Is The Gruene Door a door worth opening?
With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, Nathan and I were excited for the excuse to try The Gruene Door. Having heard so many recommendations, so many rave reviews about this restaurant… Our curiosity was piqued. Especially after perusing the pictures on the online menu.
We certainly expected the place to be packed on the 2nd busiest restaurant day of the year. So we made a reservation about a month in advance and anxiously anticipated the arrival of February 14th. At last, it was here! We made sure to skip lunch so that we’d be oh-so-ready to dive into a rich, exquisite meal.
A Matter of Taste
Before I deep dive into The Gruene Door review, little asterisk here:
I get that the culinary experience is a purely subjective thing. You don’t have to take my word as absolute truth, and you are more than welcome to disagree with me. I solely attempt to share my personal, subjective experience with you, the reader. Take it, or leave it.
That being said, I’m going to put it simply. We’re disappointed.
And not even for any reasons you might assume. I’ll break it all down here.
(For the fast food version, jump to it using this link.)
First Impressions at The Gruene Door
So, Valentine’s Day arrived. We were thrilled to try a restaurant touted as upscale. When Nathan and I want to celebrate an occasion or do something special, we’re more than happy to budget for the big expense. Go big or go home. We want FANCY when we hear “upscale”.
He and I got gussied up. Not an easy feat when you’re also getting two rambunctious toddlers ready for bed, but we managed! We hit the road about 7 PM, arrived at The Gruene Door maybe 10 minutes before our reservation time of 7:30 PM, and were immediately seated. Points awarded for first impressions!
Our hostess was hospitable, and our waitress was prompt, attentive, and friendly. No complaints here about the service at all. We could tell it was reasonably busy, actually not as bad as we were even expecting, given the occasion.
The Gruene Door was maybe 3/4 full, and that kitchen door was constantly swinging. However, we never got the impression that anyone was frazzled or overwhelmed. Everything seemed to be flowing efficiently. We received our menus without delay, and were revisited quickly enough that we still hadn’t decided on entrees yet.
Appetizers, on the other hand, were a no-brainer for us. As soon as we saw “Lobster Ravioli” offered as a Valentine’s special, we knew we were locking that in. We ultimately settled on and ordered our entrees at the same time: I ordered the Rack of Lamb, and for Nathan, it was the 4 oz. Filet and Lobster Tail special.
The Gruene Door Service
Really can’t over-emphasize how satisfied we were with the service we received. We noted the perfectly-balanced friendliness and efficiency (in spite of the busyness). And we appreciated it!
From the time we placed our appetizer and entree order to receiving our appetizer, we were only waiting 10-15 minutes. We received our entrees within about, or right at, 30 minutes. And we were able to order dessert, receive and eat it, and check out by the hour mark. Again, top marks for efficiency.
The Overall Atmosphere
Given the indoor atmosphere, Nathan and I were okay with the experience only lasting an hour. Don’t interpret that as harshly as it may read! Stick with me…
When I walked into The Gruene Door restaurant, I was struck by the tasteful decor and warm, dim lighting. At first glance, it did somewhat smack of romance. But that coziness wore off pretty quickly. Taking the time to really look around The Gruene Door, it sank in. Ah, it’s generic.
Warm paint palette. Pretty art. Clean. Stained concrete floors. Everything is very inoffensive and palatable. But… It kind of lacks personality. Even according to The Gruene Door website, it seems that’s what their vision is. A catch-all.
“The perfect destination for a romantic dinner, birthday celebration, private party, lunch with friends, or just a casual night out..”.
“Casual fine-dining”.
Emphasis on “fine”. It is fine. Not bad. But not great. Just nothing special. Mission accomplished, Gruene Door.
Acoustically, it could be better. Could also be a lot worse. For as busy at it was, I’m sure it could have been louder. What I noticed, noise-level wise, were the “pre-gamers” that had gotten a little toasty at the surrounding bars before popping in for dinner.
Especially the guy directly behind us. Loudly proclaiming (for all nearby patrons to hear) himself to be “mother-****ing Mario”. Super romantic.
The outdoor cafe seating that we passed by as we left… That may have kept us wanting to hang around. Beautiful, romantic, quiet. A fireplace, even. Certainly far more charm than we felt was inside.
The Gruene Door Food
Okay, I will positively rave about two things here as far as the food is concerned:
Little history first.
Nathan and I took a trip up to Baltimore, Maryland during our first year of marriage. Being a coastal city, nestled right near the Chesapeake Bay, the seafood offerings were fresh and impressive.
We had a lobster ravioli dish there that left us riveted. We’ve been chasing that culinary high ever since, unable to find its equal. Until now. Until The Gruene Door delivered.
Appetizer: Lobster Ravioli
I love when I’m so enraptured by my first taste of something that I want to slowwww down. And I savor every singular bite with intention. I study the way it feels on my palate, how the flavors harmonize, the textures balance… This was the PERFECT dish.
And it sucks to know it is not a standard menu offering.
The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente. A nice chew, not soggy at all, and cooked evenly. The parmesan-citrus sauce had a generous squeeze of lemon. Not overpowering though. It made the dish fresh and light and excited our taste buds.
Topping the dish was a sublime, complimentary garnish of delicate, crispy prosciutto that brought a perfect contrast in texture. But within these gorgeous, heart-shaped raviolis? LAVISH helpings of lobster MEAT crammed into every morsel. It tasted fresh and sweet and every bite of this appetizer was a well-balanced delight and sensory adventure.
We took our time consuming each bite. We chewed slowly. Studied every flavor and taste to the utmost degree. Wanting it to last as long as possible… Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.
But before I get to describing our shared sense of underwhelm…
My second positive rave!
Dessert: Brownie a la Mode
Our choices were between two different types of cheesecake, a creme brulee, or a brownie with ice cream.
I’ll be honest. The options themselves seemed pretty lackluster and boring, but we figured something: we’re not big into cheesecake (unless it’s my homemade eggnog gingersnap cheesecake I make for the holidays); creme brulee is REALLY hard to screw up and is fairly basic; a brownie was the biggest wildcard.
If there were any room to give The Gruene Door a final shot to impress us with something a bit more technical, why not a brownie? Brownies run the gamut. They can be dry and crumbly, or dense and fudgy, moist and chewy. What does The Gruene Door consider to be an uPsCaLe brownie?
Okay, REALLY not bad. Their brownie verges more toward a molten lava cake than boring brownie. Moist, ooey-gooey, melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Paired with creamy vanilla ice cream and topped with candied pecans… Yeah, it’s really hard to miss the mark here, and The Gruene Door nailed it. Kudos.
(But for Valentine’s Day, it’s still just a brownie…)
Anyway, I’ll also hand this to The Gruene Door as a clever strategic move. Have your appetizer and your dessert be the best parts of the meal, and maybe anything in between can get a free ride. Y’know, appetizers being the first impression and dessert being the freshest on your mind when you leave.
But, guys, it’s not just the first step or only the destination itself that matters… It’s the entire gastronomic adventure. It’s all of it… Which brings us to our entrees…
Entrees: Rack of Lamb & 4 oz. Filet with Lobster Tail (both served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus)
By far the most disappointing part of the evening were the entrees. Not because they were necessarily even that bad. We were served reasonably good food.
The disappointment is multi-faceted.
Oooh, after our appetizer, let me tell you, our expectations were highhhhh. But, boy howdy, did the mood shift when we started on the main course. The portions were generous. Which, I don’t know, if it’s really “upscale”, high-quality food, it shouldn’t take THAT much to satisfy.
The trap with portions like these is no matter how good the food may taste for the first bite or two, it gets boring incredibly fast. When I’m going to an upscale restaurant, I’m not going there to gorge. I’m going to, hopefully, have my palate DELIGHTED. I don’t want my stomach to be full so much as I want my appetite to be satisfied.
When I’m going somewhere to appreciate quality over quantity, excess quantity makes the quality suspect. But it stands to reason that you’d receive a lot of food when it’s $50 a plate. The simple fact of the matter, good as it may be, it’s just not worth the price tag.
As I stated previously: it is fine. Just nothing special. And for a Valentine’s date that we were anticipating with high hopes, it just did not meet the bar. Not at that price.
The positive I can share…
The asparagus tasted fresh. The potatoes tasted like the ones I only make around Christmastime (since nearly 50% of the volume is dairy fat) and that’s not a bad thing at all. By my standards of cooking, if something tastes like a holiday-special, home-cooked meal, that’s props given.
The 4 oz. filet (cooked medium) was satisfying; the lobster tail was sweet, but certainly not the best we’ve ever had; but the lamb… I’m trying not to be melodramatic, but I’m gonna be.
It. Was. Tragic.
I was SO looking forward to it. Granted, the pictures are drool-worthy, the plating for all of the food is aesthetically-pleasing and a feast for the eyes. The crust of the rack of lamb had a great mustard flavor, but that’s literally all that we tasted.
I don’t know exactly how to describe this… It’s like, lamb is supposed to taste like lamb. Lamb has a distinctive flavor of its own. A flavor which I love and exactly why I ordered this dish. This rack of lamb… I don’t know, it tasted like meat? It lacked any flavor apart from the crust.
Maybe it was the cut quality. Maybe it was due to how unevenly it was cooked. For whatever reason, eating this lamb was far more of a textural experience than a gustatory one. Definitely not a good thing.
I’ll try not to dwell on this, but after so much anticipation and such a hefty price tag, I’m vexed. I’d say “I’m not mad, just disappointed”, but in this economy, I’d just love for the quality of my meal to at least match the price attached to it. Too much to ask? From The Gruene Door, it was.
*Shrug*
I have another couple of gripes here.
One: Prior to our meal here, I was already dreaming up word play for a positive review. Something to the effect of “Let my love open The Gruene Door to your heart”. Thank you, Pete Townshend. Pft, I thought it was perfect, and The Gruene Door robbed me of the opportunity to use it. Shame!
Two: And really our most grievous disappointment after our experience here… I’m beginning to think The Gruene Door is the best that New Braunfels has to offer. In terms of “fine-dining”.
Let me clarify. To that last point:
Categorically, we’ve found places that are SOLID 5 Stars for what they offer (or, at the very least, very close to it). Gruene’s Last Call? No contest, 5 Stars. Best bar, best drinks, best people, best atmosphere. Hands down.
Magnolia Pancake Haus? There’re so many reasons to keep us going back there every chance we get. Not the least of which are two persistent toddlers who both frequently beg for another visit.
2 Rivers Coffee? For us, very close to a 5. Can’t beat an actual coffee lounge with the BEST cold brew beverage around.
But NONE of these establishments are claiming to be something they aren’t. The cost matches the quality of these businesses’ offerings. And that goes a LONG way for me. Don’t write me off as elitist or blasé just because I’m willing to throw serious money down and expect the best when I do.
We’ve run into the mash-up, everything-to-everyone motif at other “upscale” establishments, and it always fails to impress. Like Sylver Spoon, and I gave them a 4 Star rating for similar reasons. The saving grace there was the fact that when we had the Epic 8-course tasting menu, it was the closest to a 5 Star “upscale” meal that we’ve had in recent memory. And they also have personality with their theater.
The point here is this:
When you try to be everything to everyone, because, yeah, NBTX is a tourist destination, you fail to do any one thing really, REALLY well. All these places, like The Gruene Door, just kind of fade into the noise. They don’t leave a lasting impression with anything that truly sets them apart from the competition.
Don’t just strive to be another pricey tourist trap. Be the destination the tourists WANT to go to, time and time again, because of the memorable impression made from their first visit. And be the place that all the locals love even when the tourists leave.
The Gruene Door, our Valentine’s Day date just wasn’t it.
It was fine. Just nothing special.
Order Up: The Gruene Door
Pros:
Clean, inoffensive atmosphere. Attractive outdoor cafe seating. Phenomenal plating and presentation. Superb Lobster Ravioli. Delicious brownie. Overall, the food tastes good. Like a high-quality, home-cooked meal for the holidays. Fast, attentive service without being intrusive. Great location in Gruene Lake Village, especially with Last Call directly next door.
Cons:
Price exceeds quality. Lacks personality. Unfortunately, it seems that the BEST menu offerings aren’t always standard menu offerings. The restaurant, overall, just seems very average and disappointing. Especially if you’re going to The Gruene Door specifically to celebrate a special occasion.
Acoustics could be better (could be worse, though). And large portions aren’t a pro for me, personally, because then I question the food quality. Ultimately, The Gruene Door just gives off tourist trap vibes.