This past Sunday Jason and Mark had the extreme pleasure of attending the first regular brunch at Orsay (3630 Park Street) and they say it was probably, no lie, one of the best brunches either of them has ever had. Jason started out with a Bloody Mary (extra spicy) and it was delicious. The cocktail came with an array of tasty veggies like cucumber, slices of jalapeno, a cherry tomato, a pickled onion and, of course, a celery stalk. The drink was basically an appetizer in itself. Mark had the much raved about Cucumber Lemon Zest Martini and reported that it was refreshing and the best martini EVER! Just ask anyone who's tried it.
Jason ordered the Eggs a'la Orsay, not your typical Eggs Benedict, this version is an English muffin with soft poached eggs, prosciutto, arugula, truffled hollandaise, and black truffles with pommes lyonnaise (an upscale potato hash of sorts) on the side ($14). All of the ingredients married well for a perfect meal, it was fantastic. Mark dined on the Jambon, a light and fluffy omelet with a generous slice of prosciutto topped with crème fraiche and chives ($12). A garden salad was served on the side with a light vinaigrette. They shared a side of Anson Mills Grits ($6) and Eden Farms Berkshire Bacon ($1.50 per slice). The Grits were obviously fresh and not of the dehydrated, in the box, kind. Course and hearty. The Bacon was otherworldly and was melt-in-your-mouth good. Click the links on both for way more information on just how awesome the bacon and grits were. Be sure to check out the full brunch menu underneath the pics.
39 comments:
Im interested in knowing how much the total bill with drinks and tip came to. Can you find out for us? Thanks
All the prices of the individual items are included in the post, and there's a copy of the menu...
So it would appear that brunch for 2 with drinks, 2 pieces of bacon and a pastry will run $60 -$80 with tip. You have to watch these a la carte menus, it really adds up.
We like Biscottis much better and you are not robbed. Orsay is way overpriced.
I like Biscottis, too. But 2 things: Full Bar & Raw Oysters. The drinks are not that expensive, and even if the entrees are a few bucks more, who cares!!! It's better food, better atmosphere and did I mention, a full bar. The only things that I would change personally - live music (reggae, funk, south-beach-jazz) and a beach view (kinda tough in riverside, but it's the only other thing that I miss - see what you can do Orsay crew). So open your wallet, spend the extra $10 and have a much better afternoon.
I couldnt have said that better myself. I would like to add that I guarantee you arent going to get the quality of prosciutto ham, berkshire bacon or anson mills grits at Biscottis or most other places.
it is still a $70 brunch and who can do that every week? It is not an extra $10 but more like an extra $30, really, you guys are so far up their butts that your judgement is clouded, I have heard that someone on your "staff" has a boyfriend who works at Orsay. And the quality of ham and bacon? come on, what a bunch of bull that is, you are just being grand. You really dont know what you are talking about.
I dont think any of our staff is dating anyone from Orsay but there are quite a few hotties there. Good eye.
well enjoy the tiny two pieces of bacon for $3 and a $5 danish, I wonder how much a glass of O J costs? If you dont get mugged in the parking lot going in, then you certainly will when your check is presented. We can have brunch at Biscottis for 2 for around $25. Again, Orsay will set you back around $70.
She wants her designer bacon;)
Damned designers!! I knew we shoulda gone to Peck and Peck.
Am I the only one that values the importance of a full bar on a Sunday afternoon??? Or do you go to Monte's after eating at Biscottis? What's your tab then?
I agree with the earlier comment, Orsay is too expensive for brunch
Brian from Orsay speaking. Lots of haters here :-)
Straight to business, somewhat in the order that topics were raised in previous comments...
BaconI suspected the "bacon by the slice" at $1.50 might create a stir, but I hate ordering a "side of bacon" and not knowing what I'm going to get, so it made sense to me.
Details on our bacon program...
We source the product from Eden Farms, a consortium of small family farms in Iowa. They produce 100% certified Berkshire swine, feed a vegetarian diet devoid of chemical additives, and follow sustainable farming practices.
We hand cut the bacon in house to a spec of 2 ounces, so two slices of bacon (three bucks) is a quarter pound. Shoot, order six slices and get an entire pound for $12.00. That's about the same price as a pound of premium bacon like Neuske's at the Fresh Market.
BiscottisBiscottis is a great restaurant, and Allan is a good friend. I go there as often as I can (usually a Friday or Saturday night, if I can manage to duck out by eleven or so). They've got a good, inexpensive brunch, but I have to call BS on brunch for two at 25 bucks (everybody seems to be using the "with tip" calculation in this discussion, so I assume you weren't breaking form in that statement, Anonymous).
Their average brunch entree is about eight bucks, and mimosas are $7.50 (culled from www.biscottis.net). So if you have two entrees and two mimosas, you're at $31 before tip - so $37 or $38 after tip, plus tax, let's just call it forty bucks, and given my experiences at Biscottis, certainly worth the money. But stating with certainty that "brunch" at Biscottis can be had for twenty five bucks when I charge $70 is hyperbole, and it makes me wonder what I did to deserve so much negative energy from you. I don't consider "brunch" to be two entrees and two cups of coffee - that's "breakfast", and The Fox is awesome at it.
The Fox is a great value, too, but they're different restaurants. The Fox is great, Biscottis is great, and I hope there are plenty of people that think Orsay is great too - we all just do things differently, and that brings a diversity of choices to the neighborhood, which I would hope, as residents of Riverside / Avondale, we could all agree is a good thing.
The Myth of the Seventy Dollar BrunchIs it a myth? Not really, I guess. For that matter, if you want to start with a dozen cold water oysters from British Columbia, then move into a couple omelettes stuffed with whole Maine lobsters and black truffles and wash it down with Grand Cru champagne, that would make my Sunday - and it'll run you way more than seventy dollars.
On the other hand, if you really just want a couple omelettes, carefully hand crafted with pedigreed ingredients, and coffee, that's cool too. You'll be out the door (after tip) for under $30. If you find yourself more in the mood for the lunch side of brunch, you can have a burger (currently made with nationally sourced grass fed beef, but soon to be made from locally grown, Duval county free grazing steers), on a house-made brioche bun, with a massive pile of fries, hand cut in our kitchen from real Idaho potatoes, with house-made aioli, for $13.
We put the same amount of work into everything we do, whether it's French fries or foie gras.
My goal is not to be expensive, but to provide value at every price point, whether it's a deviled egg with creme fraiche, Pommery mustard, and organic Portuguese extra virgin olive oil for $1, or something extravagant like a truffled four egg omelette with an entire lobster in it.
Sorry for the verbosity...
Argh. Html tags didn't work quite like the preview showed - please forgive the lack of a line break after each bolded heading. Life goes on...
I heard this Brian guy's parents are super wealthy and it is doubtful he understands what it is like for the rest of us who live on a budget and cannot afford the luxury of a $70 brunch.
Then like Brian said, "Two omelettes and a couple cups of coffee."
Maybe on your budget you should only try eating out once a month, then you can afford a $70 brunch, or just stick to McGriddles and don't sweat it.
Get real people, if its out of your budget dont go. It doesnt make it a bad restaurant.
Is a BMW a bad car because you cant afford one? No.
Reading these comments it is obvious that so many hear don't understand that if you want high quality organic food, you have to pay for it. If you want cheap food, head to The Fox. Mass produced food is cheap.
Typical though. Many in Riverside have made the choice to live a lifestyle that doesn't pay much but they still want to have access to the best stuff. Learn personal finance and lay off a guy who has put a lot of work into serving people good food.
That was a really great comment from Orsay. I myself am unable to afford having a $70 brunch once a week, but every once in awhile... why the hell not? I would much rather spend $70 and know I'm getting a high quality product from people that take great care in making it, then getting a McGriddle from McDonalds that may or may not have "something extra" in it. Everyone should be able to splurge every once in awhile. If you don't like what they're charging, don't go. $1.50 for a slice of bacon is not uncommon at a lot of places. At least it's not greasy & burnt, or undercooked & inedible.
Thanks for the great response Brian, and whoever said "I heard this Brian guy is wealthy".... that statement is ridiculous.
What a bunch of bull, you can have a great brunch for a fraction of the price at so many different places, and you would not be able to tell the difference with the "pedigree" and "organic" ingredients, thats just silly, I bet if you taste tested the regular bacon and designer bacon you would not be able to tell the difference. This is just a trick to charge inordinately high prices, and the fact of the matter is that there is no market for this, they will either have to change the pricing or close for brunch, just as Crush did, they tried the same thing and it din not work. These are unique times in our nation's history and they are way out of step.
Hey editor, we get it, you like them, but after reading all the input here from your readers most disagree with you, and yes, Brian was overheard bragging that they are "not going anywhere" because his parents are so wealthy, they sold a lot of Texas Instr. stock and are flush with cash, I heard that Chew's business is diminishing too. Pastice and Biscottis are much better values and their owners are not arrogant.
Sorry, but only about 8 out of the 24 comments here are negative, and from what I understand this blog has 1000+ original hits daily, so I dont think "most readers" disagree.
If you dont like it, dont buy it, let it go. Why waste so much time hatin'? Geez.
Editor: Nobody said Brian was wealthy, the reader said his parents were wealthy, but who cares! This has nothing to do with the price and of eggs. All others: If they want to charge $70 for breakfast let them, and let whoever can afford it go there and enjoy their food. All others, go to the greasy dinner down the street and stand in line outside the street for the $5.99 breakfast.
We had dinner at Orsay (3 of us) on a Friday night and the food was very good, service too. I noticed that there were many empty tables so our server was able to take good care of us. I have to say that we were celebrating my friend's birthday and had taken her there as a gift, but wow, the check was a lot more than we had planned on spending, it was over $200. While the experience was a nice night out, I would not recommend Orsay to anyone who is concerned about dropping some serious bucks on dinner.
If you cant afford it dont buy it people. Its not like the menu is void of pricing and they make it up at the end.
Now THATS a good comment!
Good Day,
I hope all is well with everyone and with those for whom you care. I am drowning in work at the moment and would normally refrain from social arenas that promote negativity and personal slander. This stated, I trust this site will not fall into that category.
For years as a G.M./Wine Director in various restaurants as well as a student of life, I understand the ease of perpetually displaying negativity. I now refer to it as weakness and character flaw. I also understand how drama is always the flavor of the day. All life is a continuation of High School. Please do not use this forum for a perpetual slander.
I would like to speak to you (Anonymous). My cell is 9046513768. I will buy your Brunch at Orsay and am certain I will enjoy our conversation. I trust in this as I am an advocate of Orsay. I remain confident that Orsay's tremendous composition of flavors, aromas,textures and attention to detail will provide us with an unparalleled dining experience, well worth the cost.
I have commitments this Sunday, but will gladly sort out another date, if you would.
You should always express yourself as you see fit and necessary. I only hope you will allow me to do the same, free of charge and hostility.
Enjoy all of your time,
Chris Armstrong
Fine Wine Merchant
E-Commerce Director
www.villagewine1000.com
M:904.651.3768
E-M: ChrisA@VillageWine1000.com
Grow up, thats life, deal with it
We like Biscottis!
I kinda like cheese.
Three things:
1: I've had 3 BMW's, and they were all gigantic pieces of shit. So whoever used that as an example isn't doing Orsay any favors.
2: $70 is not a lot for brunch, especially if you're having drinks.
3: Sorry Brian, but $1.50+tax per single strip of bacon is utterly ridiculous, and while I understand your logic, that is just bound to backfire. There is a fine line between pricing a high-end product accordingly, and making your customers feel nickel & dime'd. I'm afraid this steps over.
OMG, $70 for brunch? Im afraid to know how much a dinner for 2 would be there....., try Pastiche!
OMG, a $70 brunch? I would be terrified to see a dinner bill for 2 at this place, I am surprised to hear this Brian say he is friends with Biscottis' chef Allen and then trash their brunch, who needs friends like that, hey Brian, what goes around comes around quicker than you think. And good luck with the brunch thing!
Is Pastiche open for Sunday brunch?
brunch is amazing, dinner is fantasic, the drinks are perfect. everything at orsay complients itself. the atmosphere, the service, the chef, the owners. you get what you pay for. in this case you get a wonderful experience whether you go for a glass of champagne and an appetizer or a full course meal. if you dont want to pay for top quality and service then stop bitching and let those who are willing to enjoy a fabulous meal!
I understand that your brunch was comp by Orsay. If that is true you need to reveal that at the outset of your review. That seems to be the ethical thing to do. It is your blog so it is up to you. If this is true of other restaurants your reviewed the same comment applies
Try Orsay between 3pm and 7pm - best happy hour in town!!! I get an amazing glass of red wine for $3 and oysters at half price. We are new to the area but honestly, Orsay is one of our favorite stops.
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