal. My favorite course was the handheld salad (It must have been pretty epic if a SALAD was my favorite). I can’t stop thinking about that pistachio butter!!!
My husband and I decided we will definitely be back here with family and friends. The experience is too great not to share!

Degustation at its best. Heston Blumenthal should take note. Chef David Skinner and his team bring 5-​star, big city dining to this small TX coastal resort town. We attended a «themed» Dinner with the McCartneys, a Beatle-​themed evening with a soundtrack of many artists playing Beatle music, four «fab: courses including «Scrambled Eggs» which was the working title for the song Yesterday as it turned out — and the dish was served in an Ostrich-​Egg shell, and featured scrambled ostrich egg, fresh shaved truffles and poached lobster pieces. The other courses were equally amazing with a smoked soup in a dome, local, grass-​fed beef done to perfection, Clear Creek (local) wines were served which paired perfectly with the courses. The McCartney gals (Angie & Ruth) regaled us with tales of the 60’s, the stories behind the songs, rock n roll anecdotes and took selfies with us all after dinner. There are screens on the wall which displayed images from that era and it really took us back to the «good old days». We will be booking again for next month October 16^th.

Wednesday evening we attended a special event at Eculent, «Dinner with the McCartneys.» Was a great experience — Angie and Ruth McCartney are friendly and funny. Five course meal and wine pairings were amazing. The people who came to these two events asked Eculent to reprise, so they are planning another one in October. Highly Recommended!

This place is amazing. I am so delighted that there is a fine dining restaurant close to home and we do not have to travel to mid-​town or downtown Houston to eat amazing culinary food. My husband and I go to a lot of the top100 restaurants that are listed and this place needs to be on the list. It is actually better than a lot of the ones we have been to.
The food, atmosphere, and service is wonderful. I have been here twice already and both times have not been disappointed. A great place for date night or even to propose to someone special. I love that the lights, music, pictures, and even the scent of the restaurant changes with each dish.
The food is amazing. I have posted pics and it speaks for itself! No weird gross dishes here even if the chef uses gastronomic in his cooking. The food is all farm to market and spectacular. I would definitely recommend the wine pairing since they make all their wines there too!
It’s also neat because they give you a tour of gardens and lab. Right now they have a Groupon and a Travel Zoo deal. Definitely purchase one to save big. So if you like to try new dishes and have an awesome night, go here. Also, they only have ONE seating time. So make reservations.

We bought a Groupon for eculent for Valentine’s Day and went on Friday, May 1. We had a superb time!
eculent is a very unique experience. It’s expensive, but for us was well worth it. It’s unique in that every course of the 7-​course evening was unexpected and wonderful. The staff is very professional.
We started out upstairs in the winery, sampling a nice Pinot Noir. The restaurant calls the winery when they are ready to start the dinner, so we went down at 6:30. The evening starts with a nicely done tour of the facility, including the outside herb garden and the spice and condiment room. Blake did the tour and handled it very well — eloquent, funny, entertaining, a great preamble to the multi-​course dinner.
Maceo was our server and provided an overview of the evening. By pure coincidence, we were seated at the VIP table in front of the plating area. Initially, we thought we were being seated by the ‘kitchen’, which we always try to avoid. Little did we know what a show was ahead. If you come to eculent and can swing it, request this fascinating table! For us it was a two-​top, but they can do four.
We both chose the 1845 menu, a good mix of seafood and beef courses. It was a good choice for us. The evening starts out with a fun ‘Amuse Box’. My wife pulled the top tie and the box flopped open on the table, the four sides dropping with a loud bang, eliciting a hearty yell. Fun. Inside, appetizers to start off the meal. This was followed by an excellent shrimp/​chipotle grits dish with coconut chili, served with a nice Sauvignon Blanc. Before this course was served, we watched all the plates being assembled on the plating table.
Next up, a Charred Tomato Soup with beef belly and charred onions, served with a cold barrel aged Chardonnay. Superb!
Next, a short break for a palette-​cleansing, liquid-​nitrogen-​frozen fruit puff, hard to explain but fun and very entertaining to watch being made.
On to the main course, an excellent petite NY Strip steak, served with a small helping of sunchoke potatoes and sugar snap peas, very artfully plated and, again, fun to watch being assembled on the plating table. Yum! Served with a very good Merlot/​Cab Franc/​Syrah blend. Initially, you get the impression that the serving sizes are small, but by the end of the evening, we were very satisfied. Smart eating!
The main was followed by what were essentially two dessert courses. The first, a merlot poached fruit plate with blue cheese foam and candied pecans, was very good. This was served with a nice sparkling Moscato. The second, a Tejas Bombe citrus cake with mocha ice cream. Wow, wow, wow! This was complemented by a Petite Syrah Port, perfect.
Last, coffee and mignardises, basically fancy peanut brittle, all very good.
We left after almost three hours, satisfied, entertained, very pleased. There was plenty to eat, it was all good, the staff was great, and the wines were all appropriate to the courses. Overall, an excellent, fun experience.

Delicious and unique! We went after reading about this place in The Coast and got even more lucky because there was a Groupon. That allowed us to get the wine pairing and have a great night! The food was phenomenal and the flavors were unbelievable. The different textures and variations were impressive and the flavor of the food was not lost in the science of the food. Can’t wait to see the summer menu!

Eculent
We would like to thank you for the front end service. Our waiter was very intuitive and we knew him from other restaurants in the area we have been to over the years.
The back end service was deplorable. The presentation of the food was fine, but it was culpable with the fact it was cold. Surely items were supposed to be warm. Shrimp and grits are a staple in the south and Eceulent disrespected this traditional dish. The foie gras was served cold and the truffle oil clearly overpowered the dish that was supposed to capture the «crunch of the baguette, but when food is not severed timely baguette loses the proper texture.
The Chef did come to the table and it was very clear he’s was ready to sail off to another adventure. Please never state «I only have two more weeks left.» This is not only disrespectful, but it also sends a clear message you have mailed in this dinner service and the remaining part of your tenure at Eculent.
And then there was the matter of the boar. I really just can’t place the proper words in the correct context without it coming off as disrespectful. All I can say is I feel bad for this animal. It was slaughtered for my benefit and you somehow managed to prepare it to the point that it was completely inedible.
Eculent, please look inside of your soul and apologize to your customer base. I know there are only 8 people in the entire restaurant. You priced my meal at $ 145.00. Your restaurant is not a Michelin /​Gold Spoon award winner. The quality and caliber of the back end staff is daunting. I’m only hoping you can change quickly before it’s too late. Kemah is a very fickle community and Groupons will not save you unless you change your ways quickly.
We did love the Sonos system

Not enough stars to truly rate this fine establishment. This place has set the bar for food, for service, and for atmosphere. If you are a «foodie», you will think you have died and gone to heaven. If you only like pizza and burgers, you will think you have died and gone to heaven. I am disappointed with only one thing: there are not nearly enough people who know how amazing this place is. I, for one, plan on spreading the word.

Got to sample their fare at Houston Press’ Menu of Menus and it was by far the best offering. I only wonder why this place is in Kemah. I hope it does well there, but really guys– you should try to find something in the loop if you want to survive. You deserve to do well!

Eculent provided my wife and I with a remarkable and unique experience. It was quite different from our typical restaurant experience in that it was far more than just a meal. Chef Skinner first provided a tour during which he explained his scientific method of cooking. This was very interesting and intriguing. After this, we enjoyed an excellent meal during which we were entertained with sensory changes of light, music and mood. Everyone seemed to be having a whale of a time. It was probably the most memorable experience that we have had at a restaurant.

Okay I’m giving this place 4 stars because the food was all really well done. I have to say it could have easily been 3 for some small things but it could have been 5 for some other small things. But first, there are a few things to know before you commit:
It’s not inexpensive. 3 menus, 9 courses each. Priced $ 95 to $ 125
It’s a tasting menu so don’t expect to swap items or order sides. They’ll make changes for allergy considerations but you’re getting what they offer on the menu. That’s how a tasting menu works so no issue here. But if you’re not expecting that, I could see how it might be upsetting.
Right now, a $ 35 wine pairing is the only adult beverage option. It’s 6 pairings of their own wines. None of which were bad but you won’t be able to choose.
It’s a 2−½ to 3 hour experience. Again, that’s okay if you’re ready for that. Just know that going in.
But the food. If you’re ready to try modern, well crafted, farm to table (and you’re open to things you maybe haven’t tried), then by all means. Give it a shot. Axis carpaccio, ostrich truffle scramble with lobster foam, gelee coated cherries stuffed with foie gras.
They do a lot of molecular gastronomy so there’s some fun to be had with the way things are presented. Liquid nitrogen, dehydrated items, etc. if they don’t offer, ask to tour «the lab «. That’s where the science of what they’re doing happens.