(336) 884-3474
osorestaurantgroup.com
Two Thumbs Up
Jason's Take
O'so, which took over the space that used to house Aquaria, is by far the most upscale restaurant we have visited so early in this blog adventure and it was a great treat. The meal was destined for greatness from the moment Jon and I took our seats because the waiter said, "Would you guys like some wine? Tonight is half price wine night." We ordered a bottle of Layer Cake Shiraz, a nice choice considering the beef Jon and I would both eat and an awesome deal at 13.50 for the bottle.
As I sat sipping my wine I couldn't help but notice how well the decor complements the atmosphere. The decor is dark wood, fairly modern, and the place is dimly lit. However, there is adequate lighting at each table so you don't feel like you are trapped in a cave. The music isn't much of a factor because the chatter was very loud. However the loudness adds to the character of the restaurant. Because of the chatter and the walls around each booth you feel like you are isolated and a conversation at normal levels is very possible. The place is upscale yet you don't feel as if you can't be yourself and get funny stares if your group laughs too loud at a joke.
The food excellent both in taste and presentation. I started with an oyster salad, which can be substituted for the regular dinner or caesar salad for 3 bucks. This upgrade is well worth the expense. You get 3 fried oysters on a bed of greens with mushrooms, onion, tomato, and cucumber. The dressing is a very tasty bacon vinaigrette. The salad also comes with bleu cheese crumbles but since I enjoy eating bleu cheese about as much as I enjoy eating rancid tuna salad I asked for the salad without the bleu cheese. For my meal I got the special of the evening and it was special. It was sort of a layered dish including sliced beef tenderloin (mid-rare), crab cakes, potato cakes, and fried green tomatoes, all drizzled with a roasted red pepper aioli. This was, as best as I can put it, dank! The beef was tender and flavorful, the crab cake is excellent, almost all meat and the potato cakes are just amazing. The potato cakes at Oso are basically fried mashed potato pancakes and they are as good as they sound. Jon's meal looked equally amazing and because of the quantity of food, dessert was skipped...but the list looked excellent.Guys, if you want to impress your lady, take her here. Anyone, if you want to have a great meal at what I will now consider one of the best restaurants in High Point, you must check out O'so. O'so combines great food in a casual atmosphere, and the prices aren't bank breaking. My meal, including wine was 30 bucks. If I were an octopus I would give this place 8 thumbs up.
Jon's Take
I don't usually drink wine, but how can you pass up half-priced anything? This is how my first trip to O'so Tavern began. The place was packed on a Wednesday night and it had a great active atmosphere. It was noisy, but not so noisy that you had to yell across the table or anything. We received friendly service from the start and, speaking for myself, I wasn't disappointed the rest of the way. This place has a nice bar, but it's only open until 10 p.m. so it's really a restaurant.
The menu has a wide variety, from Italian to beef to chicken to seafood and vegetarian. Everything seem to have its own twist. In addition, there were seven signature entres that were all very interesting. I went with one of those -- the Saucy Tips ($14.29). I got a side Caesar salad with the meal, but this was a big mistake after seeing the concoction that was delivered to Jason's side of the table. The Caesar was fine, but his oyster salad looked spectacular and I will definitely get that for the extra $3.00 next time.
I was slightly disgruntled about the salad, but I was very gruntled when my meal arrived. The steak tips came with peas, mushrooms and a tasty Marsala-style sauce (I'm not 100 percent sure if it was Marsala) over a generous portion of mashed potatoes. There was also a rich white topping over it, I'm not sure what it was but it was pretty good too. It was a great meal overall. I was very satisfied with both the quality and portion...it was the kind of meal that I used the last of the bread to sop up what was left on my plate.This all went with the Layer Cake Shiraz, which I found very good but I'll be the first to admit I don't know much of anything about wine, except to tell if it's red or white (this was red). But if it's half price, I'll order it again on my next trip to O'so.
