09/06/09

Good food, SLOOOOOWWWWW Service

by hthayer

I went to Orson with a group of foodies who are always scouting the best burgers. We arrived and were seated without delay, but that hardly mattered, since it was nearly an hour before we had anything to eat! After being seated, the waiter ignored us for nearly 20 minutes. He took our (very simple) drink order and disappeared. Eventually he reappeared and took our food order, but that was proably 30 minutes after we sat down. Then he disappeared again. After another 20 minutes and several inquiries about when we might expect food, the hostess sent toast, which was good, but which we devoured in about 30 seconds. Finally the food arrived. The burgers, with the spicy sauce and the truffle mayonnaise were exceptional. And the duck fat fries were delish -- but a warning -- I adore salt, love it -- and these fries were even a bit salty for me. After the main course (and I was still starving, having waited too long for dinner) some folks at the table ordered dessert, and we waited, and waited, and waited. Then we waited more for the check. And waited. Two and half hours for a dining experience is fine if the experience is exceptional and is moving along, but if it is just famished waiting, that is not okay.

Nice decor, we liked the burger, but the service means I won't be coming back.

• Pros: Duck fat fries -- yum
• Cons: Hope you didn't come hungry

05/18/09

Crappy food and service

by rakeshtondon

If you want to go to a cool place for cocktails, this is the right place for happy hour. Their fries used to be quite excellent, but now I just don't think there is anything else on the menu one can order other than the fries. Do NOT order their hush puppies. It is the single most disgusting thing you would put in your mouth - its so dry that if you have more than a couple, it almost feels as if you're completely dehydrated after a night of heavy drinking with a dry throat and bad taste in your mouth. Their egg tempura is gone which I was quite upset about and nothing on their menu is worth trying. Don't waste your money on overtipping the waiters/bartenders as they all seemed quite cocky based on my 2-3 visits over the last month and a half. Save your dough and go somewhere else...

• Pros: Funky decor
• Cons: Horrible food and service

12/15/08

Disappointing

by fmedzonsky

Perhaps it is a bad sign that we were able to get a table for 8 @ Orson on short notice. Unfortunately, the evening lived up to the low expectations. First, when we made the reservation, the hostess failed to advise us that a party of 500 (!) would be sharing the restaurant starting at 10 pm that night. Our group was planning to hang out after dinner with drinks and chat, but that wasnt going to happen once the masses started lining up. But that would have been forgivable if the food had been any good. Alas, that was not the case. Each person had a starter -- exploding ceaser salad; arugula salad or mussels. The mussels were pretty good -- fresh and in a thai coconut broth. The salads, however, were not dressed (note -- undressed ceaser salad is not good) and were something you could easily get for half the price at any cafe. The most egregious aspects were the main courses. For $25, I received THREE scallops atop a squirt of sweet potatoes. I mean seriously. During economic times like these, how can you serve something like that with a straight face. The dish itself wasnt particularly memorable. The scallops were seared; the mashed sweet potatoes were virtually liquified. Beef short ribs with pappardelle did not fare much better. Again, for $25 we received a small chunk of an inexpensive cut of meat (mostly fat) with about 10 noodles and a few ribbons of carrot. I'm all for haute cuisine and right-sizing portions ... but if you are going to charge $25 ... at least make the food tasty. The only smart member of the group ordered a pizza. It was good and a good value. To give credit where credit is due -- desserts, which the chef is known for, were quite good. If you go here ... stick with pizza and dessert ... or drinks and then go to Zuppa or COCOs down the block.

• Pros: dessert, cocktails
• Cons: mediocre food, terrible value

09/08/08

Great Space, Fun Bar and exciting food...really great place to host an event too.

by drummerkate

WOW, I couldn't disagree with these reviewers more...Great wine, phenomenal food in an amazing space. Been several times and it keeps getting better. We took our friends last Friday and they, first-time Orson guests, were very impressed too. We're all coming back for the Pig & Whiskey dinner in October! Keep up the good work Elizabeth and team. So great to have a hot place like this in SF!

• Pros:  interesting and tasty food, great bar and lounge, visually stunning, music
• Cons: can be a bit loud

07/29/08

Not for long

by sanfranj

This place is strange. The waiter was a server, but thought he was part of a royal court, that turned me off from the moment he approached; condecending and aloof. My short rib came in 5 hard solid large dice-like cubes, cold and swimming in a tastless foam. I just pushed it away. The hostess came by after the busboy cleared the table, as he must of alerted her a plate was not touched after everyone was done. She asked if anything was wrong and could she take it off the bill. TOO LATE. I PAID AND STAYED UGLY , I would of tried it hot or had something else if the waiter had seen I was not eating sooner. Everything had foam on it....enough already....i get it. They are trying to hard. What I found rediculous was some guy running around, probably the manager, serving food and clearing plates in his street clothes and hoodie. So unprofessional. This place is just off.

07/28/08

Trying Too Hard

by WGBLA

Innovation is great, intersting combinations delight the palate. But this .. I'm afraid they were just trying to hard. Short ribs with espresso beans produced a flavor combination that had me rushing to get the taste out of my mouth. The edamame was greasy and bland. The seasonal veggie salad was bland. This is not cheap, and not tasty, avoid at all costs.

• Pros: Interesting space
• Cons: Unpleasant tastes

07/24/08

Hmmm...... did we all eat at the same restaurant???

by Whiskey13

We just got back from my birthday dinner at Orson. I too was one of those people that read the reviews and almost changed my reservation to another restaurant. BOY AM I GLAD THAT I DID NOT!!!

I have to say, that after reading the reviews I thought that it would be good to try it, but to go the "Tastings Menu" route. I spoke to my party (4) about it before we even got to the restaurant because it specified that to get a "proper expierence" all parties need to be involved.

When we got to the restaurant (very accessible from BART) we sat at the bar and enjoyed the $5 drinks while waiting for our table. Oh and by the way, my girl in the back is saying "The Dirty Gin Martini is FABULOUSE!!!!!" anyhow, if quiet, intimate places are more your pace, this is not the restaurant for you. Some of the tables are a little close to the bar area, we let the hostess know that we wanted a table further away, which they were able to accommidate without any problems. We brought our own wine, as there is only a $15 corking fee, to enjoy with our tastings. Now since it was my birthday, and we wanted the true FULL expierence we went for the 70pp omniovre tasting. They had other options for tastings that started at $45pp.

Before I even start to talk about the food, I have to preface this with one person in my party is a "I dont want your fork ANYWHERE near my plate" kinda girl. We asked for extra plates and fresh silverware after each course, which they happen to do anyhow. We started with the soup shots, one cold, one hot. Yes they do come in actual shot glasses, but once again this is a tasting. Then moved into an octopus salad (think like taco, japenese sushi, tofu with baby bok choi. We then had one of everything on the Premiers menu! OH MY GOODNESS!!! I am still full! We also had the majority of companions! The farro, grilled peach, scallion, crescenza companion was to die for!

They left us with *8different desserts! ALL Wonderfull

Out of space or I ..

• Pros: A true education of the palate. If you really wanna try it, they let you.
• Cons: Can be noisey near the bar.

07/12/08

Go for the $5/drink happy hours and the hip ambiance, but stay away from the food -- ewww

by CityGrrl7

Really beautiful, hip urban interior but the service was atrocious -- we had to wait 20 minutes before someone came by to take our drink order, and another 20 minutes before he came back to take our food order. I'm a long-time foodie with adventurous tastes, but Orson's self-described "futuristic" food was just gross. Pimentos combined with chocolate nibs. Bland boiled short ribs floating in a fishy tasting "froth." By the way, Danube in NYC introduced the froth thing at least 8 years ago and it never caught on... And for dessert, anise sherbert with candied pecans and banana moose... ewww. And they had run out of pizza dough (with pizza's representing an entire 1/3 of their menu)... probably because it was the most accessbile thing on the menu. Drinks were equally comprised of ingredients that did not mesh. Go for the $5 per drink happy hours M-F and the hip ambiance but stay away from the food!

• Pros: Ambience, Pleasant service once they actually come over
• Cons: Awful food, equally awful drinks

05/16/08

While unfortunate, you need to avoid wasting your evening and your money. Shame on you Elizabeth!

by jeffhansen

I don?t know if I have ever been so personally insulted by a restaurant experience. While no restaurant critic, I feel that I have a fairly balanced perspective on dining out. I just finished an evening at Orson with a group of seven friends as a birthday celebration for one of our party. While several of us had either heard or read poor reviews , we were still excited to try Elizabeth Falkner?s newest venture. Our expectation was that for someone with Elizabeth?s experience, reported talent, and personal ties to the culture of San Francisco, perhaps the reviews of poor service, ridiculously small portions and equally ridiculous prices were missing something or at least were partially inaccurate. To our surprise, the bad reviews were only inaccurate by their sever understatement of just how bad this restaurant is. Condescending wait staff, $11 thimble-sized cocktails, entre-priced dishes not large enough to be considered appetizers, and a menu written to insult instead of inform, all contributed to a feeling of being completely and utterly taken advantage of. The only redeeming element was the interior design of the space. The straw that broke the camel?s back was when a $22 desert sampler was served that amounted to four smudges on a square plate that were hardly large enough to get a spoon under. And I?m NOT kidding! When a complaint was made, the server boasted about the two dry, tasteless cookies in the middle of the plate that the pastry chef had added as a special treat. Furthermore, when the owner was informed of our dissatisfaction, she simply stood at a distance, and did nothing to address the problem. As a resident of San Francisco, as a member of the gay community which Elizabeth is part of, I?m ashamed of her attempt to take advantage of her formerly loyal clientele and her efforts to give San Francisco dining a bad name.

• Pros: Beautiful space
• Cons: Poor service, over priced, rediculously small portions -- An insulting experience overall

05/16/08

So Bad

by eatinginsf69

Just finished dinner at Orson with several friends for a birthday dinner. I had read the reviews, but still wanted to give it a try. The space feels unfinished. Bookshelves with old books, not cool ones, and bad magazines. Our table was cool, red lacquer, but that was about it. The food was ok, service was pompous, and downright wrong at times. The wrong food came, some weren't served until after most were finished. The dessert was a complete insult. You get bigger portions from Starbucks samples. We gave our feedback to the server who passed it on to Faulkner, who did nothing. She did approach us as we were leaving, but her insincerity left us even more upset. Avoid this place at all costs.