restaurant orsay

all verygooduntil i got to the main entree. orsay was coming off as advertised all evening. it started with a wonderful selection of pinot niors, some willamette valley selections that were even off my radar, and i thought i was fairly well versed in the oregon valleys pinots. narrowing a selection was fun.

the appetizers also came off well, as mention by one reviewer, the roasted oysters were not exactly nola style, that much flame would have shrivelled these away to nothing, but the combo of local bacon, spinach, cheeses and the like were still very tasty.

the escargo were also a big hit with our dates. the girls did mention near the end that another order of the escargot would have suited them just fine. much to my delight they polished off the first batch, and managed to not get in a fight of the last one! the sauce (i believe was garlic based was the key), received many more flavorable comments on the base used for the escargot compared to the base used for the mussels.

the bread for these sauces also was a hit, i believe it was from french pantry as another reviewer mentioned.

the whole evening was barreling along nicely until the main entree rolled out. tried the lobster pot pie. all the ingredients were slightly over cooked, but tasty until i got to the lobster. probably just sat in the little crock pot it came in too long and was very chewy in texture.

alerted the waitress to the situation, who had been charming and on-point all evening (well except for my dates tea), but nothing was still done. it struck me to talk to the manager, but did not want to put a damper on what had otherwise lovely evening.

the pork chop was very well received by my wine expert, who also gave orsay a flavorable review of their wine menu. best meal he indicated he has had in awhile.

my date had the trout for an entree, coming from the northwest, the girl knows her trout. i found it very well seasoned and flavorful, but maybe slightly overcooked, or perhaps i am just use to the really fresh fish out of our local waters.

really ashame, they just missed at the end. will likely try orsay again someday, probably just not anytime soon, not a place i am going out of the way for.

god bless and here's to a little hospitality!

buddy-

orsay was ok. i was waiting in anticipation to eat here after hearing about it. we had 5 pm reservations for a saturday night, so i thought we should be in before any rush. i hate to say, the food was mediocre despitegoodservice. i guess we ordered the wrong thing-- my husband had the lobster pot pie-- the server told us it was with a biscuit, not puff pastry, but the biscuit tasted 2 days old. i had the ribeye special which was stuffed with foie gras. it was tough and not agoodcut of beef. the biggest problem was that the food was only lukewarm. the server apologized and brought us dessert, but i don't think i'll want to spend over $100 for ok food again soon.

1st visit will not be my last!. wow - first visit and can't wait to visit again. made reservation for next visit before leaving from the first visit!

stopped in without a reservation and was treated as if i were a regular with a standing reservation! seated promptly and well taken care of through the entire meal!!! server, patrick, was a delight and gave me some reallygoodsuggestions - i even let him pick my dessert for me and it was a winner!

i look forward to my next visit and am sure this will become a 'go to favorite' for me for many years to come!

slow service,goodfood. we've eaten at orsay several times and consider it one of our favorite spots for special events. my daughter wanted to eat there for her 16th birthday. we met friends there on sunday night. slow night for the place; only one couple at a table inside, a few at the bar, and some folks on the patio.

service was very slow initially. somebody brought us water and the waiter checked in quickly and left before we could order drinks. someone refilled our water glasses several minutes later and was about to leave before i said that we would like something more than water.

several minutes later after that, still nothing. we waited over 30 minutes to place our drink order and order our food when this place was essentially empty.

now, my daughter likes mr. pibb. the place doesn't sell it but apparently they sent somebody across the street to purchase some at the convenience store for her to have with her meal. huge points for that.

food was excellent as always as were our drinks when they finally arrived.

yes, we will be back. but, folks, you got to get drinks out to keep the crowd happy. that's just basic.

wonderful. have not had french food thisgoodsince we were in paris...and probably not then. we have decided this may have been one of our best meals ever! first time, won't be our last.

birthday with family. was a nice restaurant. waiter: john. very pleasant and witty. my brother arrived way late. never felt rushed. witnessed a stuck up prick behind us giving lip about the food "taking too long" (not true). basically, was looking for something for free. manager calmed him down and did not fight.goodjob.
beef strog and lobster pot pie - awesome. steak tar was agoodapp.

best dining experience in a long time. verygoodfood, service and booze!

best filet in jax andgooddrink menu.

i've had several great dining experiences here. yes, some misses but generally great. recommend the filet mignon, steak frites, haricot vert salad, sea scallop tartar and creme brulee. their cocktails are some of the best in the city. very goodservice, although a little over-attentive at times. a server once took my drink that was sitting in front of me before i had finished. love their happy hour and the ambiance is great.

a great dinner out. took the recommendation of agoodfriend 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.

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-----

asgoodas it gets in the bold new city of the south. for jacksonville this is a verygoodrestaurant. 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 a dinner for 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 agoodthing. 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 providegoodfood andgoodservice.

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.

one of two best. along with bistro aix, the best in jax. great specialty drinks, varied and delicious menu,goodservice. after these two, the rest not worth visiting.

good food,goodservice. we went there for my b-day dinner. it wasgoodfood,goodservice. a little pricey for me but we had a $50 gift card and it was my birthday. the best part of the meal was the dessert, i had the chocolate espresso cake i thinkit's called and it was the bomb diggidy!

incredible. very posh, trendy atmosphere. worth the drive from any part of town! it was the best food we have ever eaten in all of jacksonville. each meal tastes asgoodas it looks- spectacular. as you dig into each dish, the combination of flavors surprises and delights you. everything we had was incredible. price is relevant to the amount of food and quality of service you recieve. the only negatives were that there weren't enough desert options (if you have room for it!) and the parking is terrible. i would trade the negatives for the food any day of the week, however!

watch the frites. i really love orsay the decor the friendliness of the staff and management and i hate to say anything negative. but...the last time i was in the frites were cold and soggy. i guess i should have said something, but i didn't, the mussles weren't thatgoodeither, i don't know if they were undercooked? or overcooked? they were stringy and you couldn't get them out of the shell. i imagine i should speak up next time, but i really expected more for the $$, perhaps it was just an off day. i will be back to try them again and next time i will speak up if something is wrong, i just wonder why the server didn't ask why we didn't eat the appetizers? i'm probably asking too much, maybe they thought they would embarrass us?