arthur's bistro

great place to celebrate in ocala. top notch.. wow. last night my girlfriend and i celebrated her birthday dinner and were nothing short of impressed. i mentioned in my opentable.com reservation that it was my girlfriend’s birthday. when we arrived, our table was festively decorated with “happy birthday” confetti. it truly set the tone for a perfect celebratory dinner.

we order fried green tomatoes as an appetizer. they were thick cut, not too greasy, and came with a spicy cream sauce. i think it’s safe to say they were the best fried green tomatoes i’ve ever had. (i’m not even sure of another place in ocala that offers them on their menu.) the complimentary rolls were served with a unique sweet orange-zest butter and our dinner salads were served with a tangy orange house dressing.

i had to order the 8 oz filet. i’m a huge fan of a well cooked steak and i must say, it was absolutely perfect! it came with something i thought was strange at first - an upright plum tomato that appeared to be roasted with the top sliced off and a generous amount of fresh pesto on top. i mixed it in with my steak and garlic mashed potatoes and it was incredibly delicious. well-played.

my girlfriend is lactose intolerant so she couldn't have the creamy risotto that came with her grouper filet since it had milk in it. our server cindy, gladly substituted the risotto for a delicious vegetable couscous and steamed spinach which rested under her perfectly seared grouper filet (pictured below).

after dinner, we went to the bar for a drink and walked out onto the beautiful pool deck overlooking a large paddock. it’s such a relaxing atmosphere that truly does not feel like you’re in ocala.

author’s is by-far ocala’s best kept secret. if you’re looking for somewhere in ocala to take a date or to enjoy an upscale meal, i recommend author’s at the hilton ocala. top notch.

side note: they also have a very reasonably priced lunch menu which i glanced at before ordering dinner - mostly sandwiches, burgers, etc.

evening out. we've been going to dinner at arthur's for years, and still find it the best place in ocala for a relaxed, enjoyable dinner. our idea of an evening out includes finding good food, excellent service, and permission to sit and visit with one another at a leisurely, relaxed meal.
we specifically requested lori to wait on us, she's attentive, cheerful, and has a good sense of humor, and we know that she'll add the element of fun that really rounds the evening out.
if you want to be able to relax, enjoy your meal, and not be interrupted by tvs or lots of noise, this is the place.

wonderful. recently we dined with you. service was very friendly, timely and attentive. server was very friendly. my wife had the pork loin, she was able to substitute mash potato instead of grits. i had the new york, was a great suggestion from our server, lori.

we will surely be returning. hopefully, having the same server. my wife loved her.

thanksgiving lunch. my boyfriend and i decided to dine at arthurs bistro for thanksgiving and it was an excellent choice. the service was wonderful from beginning to end. we were given a glass of champagne while we waited in line then we were seated to eat. the buffet was amazing, the salmon, sweet potato, and the carved honey and tarragon mustard glazed pit ham were our favorites. we had a great time and will definitely return to arthur's bistro very soon. thank you

delicious breakfast. the breakfast buffet looked mediocre, so my husband and i asked to order off the menu (the waiter apparently assumed we'd have the buffet). i ordered the eggs benedict caprese and he had the smoked salmon. everything was absolutely delicious. the eggs and the roasted potatoes they came with were cooked to perfection. my husband was impressed by how much salmon and capers came with his bagels. overall, it was a very enjoyable meal. we definitively intend to return.