So last night my husband and I had 8 pm reservations at Orsay for our 5-year anniversary.
We enjoyed a cocktail at the bar first. Our bartender Jackson was friendly, quick and easy to talk to. Best of all, he made a great drink! I had a Bellini and a Pear Martini and Brett had a Classic Manhattan. This was our second time to Orsay - we were there one time before during the soft opening. Both times he has sworn they make the best Manhattan in town, hands-down.
The restaurant was full but not packed and we were seated on time for our reservation at a nice, private table. For appetizers, we had the Marinated Calamari and Hudson Valley Foie Gras. The Calamari was served cold seafood salad style with diced tomatoes and olives in a very light Italian-type dressing. It was really tasty and refreshing. Think Bruschetta without the bread. This was about the 4th or 5th time I have had Foie Gras (duck liver) and each time it has been served differently. My husband mentioned that Orsay's taste almost like breakfast and I have to agree. It was served with a slightly sweet homemade bread (they call brioche) and roasted pears. Overall, the dish was great, I think I have just come to the conclusion I am not a huge Foie Gras fan. And for $22 there are other appetizers I would love to try. It doesn't make sense to spend that much on something I am luke warm about - but I had to see what Orsay had to offer on this popular dish.
For entrees, we had Braised Duck Leg served with white beans and Andouille Sausage and Filet Mignon served with Asparagus and Mashed Potatoes. The Duck was amazing, super tender. Some people may be taken a back at the fact that there are a lot of beans and only about 5 oz. of meat... but anyone who orders duck frequently knows that you will get a small portion. My Filet Mignon was also wonderful and cooked to a perfect medium rare. The asparagus were flavorful and prepared just right - sometimes they can be a little on the crunchy and stem-y (Is that a word?) side.
I almost forgot to mention, our waitress Natalie was excellent. Best service ever, she was helpful, friendly and didn't rush us.
I give Orsay an A+. For just two entrees you are looking at $60 + tip, not including appetizers and drinks. So while it was wonderful, it will only be a place we visit on special occasions as we did last night.
For another review on Orsay, please visit Jacksonville Confidential.
About Me
- Steph Bewley
- I live and work in Jacksonville, FL and want to use this blog to promote everything I love about it.
Thanks for the great review - well written, informative, and - best of all, from my perspective - positive :-) I'll certainly share it with Jackson and Natalie as well.
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful you chose to spend your anniversary with us, and pleased that my staff executed their duties so well. I did want to take this opportunity, though, to make a brief comment about your closing statement with regard to our prices and your perception of Orsay as a "special occasion" restaurant.
A lot of thought and planning went into our menu, and wine list as well, with regard to avoiding that pitfall. As a chef, I certainly love to work with expensive, luxurious ingredients like foie gras and truffles, and I feel that those are must-have items on a French-inspired menu. But I take just as much pride in a perfectly cooked omelette as I do a beautifully seared filet mignon. Being mindful of the fact that we're located in the middle of a neighborhood, I've written a menu that I hope offers you one thing on a casual Tuesday night, and perhaps offers you something different on a Saturday night on the town (or a five year anniversary!)
On the less expensive end of the menu, our hamburger is made with naturally raised grass-fed beef from Rosas Farms down in Ocala, it comes on a house-made bun, with a big pile of french fries that one of my prep guys cuts every morning right after we have coffee at about 10AM, and it costs thirteen bucks. Steak frites, our omelette, croque madame, Carolina trout with glazed haricots verts and Marcona almonds - these are all under $20, and - honestly - some of my favorite things on the menu. My personal current favorite meal is a bowl of onion soup and an order of steak tartare, which would run $19.
Crystal, our GM and wine director (and my wife) maintains a similar philosophy with the wine list. Sure, there are a few old bottlings and a few premier cru Burgundies and a couple first growth Bourdeaux, and those bottles start out at "pretty expensive" and run up to "wow". But our house wines, which change constantly depending on what really good wine we can get at a really good price that week, are five bucks a glass or $20 a bottle, and they always represent incredible value. Which is really what it's all about - expensive ingredients and expensive wines are, well, expensive - and sometimes that's what you want. Our goal is to offer value - a great experience, well executed food, excellent service - whether you're having a meal like the one you enjoyed last week, or just joining us for a quick bite.
Thanks again for the great review - I look forward to meeting you next time you're in.
Brian Siebenschuh
Executive Chef
Restaurant Orsay
brian@restaurantorsay.com
Nice review and thanks for the props!
ReplyDelete