orso

brunch 05/09. we have been in anchorage less than a week, and after reading the reviews for orzo on this site, decided to try it.

so glad we did!

this restaurant will become one of our regular visits. nice ambiance - you can hear the kitchen, we enjoyed hearing the process - this is not hell's kitchen... it is a very civilized experience. smart casual was the general dress and feeling.

the food was well prepared and service punctual, but not hurried - even though the place was busy for mothers day. our server was friendly and well informed on the menu, but not intrusive.

our selections were: the cinnamon bun between us, eggs benedict and the seafood crepes, followed by molten chocolate cake and tiramisu. i would recommend the bellini with the crepes - the cream pesto sauce was a very good match of flavors.

we came away very satisfied with the food, service and ambiance. well worth the time.

i've been here twice now, both times for a special occasion. i was very impressed the first time which prompted the second visit. the food was delicious and everyone was happy with their dish. the server could have done a better job of listening when we ordered. the only down i have is actual from one of the young ladies who seat people. she was wearing a tank dress that showed her bra both in the front and on the sides. i felt that her level of modesty was lacking and could be improved. other than that, i will return again.

absolutely amazing food, and the service is top notch! it’s pricey, but in the end it’s worth it. my wife and i had the chicken parmesan, whiskey flight, martini flight, calamari and a salad. everything was perfect. for a special occasion, when you need a date to go off without a hitch, you can count on orso!

great salmon chowder!

nice place in dt anchorage. i went to orso for dinner because cafe paris looked at me, said all tables are booked, and you can eat at the bar. orso was right down the street, and a good choice.

they let you sub menu items in and out which is nice. i had halibut with lemon butter, creamy polenta seasonal grilled vegetables. i also had the orso house salad. everything was good and the halibut was nice and fresh.

the salad could have been served with the dressing on the side and it would have looked much better.

restaurant was nice a had a warm atmosphere inside. staff was very helpful and attentive.

i'll start with the positives: many of the starters and small plates are tasty and the salmon nicoise is one of the best meals i've had anywhere (excellent cookery and light and flavorful.) cocktails were perfect. cons: overall the menu relies on too many breaded, deep fried, or heavy dishes, even for alaska. i was curious if they could pull off the crab stuffed rockfish and they cannot; poor concept that perfect execution won't save (fish was overcooked and dense.) service: food came out like a fast food restaurant. apps took 5 minutes and we were still eating them when the mains came. water glasses sat empty for 30 minutes and dirty app plates weren't cleared. restaurant was half full at the start and 3/4 full by the end so no excuse for the poor service. we would've stayed for a second round of drinks if not for the wham bam thank you sir and ma'am service.

i've been here several times and only been less then wowed once. i'm saying it was just an off night that night. crispy fresh calamari and the king crab corn dogs were gone in a second. the mixed drinks are good and the steak is always a good choice.

excellent service calamari appetizer was very tender also the clam chowder was full flavored with small drop vegetables. the crabcakes was excellent the recommended rock fish platter would be highly recommended.

sometimes very rude customer service and inconsistent food quality. i really want to like this place so i keep giving it extra chances. i have honestly hoped that when i have had a bad experience there that it was just an anomaly but unfortunately i think the truth is the odds are similar to flipping a coin. sometimes the food is great, sometimes it’s bad. sometimes the customer service is okay but often it’s not (especially more recently). i’ve had errors made on my food orders and drinks; have had rude customer service (feeling really rushed, food servers or bartenders with bad attitude that acted like they hated their jobs, recently a waitress that hung out at a couple tables flirting with groups of what appeared to be business men in their 50’s or 60’s - looked like she was flirting for tips while ignoring her other tables, have overheard foodservers gossiping or giving customers dirty looks from a distance (no joke), pretty unprofessional stuff for people working in people oriented careers). for the prices, the food should be consistently well prepared. the seafood dish i had most recently was very greasy (floating in butter). portions were very small which would have been okay if the fillets were good quality cuts but they were not. they would have been better suited for fish chowder chunks (seriously). why do i want to like this place? i’m not sure, maybe it’s the cozy atmosphere or the location, but it’s had a few chances too many. time to move on to a place that has consistently good service with employees that are welcoming and pleasant and dependable quality and well prepared food. too many other food choices in anchorage to settle for this.

so good. there in september. loved our times and loved the food. remembering the fish chowder. my college roomie doing what she does best, visiting and talking with others.

we had an excellent meal at orso! 5 stars in our book. the flavor combinations were interesting and delicious and the service was outstanding!

great food. very nice atmosphere, great king crab legs, soup, salads are fresh and well done

disappointed. appetizer: king crab & scallop corn dog is extruded ground material that was fried.
tasteless & greasy. most expensive appetizer on the menu & recommended by wait staff.

entrees: halibut on risotto-buttery/greasy, but tasty.

grilled chicken salad. chicken overcooked. no seasoning.

mojitis: good

service: good

i'm not going to say i didn't like it. the food was better than good. nice wine and beer list too. service was the issue. we wanted to order small plates. starting with the caprese salad and moving on to other dishes. unfortunately the other dishes came first. our food was delivered by the manager so we explained that our salad had not been served yet. he went to check and let us know it was all rung in at the same time. he was nice about it, comped the salad with an apology. all of that was fine. the problem is after that our server completely ignored our table. no refills for water. she simply brought the bill and said thank you. it was odd because we weren't upset and we had planned to order more food. she simply shut down our experience.


-----15 mar, 2011-----

the appetizers are great. a large, unique select that is more like tapas than apps. the win list is impressive if short. a nice select of flights available and generous pours. we tried the fried ravioli, filet w polenta and the risotto crab cakes. the service was friendly and attentive. all together a great experience.

horrible service, but good food.. i got the chicken fettuccine while my gf got the loaded mac n cheese. my dish was just as good as olive garden's, and my gf's dish was very filling. here's came with a small crab leg that was perfectly cooked. but then it came time for the bill, me and my gf literally waited thirty minutes to get our credit cards back. we could have dined and dashed and they would not have even noticed, we were seated far from the door.