Ritual

The moment I walked in for Sunday brunch, I knew I would visit again. My car had just been valet parked (complimentary), and we were politely welcomed and taken to a table. I liked the decor and layout which gave the place a chill and modern vibe. The pineapple, watermelon and ginger mimosa caught our attention, so we decided to get started with a carafe of that. It turned out to be a good and refreshing choice. Being our first time there, we asked our server for recommendations on the popular orders. With the guidance of his keen insight, we ordered the chicken fried chicken (CFC) with grits and the Texas S.O.S. breakfast. The chicken was well seasoned and those grits were deliciously cheesy. The Texas S.O.S breakfast was filling and had a good variety of flavorful items. The potatoes, toast, brisket and eggs were all yummy, and the cream sauce was an amazing addition to the meal. I had a great brunch experience that I look forward to repeating.

My first time here and I sat at the bar. The first drink I had was the “bourbon cocktail” and it was pretty good and not overtly sweet. The bartender knew it was my first time so I asked for dinner recommendations. She had several but since I have only one stomach she recommended the chicken fried ribeye. It was tasty but not nearly spicy enough for me so I added hot sauce. The second drink picture is a bourbon old fashion which they serve in a chilled glass but without ice. The bitters over powered the whiskey so I think the balance needs to be worked on. Finally I ordered the death by chocolate cake to go. I shared it with my friends and thoroughly enjoyed it.😋

Parking was a little confusing but the valet guys took care of me immediately. The wait was an hour but we didn't have a reservation so our fault. However the food was quick. The drinks were great and very well priced. Great service from Douglas!! The best is the outdoor seating! Made it a perfect Sunday brunch. Would come back! :)

My wife, father and mother came here on a Sunday evening for a family dinner. The restaurant is located on the corner of Studewood St. and White Oak Dr. and they offer complimentary valet! 😁 Our server’s name was Nu and she was a very polite and generous host. We started off with a dozen of raw east coast oysters. They were delicious. It came with the standard horseradish/cocktail sauces but it also came with a house smoked fish dish that was superb! I had been eyeing the menu all day in anticipation of this meal and had my heart set on a steak so, that’s exactly what I ordered. A 24oz 30 day dried bone in ribeye. It was perfect. I requested it rare and that is exactly how it came. The meat was moist, tender and melted in my mouth with every bite. My wife ordered the Angry Bird which is a deep fried half chicken, with a cayenne pepper baste on top of a cornbread waffle with maple syrup and house pickles. She said it was delightful and even brought home leftovers in a to go box. My mother ordered a 10oz filet which was perfectly prepared to her specifications (medium well). She said it was an amazing steak. The one downside of the meal however, was my father’s order; the roasted parmesan cauliflower with a side of shrimp. As delicious as it looked, he commented that the dish was cold and that he was not impressed 👎🏻. He informed our server Nu and she offered to have the kitchen prepare him another one but, we ended up settling with it being removed from our bill. The ambiance of the establishment was right up my alley; with basketball games on at the bar (just within eye shot) and a great music selection (80’s classic rock like Africa by Toto). Cold roasted Parmesan cauliflower aside, Ritual is definitely worth checking out.

I have to give MAJOR kudos to The Ritual. For the Best Chef and the best waitress, Terri (Ask for her because she will tell you what to order). Our waitress immediately steered us in the right direction regarding the menu. My mom and I came in there looking for Burgers and by the time we left we had tried 5 dishes. I'm telling you she is the best waitress I've ever had, she is hilarious! My family is from New Orleans, so it is VERY rare that we find a gumbo that we even remotely like, but Terri insisted that that and the Lobster Macaroni was a must have. By far The Ritual has the best Gumbo my Mom and I have ever tasted, I seriously recommend Death By Gumbo. Chef Eric is an absolute visionary, the Gumbo is jam packed with sausage, quail, carb, seasonings, everything you can possibly imagine it is in there and it's HUGE. This guy is legit the real deal, he's Lobster Marconi is phenomenal. It is so creamy and cheesy and perfectly seasoned. I lived in Maine for a year, so I know Lobster and that dish was amazing. The night didn't stop there, my Mom and I wanted to try a little bit of everything, so we also got The Ritual Burger and the Down south Burger. I understand why Zagat named them some of the top burgers to try in Houston. The Ritual has fantastic homemade bread and they definitely don't rely on salt and pepper, they season everything with fresh ingredients and spices. Of Course we had to order dessert and our girl Terri told us about Chef Eric's to die for Apple Pie and Texas Chocolate Sheet cake with vanilla cream. Everything just melted in our mouths, I felt like I could barely walk out of the restaurant. Our waitress was so attentive and personable, she made our night a 100% better. Chef Eric even played host with us for a little while, he greeted us and chatted for a little bit in between courses. It's very rare that I find a restaurant with an amazing Waitress AND Chef. I'm telling you, you need to go here. P.S. if you order steak they will cut it for you and you can choose your cut, they have their own butcher in house. No Joke!