Comments on: Cullen’s Upscale: The Big Green Restaurant in Clear Lake

By: Jeff

Jeff — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:36:51 +0000

I agree with you wholly Nancy, relax, laugh, and enjoy each meal.

That formula works great at Perry’s where the portions are reasonable, and the atomosphere and service are great. If you savor each bite at Cullen’s you might plan on lots of conversation if you are going to be there for a while. The food and desert portions are small by any standards so eat very slow for sure.

By: Nancy Gwinn

Nancy Gwinn — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:35:05 +0000

Thank You “Roberto Otrebor”, I agree. A good 3+ course meal requires time for laughter and digestion between courses. Come on folks take time from the rat race and savour each bite. You may find it to be quite sensual.

By: Erin

Erin — Thu, 22 May 2008 21:55:03 +0000

I think they’ve worked out some of the kinks you guys have belly achin’ about cause I went Monday for lunch and I couldnt finish my caesar salad and sausage and potato pizza. It was delish.

But thats why I waited a while :P

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sun, 18 May 2008 15:40:00 +0000

Matt,

My comment in general was about the lack of reasonable food portion and the exorbitant pricing. We dine at Perry’s and Capital Grille frequently so my intent in going to Cullen’s was for a culinary delight, not buffet size portions or discount prices. We had no misunderstanding what was ahead. As I mentioned the atmosphere was fantastic it was just that the food portions were small and overpriced.
To add to my original comments I will note that my snapper actually besides being small was not that tasty.

I agree there is a crowd out there that feels Jackson Pollack painting are sheer genius. This same group are the ones programmed that if it’s priced high and the atmosphere is great, then the food is surely awesome.

My comments were an effort to help Mr. Munz tweak his offering so the product he is selling is the best (as he claims). This way the parking lot would have more cars in it (unlike it does now).

By: Matt

Matt — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:30:47 +0000

Well, I had the pleasure of going to Cullen’s this past weekend. It was very busy with prom parties and such, but that still did not take away from the great service. A friend of mine went there when they first opened the doors. She told me that the service wasn’t “upscale”. Three weeks later, the service has evidently come a long way. We had a wonderful waiter named Chelsea, who was very classy. The manager’s were even more wonderful. One of them (Chase, I think) was kind enough to treat us to a complimentary dessert just because we were not sure if we wanted it or not. He basically locked us in as regulars. Now, my wife and I USED to frequent Perry’s which, dont get me wrong, is a marvelous establishment. I feel that the culinary prowess at Cullen’s is a lot better. I’m guilty of being a foodie, so I guess I understand and enjoy food that was meant for more distinguished palates (Jeff). I enjoyed myself thoroughly.

By: tom

tom — Thu, 01 May 2008 01:21:40 +0000

Roberto, I hope you are not a typical customer at this place. If you are then I’m sure I won’t like it.

By: roberto otrebor

roberto otrebor — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:34:00 +0000

god damn texans.
if its not “biggie” “super” or “forcefeedme” size you complain.
give your arteries a break, and indulge your taste buds.

By: Tina

Tina — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:13:24 +0000

We dined there this weekend (04/12/08). I thought the atmosphere was nice but the food was terribly over priced as stated above. I believe in “fine dining” and believe whole-heartedly that you pay for what you get. However, in this restaurant, I was terribly disappointed. My bf was trying to surprise me and take me to a nice place to celebrate my promotion at work. Although I loved the gesture, I was dumbfounded that the “$28.00 short ribs” entree consisted of a mini stapler sized piece of meat that was mostly fat and my bf’s “$6.00 potatoe” side dish, was that of the size of a potatoe that you get out of a whole bag of “$1.99″ potatoes. We were more than prepared to spend $200.00 when we arrived. Our bill was $160.00 and I was upset because of the service “taking forever” and the food wasn’t even mediocre (in my opinion). I’m pretty sure this is the last time we’ll dine there, but If you’d like to waste a nice amount of money and well, should I say, really don’t have an appetite…..this is your place.

By: Debbie

Debbie — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:13:37 +0000

I’m afraid I have to agree with the negative critics here. We spent $200 and had to stop at the Sonic around the corner on the way home. While my husband’s filet was prepared correctly and was superb, my pork chop was mediocre and not anywhere in the ball park with the above mentioned “Perry’s” version. The triple Creme brulee dessert was interesting but not portioned for sharing. Overall, I’d have to say the dishes are overpriced for the portion size. Table service was great, but front desk personnel seemed a bit undertrained although extremely sweet. Lovely design though, can’t wait to see the club.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 13:45:56 +0000

Isabelle,

Possibly you are related to the Munz family or have something else to gain with your food critique?
Our party of 6 overwhelmingly agreed that although the atmosphere was fantastic, the food was something to be desired. Our filet was unusually small, as were all the portions. We dine at Capital Grille frequently and were surprised when the Red Snapper arrived. It was a appetizer sized portion with a scant portion of potatoes (one extremely small new potato cut into 4 pieces) and two small sun dried cherry tomatoes…all this hidden under a, at the at most 4 once, portion of Red Snapper.
In summary, the portions were extremely small (we felt the hint of a culinary ego), highly priced, and had a presentation that needs some help. The gigantic square plates with a small morsel in the center spoke volumes.
Mr. Munz excelled in creating a visually fantastic place but his skill in creating a great dining experience is lacking the key ingredient….good food.
I have no doubt that initially this place will draw a crowd if for nothing else curiosity over the size and investment in the facility (and the buzz their marketing department seems to be trying to get out). I do hope they get the food worked out as repeat customers, other than the Munz’s friend Ms. Isabelle, will most likely not exist.
I have to add one more thing. I was so confident that because of the sheer investment and hype of Cullen’s they would dethrone Perry’s as our favorite Clear Lake restaurant. That definitely was not the case. If you want an awesome culinary delight, visit Perry’s.

By: Isabelle

Isabelle — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 02:42:30 +0000

Complimentary valet. Modern decor and fine table arrangements. Beef filet was excellent. Dishes are inexpensive but they’re intricately wrought, with flourishes aplenty. The frito pie is amazing and worth every penny. This “ain’t” no MacDonalds!

By: Gus

Gus — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 04:57:30 +0000

greg: Read the Frito Pie description carefully. It says “berkshire pork & chairman’s reserve beef chili, toasted corn chips, texas goat cheese, english & wisconsin cheddar, creme fraiche & scallions.” The “twelve” at the end probably refers to the number of adjectives.