Prospect Sports Bar

Prospect Park

Weekend festivities are always the beck and call that summon me from the home, though this time of year is the absolute worst on my pocketbook. Basketball season is in full swing, and the siren call of the NBA has me out more and more often. So, to no surprise, I found myself heading out to Prospect Park. Built on the bones of the old Scott Gertner's Sports Bar, my intent was to take in a Rockets game, sample the decor, the food, and most importantly the drinks.

The first, most striking element of this spot is, of course, its size. A spacious patio and interior almost always assure standing room, though seating may become difficult as the place fills. Couches line the exterior as well as interior, while televisions glow brightly in the comfortable lighting. Two flame torches line the entry with a touch of class, while the back wall is carpeted in ivy vines while a blazing sign announces "THE PARK" to all stepping within. As far as appearances go,  Prospect Park is among the best.

I preferred the immediacy of the bar, and the bartenders were friendly and attentive. A few even stuck around to treat out of town guests of mine, the good gentlemen out of Manhattan, and I was glad to see the service provided to us. That said, Prospect Park shoots short of the goal in a few key areas. Let us pray to the heaven that remains my only sports related metaphor in this review.

Food runs the gamut of sports bar fare, but the standout is, as it was with Scott Gertner's, the Buffalo Wings. These are jumbo sized, grilled or breaded, and delicious. At a dozen, their size justifies the ten dollar price on the menu. In fact, ten dollars can be the expected price for many of the items on the menu, which might be justifiable if the food stood up to scrutiny. For instance, the wings themselves will ignite your taste buds, with both flavor and heat, but they're not particularly difficult to make. While I cannot say whether they're pre-breaded or created in the restaurant (I'd suspect the former), what I can say is that the quality did not transfer over to their fries or hamburger. For the night, I chose what seemed would be a delicious BBQ hamburger with fries. Nothing too complicated, yet what i received back were undercooked fries and  an overcooked meat patty. It was as if the fries were pulled out too early, so that they had a potatoey texture. Worst, they were bland, with little seasoning to make them exciting. Yet as a side item I could excuse the fries, if the hamburger itself was delicious. The patty, though, was a charred mess. It was so overcooked the interior of the patty was a dark brown, with nothing of lightness. 


The meat wasn't tough but there was no moisture, and without the liberal dousing of the BBQ sauce, it would have been a singular disaster. All cooks know that when you resort to such methods when you've not prepared a good dish. There's no need for A1 sauce, for instance, on a nicely cooked steak. The flavor and juice are preserved by the skilled chef. With hamburgers, there shouldn't be blood, but there shouldn't be a patty you can slap against the wall, either. On a final note concerning the meals, I can say that drinks are priced on par with other middle scale locations in Houston, with Jack and Cokes running around eight dollars and the beers from four to six. If you're coming to avoid the fries and hamburgers, you'll do well with the drinks and wings.

Still I have to be the sixth man here and interrupt Prospect Park's game on account of a particularly troublesome incident. Simply put, I must address the lack of professionalism exhibited by the ownership of this location. At the time of my visit, I was addressing a young woman who turned out to be a former employee. I did not know this at the time and was simply trying to see if she'd done former modeling work, given my own role in the business. Suddenly we were assailed by one of the owners, berating her, working himself into a fury and generally acting in as unprofessional a manner as I could possibly imagine. If this was an owner/employee dispute, that is to be handled away from your customers, not directly in front of them. Good stewardship of a restaurant insists that you provide the highest presentation to your customers at all times, and I was frankly shocked by the breach of decorum. Restaurants sell an experience, and the one I received in that moment was of an irate owner, a wealthy man shouting down a young lady thirty years his junior. In short, it ruined my night.
The lack of professionalism on the part of the ownership was astounding, and the only average performance of the food doesn't place this within the upper echelons of sports bars as of now, though it has the potential. The many televisions sprinkled throughout the restaurant guarantee a view of the big game, and the drinks are decently priced, but it must raise the quality of its service. When it finally does succeed, the Park will be a home run.