orbis, upper montclair

[scarlet knight]

I noticed that a new chef was posted in Rosie's 6/29 listing for Orbis--a David Conway from Hoboken. Is chef/owner Nancy staying on also? What's going on here? We're still reeling from Joceyln's turnover.

[Rosie]

All I know is that they have a new chef.

[cibo susci]

It is Matt and he will do a great job!!!! You sould go and check it out!!!!

[scarlet knight]

sorry i got his first name wrong and I'm glad to hear he's a good chef. But will he be replacing chef-owner Nancy or working with her? we like her abilities and the restaurant as it is currently.

[cibo susci]

No she is still the owner.

[Susan]

I spoke with Nancy the other day, and she said he will be working with her so that she can get a little time off.

[Rosie]

We ate at Orbis 128 Watchung Avenue, Upper Montclair, about 5-6 years ago and while it was good then it wasn’t good enough at the time to run back so fast. Well, we did get here tonight and I am thrilled to tell you that our dinner was fabulous. Matt—last name unknown—is the chef and cooked a flawless dinner for us.

We shared an extremely tender calamari that was served in a spicy Thai chili, cilantro, and mint sauce. It was a special and if offered be sure to order it. Entrees were a hanger steak served medium rare with a cabernet shallot demi-glace. The menu listed the steak as being accompanied with shoestring potatoes but I was served French fries. Lowell had an excellent miso marinated pork chop accompanied with mashed potatoes and asparagus. We shared a fresh peach cobbler with ice cream for dessert. With one cup of coffee the bill was $75. For reservations call 973-746-7641; BYO.

[pnapoli]

rosie, i'm glad you wrote in. i too had a really good meal at orbis about 6 weeks ago after having not been there in several years. your post reminded me that i need to go back soon. i loved that they offered so many specials -- was that also the case the night you were there?

[richl2214]

The new chef changed a lot of the menu around. Orbis has been given a breath of fresh air. Apparently he was hired from Hoboken and has many years of experience.

Edited September 15, 2005 by richl2214 (log)

[Rosie]

We were there on a Sunday and there were a few fish specials. The calamari was also a special.

[scarlet knight]

We are regulars at Orbis and we had our usual good meal there.

I had the hanger steak described by Rosie above. Be sure to order it medium-rare or rare. The cut of meat tends to be tough. The thousand french fries served with it will ruin your diet, but you will be in french fry heaven.

My wife had a roasted chicken stuffed with mushrooms and fresh tarragon. It came with fresh spinach and cubed potatoes. It was great.

We hate to give away the secret, but it relatively quiet on weekdays and it has a very relaxing atmosphere. It is like being on vacation. The servers are generally young women who are friendly, bright and helpful. For weight watchers, there are daily fish specials that you cannot recreate at home. Chef Nancy pops into the restaurant frequently to make sure everything is OK.

Unlike Downtown Montclair, parking is easy. I think it's one of the best New Americans in the area.

[Peter Conway]

We are regulars at Orbis and we had our usual good meal there.

I had the hanger steak described by Rosie above.  Be sure to order it medium-rare or rare.  The cut of meat tends to be tough.  The thousand french fries served with it will ruin your diet, but you will be in french fry heaven.

My wife had a roasted chicken stuffed with mushrooms and fresh tarragon.  It came with fresh spinach and cubed potatoes. It was great.

We hate to give away the secret, but it relatively quiet on weekdays and it has a very relaxing atmosphere.  It is like being on vacation.  The servers are generally young women who are friendly, bright and helpful.  For weight watchers, there are daily fish specials that you cannot recreate at home. Chef Nancy pops into the restaurant frequently to make sure everything is OK.

Unlike Downtown Montclair, parking is easy. I think it's one of the best New Americans in the area.

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Thanks for the reviews, we went to Orbis years ago when it first opened, but have not been back since. We'll give it another try.