Le Jardinier

Making our way through the list of Houston's most beautiful restaurants, my friends and I landed at Le Jardinier for dinner.When you're located within the city's largest art gallery, you better be beautiful! The space is, in fact, beautiful, although the floor-to-ceiling windows which are certainly crucial to any room's aesthetic, were covered during most of our meal. I did appreciate the little artful touches like the asparagus spoon rests (every nice restaurant should have spoon rests!) and the crystal lights on each table.We started with the Foie Gras and Burrata appetizers. I'll be honest, I was a tad disappointed in the Foie Gras... I was expecting a slice of actual foie gras, not a pate. But the flavors were sufficient. The burrata was simply fine... nothing special. The bread selection and accompanying olive oil were outstanding.And when I had my first bite of chicken, I exclaimed, out loud, "ohhhhhhhhh."It was simply stunning. The server was spot-on with her recommendation when she said, this is a preparation you can't replicate at home. Perfectly seasoned with a rich morel sauce... incredibly delicious! My friends both enjoyed their entrees of roasted duck breast and spinach ravioli, respectively.On to dessert: I had the Vahlrona Cremiex, which was not too sweet and, despite its name isn't very chocolatey, so if it's chocolate you crave, this won't hit the mark. Friends had the carrot cake - delicious - and the Butterfly - gorgeous and also delicious.Service was very personable and the attempt at upscale polish was appreciated though not always perfectly executed.

Heard many great things about Le Jardinier, but mainly the dining service and food presentation carried. Street parking is not easy in the museum district, so the best option is MFAH's underground garage parking (more on this at the end).Very bright & beautiful setting, with a nice view of sculptures outside.Cocktails: enjoyed Noguchi Garden Fizz - Haru (refreshing & unique flavors) more than Riviera Ready (expecting it to hit more, but it was on the sweeter side)Apps: Personal preference is hot soup. So a little disappointed that the mushroom veloute was lukewarm, but it was delicious. Was excited when the Tartine Noire (deviled egg + trout rillette) came out since it looked unique, but taste was ok.The highlight of the meal was the Carolina Gold Rice Risotto. I'm not a zesty gal, but the flavors were incredible along with the fresh crab! The Parisian gnocchi was also pretty savory.Dessert: The Butterfly (beautiful presentation, unqiue flavors) & The Young Flower (can't go wrong with a chocolate mousse, hazelnut praline) Now back to the parking situation. The MFAH website states there's "reduced-rate parking" for folks dining. The hostess came off as not knowing what she's doing and had an attitude about the situation. She sent us to the MFAH info desk outside the restaurant, and then we were sent back in by the front desk since it was the restaurant's job to take care of the parking situation. The whole ordeal felt unprofessional. Clarify with the higher-ups what the parking ticket protocol is instead of making comments ("there's always something different happening") in front of visitors; or the website needs to be updated. She took the parking ticket and then handed it back without saying anything... Answers a phone call instead... No comment that it's "taken care of" or greeting to see us off. Great way to end a unique dining experience!

Super DisappointingMany reviews rave about how good this restaurant is and I have many friends that speak highly of Le Jardinier as well, so it was a HUGE LET DOWN when I came to dine here.To start, we ordered the Garden Salad and Grilled Spanish Octopus. For Grains we had the Rabbit Ragout and for Entrees we had the Ora King Salmon accompanied with Wilted Spring Greens and the Wagyu Bavette Au Jus.We got there at 7:30 and did not leave until 9:30 (mins you I did not finish my entree or have dessert). Dinner service was extremely slow. Our entrees took about 45 minutes to come out. The manager came over to apologize, although he was quite awkward and hovered over our table. We were given a complimentary mashed potato churro I believe it was the (pommes dauphines) to snack on while we waited for our entrees. Once our entrees had come out, I had lost most of my appetite. Regardless, I wanted to give the salmon a try. It was moderately salty, so I took a bite of the Spring Greens hoping it would offset some of the saltiness. Unfortunately, it was saltier than the salmon. At this point, my appetite was completely gone. I told the server that we most of the food we had was just way too salty. The Octopus, Rabbit Ragout, Salmon, and Wilted Spring greens. She apologized and the manager came over a second time to apologize and thank us for the feedback. Once again he lingered and the exchange was awkward.I asked to have the salmon packed up, since I no longer wanted to have anymore food. Our server offered up multiple complimentary desserts to make up for the long wait and the food not being to our liking. We asked for the dessert to be packed up since dinner was longer than we expected, and she told us to pick up our to-go items from the host. When I went to pick up our food from the host, I informed him that we should have multiple bags/items. The host reassured me that he had consolidated everything into a single bag.Ten minutes after we'd left, our server called to inform us that we had forgotten all the dessert she had packed up, and asked us to come back to get it. At first I told her we'd come back, but after some thought, I found it completely unacceptable. We were already late to our next plans because dinner was extremely slow, the food was unfulfilling, and the host had reassured us that he had packed up all of our food. I expressed to her my frustrations, and we got a call back from the manager. Once again he awkwardly apologized, and offered us free drinks and dessert the next time we come back. There is absolutely no way I would come back to spend $300 on overly salty food just to have $40 worth of desserts or drinks covered. We should have gotten that dessert for free anyway. I was honestly expecting a better solution than what was offered to us.Overall, I found Le Jardinier overpriced, the food was salty all around, nothing wowed me, dinner was soo slow and would've taken longer if we had not taken my salmon and dessert to-go. Above all else, the manager's ability to offer solutions and be personable was quite sad. This will be going down in my books as one of the worst birthday meals I've ever had.I will say; however, our server did a great job throughout the meal. She handled everything perfectly, and came back often to see how we were doing.

Been wanting to try Le Jardinier ever since they opened. They're sister restaurants in Miami and New York have both earned stars from the prestigious Michelin guide, and even if the guide doesn't come to Texas we were expecting a Michelin starred experience here. First things first, the restaurant is located in the museum which I thought was very cool. You can choose to valet or you can self park in the garage and they will validate your parking for you. My wife booked us a dinner reservation for my birthday, and the hostess greeted me right as we checked in. We were seated right away in the "lounge" area which is right next to the bar - perfect for two people. The decor and ambiance inside really fits it being in the museum - minimalist, modern and airy. Food and service were both fantastic. The chef was in town so they had a Spring season tasting menu which we unfortunately decided against since my expecting wife was worried it was too much food for her, so we just picked our own food:The garden salad was light and refreshing. They used a calamansi based dressing which was cool. The mushroom veloute was a complete flavor bomb - I can probably eat two more bowls of that. For mains I got the roasted lamb that was perfectly cooked and melted in my mouth, and my wife got the glazed pork belly that had crunchy skin, sweet and savory meat, and overall a ridiculously tasty dish. For dessert we really enjoyed the butterfly dessert - super beautiful and just the perfect few bites to end our meal. They also got me an extra complimentary dessert for my birthday which was nice!Our overall experience here was great. The place and food was definitely upscale, but the service was easygoing that it made it way more enjoyable than it already was. We will definitely be back for another special occasion.

Located in the MFAH, La Jardinier is probably one of the fancier restaurants in Houston, and maybe the closest thing they have to a Michelin-caliber restaurant (especially since their original restaurant in NY did earn that distinction). The ambience of this place was beautiful and the food presentation was phenomenal, both of which were fitting for a restaurant located within a Museum of Fine Arts. I think the restaurant environment and the food display were probably the highlights of the meal. The food itself, though delicious, did not have the same wow! appeal. I ordered the organic scrambled eggs with caviar. Yes, the caviar was wonderful but the eggs were just eggs, nothing special. The dessert we ordered seemed to be the popular choice that day, since we saw so many other tables order it. It was an artwork of Valrhona dark chocolate cremeux, white chocolate ice cream, caramel sabayon. It looked more enticing than it actually tasted. We had a great time, but brunch may not be their star menu and I would definitely like to return for their dinner service.

Food 8.5/10Service 5/10Booked Sunday brunch for 1:45 but called to let them know I was running late due to traffic, was told that the kitchen closes at 2 pm so we had to order as soon as we sat down basically. You would think this meant we'd get the menu ASAP but it took them like 5 minutes to bring it. Wish that the latest they had reservations for was 1:30 so you could at least have more than a minute to look at menu and figure out the order.The food was good but nothing to write home about, had been meaning to try this place to see if it was a new date night spot but was saddened it was not. Also had to order dessert at the beginning with entire order, which they forgot so we sat around for 10-15 minutes after main entrees were done until we had to ask if it was still on the way.

French restaurant inside fine art museum @ Houston, TXIt was very convenient to have a nice dinner with coworkers after viewing impressionist art at the museum. The ambience of the restaurant was gorgeous overlooking an outdoor garden. The bread stick which came with the bread basket was very delicious! They also provided a gluten free bread for coworker who is allergic to gluten. We shared cheese platter where all the cheese and condiments went well together. My black squid seafood ravioli was on a salty side but coworkers risotto, chicken, pork chop and cod dishes were all little underseasoned. The mushroom tempura, mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables were very tasty. The service was little slow in the beginning of the meal and we were disappointed that they ran out of grilled seabass dish even though our dinner was at 6:30pm.

Came here for my anniversary a day before Valentine's Day. Let me preface that this place is deserving of the 5 star rating in terms of the food, service, and ambience. HOWEVER: I moved my Valentine's Day reservation to my anniversary reservation because I did the math. On Valentine's Date, you are locked into a menu that is around $50 more expensive than a normal day ordering the same food. I didn't enjoy that aspect of a locked menu on a busy day for a bigger price.But being there was a different experience than booking. The place is low-lit and romantic. The drinks are a work of art ranging from dangerous in a "I can't taste the alcohol much" way to a "hot damn that'll put some hair on your chest" way... and yet they all tasted good. I was happy with almost allthe food, which I hoped to expect for a highly regarded restaurant. The gnocchi, pork chops, fish, carpaccio, desserts, and drinks were all great. I can't recommend one over the other, and I suggest following your gut. The worst thing was somehow one of the free breads, and hey, if the free thing was the worst, I can't be unhappy with that!I loved the butterfly dessert. It's more art than anything, but was still good! They gifted an anniversary dessert as well which is always a wonderful addition. I was very full by the end of the main meal, so I was happy with the amount of food and the pacing.Definitely a top restaurant for a great time in Houston. Sure, you'll shell out a couple hundred dollars, but it's a special place for a special time and great service.

Le Jardinier is a French restaurant located in the Museum District next to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.We booked a reservation for our anniversary, and it was a wonderful experience! The service was great and the ambiance was nice and intimate.They had a bread basket with various types of bread. We later ordered the Citrus Cured Hiramasa, Parisian Gnocchi, Atlantic Cod, Wagyu Bavette Au Jus, and the Young Flower.Citrus Cured Hiramsa (4/5)The appetizer consisted of avocado mousse, sweet potato, grapes, and almonds. The Hiramasu was fresh, and the different flavors on top of the fish paired interestingly well together.Parisian Gnocchi (5/5)The Parisian Gnocchi was one of my favorite dishes. The texture of the gnocchi was just right and soft and bouncy and paired well the aged parmesan cheese cream. Atlantic Cod (3/5)The cod was placed on top of a bed of cabbage with trout roe on top. The cod was fresh and soft but was was a bit too bland for my liking. I wish there were more flavoring on the fish or seasoning on the cod.Wagyu (5/5)The wagyu was one of our favorites and was super tender. I really enjoyed the plating fo the wagyu and the black garlic and brussel sprouts.Young Flower (3/5)The young flower consisted of chocolate mousse and hazelnut praline. The dessert was shaped like a rose with a crispy outer part and chocolate mousse on the inside. It was very chocolatey and a bit underwhelming. I was hoping it would have some floral aspect to it other than the presentation.Upon sitting, they asked us if we were celebrating anything special, and we responded with our anniversary and Valentine's. They later gifted us a dessert for our celebration! This dessert was my favorite of the night and had a fruity taste. They also had a piece of orange, chocolate brownie-like dessert at the end for each person, which tasted delicious and was soft and airy.The server was very attentive and consistenly checked up on us.Overall, all the food was presented well, and the service was amazing! It would be a great place for a special evening/celebration.

Le Jardinier is the place you go to when you want to feel like a celebrity. So, it's a bit of a hidden gem inside a super cool art museum. We arrived on time for our reservation. A gentleman who appeared to be the manager along with someone at the front desk greeted us immediately upon entering. They looked up our reservation and we were seated immediately. The decor in this place is absolutely stunning. From the bar to the lights, to the view and the furniture, this place is simplistically elegant. Our server was incredible. Extremely descriptive about everything we ate. I learned so much about exotic foods just from dining here.Everything we ate tasted like the flavors were dancing in our mouths. The textures, colors, and the ingredient combinations give this place the edge when it comes to uniqueness. We did a 5 course meal experience. I couldn't pronounce a good bit of what we ate but I can tell you we enjoyed each and every dish. (The white asparagus was a HIT!)This place is expensive but it's worth every penny. I would definitely go back here but on special occasions. I highly recommend this spot! You will love it!