Gretchen's Bistro — Restaurant in Oriental

I feel incredibly fortunate that my husband suggested Gretchen’s tonight, because I guarantee you that within 3 months one will have to have made a reservation well in advance to experience this exceptional restaurant.

The ambiance is inviting and beautifully curated. Tastefully decorated with contemporary artwork and comfortable furnishings. The hostess and wait staff were all very friendly, and the charming owner stopped by our table to chat for a moment.

None of that would mean anything without the food, though. And the food was absolute perfection. At our server’s suggestion, we started with a tomato and crab bisque. Amazing! My husband went on to enjoy the pistachio crusted scallops, served over polenta with green beans. I ordered an excellent salmon with dill sauce, accompanied by a boiled potato (I know that sounds a little meh, but wow! Fabulous!) and green beans. Everything was prepared perfectly, and tasted delicious.

To me, it is noteworthy that some of the decor in the second room included a signed menu and other items from The French Laundry in Napa. I could be assigning too much meaning to that, but I imagine The French Laundry is a restaurant that must be very special to the owners of Gretchen’s, and it feels like a hallmark of their aspirations for this restaurant in sleepy little Oriental.

Gretchen’s is the real deal. I feel lucky to have experienced it so early on (the owner said they’ve only been open for about five weeks), and look forward...

We went to the soft opening last night at Gretchen’s. It was a wonderful experience. The hostess was very pleasant and friendly. Karen Deaton was our server and she did a phenomenal job! Best service we could have ever asked for. Our meal consisted of the oyster Caesar salad, which was plenty big to share for two people and they did a great job with it. The dressing tasted fresh and the oysters were lightly battered in corn meal. It’s more than enough to eat as a meal on its own. I got the ribeye and they cooked it perfectly. I struggle getting my steak cooked properly because I eat blue rare or rare. They nailed it! It came with delicious green beans and a whole baked onion. It was great. My boyfriend got the grouper and it was a big piece of grouper served on corn and pineapple. It was very tasty and cooked perfectly. They also gave us homemade bread with the best butter I’ve had! I don’t like bread, but I did eat it with the butter and it was so good. Very fresh and tasty. We also shared the brownie for dessert and it came with homemade cream and vanilla bean gelato. It was decadent. We will definitely be back! Outstanding job for the soft opening! Also, the owner stopped by our table and all the others we could see to check on us and make sure we were well taken care of. It’s nice to see an owner truly care! For everything we got to eat, we spent 120$ before tip. It was well worth it. Give them a try, you won’t be...

Wow! Just wow. We can't believe we're in sleepy Oriental. Places like Miami, Denver and New York would have trouble keeping up. First, the place is absolutely beautiful and you immediately feel at home upon stepping inside. The staff is friendly and makes you feel welcomed and appreciated. We sat in the bar on a comfy settee and enjoyed wine and a cocktail while waiting for our table. Ok, on to the food. We started with a wedge salad. The lettuce was crispy and the dressing was superb. I did think it could have used a tad more dressing, but that was my only quibble. My wife's scallops were incredible. As tender and delicate as any she'd ever had, and so full of flavor. They were served on a bed of tasty polenta, and came with a side of crisp green beans. My 8oz. filet was superb. As good a steak as you would find at any big city steakhouse. And mixing a bite of the steak with a bite of the baked Vidalia onion was just heavenly. Our server, Karen, was attentive and a pleasure to chat with. All in all, this was a fantastic experience, and we're so lucky to have a place as good as this in Oriental. By the way, the patio isn't open just yet, but we sneaked a peak and it...