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"The third time's the charm," I muttered as I slurped. The 13 oysters I got last week at Denis' Seafood House on the Katy Freeway were the best I've had so far this season. The oyster meats were beginning to turn creamy beige, the color of oyster fat.

They serve a "baker's dozen" for $9 at Denis'. The oysters come on a metal plate with a dozen depressions where the oysters sit. (The extra one balances on top.) Luckily, these oysters were so big they didn't fall into the water. I wasn't so lucky a couple of weeks ago. The shucker had filled the shell-shaped depressions with ice. But unfortunately, the service at Denis' was so slow, the ice melted before the oysters got to the table, getting inside the oysters.

On that unlucky first visit to the restaurant's grand new digs at Katy Freeway near Bunker Hill, I sat in a booth not far from the bar. It was a Saturday night and the restaurant was packed. I ordered oysters and a gin martini, one of my favorite cocktail-and-appetizer combinations. I got the ice-cold martini right away, and I could see my plate of oysters sitting on the end of the bar. But I couldn't get anyone to bring them to me.

The cocktail was warm by the time I walked over to the bar and got the bartender to follow me back to my table with the oysters. The first two oysters tasted like chlorine. I got back up and walked over to the bar again, where I asked the bartender if I could talk to the oyster shucker. The shucker eventually came to our table, and I berated him for rinsing the oysters in tap water. He assured me that he hadn't rinsed them at all.

The young Spanish-speaking shucker pointed to the pool of water under each oyster. "It's from the ice," he explained. It turned out he had given me some exceptionally small oysters and several of them had slipped down under the ice-melt while they sat on the bar. I sampled a few more oysters and discovered that the ones that hadn't been diluted tasted wonderfully briny. The young man kindly shucked me another half dozen to make up for the slow service. And he delivered them personally before the ice melted.

After we finished the oysters and a terrible, tough blackened crab claw appetizer on that first visit, we waited for at least ten minutes before our entrée order was taken by a woman we assumed to be our waitress. We never saw her again.

Then the guy who was actually our waiter showed up and informed us that the woman had never turned our order in. Our table was littered with empty glasses, oyster shells, saltine wrappers and other debris by this time, but no one cleared it off. And we couldn't find anyone to refill our water glasses, either.

What made the lack of service really annoying was the profusion of employees. The manager, a guy with a long apron and a graying crewcut, was standing self-­importantly at the end of the bar rocking on his heels. A fashionably dressed hostess was flitting around the place cooing and blowing kisses to VIPs. I wanted to hand them each a bus tub.

We weren't the only ones getting exasperated. The lady in the booth across from ours couldn't get anyone to bring her kids more water. So she got up and walked over to the service stand and carried a pitcher of ice water back to her table. When her party left, no one cleared their table off either.

Deciding what to order was easy. The new Denis' Seafood House has a big blackboard that lists the fish available that day. When I saw that ling was one of the choices, I knew what I was going to eat. Thanks to its meaty texture, ling, a Gulf fish that is also known as cobia, has earned the nickname "chicken of the sea."

When the waiter finally arrived with our entrées, we literally picked up our empty appetizer plates and shoved them into his hands in order to get rid of the mess. And we demanded our water glasses be refilled.

The piece of ling I got was small for the 25 bucks it set me back, but it was very firm and quite delicious. My dining companion got a more generous portion of crisply fried wild catfish, so I helped her out with the excess. The coleslaw was good, and the mashed potatoes were all right too, but it was hard to appreciate the food after our battle with the service staff.
_____________________

Denis Wilson's convoluted saga stretches back to the 1980s when he joined the Landry boys in bringing the first Cajun seafood to Houston. Following the tragedy of Tilman Fertitta's takeover of the Landry's chain, Denis Wilson opened his own Cajun seafood restaurant on West­heimer and got great reviews. And now there's the comedy of the new situation.

Denis Wilson sold his name and his restaurant concept to the owners of the flashy new Denis' Seafood restaurant located in between Guadalajara Hacienda and Ciro's Italian Grill on I-10's eastbound access road just west of Bunker Hill.

The first time I saw the place, I was dumbstruck. The exterior is several stories high. In a tribute to Jimmy Buffet's happy hour song, all of the numbers on the clock atop the entryway say "5." There's a courtyard with a giant fountain visible from the parking lot. The cavernous interior has high ceilings and a mix of terrazzo floors and carpeting. The front dining room is flanked by a long marble bar. Beyond that there are several temperature-controlled wine storage rooms.

Write Your Comment show comments (14)

  1. We had a decent dinner there one night, but the service was slow and it wasn't even busy. The lack of service will keep us from going back.

    Comment by Vim — January 31, 2008 @ 07:32AM

  2. The Mr. Crewcut you refer to is Eric Johnson - and he is one of the best restaurant managers in Houston. He was brought in to make changes at Denis', which as you well know, can take time. Eric is aware of the fact that Denis needs improvement in the staffing area and has no problem firing someone if they don't do a good job. I continue to go there simply because of Eric's professionalism and devotion to making a better restaurant. The fact that you went there FOUR times is all the proof I need that you like the place.

    P.S. I can't believe you guys tried to get a free meal by using the pebble trick, geez.

    Comment by Pete — January 31, 2008 @ 09:23AM

  3. Denis' is all Disney at the new location...all flash and no get-go from the staff. Great oysters, I agree,
    and some of the fish ranks tops in the city. I hope they get it together for the sake of my business happy
    hours...really like the patio. We could have great dinners and boogie down; please wake up and doo-wap again
    with your service! Wanna be back....RB

    Comment by richie brown — February 3, 2008 @ 12:28AM

  4. We eat the fresh fish at Denis's about once a week. The food is consitently fresh and tasty. In addition to those oysters, we like the seafood salsa, rainbow trout and peanut butter pie. Ask to sit in Charles's section to cure your service woes. He's quite possibly the best waiter in Houston.

    Comment by Mary — February 4, 2008 @ 09:36AM

  5. Thanks for the review. The manager sounds like a complete jerk. No wonder the service is lousy. Why waste money and time on poor service anywhere! Inconsistent food quality aside (even the thought of getting a great meal...if you're lucky on your visit), life's too short to put up the crap. Sounds like a place that's long on sizzle but short on substance. I'd wanted to try the place. No chance in hell.

    Comment by JB — February 5, 2008 @ 01:19AM

  6. First of all, I am a regular at Denis'. I go there two - three times a month and I thoroughly enjoy the fresh seafood and have yet to have a bad experience. I have been going there for the past two years and will continue to bring my business there. To say such negative things after one experience is completely moronic, and to go back four times in a month - it seems like you were just looking for something negative to comment on. If you are looking for great, affordable food, I highly recommend this restaurant.

    Comment by Michelle — February 5, 2008 @ 08:37AM

  7. To the writer of the review: You are correct the service standards at the resturant are lacking due to not having enough staff. You need to print a retraction to your "story". You reported when the pebble was found in the red beans and rice the manager came to your table and did not apologize which you and I both know is not correct. He came to your table, apologized, asked if you would like another side dish which you declined. Asked if anyone bit into the pebble and chipped a tooth, which you said no one had. He immediately went into the kitchen to address the pebble situation to insure it did not happen again. Your bad choice of words actually resulted in a great manager getting fired. Have you ever considered your incorrect words could ruin someone's life. It is almost slander. I used to read Houston Press but now I now the reporting is not correct you have lost several readers.

    Comment by TL — February 5, 2008 @ 08:45AM

  8. Having had so many exceptional dining experiences at Denis' Seafood, I decided to host multiple parties and get-togethers there last year - and this is not to mention the numerous events I had Denis' cater at my home. Not only did my guests rave about the delicious food, but I helped introduce handfuls of repeat guests for Denis' Restaurant.

    Sounds to me like Mr. Food Critic was just looking for something to gripe about, seeing as he CHOSE to dine at Denis' 4 times in the past month. Something must've been drawing him back there - most likely it was the food, but maybe he's trying to see how many visits it takes to become a recipient of the hostess' VIP kisses. Could be... Either way, the food's outstanding, the management is very attentive and I've only ever had wonderful experiences there. Keep up the great work!

    Comment by Alli — February 5, 2008 @ 09:20AM

  9. We are regulars at Denis' Seafood and have always had great experiences. The seafood salsa is the best in Houston, the fish has always been fresh, and the desserts are some of my favorite in town. We've never had a problem with the service, but you can't always expect it to be perfect, so chill out dude - have another martini!

    Comment by Rob — February 5, 2008 @ 09:21AM

  10. I've dined at Denis Seafood over a dozen times, and every experience has been an enjoyable one. The seafood is the freshest you will find in the city, and the restaurant ambiance and decor makes the dining experience all the more pleasurable. The staff is very friendly and responsive - and we have never had any issue with waiter attentiveness. We particularly enjoy the diverse menu of cajun choices - and the appetizers are excellent.

    This restaurant is definitely worth braving the I-10 construction for. Sounds like Mr. Food Critic just has a bone to pick (or a pebble to chew) with Denis Seafood to begin with!

    PS: Whats with JB critizing a restaurant you've never even been to? Thats like trashing a movie you haven't seen or a city you haven't visited. Come on guy - go form your own opinion.

    Comment by WRM — February 5, 2008 @ 10:00AM

  11. To the folks calling out Mr. Walsh for dining at Denis' four times, despite his mediocre experiences...Don't you know that's his job? He can't write a review based on a single visit. If he'd been served a mouse turd, he'd still have to go back to experience the restaurant enough to form a sound opinion.

    And as for the poster who accused Mr. Walsh of trying to get a free meal with the pebble...The Houston Press pays for his meals when he's reviewing. Have you never heard of an expense account?

    Geez, people. Give the man a break. He's doing his job.

    Comment by ~libby~ — February 5, 2008 @ 11:40AM

  12. I dine at Denis' about once a week and love it. We have always had great experiences until our last one. The service was HORRIBLE. We sat at our table for 10-15 minutes with numerous waiters walking around us but choosing to ignore us. My brother had to get up and bring the manager over to our table in order for us to get drinks. The bad service went on all night but as I said before this is the first time we have experienced this at Denis'. We will return and hopefully it will be back to normal next time!

    Comment by Kendall — February 6, 2008 @ 08:52PM

  13. Robb Walsh wrote that Denis' fresh fish and oysters were excellent; but that the service was crappy, holding back the place's overall potential. And suddenly out come the 'regulars' who, like robotic yokels, voice remarkably similar complaints about "Mr. Food Critic". Is it possible that they don't get the idea of a real, credible restaurant critic, or the process of reviewing restaurants?
    1) Multiple visits 2) Anonymity 3) Knowledge 4) Balls to write what he thinks. That someone may get canned because of the review is too bad, I agree; on the other hand, I wouldn't read him if voiced bland, wimpy, publicist-inflected stuff so common in other publications.

    Comment by ARBY — February 23, 2008 @ 05:07PM

  14. Perhaps the regular yokels who have been going to this restaurant at it's "grand new digs" for the past two years have more to say than the "multiple visit" critic, and may have a more even perspective given their long patronage. While I very much enjoy reading Mr. Walsh's many reviews, I have sometimes found my perspective differing from his. This doesn't mean I am wrong, nor that he is. But those who slavishly follow restaurant critics should remember that the long-time reviewer of Houston eateries must be very familiar with the relationships and personalities behind the scene, as demonstrated by the extensive discussion of Denis Wilson and his "old digs" on Westheimer. I certainly am not privy to such knowledge, I only know what's good, in the long run. We had dinner at Denis's tonight, and the wait staff and management could not have been more attentive. The food was, as usual, fresh and delicious. We will continue to frequent the place, as long as it is there, weathering the I-10 construction, and continuing to serve excellent food, in a relaxing setting.

    Comment by Mary — February 26, 2008 @ 06:51PM

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