I used to love Artista. I am a frequent theater patron and always enjoyed having dinner at Artista before a show. That was before the Great Insult of 2008. A good friend of mine is from London and her parents were visiting Houston. I invited them to the theater as my guests. My friend's father wanted to treat us all to dinner. I recommended Artista believing that it would be a wonderful experience for them. We had a lovely dinner - food was great, had a super bottle of wine. This kindly old gentleman paid our bill, and we sat enjoying our coffee for a few minutes waiting for showtime. The waiter approached him and asked if there was a problem with our service. Mr. U.K. said that everything was fine. The waiter then said that his manager insisted that he ask becuase the tip was so low! I couldn't believe it! I found out later that my dinner host had tipped 10%. But please bear in mind, this was not out of being cheap or unsatisfied with the meal. In Europe, they don't tip at all for meals. It's just the way it is. This sweet little old man thought he had tipped generously and simply wasn't quite in tuned with the American rules of the road. But he was thoroughly humiliated by the Artista staff, and I simply can't forgive them for that! I will never return.
Pros: Great view and good food
Cons: Terrible (and insulting) service staff
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