We had the extreme pleasure of attending Orsays (3630 Park St.) soft opening Tuesday night and we were really pleased with both the food and the ambiance. They were offering a scaled down menu for the soft opening, but there was still plenty to choose from.
The attendees were Jason (The Editor), Robin (JC Photographer), Joe(y) (from Compound Graphics), and Julio.
We, of course, started out with drinks. Joe(y) and Julio chose the house red wine which was pretty tasty and Jason tried out one of Orsays specialty cocktails, a Cucumber Lemon Martini. The Martini was awesome and refreshing.
Next up were the appetizers which we all shared. We had the Escargot - Lemon, herbs, garlic butter fondue, Shrimp Cocktail - Poached wild local shrimp, house made cocktail sauce, fresh horseradish, Sea Scallops - Roasted beets, truffled goat cheese, citrus vinaigrette, and the Cheese Plate - Goat Cheese, Brie, and Blue Cheese. All of the appetizers were prepared traditionally and perfectly.
After we reminisced a bit our server, Kim, escorted our entrees to the table.
Robin had the Prince Edward Island Mussels entree - White wine, garlic, butter, thyme. The mussels had a great texture and the "juice" was delicious. Kim brought out extra bread for dipping, there wasn't a drop of juice left. The dish also came with a side of crispy fries and home-made garlic mayonnaise.
Joe(y) enjoyed the Carolina Trout - Glazed haricots verts, toasted Marcona almonds, lemon brown butter vinaigrette. All that was left was a thin sliver of fish skin. Nuff said.
Julio chose the Croque Madame - Spiced pork shoulder, broiled Gruyere, baguette, roasted garlic cream, fried egg. Our server described it as a "deconstructed pork sandwich", but it was so much more. "Enjoyable" according to Julio.
Jason had the Duck Breast - Lentils du Puy, cippolini onions, roasted duck jus. Honestly, this was probably the best dish at the table. The duck was cooked to a perfect medium.
Finally, General Manager Crystal Vessels treated us to a dessert sampler consisting of Profiteroles, a warm Chocolate Souffle with Peanut Butter sauce, Creme Brulee, and Bread Pudding with Banana. The stand-outs were the Bread Pudding and the Creme Brulee, a fight almost broke out at the table over which was the best. We decided on a tie. The Chocolate Souffle was also delicious. Profiteroles are Profiteroles, nothing spectacular.
As we left, we stepped around to the side parking area to check out the Orsay mural done by our good friend Grant Thornton.
Overall, we had a wonderful experience and want to thank our server, Kim, who took great care of us and to Crystal for inviting us out. We also shared a few moments with one of the other owners, Jon Insetta, who was making the rounds in between expediting. Looks like Orsay is going to do very well and we will definitely be back for more.
4 comments:
It sure would be nice to round out your review if you actually told people where the restaurant IS?? they may appreciate it also. like located at 101 Bullshit St.in historic, quaint, Gay Valley
Wow to the last comment... have you ever heard of google?
wow to the last comment, indeed. Are you angry at the restaurant for serving great food? the blog for being informative and funny? the neighborhood for being culturally diverse and interesting? or are you just unhappy in general?
Ask and you shall receive, all reviews updated with addresses.
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