Kathryn K.
Yelp
This one really hurts me to write. We just got home from Orfila and I honestly feel like I wasted $100 on dinner (just 2 of us, no alcohol).
I called in advance to make sure my mussels were in and I was told they were, yay! So we put our name on the list and zipped down there. FYI, you can only put your name on the list about 15 minutes in advance. Luckily we live pretty close so this worked out for us.
Got there and we did have a table reserved for us, so we were seated promptly. Unfortunately, it was the table right next to the hostess stand, basically in the doorway between the entrance and the patio. A little breezy! We'd brought jackets in case we ended up outside so we were ok, but not an ideal spot. In fairness, they do also have blankets for your use if you are cold (the outside patio seating is often super cold, especially after sundown).
We checked the menu to see if anything was going to tempt us away from our usual burger and mussels. Nothing did, so we ordered. Awhile later our waitress told us the burgers were sold out and did we want something else instead? (At least it wasn't the mussels that were sold out after calling in advance!)
We swapped our order to add the lamb on polenta and a side of the fried artichokes in addition to keeping the mussels (ending up more expensive than our usual order), but my husband was uninterested in the lamb so this was our compromise.
Now, here's where things really went downhill.
The lamb came out. Alone. We sat for a bit, before I decided to go ahead and eat before it was ice cold. 3 little lamb lollipops off a rack over a bed of polenta. Extremely uneven cook - one was basically rare, another smaller one was pretty much well done. These were "ok" but not a great flavor and not very tender. The balsamic and pistachios mostly only flavored the bits right on the bone. The polenta was also "ok at best" - quite lumpy honestly, but a decent flavor.
We finished the lamb. Then we sat, and sat some more. A nice older gentleman asked how we were doing. I said fine, but we were wondering when the other 2/3 of dinner were going to come out. He went to check on it and brought out the artichokes which we started snacking on. He said it was "luck of the draw" on checking on them, but well, I have my doubts. He then asked what the other part of our order was - always a good sign.
The artichokes were alright, the aioli was less flavored than usual. It tasted like it was straight up just mayo tonight.
The mussels finally came out and they had far less broth than usual. A ton of broken shells, the flavor of the broth was just off. Normally I practically want to drink the broth - it's rich and buttery and complex. Tonight it was just a salt bomb with no other good flavorings coming through. The mussels themselves were tiny instead of nice and plump and a few tasted a bit fishy. If this was the first time I had them I probably wouldn't order them again.
Drinks sat with no refills, our waitress basically never came back to check on us until we were ready for the bill.
If this was my first time in I would not return. I am hoping they go back to their usual high standard in the future and this was just an off night.
One saving grace is their excellent white balsamic vinegar was in stock, so we did buy a bottle to take home. I always recommend picking that up if you're there.
Well, thanks for reading my saga of a sad night out!
