restaurant orsay

excellent food and service. early valentine'sdinnerwith my wife. very knowledgeable waiter, and excellent food. ordered the special (grouper), and my wife had the pork chop. we will be back to try more of their menu!

can orsay be topped? maybe only by itself!. haddinnerlast night as part of our 18th anniversary celebration. excellent from top to bottom--food, drinks, atmosphere. mark did an awesome job with his libations. the croque madame was outstanding! everyone in the place helped make it a very special night for us.


-----21 jul, 2014-----

brunch and happy hour!. have not yet had a chance to do a fulldinnerthere--but that will change. have had the sunday brunch and a few different happy hours. what else can i say but impeccable. top rate cocktails, wine, oysters, shrimp, tartes flambees--i don't know what all else. the folks there are knowledgeable, skilled, friendly, and attentive. it is pretty much a can't miss experience if you go.

absolutely amazing!!!. my wife and i had our aniversarydinnerat orsay and it was a 100% wonderful experience. one of the best restaurants in the city..the food is of the highest quality, these guys are real chefs not just cooks. no question. most knowledgeable server i have had or seen anywhere. the owners and managers obviously take alot of pride in what they are doing there. fantastic!!!

worst service ever!. on a recent friday evening, we dined here with friends. we were seated @ 7:15, ordered wine and dinner. the wine came promptly. ourdinnerarrived after 8:30 - absolutely the worst service i've ever had anywhere!
my husband ordered whipped potatoes; the waiter brought fingerling potatoes. my friend ordered a side of spinach. it came to the table as we prepared to leave, arriving even after the complimentary desserts!
do desserts really compensate for time? i would never ever go here again.

high expectations not met completely:
easy comparison would be to the gold standard this side of the atlantic - balthazar nyc. orsay is on the learning curve, albeit on the ascent. orsay's "french" bread was mystifying as it had neither crispy crust, airy insides nor slight saltiness of a paris baguette. perhaps french pantry on our own powers ave can lend a hand in the bread department eh? the mussels, although immersed in a delicate wine sauce, were disappointing in their size; are not pei mussels more substantial/heftier than the baby/juvenile ones offered recently? the hamburger was accompanied by traditional frites, and yes the frites were outstanding but the hamburger bun was again, not "french". appetizer bread and sandwich bread nearly tasted store bought, not baked fresh and lacking crustiness and character. the omelet was however heavenly and pillowy but the eggs a la orsay were again on the tiny side; the hollandaise was a mere sheen to the tiny poached things and not a glorious veil over glorious orbs one expects of eggs benedict (but these are eggs orsay and is this why they are but a shadow of the benedict?). the pear tart was well made and the latte, bloody marys and the mimosas are all passable. the theatrics of wait staff passing around with specific duties was nice and one felt tended to, but orsay is a long ways away from balthazar figuratively, and orsay must start with its bread. pls give french pantry a call for professional help in the bread department. a last suggestion: make the regular menu available during brunch as although brunch was adequate, some diners may want to order from thedinnermenu.

a greatdinnerout. took the recommendation of a good friend and tried orsay for dinner. the atmosphere was upscale casual and friendly, the noise level in the dining area reflected a upbeat but calm vibe. our watier, matt, is what one hopes for but too rarely encounters, a server that really knows what the kitchen and bar is producing that evening, and what to ask to make informed recommendations. the cocktails were novel but enjoyable, focused on the taste and not how bizarre they could be.

the appetizers (a selection of raw oysters and the charcuterie plate) were perfect. the shellfish was plump and briny; the meat and cheeses were on point and well balanced. for the entree i had a pork chop that tasted like the pork my grandfather used to raise on his farm decades ago, succulent and full of flavor. my wife's scallop risotto successfully brought together the arugula, scallops, and risotto. and the banana bread pudding, the best.

each course, each dish contained a delicious balance of textures, tastes, and visual appeal. blend that with service staff (from the manager to the busboy) intent on providing the pinnacle of a dining experience; not ever rushed, and made to feel truly welcome. the end result, dining that far surpasses other more well known establishments.

we will be back. soon. and often.

great atmosphere, service was wonderful, food was spectacular. party of four ate around $156.00 before tip. we had three peach martinis(half off), three sodas, onion soup , side mac and cheese w/ black truffles, lobster pot pie, duck breast w/ parsnips and lentils, steak and frities, pulled pork sandwick and creme brule. best birthdaydinnerever.

fabulous experience. just wanted to note that i recently visited orsay again and had one of the nicest resto experiences ever. the service was friendly while diligent. while i had only wandered over to have 13 oysters and a glass of wine, the quality of the experience motivated me to stay longer and absorb two dozen apalachicola oysters and sample three different white wines. left me in a fabulous mood for the walk home and the rest of the evening.

a bit of follow-up. just visited ro for another delightful meal and was treated to friendly and attentive service and high-quality foods artfully prepared. i can't think of a more perfect high-end restaurant in the bold new city of the south.


-----15 jun, 2011-----

as good as it gets in the bold new city of the south. for jacksonville this is a very good restaurant. by big city standards, it is lacking. on the positive side, the service here is far better than the typical sloppy and informal offerings by most places in jacksonville -- even expensive places. still, you'll occasionally get the "how are you guys?" kind of banter from waiters, which absolutely makes makes me cringe, especially, when adinnerfor two is well into triple-digit territory. food seldom disappoints, although mrs. s. points out rightly that they have lousy cuts of meat. (a hanger steak, but no entrecote, for example.)

the place appears to have evolved from its faux french origins, which is a good thing. i have nothing at all against the french (except for dsk and some other creeps), i just don't need pay big bucks to be force fed edith piaf and pink martini, while studying a menu with all the accents aigus going grave and vice versa. it's better to forget about faking it and simply provide good food and good service.

the danger is orsay may go too far in the stateside american direction and become too informal. one thing i really like about dining out in france is that waiters there take the order, bring the food, and then leave you alone. none of that "how's your chicken?"-business every five minutes. (if i have a problem with the food, i'll let you know, thank you.)

on the negative side, noise levels are at time intolerable. pricing is uneven. an order of mussels for $19? i've paid less in new york and washington. as others have pointed out, the wine list is pricy.

not impressed. my husband and i had an early valentine'sdinnerhere. i had the filet, he had the pot pie...both were extremely salty. service was slow. we will not be going back.

a wonderful meal!. met two dearest friends fordinnerlast night, they had read about orsay, tried it out a month ago & enjoyed it. when we arrived the building wasn't very appealing outwardly, but reserving judgment my wife & trusted our friends. we joined them inside & the interior is very rustic, & basic. our first course was a cheese tray with 3 types of cheese that were delicious! second course, was spinach salad with sliced granny smith apples, bacon, blu cheese crumbles, & a light dressing. main courses were very good, i had "steak frites" which was a hangar steak, & fries, my wife had salmon with roasted veggies, our friends dined on "steak frites," (the wife) & her husband had "filet mignon with garlic mashed potatoes.
the food & service was very good, we will surely return with others friends that we will invite.

superb. my husband and i went with another couple for a nice adult night out and i couldn't have asked for more. our server was perfect, the food was excellent and the entire staff was friendly and seemed genuinely appreciative to have a restaurant full of patrons.

we had the escargot as a starter and the were so wonderfully rich, cooked and served in the shell with mushrooms. they weren't rubbery or gummy in the least and were fantastic with the bed of mushrooms they were served with. fordinneri had the ragout of lamb. while the sauce was slightly salty, the lamb itself was wonderfully seasoned and beyond fork tender and melt in your mouth. my husband had the cassoulet and was equally as impressed with the wonderful texture and flavor the duck, white beans and what we only assumed was poached andouille it was so tender. dessert was as exquisite and worth sharing around the table. even substitutions for personal taste (salted caramel homemade ice cream instead of butter pecan over bread pudding) was met with a very agreeable staff. we have been back since then and every time the food has lived up to its memories.

whether adinneror brunch, the raw bar, appetizers and drink or dessert we love this place.

love it here. i have eaten here at least 10 times this year, and it's always wonderful. the food is great, drinks are great (love the french pear martini's), and the atmosphere is so nice, love the loungy area in back.
highly recommend this place for any occasion, from romanticdinnerfor 2, or for a celebration for many. they also have a fantastic brunch on sundays.

exceptional. treated my husband to a birthdaydinnerat orsay, our first time there, and the whole experience was wonderful. great food, excellent service, beautiful surroundings. we will definitely go back as well as recommend it to friends and family.

romantic. my boyfriend took me to orsay for a romanticdinnerlast week. the place was sophisticated and it has got a romantic tint to it. they serve their water in clear glass former liquor bottles, very nice. the food was delicious, the bread, the butter, the waiter was stupendous. boyfriend went to the bathroom and the waiter came to refold his napkin, and drew the chair for him. i recommend it. prices are reasonable. we spent ~$65 for both of us, including desert.

c'est tres magnifique!!. went to "orsay" fordinnerlast night with my lovely bride of 11yrs, the food was most excellent, the service was superior and we even got dessert for our anniversary on the house, "vanilla bean creme brulee", highly recommend it. all around great choice, we will definately go back.