During our time in Arizona, we found Houston’s, a restaurant that can be described as upscale and casual. This caught our attention because Nashville was home to the first Houston’s. It was founded by people who had worked at other restaurants in the city and was one of the most popular places in town. It was a great place to go on a date or to hang out with friends in the bar.
The success of the Nashville location led to an expansion into other cities, and, before long, there was a chain. At some point, the ownership moved the headquarters to Beverly Hills and decided to close the original location. A lot of people believed that the owners had come to the conclusion that Houston’s was too good for Nashville. After all, hanging out with movie stars must be better than hanging out with country music stars.
For old times sake, we decided to have dinner at the Houston’s in Scottsdale. The atmosphere was similar to what we remembered, and I ordered my old favorite.
However, we were disappointed in the food. It was not as good as we remembered, and, frankly, there are a bunch of restaurants in Nashville that are better.
It has been ten years since Houston’s left Nashville, and the city has changed considerably during that time. It has grown into a truly cosmopolitan city with a diverse population. That diverse population has differing tastes, and there are restaurants for everyone. In fact, Nashville has become a foodie destination, and some of the nation’s more prominent chefs have created restaurants within its borders.
I have no idea how long this restaurant trend will last, but, after revisiting Houston’s, I have come to a conclusion. The owners had it backwards. Houston’s is not too good for Nashville. Instead, Nashville is too good for Houston’s.
SBI: A Thinning Crowd 
I wish we had some better restaurants around here. The food in the valley is bland to the point of tasteless. There’s one great little Japanese joint not too far away. Otherwise, it’s a vast wasteland of white bread and brown gravy. The hamburger is our quintessential item of cuisine. I love our valley, but I miss good restaurants.
I figured there would be some good places in your area.
In Boston. Maybe down in Providence and if you know it well, probably in Worcester. But nothing local. The food here is not worth eating. I’d rather cook.
Never heard of this restaurant but will have to look for it during my travels
I checked it out. They also own Hillstone and Cherry Creek Grill in Denver.
Next time I’m in Denver I will try one of them.
The worst thing is when you tell all your friends about ‘this great restaurant’! and they go there and get a dogs breakfast. Egg on my face.
I hate that, too. I told my friends about a great Mexican place in Santa Fe, and they hated it.