Ways & Means Oysters

Returned using a gift card offered by management at a later date after the first visit. Went for brunch at 10am. We were the only diners for a bit.
Somehow, the staff knew I had been there previously and was unhappy (they said as much). Staff went out of their way to be accommodating. We ordered a Bloody Mary, mango iced tea, fish and chips and steak hash.
The drinks were great. They make their own infusions and everything tasted fresh.
The fish and chips in his visit was completely different than last! It was a hearty portion– 3 large pieces. A generous scoop of mushy peas which were addictive and a large bowl of skinny fries. It was all cooked perfectly. The accompanying tartar sauce was homemade and citrusy with dill and I couldn’t stop dipping the crispy fries into it.
The steak hash didn’t fare as well but the eggs were perfectly cooked as requested. The filet in the hash was very dry but maybe that’s the way it is.
All in all it was a very tasty meal with great service and worth a trip for brunch (and any other meal).

Another place to get fresh oysters! Good thing here is there is no minimum purchase, so you can mix and match as you please.
I came here with a groupon for 3-​course dinner and wine pairing for two. I had no idea this place existed in old town Orange! Parking is available in a private lot in the back; then you have to walk to the front of the restaurant to get inside. There’s an oyster bar immediately when you enter; host is to the right. The seats looked really comfy at the oyster bar! There is also a bar in the back!
The oysters were not part of the groupon, but I wanted to get some anyway. I wanted paradise oysters, but they ran out, so I tried the naked cowboys and malpeque. I liked the cowboys so much better. The malpeque are the skinny ones with no meat: P Market prices are ~$ 3 – 4 each. Not too bad.
For appetizers, I tried the prime rib ravioli and truffle poke. The ravioli was delicious, but not something I’d order again — three pieces just aren’t enough, hehe! The poke was fresh and would be something I would order again. (I pretty much love anything with avocado!!) For the main entrée, I had the coconut curry clams & mussels and pork belly. The curry was lacking in sauce and had way too much rice for my liking. The sauce was great, but I wish there was more. I had to dig at the bottom of the dish to get more flavor. The pork belly was great; I liked the combination with the corn because it’s crunchy. The meat could have been softer; I think it was on the lean side. For dessert, I had ice cream/​sorbet and a chocolate cake. They had 3 ice cream flavors: bourbon, vanilla, and chocolate. They had several more sorbet flavors: mango, passion fruit, strawberry, and raspberry. We chose mango and passion fruit sorbet, and only the mango was good. We both didn’t like how the passion fruit was sour! The chocolate cake was yummy — the inside was more like a brownie and was surprisingly cold. The chocolate ice cream & cookie bits were a great addition.
As for the wine, we had reisling, cabernet sauvignon, and a sparking wine. I am definitely not a vino nor an expert in this area, so I am just going to say that they were ok. I would not come back for the real price of the wine pairing. $ 50+ per person is too much spent for someone like me who doesn’t fully appreciate wines.
Overall dining here was a good experience. Since I made it in time for the last reservation, my party was pretty much the only one left. We had all the attention we could possibly ask for! We had 3 – 4 different servers waiting on us :) I am not sure how it is during rush hours, but everyone seemed polite and happy. We did have trouble understanding one of the guys but only because he had a heavy accent. For the groupon deal/​price, dinner was good. I would only come back for more oysters! (note to self: call ahead for availability of oysters!)

I think Ways and Means has a lot of room to improve but has the capability of being one of the nicest restaurants in Orange. Nice restaurants in Orange are hard to come by, and Ways and Means definitely tries to fill that spot but falls short in some areas.
Food was okay. There are four types of bread that you can select, I think they were: tomato basil, curry, white, and Guinness. The Guinness bread, the dark one, is by far the best one.
Oysters were decent, neither great nor bad with the exception of one. That one had a wonderful shitty taste, no literally, it tasted like poop. It’s funny as another Unilocaler has mentioned this same thing. As for the food we got the fish and chips and seared ahi tuna over coconut rice, both were good.
I would say there are just a few management problems. One was not disposing a used wine bottle to the bar or kitchen, instead it was in a small waste bin right by our table. Another was that we were given several menus when we sat down for lunch. I ordered the seared ahi tuna but was told by the waitress there was a small possibility that I wouldn’t be able to order that because it is from the dinner menu. In that case they should just keep the menus separately and not even give me the dinner menu at lunch time. Fortunately I was able to order my dish. Another was that the waitress wasn’t aware of what or wasn’t available for the day in terms of oysters.
A lot more has to be done in «sprucing it up». It was a little apparent to me that they did not hire an interior decorator and took some leaps of their own.

I really hoped this place would be good! They are literally are about a mile from my house and I really wanted a place I could go to frequently and enjoy some champagne and good oysters.
Unfortunately, the oysters were just OK. I started with the half dozen (the Kusshis), chef’s choice, for $ 10 and a glass Veuve for $ 10 (both part of their Fizz Friday special). We also ordered the kumamotos. Both the Kumamoto and the Kusshi were just OK. I’ve had better. The naked cowgirls, on the other hand, were pretty good.
We also ordered the ceviche. Not good at all. Very under seasoned. I think the chef forgot to put salt and lime in it. I had to ask the server for both. It came with fried plantains, which were rubbery and also bland. I def do not recommend this dish, especially for the price we paid.
The silver lining was our server. I think her name was Esther. She was a doll. Very cute and quick-​witted.
Their bread was just ok. The brown one, made with stout or beer, was more like cake. Not bad tasting, but def sweet.
I don’t know if we will be back. Considering how expensive everything was, I expected a lot more.

The likelihood of me returning to Ways & Means is not so high.
I came here with a group of 8+ for a birthday party. Reservations were made and we could only be seated for 2 hours since another large party was coming in around 7.
To start, I had a couple selection of oysters. The general consensus around the table is that the oysters aren’t that great– they average in price from around $ 3 – 4. The birthday girl ate one oyster and exclaimed that it tasted like a porta-​potty; not good. The waitress observed it and said it might have been the wrong oyster that she ordered and promptly brought out another one– it seemed like it was hard to get rid of that taste after that. There was also a complimentary oyster given to each person, but I wasn’t a big fan of the yogurt that came with it.
PROS
— My short rib and mushroom risotto dish was probably the highlight of my meal. The meat was cooked nicely and the risotto was the perfect texture.
— They have a unique bread basket here– the sundried tomato?, curry, and the dense brownie like cake bread were all favorites at the table
— The beach/​ocean like décor
CONS
— As I mentioned, being known for oysters, they weren’t enjoyable that night and I’m a huge lover of oysters
— Little bang for your buck; the price point seemed to not reflect the portions (see photo of fried clams, I wish there was more of this because it was good!)
— Overzealous servers trying to clear our table every 5+ minutes as we ate
I think what did it for me was probably the fact we had staff hovering… actually hovering isn’t the appropriate word because that implies somewhat moving around us, but literally standing behind our back as we were calculating the bill. I completely understand that we were up on our 2 hour time slot but do you think standing behind us while we do the math is going to make us go any faster? On top of that, saying «we could have asked for separate checks» is hindsight 20÷20− we came to dine at your establishment, not get lectured.
Persoanlly, this was really what left the porta-​potty taste in my mouth.

Went back recently as a guest of the restaurant for lunch to sample a special two-​course meal that was to feature locally grown produce from the Old Towne Orange Farmers’ Market. Since I heard that they were somewhat slammed when I last went during OC Restaurant Week, this was an opportunity to see what W&M is like on a typical Monday…
As a Unilocaler, I appreciated the extra attention that I received sitting solo up front at the oyster bar. There was another patron sitting at the end of the bar that may have been a guest of the restaurant like I was but I didn’t plan that. The rest of the dining room had diners from all walks but not nearly to capacity. From my vantage there were many lobsters being ordered at a steady rate, the likely reason was that there is a $ 9.99 Maine Lobster promotion every Monday til they run out. They have something promotional everyday of the week so be sure to check them out…
Starting off with the bread service, the sun-​dried tomato and the curry/​apricot were interesting and tasty, but dry. The best by far is the Guinness which was as moist as cake…
My first course was a Warm Goat Cheese Bruschetta with arugula, cherry tomatoes, a Balsamic reduction, and sunflower seeds. The toast was marginally thin which worked well when trying to cut through it with a fork and knife and the goat cheese offset the bitterness of the arugula and the firm sweetness of the tomatoes. Good call btw to halve the tomatoes so they don’t go rolling everywhere. Though minute, the sunflower seeds add a nice extra crunch…
The main entrée was Fish and Chips beautifully laid out with a spring pea purée, fresh garden watercress, and a lemon wedge. The fish is a deep fried beer-​battered halibut which had nice color and seasoning in the crust, the portion size was approximately three thumbs worth. Halibut is dense and flaky, and is one of the more common choices for fish n chips along with tilapia, I would have wished for something with a little stronger flavor like salmon to be used. It was an interesting choice to serve pureed peas since the fish was not particularly crunchy in texture, fresh whole peas would have provided a better bite when compared to the fish, maybe shelled edamame could have worked. I enjoyed the presence of the fresh watercress and thought it was really nice. I’m glad that the chips were not crowded on the same plate and they were nicely done as well. The course was rounded out with a pedestrian tartar and ketchup on the side…
I was surprised that my meal included a dessert as well, a nice Strawberry Trifle in a fancy martini glass. On the bottom there were macerated strawberries covered by a layer of Mascarpone custard, and topped with fresh sliced strawberries covered with a strawberry gelee and whipped cream with some sort of crushed nuts I think. Standing tall was a white chocolate wafer for added effect. I could have easily finished the entire dessert but I was happily satisfied with ¾’s of it; It was not too sweet…
Although I was offered wine and coffee throughout my meal, I was content with just having some regular water which was never half empty in my glass. My server Victor and the manager Lauren saw to it that everything was handled smoothly, in fact everyone I encountered was congenial. Service has been exemplary on each of my visits…
I doubt that I would order these dishes again on my own in lieu of a $ 10 lobster deal or $ 2 fresh oysters, but I think the fresh produce from the local farmers market does make a positive difference…

My friends and I wanted a place to grab some oysters. We were tired of King’s. Shucks was way too crowded and full of young hipsters last time we tried. Where to go?
My friend set up a birthday party get together and located Ways and Means near the circle in Orange. Great… all set, here we come.
The place is in the old Coco’s building… fun! Grabbed a seat and ordered the Naked Cowgirls, some Plymouth Rocks, and a bottle of Bollinger. We got the Naked Cowgirls because they were the biggest and quite frankly we like big, briny oysters that taste like the ocean. We ordered the Plymouths at the suggestion of our server, Kenny.
Man! Those Plymouth Rocks were just the best, most flavorful little guys! Simply fantastic. The other dishes ordered in the group were very nice: lobster mac n cheese, lamb shank w/​lobster add-​on, tuna bolognese (delish), and a few other items. All very nicely prepared. Only one complaint — don’t waste your time with the ½ lobster. It’s ridiculously tiny and not at all worth even the ½ price add-​on special. Just don’t do it.
The chipotle corn was terrific and the breads offered at dinner were very tasty. Especially good was the curry bread. They are pretty small and they should probably leave the bread tray at the table rather than doling them out singly from strolling service trays.
Dessert was bananas foster and bourbon ice cream. The portions are sparse although the foster is nicely caramelized.
Almost forget… there was a complimentary «first bite» item which was incredible.
All in all this could be a wonderful place. The oysters are better than the entrees in my opinion. The place is sorta throw-​back cool and slightly tending toward sterile ambience, but it’s somehow a part of the charm.
I’d give them higher marks but the price is simply not justified. The entrees are considerably higher-​priced than they ought to be. There are some good dishes here to be had. In full honesty, although the lamb shank was tender, it was somehow bland and lacked the richness that one could find elsewhere in a good Mediterranean restaurant at a fraction of the price.
I’ll be back for the Plymouth Rocks for certain. However, I think I’ll save my money for entrees elsewhere. I hope they succeed and in their success they temper their wonderful place with a price adjustment.
All in all worth an exploratory visit to sample the wares and make up your own mind. My next visit will be oysters only during the happy hour pricing time frame.

I came through for OC Cocktail Week and it was pleasant. It wasn’t anything spectacular and I thought they needed a LOT of improvement.
Because their specialty is seafood and oysters, I couldn’t leave without trying their oysters. I went with 6 of the Dirty Beach Light and 6 of the Naked Cowboys (when I ordered 3). The verdict? I felt like I was chomping on rocks every other oyster. Such a rude awakening from Ways and Means. It put a damper on my experience just cause I had to fish out shards of shell. For how much they were, I EXPECTED a lot better — a cleaner oyster. As for flavor, I recommend the Naked Cowboys. Not very briny and a light, sweet after taste.
Thankfully our server, Aaron (I hope I spelled that right), really saved the night. Although service time was really lengthy in between orders and food, it was a relatively packed house around 8pm. Aaron was knowledgeable about the menu — especially the oysters, so it definitely helped our decision making along with his fav recommendations for drinks. All the drinks were fabulous! I’ll pass on the oysters next time haha.
I would probably only return for drinks and not dinner. See you at the bar!

I came here for OC Restaurant Week with a reservation. As soon as I walked in the door, a guy who appeared to be the manager said to me, «We’ve been waiting for you.» Such an inviting greeting! We were promptly sat at a table and recognized another manager as having worked at Disneyland at a time when we used to. This set the tone for what ended up being an exceptional experience at Ways & Means. We ended up getting a dozen oysters + 3 more (naked cowgirl, naked cowboy, mermaid cove, Kumamoto, and something duck salt). I loved the Kumamoto the best, but they were all really good! They were out of the Fat Bastard, which what we really wanted to try. You can’t come here without ordering an oyster or dozen!
I ended ordering the hot oysters (yum! With a bit of spice!), the lamb shank (super tender and easy to cut through, I didn’t even need a knife), and the crème brûlée (speaks for itself). Everything was well portioned, especially for a tasting menu. They had 4 different kinds of breads too. We each had a glass of the Rhone. Our server was awesome, and we ended up taking a picture with her and the manager we recognized.
They told us about a new thing they’re offering: $ 9.99/lb lobster starting on Monday! They have Happy Hour from 4 – 6 PM, and industry night on Wednesdays. I’m in!
An overall good experience with amazing food! We are definitely coming back next Monday for the lobster feast!

Went here for the first time for a friend’s birthday with little to no expectations. Our server was great, the food was above average but what knocked 2 stars from 5 was the Manager. We ate about $ 900 worth of food and liquor (with tip) during 2.5 hours and when it was time to cut the cake, they wanted to charge $ 5 per slice. (There were 11 of us) I understand $ 2~$ 2.50 but $ 5 seemed way overpriced. We were recently at Morton’s and they cut the cake for free. By the end of it, we didn’t pay for the $ 5×11 (85 degree’s $ 30 cake) for the principle. For a $ 55 service, they lost a potential repeat customer. (I would have returned for the oysters, prime rib eye, mac and cheese, risotto and the home made garlic bread.) But not anymore.
Hope the servers get to keep all the tip and none of it goes to the manager because we tipped nearly 20% for the server’s great service not the manager’s unwillingness to compromise.
Oh. It was Oscar night and the place was pretty empty.
Update: Thank you for replying to my review. I really wanted to like this place because it has decent food but my wife told me later in the day that they called to get her feedback and instead of an apology, Lauren tried to upsell to us. She promoted their pastry which we tried 3 different kinds but were all terrible. People bring their own cake just like someone would bring their own wine. Corkage fee of $ 15, I understand. $ 55 to cut our cake? Not so much.

I was really excited when I saw Ways and Means a part of restaurant week. After seeing the Fast Food Maven talking about this place I decided to give it a shot. The deal was a three-​course meal for $ 15. I was really disappointed.
I was here for almost 2 hours during lunch. This was not acceptable. The bread person even made 3 rounds to our table offering bread to us while we were waiting for the main entrée.
Oysters 3 ways — This was ok. Nothing too spectacular. One of the oysters was just plain. Nothing on it. No condiment were given either.
Fish and Chips. The fish was literally singular. Just one piece. My friend got two. The server even questioned and took it back saying she thinks chef forgot a piece. She came back and said it was done by weight. Really? The size of my fish was the same size as one of the two from my friend’s plate. The fries are definitely frozen. Really disappointed!
Pear Melba Dessert. The vanilla ice cream was the best part of it. I wish there was more. The pear itself was way too strong and I couldn’t even finish it. The shortbread was rock hard. How am I suppose to eat it?
Overall, this truly deserves a 1-​star rating. We all left hungry. Definitely will not be returning. I would have much better luck getting a Filet-​o-​Fish meal from McDs.

Murphy’s law: Anything that can go wrong — will go wrong. Such a true statement for this place.
I really wanted to like this place, but cannot do so after my dining experience here last Sunday. I just want restaurants to know if they can’t handle the fast pace of diners coming in during restaurant week, then don’t have restaurant week at all. It’ll diminish your reputation and leave a sour mark/​mood for the people who come.
I ended up getting the oyster 3 ways, Steamed Mussels and Pear Melba for 15 bucks.
The (fat bastard) oysters were served in three different ways. pickled pear and ginger, ceviche and gratin. The gratin was the only acceptable one. And my ceviche one was not cleaned up properly, and I had some shell pieces. Not cool.
the steamed mussels were a joke. I got 4 pieces… not enough to satisfy ANYONE. I understand its oc restaurant week and the portions are a bit smaller, but jesus… 4 pieces?!? You’re joking me.
the dessert deserves its own paragraph. I waited a good 25 mins for it. You know why? It’s because a runner sent it to another table, and if I didn’t bring it up to their attention, I would be sitting dumbfounded while still waiting for it. The dessert is just a pear and some vanilla ice cream, nothing special and definitely not worth waiting for.
granted, they did give me a coupon for a free brunch worth up to 15 bucks… but the expiration date was a week away… on top of that, I went to eat with someone else and she had to wait for my missing dessert. The least they could have done was given us two coupons or comped my whole meal for this fiasco. I honestly did not want to return and just gave the coupon to a friend to use instead.
In summation, this place is not even worth going to even during oc restaurant week. They do have happy hours and $ 2??? Oysters at the bar, but after my experience, I will not be returning.

I thought about giving this place 1 star, but the manager came up to us at the end of the meal which bumped them to 2 stars, but I cannot give this place 3 stars because our experience was not «A Ok».
We made 12:00 reservations for OC Restaurant week and got a nice bright booth right next to the hostess station. A staff member presented a tray of tiny, bite sized breads which I selected a sourdough and a Guiness bread. The frugality of giving us tiny bread should have been a clue what small portions I would be receiving for the rest of my meal.
I ordered a diet coke and was presented a slim glass, probably no more than 8 ounces, the kind you get a a bar. The kind you don’t get refills on when you go to a club.
Finally our waitress arrived, and we never got her name. She was a friendly, older woman, and she took our order. I asked if she could request «Hot» fries, and she gave me an oscure answer of «we’ll see».
My friend and I chatted away and we noticed the clock said 12:39. We still had not received our starters, and the manager stopped to see if things were ok. I told her that we had not received our 1^st course, and she went into the kitchen. Meanwhile, a server came out with our entrees! I told him that I didn’t want my 2^nd course because we hadn’t received our 1^st course yet. After I sent that person away, our waitress came out to see if everything was ok, which I replied that we haven’t gotten our 1^st course yet, and I sent back the 2^nd… which she replied «Im sure the kitchen will remake your entrees and hot fries» (Huh!?)
The manager came out and said it’ll be here shortly, and we told her our 2^nd course beat our 1^st course out. She smiled, and shortly after our starters came.
My friend said her oysters were not chilled, but on the warm side. My 2 «lollypop» wings were nothing more than buffalo style wings, nothing exciting, and actually hard to eat because they were served in a bowl, not a plate.
Our 2^nd course came out, the fish n chips with mushy peas. The fish was piping hot, but rather small, 2 pieces of 1 ounce fish. The fries were luke warm, and hard, like they were fished from the bottom of the fry basket.
A staff member came to refill my friend’s iced tea, and passed up on my diet coke glass, which made me think that you don’t get (or offered) a refill here on sodas.
Finally our desserts came. The Pear Melba. Earlier we saw someone get a full sized pear, beautifully presented. Ours was a ½ pear. We were not sure if the place ran out of food or if OC Restaurant Week patrons get ½ the food.
The happy ending of this lunch was the manager came to our table, and said due to the time we waited for our meal, she comp’d us. That was extremely nice, and, perhaps she knew that we had a bad experience.
Even though my meal was at no cost, I still cannot give anything higher than 2 stars for the experience, as my 1 hour lunch break took 2 hours and I work only 10 minutes away.

Review of OC Restaurant Week 2014 — Lunch
Lunch portion is more of a tasting menu and not a full meal.
Ambiance:
Beachy meets classy. I love the serene color scheme of the interior. Totally unexpected for a restaurant located in City of Orange.
¹⁄₁ star
Service:
Our server was super nice and I can see that she totally tried her best. Unfortunately, the restaurant was not equipped for the OC Restaurant Week crowd on Sunday. My friends and I came in at noon time, and left at 3pm. Fortunately, I came with awesome dining companions so the wait was bearable. As a point of reference, we waited for over 40 minutes for our desserts. There were 8 of us.
⁰⁄₁ star
Food:
Kind of disappointed that the restaurant changed the OC Restaurant Week menu few days prior to the start of OC Restaurant Week. For entrées, Fish Pie and Bouillabaisse were no longer offered and all of the desserts previously listed on the menu were changed.
Organic Chicken Wings
— consisted of 1 chicken lollipop-​style chicken WING. Yes, wing as in 1 piece of chicken wing. It was a tasty piece of chicken wing though. Loved that they plated the chicken wing with a teaspoon of crumbled gorgonzola cheese. Two teaspoons would have been perfect.
Oysters 3 ways
— for some reason my oysters (3 pieces) came only 2 ways. After consulting with one of the server, he presented me with another piece. The oysters were delicious and I enjoyed all 4 pieces of it.
Posh Style Fish & Chips
— consisted of 1 piece of very posh (read skinny) fish and a small handful of fries. At this point, I realized that for $ 15, I was getting a 3 course TASTING MENU and not a 3 course meal. The Fish was delicious and fried beautifully — not oily and heavy at all. The tartar sauce that accompanied the fish was also quite nice and complimented the light flavor of the fish.
Short Rib Sandwich
— more like a slider. The slider was packed with short ribs and crunchy onions and it was delicious. I wish I could have had 2 more.
Steamed Mussels
— didn’t actually taste this because the entrée portion came with only 4 – 5 mussels and I felt bad about asking my friend for a taste.
Just Bites
— consisted of trio of bite-​sized desserts. I liked the cheesecake and the cookie. Chocolate cake was too rich for me.
Pear Melba
— kind of like deconstructed pear pie with vanilla ice cream. Sweet, warm and comforting taste.
²⁄₂ stars
Cost Performance:
$ 15 for 3 course tasting menu is well-​priced but the restaurant should advertise it as such. Most restaurants offer more substantial portions and diners expect 3 course meal not tasting menu.
0.5 /​1 star

We want to love this place since it’s right in our hometown. Heard great things and went in tonight for happy hour. We grabbed oysters which where delish.
However, the beer has a weak selection. And I ordered a two happy hour martinis which are $ 6. They asked what I would like and I said Kettle one, not knowing it was going to be more. My bill says grey goose and for two it was $ 28.
Not sure if this fits OTO.

Had this spot bookmarked on my «to eat» list for a weeks now. A good friend a mine I haven’t seen in awhile wanted to catch up, so I proposed W&MO, since we both haven’t been here before.
Driving up to the parking lot, I thought to myself the building resembled a old diner style like Marie calendars or Cocos. As we walked up to the front, a staff member opened the door and greeted us with a smile. Had reservations for an hour earlier, but I was running late, so I gave the restaurant a call to move it to a later time which they were able to accomedate my request with no fuss which was a plus.
First off I would like to point out this place has excellent service! Top notch service you would expect from any high end steakhouses or upscale restaurants. Kudos to management and the staff for your efforts! Our waitress was name Angelia and she was super awesome! If I had a choice to have a waitress at all the places I dined at, she would be the prime example of what a great waitress should be! Again with the great service and her presentation of all the dishes, cocktails, and recommendations on the menu was flawless. My friend and I loved her energy and animated personality. Made our dining experience enjoyable with our meal.
Next on to the food!
Scale 1 — 5
Oysters!
1. Kumamoto — one of my favorite oysters.
2. Naked Cowgirl — larger size oysters which I was afraid might not taste so good because usually bigger oysters have less flavor. However, the NC was sweet and full of flavor.
Main dishes
1. prime petit angus filet — 40 day aged angus with watercress, escargot butter, and mushroom purée /​5
2. Bamboo steamed halibut — halibut with cumin spiced Savoy cabbage, braised oxtail, braised baby leeks, and red wine dressing /​3
Sides
Lobster Mac & cheese — 5
Charred Brussels sprouts — 4
Drinks
Old fashioned (with buffalo trace bourbon) — believe or not as simple as this drink is, some places can make a bad OF. However, the OF here is on point, just how I like it. So good I ordered 2.
Overall, I had a great dining experience here and would come back to try more of their other dishes.
I would consider this place a gem in old town orange!

I had heard good things about this place (the chef formerly worked in a 2 Star Michelin restaurant), located on Chapman off of the Circle in DT Orange.
We ordered the King Tower: ($ 85 — 4 oysters, 4 clams, a number of mussels, 2 crab claws, 2 big scallops, ½ lobster, crab meat, and extra oysters on the side. W&M also offers a smaller version called the Queen for $ 65. Before I rate this, let me say that I have had seafood towers at Mastros, Capital Grille, and Bouchon & N9NE in Vegas as a basis of comparison: Ways & Means version is bomb!!! There was a ton of fresh seafood, and it was a great way to start the meal: 5 Stars. The tower went very well w/​a Zarate Albarino which is a light, almost sparkling type of white wine: 4 Stars.
The next dish was the risotto w/​calamari, chorizo, sweet peppers, soya beans and tarragon ($ 16). Other apps include salmon rillette, smoked salmon deviled eggs, tuna tartare and pastrami style sea trout. This dish was a bit salty, and the risotto was undercooked. However, the calamari and chorizo were very tasty: 3.5 Stars.
We only ordered one entrée, the Muskovy duck breast w/​butternut purée, puy lentils, quail egg, and apple walnut salad ($ 33). Other entrees on the menu include tuna, salmon, dover sole, halibut, and sea bass, as well as some aged steaks. Unfortunately, we should have ordered something else. Because other than the quail egg, this dish was very disappointing. The duck was tough and stringy: 1 Star.
We also tried a couple of sides: The lobster mac & cheese ($ 14), and duck fat fries ($ 4). Both were not what we expected, although the taste was OK. The lobster mac had a small amount of lobster, and the mac & cheese was like Kraft elbow mac. My host described the fries as Johnny Rockets endless fries. Duck fat fries should be twice fried and crispy, & have some duck fat flavor. This version was lacking in both areas: Both 3 Stars.
To end the meal, my guest ordered a specialty cocktail that she did not finish, and I ordered a double expresso w/​Bushmill. The expresso was not hot: Both 2 Stars.
The service was a mixed bag. Our waitress Kelly was super nice. However, the wine took an inordinate amount of time to come out. In addition, the spacing of the dishes was horrible. The risotto came out shortly after the seafood tower, and the remainder of the dishes came before we finished the tower. Some consolation was, I did receive a tiny dessert for my birthday. Lastly, the Manager was a bit rude and did not let my host pass by him as we were leaving the restaurant: 3 Stars overall.
This place used to be some dive a$$ diner, but they have done a good job with the remodel. There is an oyster bar to your left as you walk in. There is bar to the right rear that is very cool. The tables are set up in an intimate setting: 4 Stars.
This place is just 3 Stars overall. I would come back, but focus on the fresh seafood. If they are going to charge these kind of prices, management needs to use every, «Ways & Means» to work on the areas I noted that were below standard.

Sophisticated and classic, and it’s not just about the oysters. This is the momentous work of a courageous and cutting-​edge chef (I heard he’s Irish, and a Michelin star recipient), but the highest compliment I can give «Ways & Means Oysters» is that it reminded me of the best Pacific Northwest cuisine of Portland, Oregon. And anybody that knows me knows that I think Portland has the best food in America. I do recommend you start with the oysters since they’re served with first-​class presentation, lemon zing and cocktail sauce and everything — plus, select oysters are imported from the freshest lakes of Vancouver, Canada.
My main dish was finely raw in the middle Skuna-​Bay Salmon served on top of ratatouille. I have seen Pixar’s «Ratatouille» (twice) and yet I always forget what the heck it is. But after having Ways & Means’ I’ll never forget the luscious tomato-​eggplant ratatouille cake I had here. I had succulent roasted chicken with juice (Au Jus? Nah, just lemon-​broth) and the muscular, perfectly marbled Petit Angus Filet off other plates. The bartender is also a future hall of famer, too, he knows what he’s doing. Windward is a rum ballast with bitters and Mama’s Spritz is a perfect femme drink with solerno blood orange and sparkling wine — a palate refresher. Desserts are appropriately decadent, we had a few in account of it being my birthday, I say go for all of them. But the brownie, I swear, is practically artisan. I almost forgot to rave about the complimentary bread — Sun-​dried Tomato Basil (!); Guiness Bread (?!); Baguettes (!); Olive Bread (!). There is not a thing at «Ways & Means» that doesn’t elicit a «Wow!» #youcompleteme

My husband and I have been driving past this old Spires forever, waiting for it to become a new restaurant for us to try. We were so excited to see the sign a few weeks ago, that I immediately looked up Ways & Means Oysters online and learned that it was an upscale oyster bar/​seafood restaurant. We decided to try it out this past Saturday to celebrate our anniversary so I made a rezzie for 6:30pm.
We were seated promptly and after ordering a bottle of white, we were treated to an amuse-​bouche of scallop ceviche. Amazing presentation and it was delicious! I wanted to try a bunch of different things so we chose to only order appetizers. We decided on 2 kinds of oysters, the tuna tartar, the kataifi-​style crab cake, and the salmon rillettes. The stand out, I would say, was the crab cake. The waiter told us most crab cakes are made from crab meat from a can, but this was taken directly from the crab. It was different from any other crab cake I’d ever had and I loved it!
All of our dishes tasted very fresh and had great flavors. The waiter came around frequently to fill up our wine glasses from our bottle that they kept on ice right in front of our table. My husband had lots of questions about the oysters and the wine that our waiter knew the answers to. It was a lovely evening overall.
Our waiter told us that there had been a lot of walk-​ins coming in, not expecting that this place is as nice and dressy as it is, so I’m passing that info along to you. Dress your ass up, this is a classy place!
The total of our dinner was a lot more than we normally spend when going out to dinner, but it was still worth it! We’ll be back for more special occasions.

So, I have eaten here three times in the past two weeks. I am a huge seafood fan but was dining with a friend who does not eat fish. After learning that Chef Conrad Gallagher is in the process of patenting his 40 day dry aged steak process, I was convinced that I needed to taste an authentic CG2 steak. Holy Cow! and by holy cow I mean this beef is blessed, baby. The best restaurant steak I have ever had. Cooked to true medium rare perfection and flavor beyond…
Looking forward to trying every menu item. The fish and chips are next. They are a newly added item and look beautiful. If you have the burger or fish and chips, let me know how that goes.