mise en place

hands down, the best restaurant ever. i am wondering why this restaurant is not on the top of everyone's list. you cannot find food as fresh and flavorful and as well prepared as this in the largest cities in the world. in new york, i have been to everything from carnegie deli and carmines to la bernadin, nobu and gotham bar and grill. and i have enjoyed what all of those restaurants do, as well as many nice tampa restaurants including those considered the highest ranked. presentation is first class. but what they really do well is flavor, flavor, flavor. lamb, steak, fish, you can't go wrong. their appetizers are all original. i first ate at this restaurant 17 years ago. it dazzled then and it dazzles even more now. this restaurant is simply in a class by itself.

better left alone. let the place go, please. these folks wouldn't know french cooking if they just got off a jet at charles de gualle. i don't believe that any of them has ever been, or ever will be in france, and if they tried this cooking there, and called it french, they would be laughed out of the country. mise-en-mess.

hrmpf. i've tried liking this place over the years, and every time i give it another chance, i'm disappointed again. maybe it's just not my style of place. it strikes me as one of the most overrated places in town. bad service, overpriced for what you're getting and i'm almost always unhappy with my food. but so many people here swear by this place, so maybe it's just me.

best in class. service is spectacular, food always excellent and it’s a wonderful place for business or a great date.

my family took me here for my 45th birthday. the restaurant very nice elegant and the service is superb. i had the sampler which is a five course meal which is very good. i asked the waiter if i could swap out the hanger steak for ahi tuna. he came back and cheerfully told me the chef would be more than happy to do that. everything was beautiful and tasty. my girlfriend had the fried green tomato salad which is really yummy and the salmon. the salmon was very bland but artistically crafted to please the eyes. the waiter seemed to rush us to decide our entrees. he seemed snooty and rude at times but he's been working at this restaurant for 18 years and i see this happen in these upscale fine establishments all the time. overall everything was superb the service was impeccable. at the end of the night they gave us a free glass of complimentary champagne and i got a birthday dessert. i definitely will be back.

my family took me here for my 45th birthday. artosis place because i've never been so i want write something upscale and something new. i had the sampler which had a hanger steak i fast waiter if it would be possible for me to swap the steak with some ahi tuna. without hesitation he asked to cook and they granted my wish. the cheese grits were amazing i so was the rest of my meal.. even the salmon tartar was superb. my girlfriend end up getting the salad with the fried green tomatoes which was really delicious and as a main entree she got the salmon with lacked flavor but was cooked right and very tender. it was my birthday so they gave me a free dessert and all of us a complimentary glass of champagne overall had an outstanding experience. the waiter seemed to rush us with our menu selections. also was kind of snooty and rude at points. when you work at a place for 18 years that seems to be the norm i will be back.

incredible date night & treat to learn about owner/chef marty whose passion is found in each delectable creation on the changing menu.

well, good, not great.. the staff was quite friendly and chatty. if it's your birthday or anniversary, you may even get a free glass of wine or dessert. however, the food was a bit off. either, it wasn't fresh or cooked properly. for the price, i would hang at the bar and order coffee and dessert next time and have dinner elsewhere.

good. not great. here's a .... good. not great.
here's a couple specifics...
they had no reservations available on a saturday night except for 5:30 or 9pm. we chose 5:30pm and watched the restaurant fill to less than 50% capacity and stay that way thru 7pm.
the rack of lamb and veal scallopini were ok. the grits with the lamb were amazing! we had the pork belly and salmon carpaccio apps. the salmon was house smoked and delicious. the service was very good. they even brought us complimentary glass of champagne when we told them we were celebrating out anniversary.
the food and service was good....but for the price it should've all been exceptional.

scrumptious salomon

fell short. first time customer and last time customer too. i'd like to consider myself a person that enjoys food for flavor and never to just fill my stomach. that being said i went into this very excited about the possibilities of the food ahead. from walking in it felt like a place that was a bit in need of a makeover. however decor ultimately is never my main concern but more so the food placed before me. we started our night off with the cornmeal crusted oysters dish, which wasn't all that bad but certainly did not have that rich oyster flavor you look for in a fried oyster. could of been one of many things under all the sauce and chutney. from there we tried the sautèed calamari, the yuzu sake butter broth the sliced rings were in was by far the best part of the dish and probably the most flavor aspect of the entire night. the biggest problem with this dish was that some of the calamari was pretty tough and chewy. for entrees we went with the korean barbeque spice rubbed grilled filet of beef tenderloin, braised short rib dumpling, celery root ramp pear kimchi, mushroom peanut fried bamboo rice, miso mustard vinaigrette, yuzu soy star anise barbeque . . . and the coffee mole chile crusted tuna, rock shrimp yucca corn sofrito ragout, tamarind vanilla rum glazed plantains, caramelized pineapple habanero vinaigrette. sounds pretty amazing! both dishes read extremely well but neither followed through on taste or presentation. both of these dishes were very underseasoned and very bland. the dishes looked and tasted like something you would expect to get at a wedding reception dinner. everything on the tuna plate had the same texture to it and all the same color. this dish was by far the most disappointing of the entire night. the filet dish was a little better overall but still had major issues. like several bites had gristle throughout and the meat was not very tender. i really hate to complain and this is my first review i've ever written online, but i really felt compelled to share my experience. at the end of the day you expect an elevated dish when you spend the type of money an establishment like this garners. i work very hard for my money and it sucks to throw it away on food that leaves you so unsatisfied. i hope this helps you make your decision on if this place is worth the risk on your wallet. i love great food and there was nothing great about the food i ate at mise en place.

overpriced all portions, but tasty. meant small

fennel aleppo pepper crusted scallops. very good! i could easily eat twice the amount!

took our son here for his 21st birthday, food and service very good, house speciality lamb entree was good but over cooked (more medium than medium rare) but still tasty . nice relaxed atmosphere for more a la carte restaurant.

dessert. i want just want to say the banana foster bread pudding dessert was just amazing one of the best desserts i have ever had. can't miss

i got a steak also it was a bit overcooked i would not order again but the sides were great and so was the wine. can't miss here.