When it comes to restaurants-the ambiance can be almost as important as good food. I really believe that if you enjoy the surroundings at a particular restaurant you’ll be inclined to come back, even if the food wasn’t five star. Bright and cheery decor may even make you want to indulge a little more, linger a little more, ultimately spending more money. Eating out at restaurants isn’t all about sitting down and shoving food down your throat, it should be an experience.
Good restaurant ambiance doesn’t need to be fancy shmancy, it just needs to be enjoyable.
Since moving to the big city of Houston, T and I have been able to try tons of new restaurants. Most, if not all of the restaurants that we’ve been to had lovely ambiance. Except for Outback Steakhouse, but it wasn’t so much the decor that ruined the ambiance-it was the creepy waiter/possible serial killer.
What made me want to talk about the importance of good restaurant ambiance, you may be asking yourself?
I had never heard of this restaurant before moving to Houston. That’s probably not due to the fact that I’m from Michigan, but more the fact that I was a hermit and never went anywhere. Ever.
But don’t worry fellow hermits. You’re not missing much.
I usually never judge a restaurant based on looks alone (only people and books). :) And I’m always up to try a new restaurant. I never want to go to another Steak and Ale again. I may slit my wrists. The inside of the building is so depressing. I really think that the decorators were trying to go for an old world/German design, but boy did they miss the mark. It was so dark and dingy and depressing. The windows were all stained glass. Not the pretty church stained glass, but the brown/green/tan stained glass. It gave me the creeps just being in there. I expected some ghostly woman to come floating out of the wall at anytime.
I do have to admit that the food was pretty good. I ate rather quickly though, as I didn’t want to spend anymore time in there than I had to. No way were we sticking around for dessert! I would have said that the interior decorators must have been on drugs when they thought up the decor, but I thought you got all happy and had visions of bright neon, day-glow colors when you went on drugs. They must have been on downers….lots of them.
Here’s a picture I took in the bathroom. This gives you a pretty good idea about what the rest of the place looked like.
Warning to those readers who are depressed or thinking thoughts of suicide. Put the razors and pain pills away right now!
I can’t even crack a smile or think happy thoughts even looking at this picture. Imagine being there trying to enjoy your meal! Uuuggghhh…
Now please go…smell some roses…read a book…look directly into the sun. Whatever you have to do to make you forget about this awful place.
Filed under: Restaurants, big city | Tagged: ambiance, depression, food, Houston, restaurant, Steak and Ale, suicide, ugly
Just judging by the picture I get the feeling of a funeral home. Don’t you? Dark colors, the stained glass, and the lone bouquet of flowers resting on the table as if it’s a memorial to someone who died there. Perhaps someone died sitting on the toilet eating a peanut butter and fried banana sandwich.
You and Ty need to go to a Melting Pot Restaurant. It’s much more inviting. If that doesn’t sway you, I’ve got three words: Snickers Chocolate Fondue. P.S. You might want to “forget” your purse that day.