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Mon-Tue. 11:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Wed-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sat. 12:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
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I celebrated a relative's birthday for dinner at Orso the other night. Appetizers started off well with good 4/5 calamari and very good italian vegetable/chicken soup 4.5/5.
I should have known better than to order paella in an Italian restaurant but I did and needless to say I was very disappointed. The seafood paella was very bad 0 out of 5 stars. The presentation was a watery looking sauce with sauteed seafood (overcooked shrimp, scallops and king crab) all on a bed of overcooked orzo pasta. The second I saw the dish I knew it would be terrible. Looking back, I should have returned the entree.
I should say I have had the opportunity to taste unbelievable paella in Spain but regardless of that fact, the entree was terrible and at $25.50 was overpriced as well.
I have eaten many meals at Orso most of which have been in the 3 - 3.5 star range but if this last meal were the only visit, I would have given Orso 2 stars. I'm hoping that it was just an off night for a restaurant with a lot of potential.
I have to re-do this rating. I used to LOVE this place. My husband and I would come here at least once a week "in the day".
The last time I was there, a few months ago, I hated the seafood sandwich I had and it really made me feel bad that they made something so badly. I started to wonder about the place...but this time I decided I HAD to have their fantastic chowder and that would make the memory of the crap I got last time fade. I was sure the place would be fantastic again! The place was not busy but I, a woman dining alone, was scuttled off to the bar area where you can seat yourself if you wanted to. I thought, "If I wanted to sit in the bar, I would have just walked in and sat down..." Instead of protesting I thought I would try it out. What the heck, right ? Usually they give you a choice. I wasn't dressed shabbily so I was sort of concerned about the bum's rush I got to the bar, but hey...I really wanted that chowder.
I sat for ten minutes as the bartender did her drinks and stuff and realized there was not a waiter for this section. Nobody acknowledged I was even there. I saw the bartender go to a table nearby and she avoided eye-contact with me. When I saw the ten minutes on my watch tick past, I simply got up and left. Totally unnoticed. No chowder.
I won't be back.
Lunch review only. I've been twice recently and enjoy any place with a decent lunch special. I… Read more »
I have no choice but to give this spot a solid 5 stars. Why? I had the very best piece of fish in my life... so far!
Plodding through Anchorage, passing up on the TGIFriday's and the Golden Coral Buffet, which looks like a breeding ground for Swine Flu, and who knows what else - we came upon Orso. A kind of posh looking place, with attentive servers and well dressed hostesses.
Orso was packed, but they gave us a hefty booth - and began stuffing us with bread. All good!
I had the Cashew encrusted halibut, with a sweet but not overpowering cream sauce with capers and robust golden raisins. Holy lord. The fish was moist, flakey, and melted in your mouth - literally, NO chewing required. The sauce got a nice textural boost from the plump golden raisins which offered a surprise pop with each bite. Somewhere on the plate was a mound of couscous with red peppers, all flavorful and excellent. Also enjoyed the Orso salad, which was a generous bed of fresh greens, slathered in tangy cream dressing, feta cheese, an array of nuts and seeds. DELISH. No good meal is complete without dessert, and Orso finished strong with a lovely rendition of a molten lava chocolate cake, extra whipped cream please!
Besides the whale watching, bears, and the majestic glaciers with circling eagles - this was the best time I had in all of Alaska.
I'm terrible at writing timely reviews. I actually started writing this a while back and finally got around to finishing it. Anyway...back to the review.
This is one of the best restaurants that I've tried in Anchorage. They were busy when I went, but my friend and I were able to find a seat at the bar, so we ate there. The bartenders were really nice. We started off with their shrimp cocktail. Then I had their Insalata Orso. It was REALLY good. I never thought that I would enjoy a salad with fruits, salami, and candied pecans, but I absolutely love it.
Great food, service, and ambience. Probably one of the best restaurants in Anchorage. It's a little pricey, but worth a try if you're in town.
Simply the best meal I had in Anchorage during my short visit. For lunch I had the smoked salmon chowder to start, followed by the grilled salmon with steamed broccoli. It came with a complimentary "sweet treat" desert which was an awesome bite size piece of flour-less chocolate cake with raspberries. I asked for special preparation of my meal which was graciously accommodated. During the summer months they make an effort to utilize locally grown produce, which, as a locavore, I really appreciated. A great experience.
I've been to Orso's twice in the past couple of months. The first time I ordered Cashew Crusted Halibut and found it only OK, pretty bland and dry. I had recently made a wonderful Halibut dish at home, and so I was especially disappointed. Two weeks ago I went with a small group and discouraged anyone from ordering the dish. This time I ordered the Mushroom Ravioli. Though it had a great flavor, it was pretty dried out, as if it had been reheated in a microwave.
I feel Orso's is overly priced for entree's like these that are only OK. The desserts I've had are wonderful and at this point, that's the only thing I'd order.
my friend and i were up in alaska working and on the way back from attempting to drive up to denali, we were looking for a place to eat in anchorage. lucky we found this place!
we felt comfortable with the decor and had great service... we weren't dressed for any dining experiences outside of mcdonald's, but didn't feel out of place because other guests were thinking what we were thinking.
i ordered the cashew-crusted halibut. and then before we went back to seattle, we made a special trip back to order it again.
...it was also the first time i had couscous. and it won't be the last!! ...very light, flavorful, and dreamy. yeah. a dreamboat. =]
Nice enough place, but just not very much was especially memorable, with one exception: the creme brulee.
Very interesting recipe, with rice and fruits, like currants and orange rind, in the custard. Very rich and tasty.
Service was slow.
If given a choice, S&S, BrewHouse or Marx Bros. would win out instead. Even a Humpy's crab sandwich would win out instead.
Orso's
Downtown location in Anchorage -see phone-book for address and phone number.
It reminded me of a small restaurant in Italy, with cooking in plain view. I tested it then, was impressed with the quality and low prices. The prices have gone up a bit, but the value is still there, compared to other similar places serving the same food at much higher prices. Pastas are especially good, and unbeatably low-priced.
They use fresh tomatoes and extra-virgin olive oil, garlic & basil in many dishes. Soup of day, cup or mixed salad is a good choice.
Four and a half stars. It was so good, we went twice! If I lived in Anchorage, this would be one of my go to places.
For starters, the service was wonderful on both visits. We were a group of ten and both times they accommodated us (once as a walk-in, once with a rez) and the service was attentive, friendly and on-the-ball.
The food was - in a word - amazing. All ten of us enjoyed our meals both times. I had a halibut special that was served with polenta, a tomato corn salsa and feta. DELISH! Great summer dish. The second time I had the seafood gemelli which was to die for. The pasta was fresh and I could not stop eating it despite being much too full. Also had the salmon chowder which was excellent.
The decor is reds and browns, very comfortable and cozy. It would be a great place to visit during long, dark Alaskan winters.
We had a hard time finding great food in Alaska, but this was by far one of the best.
5 stars because this restaurant attracts all the Californians and Texans. I am a Californian by birth and sometimes I cant even stand myself. I couldn't imagine being an Alaskan (not that anyone in Anchorage is actually an Alaskan) and having to deal with Texans and Californians. So they built Orso and they all go there and give it good reviews on Yelp so their friends can go there when they visit AK.
Too bad its only 3 stars by SF/NYC standards. I'd hate to offend the palates of New Yorkers. Hard to imagine they could taste anything through all the soot they breathe anyway. Oh yeah, but its 5 stars for Anchorage though cause Alaskans wouldn't know a 5 star meal from McDonalds. Whatever. I'm going to get back to my pilot bread/cream cheese/smoked hooligan sandwich because typing this has made me hungry.
This place came highly recommended by coworkers as well as Brewhouse but since Brewhouse was packed tonight, our choice was Orso. The interior is classy, it reminded me of Icon Grill in Seattle. They have what they refered to as the "fresh fare" which serves the specials for the week. I ordered the fresh halibut which came with vegetables and the soup of the day which was spicy bean and veggie soup. The food was good, done just right. I also had the tiramisu which was good. Maybe I'm a pig... I wasn't overwhelming full like others, I felt comfortable full when I was done. Could have not shared the dessert... oh well~
As my first meal in Anchorage, Orso did not disappoint. While not perfect, I found the service to be gracious and my water was always filled (granted I went there for lunch at 12 on a Saturday). The server brought out the tomato and basil soup by mistake, which was very delicious until I realized that I had ordered the seafood chowder, which was then brought out (not as good as the tomato basil soup).
I was very impressed with the main course of a piece of pepper-crusted salmon cooked in cedar plank in a honey-soy glaze. The salmon was cooked perfectly and had a great taste to it, although the pepper crust was a bit much at time as there were bites where all I could taste was the pepper.
The decor is fun and it seems like there's an extensive drink menu there. I was impressed with the seafood dishes, not sure what anything else is like though.
I love fattening Italian food. Especially cream sauces. And Orso takes care of that need in a very bad way. Their portion sizes are enormous and since the food is always delicious, it is hard to stop yourself from going overboard.
The decor is nice, though it feels as though they're trying a bit too hard. The deep, dark wood really sets the mood for a romantic meal, but for some reason large groups like to convene here. Probably because the wait at the Glacier Brewhouse is too long and a) it is right next door and b) the two places are owned by the same people so they figured it was a sure thing. The upstairs is gorgeous also, with the staircase really making a statement.
The service can be hit or miss which is very disappointing in a nice restaurant. Nevertheless, I never leave there hungry and usually have plenty to take home anyway. The seafood is always fresh (though you'd be hard pressed to find not fresh seafood in Alaska) and cooked to perfection. I definitely recommend anything with shrimp--deliciously plump and juicy.
Be aware that parking downtown can be miserable--especially in the winter. They do, however, have the horse drawn carriages waiting outside in the summers if you'd like to complete your evening with a romantic stroll through downtown.
Our coworkers in Anchorage told us to dine here over several other choices and I'm soooo glad we listened to them.
The service was excellent. They were very gracious about accomodating our party of 8 in the lounge, and our server was very friendly and made sure that we had prompt refills and very good service. I loved the vaulted ceiling in the bar/lounge.
The lamb osso bucco melted off the bone, and I greedily ate every bit of it. The antipasto and cheese plate appetizers were delicious. My entire group had a great meal.
We had a horrible evening here, start to finish. Our server completely lost interest in us once we declined to order drinks. Our food was dry and overcooked. The attitude of the staff was beyond snooty.
You're out of water? Too bad. None for you, you stupid non-drinkers.
Hey, how about a pile of parsley on EVERYTHING so it overwhelms each dish? OK!
to top it off, the cioppino had a boatload of spinach in it. WTF?
I was so disappointed by every aspect of our experience here. We had a fantastic meal at Jens and wholeheartedly recommend them.
3 stars by SF/NYC standard, 5 stars by Anchorage standard.
One of the better places for a meal around downtown Anchorage. However, during our visit, the shrimp was overcooked, the fish tasted like it was made from frozen rather than fresh, and they screwed up my order so I had to wait 20 minutes watching other people eating and finishing their meal before I could even get my entree. Decent salmon chowder but a tad heavy on the sodium. Service was good, though. Didn't stick around to try dessert because we were too stuffed.
Reservations needed, especially around cruise season.
Orso is a large restaurant with an interesting menu, generous portions and a large wine list. We especially enjoyed the halibut. The Tiramisu was huge but bland. All this good food is delivered fast so that you can be done in 45 minutes, which may be what some people like. I didn't. I especially did not appreciate getting the check with the dessert (to save time?).
The service was attentive for about twenty minutes and then we were neglected until the check.
Orso is a large restaurant with an interesting menu, generous portions and a large wine list. We… Read more »
I can't stand people who give places like this a terrible review so it doesn't show up as one of the top places in the area. Thankfully, my family lives in Anchorage so they were able to tell me how good this place was.
I am not pretentious, nor am I easily annoyed, so I didn't mind the fact that my food wasn't brought out as quickly as possible. However, the waitress, knowing that we had waited 20 minutes for an appetizer, decided to not charge us for it at all.
The chowder is the best I've ever had. Pasta was also exceptional, especially considering it didn't cost much because of their lunch specials.
We all have fond memories of a meal so spectacular that its aroma and flavors remain with us years after we enjoyed it. My all-time favorite was consumed in St. Gertrud's Kloster in Copenhagen, but I won't be able to share the details until yelp goes global. Our dinner here ran a fairly close second. The Tuscanesque decor is in keeping with the Italian-inspired preparations of Northwestern/Alaskan favorites. Seating near the bar area is noisy, but there are small alcoves, bathed in soft lighting, that are conducive to conversation at a normal volume. We started with orders of fennel-roasted clams with thick slabs of garlic bread, perfect for sopping up every last drop of the lemon-herb broth, and lightly fried semolina-encrusted calamari with a sun-dried tomato aioli for dipping. For a second course, we shared an order of perfectly al dente gemelli pasta sauteed with what appeared to be a full day's catch of Bering Sea scallops, shrimp, rockfish, mussels, and clams in a garlicky cream sauce. The entrees continued the seafood theme - grilled wild Alaskan salmon was topped with an olive-tomato salsa and served with oven-roasted potatoes and a slaw consisting of slivers of fennel, horesradish, and fresh oranges, while a cashew-encrusted filet of halibut, bathed in a golden raisin-caper sauce, was accompanied by sauteed spinach and roasted red pepper couscous. We generally skip desserts, and common sense - and a vaguely stuffed feeling - told us this time should be no exception. But we feared the waiter would be reduced to tears if we ignored his recommendation, a carrot cake rich with dried apricots, pecans, and mascarpone filling, and flavored with oatmeal stout from Glacier Brewhouse (http://www.yelp.com/bi...), where we had lunched earlier in the day. We were the ones nearly reduced to tears by its sublime flavor. With tax and tip, the tab totalled $110, a rock-bottom bargain by Alaskan pricing standards and an amazing deal for a meal this sensational, no matter where it was served.
Great place to dine and the food is delicious! I recommend it to locals or visitors to come here!
Excellent service. Truly fabulous 'Halibut with Raspberry-shallot Butter over Watercress, and a Lava Cake with intense chocolate flavor that is to die for. Prevalent but not obnoxious Tuscan theme. The bar has a really cool thick marble slab counter top. Oh, and heated toilet seats in the ladies' bathroom. Vegetarians beware: that fantastically creamy polenta is loaded with chicken stock!
Another great place for girl's night!
The food is good, but not fantastic. Depending on your palate will determine just how exciting your meal is. Their fish is much better than much else. There are options for pretty much everyone, including vegetarians and those with gluten intolerance. But it's overpriced, definitely. The service is fine, but again, not great. The cocktails are fun and different from many other places in downtown, much more inventive for sure. Appetizers and dessert are also tasty. Make reservations in the summer. This is a great place for a private event in the off-season. You may be able to book the whole upstairs for your function. We did and it was great... very enjoyable.
i like the atmosphere. i little... quite for my taste. i usually like high energy. i find it weird to not have a TV in the bar. but to each his own i guess. the service was passable but not out standing. the food was great but too coverd up. i mean there was too many garnished and stuff on my plate i like the food to look good. but i want it to satnd on its won.
Anchorage, AK
Category: American (Traditional)
Anchorage, AK
Category: Restaurants
Anchorage, AK
Category: American (New)
Anchorage, AK
Category: Steakhouses
Anchorage, AK
Category: Steakhouses
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