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 theplacewas 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.

niceplacein 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.

sometimes very rude customer service and inconsistent food quality. i really want to like thisplaceso 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 aplacethat 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.

very disappointed. went to see what all the talk was about... i checked out the web, learned the menu, hours and location... i took the wife to the advertised brunch and theplacewas locked-up with no sign explaining why... did somebody die or something?

boring. the first issue i had was that orso felt a little unfriendly to the single diner. i stopped by early in the evening (5:15) and was given a terrible table even though theplacewas empty. they have this great wine app that looked like it would be a lot of fun toplacewith, but the waitress hovered over me waiting for me to make a decision on wine. at first i thought it was because i was only ordering wine by the glass, but then i noticed she did it to the other tables as well. she seemed to have a very "olive garden" approach to serving. she was trying to turn the early tables quickly.
i ordered the wild mushroom ravioli as my entree and it came covered in white button mushrooms and a very bland broth. the food was not bad, it just didn't taste like anything. the dish was really boring. i ended up eating only half, not because i wasn't hungry anymore, but because i was just so board with the dish. i had fully planned at having dessert, but after that meal i just asked for my check, at the delight of my server. i would not go back to orso.

peso is a greatplaceat happy hour for fine wines and tempting appetizers. i go there often. atmosphere is upscale and european in mood. great contrast to anchorage urban scene.

orso. both food and service keep going downhill, what used to be a greatplaceit is now mediocre. at lunch today only one person was running the entire bar area which made service slow, ordered salmon and french fries and i got a small plate with the salmon and a large plate with the fries, horrible presentation, will not go back

try drinks and appetizers. once again, i haven't tried a full-dinner here yet. but the once i tried orso, it was a decent experience.

we sat on the bar side and had no wait for seats, just for a snack and drinks on a week night and had a good time. the ambiance was mellow, the bartender was attentive (even using her iphone to find a recipe for a fellow barpatron), and the alaskan chorizo flatbread we ordered was really delicious and quite generously sized.

though my drink was a little too sweet (a personal preference), the wine flight my boyfriend ordered was reasonably price (less expensive than crush!). just sitting on the bar side for drinks and an appetizer was not more expensive than any otherplacein the city and had a better atmosphere. i'm excited to try orso for dinner, someday.

meh. yeah the food is good but it's not that good. it is pricy though.....the only reason i'd go there is to impress a girl....and the kind of girl impressed by thisplaceis not for me (read superficial, easily amused). sorry orso.

nice place. love the terra cotta paint color on the walls, fireplace (up and down), and art work. colorful, fun, and cozy at the same time. food and service is generally very good. good idea to make reservations. i give thisplacea thumbs up!

top shelf and casual. first time visit, great experience! anniversary dinner with my wife. i booked online easily, their site recommended nearby parking which was easy, reservation was on time and we were seated in the upper level. service was fantastic and they made special effort to celebrate our special event. steaks were amazing, crispy ravioli appetizer was great and the desserts were excellent. theplaceis not a pretentious suit and tie white table cloth type place. a little upscale but comfortable and casual. best dining experience i've had in the city. five stars from us!

our favorite. my boyfriend and i always do our date nights here. thisplacenever lets us down.

consistent food but slow service. thisplacehas been hit and miss for my husband and i. the service has never been stellar. sometimes acceptable and other times a bit on the slow side. also, hard water stains and spots on my wine glass. really? i just paid $9 for a glass of wine that your waiter suggested to me and you give it to me in a glass that has spots on it and smells like wet dog? at least the server was apologetic about it.

the food, however, has really improved lately. i would think that his has something to do with the addition of local superstar chef rob kineen (of noble's diner fame). good hire there.

also, though he won't admit it and tries to hide it, my husband is always gawking at all of the beautiful young ladies that thisplacemanages to round up for employment.

another plus about this restaurant: great fresh alaskan seafood in the summer. fresh salmon plucked from water and on your plate within 24 hours usually (according to our waiter). good to see local restaurants capitalizing on regional ingredients. especially a larger restaurant such as orso.

relaxing atmoshere. orso is a nice quite and pleasantplacefor dinner; good for dates. menu is selective but a little pricy. the semolina crusted calamari is quite tasty and the smoke salmon chowder is delicious; good for sharing. i highly recommend the alaska wild salmon and the lamb osso buco; both with great flavor.

our favorite couple spot. our first time we didn't know what type ofplaceit was. the family walked in after a day of exploring d/t and they treated us with excellent service and great food. we've been back several times (just the two of us) and always enjoy the meal and service.