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Osteria Marzano - Chef Carmine Marzano's and Owner Elena Pouchelon's Italian Osteria on Walker Road in the Metro Park Office Development in Springfield


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Osteria Marzano is going to be opening in Kingstowne very soon, story here. It is going to be in he office plex where the NOVA Urgent Care place is located. The Executive Chef is Carmine Marzano. A quick Google search indicates that he was at Luigino downtown.

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I was in the area earlier today and swung by to see if it was open. There are no hours listed on the temporary website and I'm not on Facebook, but the description on Opentable left open the possibility that it was.* It was not, but that wasn't too surprising since the Metroplex is pretty deserted on a Sunday. However, the main entrance to the restaurant is inside the building and there are no hours listed anywhere outside. I hope they publicize their hours soon.

*For any who are asking, why didn't lovehockey just call? That would have made too much sense. ;) Plus I wouldn't have been in Kingstowne today if I didn't need to trade my cable box in for one that functions, so taking a (turned out to be quick) side trip wasn't a huge deal since I was in the vicinity.

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Had dinner here on Saturday and the place was fairly empty. Not surprising as it is in the middle of a pretty hidden complex of business buildings. They are going to need a PR push to get folks to show as nobody is going to stumble upon while out on regular errands. That said we had a dish of bucatini with a spicy tomato sauce that was very good. The pizza we had was OK and the toppings made the dish. The dough was rather thin and dense. It did not get much lift (cannot think of a better word) from the oven. Desserts were good.

Looking forward to trying more of the menu.

FWIW they use a machine to roll out the dough and this was the first time I have seen this. Think of a smaller version of a pastry dough rolling machine.

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I had lunch here yesterday & thoroughly enjoyed it. it is a bit difficult to spot the location & find a way in, but the small, well appointed space was almost half full at lunchtime, & I felt a little underdressed (I was wearing a particularly loud Hawaiian shirt). I got a meatball panini w/ a side Caesar salad & my friend got a large salad & calamari. The gentleman at the next table at the next table offered us a taste of his dessert when we asked about it- a lemon sorbet in a frozen lemon half, that was delicious-my friend thought it tasted like Italian ice that you used to be able to get. Even though it's not a large space, they have a semi-private room for larger parties, a nice bar, & service was good. I hope to come back soon & try their pizza.

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I'm going to add a note on the service (especially after reading the Casa Luca thread)- I had the seat on the bench side of the banquette, & after my friend mentioned she was cold (on the other side of the table)-, our waitress noted that she was right under the ac vent, & since the tables on either side of us had vacated, maybe she should move over to my side. & also,(something I might not have mentioned, although we've both worked as servers), my friend noticed that the tables on either side of us hadn't been wiped properly, & our waitress said she would speak to the busboy, & make sure it was taken care of. I thought the food was good here, & the service was very good, too-I am cautiously optimistic about this restaurant, although Italian is not the first thing I think of, for a dinner out...

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I had lunch here again today, my friend & I both picked meals from the specials. I had the crabcake sandwich, which came w/ sweet potato fries($15)-I asked if I could sub either regular fries or a salad, our server said 'certainly, which would I prefer?' & I ended up w/ a lovely insalata marzano. I will almost always order a crabcake, if one is offered, & 9 times out of 10, I'm disappointed (you'd think I'd learn). This was not one of those times, crabcake was delicious, well seasoned, no excess filler. I don' t know if the bun for the sandwich was baked on site, but it wasn't your typical commercial dreck-unfortunately, as I'm watching my carbs, I didn't eat it, but enjoyed the crabcake on it's own.

My friend got the seafood risotto ($17)- it looked delicious (I didn't ask for a taste, not everyone needs to know the depth of my food obsession-she said it was very good, but the calamari was a bit chewy) & we both enjoyed the bread (yes, avoiding carbs, so I only had half a piece & it was totally worth it). Despite the restaurant's location in a brand new, almost vacant building, they had a decent sized lunch crowd. Everything that was being delivered to the diners next to us looked delicious (yes, I'm one of THOSE people, & constantly second guess my choice) & I look forward to visiting again & maybe trying the pizza next time.

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Dined here tonight with my sister as a scouting expedition for my office's Christmas party.  The place was almost full when we arrived at 7:45 and was still fairly busy when we left a little after 9:00.  Our server was new but well trained and familiar with the menu and spoke knowledgeably about the preparation of the a dish that my sister was interested in ordering.  We ended up sharing the asparagus with fried egg & fontina and the polpette appetizers (2 meatballs with a scoop of fresh ricotta on spicy tomato sauce).  The asparagus didn't last long at all -- yes, we were hungry, but that dish was just gooey roasty eggy delightfulness.  We agreed that I need to fix that for breakfast soon.  The meatballs were also very good, perhaps just a bit dense, but well seasoned and with a good, flavorful balance of pork, veal & beef.  For the mains, she got the Orata (taste & texture like a very well-cleaned fresh bluefish) that was cooked very well and served with chanterelles, olives, asparagus and a buttery herb sauce on homemade noodles -- a huge dish and she ate every bite.  I had the ravioli of braised short ribs.  The pasta was excellent -- silky and chewy and tender all at the same time -- and the braised short rib  filling was tender and simple but done well, as the dish stayed interesting through every bite with a lightly acidic aftertaste.  Basically, a very good stew in a pasta pillow.  Great comfort food on a chilly night like this.  We were too stuffed to even think about dessert but the profiteroles coming by us looked very tasty.

As for the restaurant beyond the kitchen, all the front of house people were attentive and gracious and made us feel welcome.  I spoke some with Elena, one of the owners -- she takes care of the front and her father presides in the kitchen -- and she hadn't heard of DR.  I invited her to sign up and join in.  Our server kept the glasses filled and checked in regularly, and took care of any questions/requests we had.  He did make an error and brought my sister the wrong wine -- but she doesn't drink much and wasn't even aware there was a problem -- which the FOH caught and corrected as soon as they realized. The room had a good buzzy quality but where we sat at the banquette it was a reasonable noise level.  We could converse easily, and the tables to either side were spaced well enough apart that we didn't feel we were part of someone else's conversations.

For the two of us, the bill came to $76 with tax.  The portions are large and with the freshness of ingredients and housemade pastas, and gracious service, well worth every penny.

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Lady KN and I enjoyed a lovely meal here tonight. The food is the highlight - I'm starting with all of the positives - and I would gladly devour all of our dishes tonight on any subsequent visit. We began with the mussels and the asparagus appetizers. Each was a hit. The mussels were juicy and tender, their wine sauce was worthy of significant bread-dipping and I can easily imagine stopping by for a quick bar meal of these mussels with a basket of bread and a glass of wine. The asparagus was sensational, with nicely gooey fontina cheese and a fried egg on top. Lady KN had the zuppa de peace for her main - a nice rendition of cioppino - and I had the fettuccini bolognese with the addition of a meatball. Very, very good.

As I mentioned, the food was a hit. Almost everything else was not. Who would seat a well-dressed 50-something couple with a 6:30 reservation at a 2-foot diameter table next to the noisy bar with a football game on the flat screen overhead? After the bread, water and wine glasses landed on the table, the poor runners had no place to put the appetizers. Once brought to the attention of the front of the house, a new and square table was brought in from the back of the restaurant and we were moved. I honestly can't recall something so awkward occurring at any restaurant I've ever patronized.

Service was also slow, almost as if someone didn't show up and our waitress was forced to work too many tables. And the place is laid out strangely, almost like a downtown restaurant with not enough real estate to work with. That bar dominates the front end, with that silly little row of tables we ended up in down one side of the bar and a slightly more spacious row of 4-tops running down the other side....and then there's a glass enclosed area in the back that can handle a private party or two family-sized tables. The configuration of the space was not really well designed.

But the food...! That's the star of the show here. Osteria Marzano has a good kitchen that is putting out high quality food, and if the rest of the FOH issues can be ironed out, it competes with Monty's (albeit differently) for the best quality fare in the Springfield area.

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I typically dislike Candy Sagon's reviews in the Washington Post Magazine because they are unenlighteningly empty and they are written about a place in the Virginia suburbs that you'll never go to -- even moreso after reading her vapid reviews. I wonder how such an individual can score a "second seat food critic" role with the Washington Post.

Today, her review of Osteria Marzano wasn't bad, but it also wasn't spot-on:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/osteria-marzano-expert-italian-cooking-shows-up-in-an-alexandria-office-park/2014/01/29/6e7d06f8-771d-11e3-af7f-13bf0e9965f6_story.html

What she describes as a design feature with the huge bar down the middle, I would consider a design flaw. That bar is so big that it's actually in the way. The obvious early struggles in the FOH are nowhere to be seen in this review, and the ubiquitous two-star rating distinguishes this place from no other restaurant she has reviewed throughout Virginia. Somewhat remarkably, however, she actually provides some good detail on the food.

[What's worse to me is that her boss, Tom Sietsema, gave only a one-and-a-half-star rating to Monty's Steakhouse, just a few miles away on the other side of Springfield. To someone like me who has eaten at least a dozen meals in both places, I would have flipped the ratings, or at least given the same two-star rating to both. For special events like Valentine's Day, you'll find Lady KN and me at Monty's.]

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I typically dislike Candy Sagon's reviews in the Washington Post Magazine because they are unenlighteningly empty and they are written about a place in the Virginia suburbs that you'll never go to -- even moreso after reading her vapid reviews. I wonder how such an individual can score a "second seat food critic" role with the Washington Post.

Today, her review of Osteria Marzano wasn't bad, but it also wasn't spot-on:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/osteria-marzano-expert-italian-cooking-shows-up-in-an-alexandria-office-park/2014/01/29/6e7d06f8-771d-11e3-af7f-13bf0e9965f6_story.html

What she describes as a design feature with the huge bar down the middle, I would consider a design flaw. That bar is so big that it's actually in the way. The obvious early struggles in the FOH are nowhere to be seen in this review, and the ubiquitous two-star rating distinguishes this place from no other restaurant she has reviewed throughout Virginia. Somewhat remarkably, however, she actually provides some good detail on the food.

[What's worse to me is that her boss, Tom Sietsema, gave only a one-and-a-half-star rating to Monty's Steakhouse, just a few miles away on the other side of Springfield. To someone like me who has eaten at least a dozen meals in both places, I would have flipped the ratings, or at least given the same two-star rating to both. For special events like Valentine's Day, you'll find Lady KN and me at Monty's.]

The large bar was not praised in the review, just discussed as a decision made by the owners, I think it has worked out rather well.

Why does it have to be distinguished from other 2-star places? The rating, which I think is right, can stand on its own and let folks know that the place is pretty good, as evidenced by their definition of the rating (below). The equivalence shows that it is comparable to other places in the area. It certainly shows that it is better than the many other places nearby.

Good: Restaurants with generally appealing cooking, service and settings; they tend to be worth driving across town for. 
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The large bar was not praised in the review, just discussed as a decision made by the owners, I think it has worked out rather well.

Why does it have to be distinguished from other 2-star places? The rating, which I think is right, can stand on its own and let folks know that the place is pretty good, as evidenced by their definition of the rating (below). The equivalence shows that it is comparable to other places in the area. It certainly shows that it is better than the many other places nearby.

You're entitled to misinterpret my observations to your heart's content.

The part about the large bar in the middle is that it's in the way. It is awkwardly huge and truncates the dining area into clumsy subsections. Having been seated on the two-top side of the bar with teensy round tables insufficient in size to hold even appetizers, I was attempting to point out that a competent reviewer would have noted this layout as a design flaw.

The part about distinguishing it from other 2-star places is that Candy Sagon rates just about anything 2-stars. Thus there is no distinction in her qualitative assessment between Osteria Marzano and any other place she is allowed to review, most of which are irrelevant out-of-the-way places across the Virginia suburbs, like Opa Mezze Grill in Ashburn or Mala Tang in Arlington or The Light Horse in Alexandria. It is difficult to calibrate her qualitative assessment when everything is 2 stars. I wouldn't cross town for one of her 2-star reviews, ever.

The part about Sietsema giving one-and-a-half-stars to Monty's was my observation of the Post's inconsistent ratings. I would put Monty's at least on a par, and maybe a notch above, Osteria Marzano. Todd Klimann would agree with that qualitative assessment. Apparently the Post's qualitative ratings are somewhat inconsistent and subjective, at least to me.

But whatever you thought I was saying was obviously confusing to you, and I apologize for any lack of clarity.

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You're entitled to misinterpret my observations to your heart's content.

The part about the large bar in the middle is that it's in the way. It is awkwardly huge and truncates the dining area into clumsy subsections. Having been seated on the two-top side of the bar with teensy round tables insufficient in size to hold even appetizers, I was attempting to point out that a competent reviewer would have noted this layout as a design flaw.

The part about distinguishing it from other 2-star places is that Candy Sagon rates just about anything 2-stars. Thus there is no distinction in her qualitative assessment between Osteria Marzano and any other place she is allowed to review, most of which are irrelevant out-of-the-way places across the Virginia suburbs, like Opa Mezze Grill in Ashburn or Mala Tang in Arlington or The Light Horse in Alexandria. It is difficult to calibrate her qualitative assessment when everything is 2 stars. I wouldn't cross town for one of her 2-star reviews, ever.

The part about Sietsema giving one-and-a-half-stars to Monty's was my observation of the Post's inconsistent ratings. I would put Monty's at least on a par, and maybe a notch above, Osteria Marzano. Todd Klimann would agree with that qualitative assessment. Apparently the Post's qualitative ratings are somewhat inconsistent and subjective, at least to me.

But whatever you thought I was saying was obviously confusing to you, and I apologize for any lack of clarity.

So if they don't see it your way they are not a competent reviewer, interesting. I don't think the layout is bad, but as it has been pointed out in another thread I am just a amateur blogger/poster that does not respect the craft.  :ph34r:

Is Opa irrelevant because the food is not that good or because it's in Ashburn, where a huge number of Post readers happen to live? Why is Light Horse irrelevant?

It would be interesting to know what places she reviews versus what the editors select for publication to see if they are choosing ones with the similar rating.

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My office decided to have it's Christmas dinner party here again since it was so well liked last year, and this year's was even better.  It was a smaller group (10 rather than 16) this time, and I think that helped the kitchen, since we all ordered off the menu.  The back room was partitioned off with a larger group of about 20-25 on the other side, but their celebration didn't impact our enjoyment a bit.  Julia was our waitress and did a great job -no auctioning of plates, kept the evening well paced, knew the menu, etc.  They had some interesting specials on the menu, but I was in the mood for pasta (I got a lovely, tender spinach & ricotta angolotti in a cream sauce with a meatball on the side -$20) or else I would have gone for the boned stuff rabbit that was on offer ($32).  The sea bass (two different preps offered) also looked excellent and the folks who ordered that were both pleased.  The place was packed on Saturday night, so the new restaurants at Springfield Mall haven't drained off too much business at this point, I'm glad to say.  I hope to go back soon and get that asparagus w/ fontina and maybe try the rabbit if they still have it then.

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Now I feel guilty for not commenting on my meals at Osteria Marzano. I've eaten there a handful of times, at lunch w/ friends, & have always been very happy. I frequently get the meatball panini, I like the space & the service, & would recommend it without hesitation.

I think the title has more words than my review.

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This is probably my favorite Italian in the entire area and is usually my go-to choice when family or friends visit from out of town because of how close by it is and my god, the parking is just a dream. There should be a website that rates restaurants based on how easy it is to park and Osteria Marzano should be #1.

Oh, right, the food. It's excellent! The place is owned and ran by a father-daughter team. The old man runs the kitchen while the daughter runs everything else. Their pastas, of which there are many, are made daily in-house. The menu is huge. I've been here maybe about, 7 or 8 times and I've still yet to try everything on it. Normally I'd take this as a bad sign but Osteria Marzano is just super consistentI'. I've had beautiful and delicious plates of grilled orata, rich and flavorful ravioli filled with braised short rib and some of the biggest meatballs you've ever seen.

Seriously, those meatballs. They're almost as big as your head and they pack flavor to match. There's a 10 dollar appetizer on the menu that gets you get two of them placed in tomato sauce and topped with a generous amount of ricotta cheese. This is not an appetizer. This is a full meal. If you order this and manage to eat all of it, you are not eating anything for the rest of the night. For real, this place packs some serious balls.

Last time I was here was a month or two ago and I had a wonderful waitress. An older woman, she was Italian-born. I wish I could remember her name but she had a wonderful sense of humor and had extensive knowledge of the menu. When I couldn't decide between two specials, lobster-filled ravioli and a crab-meat risotto, I asked for her advice and with a wink, she replied "Oh like you need to ask. The ravioli, of course." I was served about 5 or 6 large and plump ravioli, which were practically bursting with fresh lobster meat. Leakage is a problem I often find when served ravioli but there was none here. The meat stayed perfectly encased in its pouches during my meal. This was a rich meal and it left me stuffed, but ultimately I was very pleased and very thankful to my waitress for the suggestion.

My favorites on the regular menu are the Ossobucco, which they serve atop a bed of delicious saffron risotto. The veal itself falls right off the bone and is flavored with a rich and hearty white wine sauce. It is fabulous.

I also like the Penne Vodka, which is a large plate (this is a common theme. Osteria Marzano does not skimp on the portions. Personally I like this) of perfectly al dente penne pasta covered with a pink vodka sauce and sprinkled with hefty bits of smoked salmon. This might be too salty for some but honestly I love it. It takes all of my willpower to not order this dish every time I go here. Smoked salmon is my all-time favorite fish and each bite is spiked with that distinct flavor.

I've had one dud at this place and that's the Arancini from the bar menu. I've ordered it twice and it's just too sweet for my tastes. When I order Arancini, I expect a savory, creamy and cheesy flavor. I got the latter two, but instead of savory, it was more sweet than anything. Both of the times I ordered it, I took one bite and passed it off to one of my dining partners. They seemed to enjoy it, so go figure. It had a great soft crunch when I bit into it, though, so there's that.

Here are some pics (in order, Ossobucco, Penne Vodka and Arancini).

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post-11511-0-64112900-1430964934_thumb.j

post-11511-0-33339700-1430964936_thumb.j

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My favorites on the regular menu are the Ossobucco, which they serve atop a bed of delicious saffron risotto. The lamb itself falls right off the bone and is flavored with a rich and hearty white wine sauce. It is fabulous.

For sure it's lamb? I know it's often lamb, but veal is the most common meat used for this dish - the picture could go either way, but it does look a little dark for veal.

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On 5/6/2015 at 10:51 PM, DonRocks said:

For sure it's lamb? I know it's often lamb, but veal is the most common meat used for this dish - the picture could go either way, but it does look a little dark for veal.

D'oh! I could have sworn it was lamb but I just checked the menu and sure enough, it's veal. Thanks for the catch.

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Three of us were going to be in Springfield last evening and I was owed a Father's Day dinner.  Based on the recommendations on this list, we chose Osteria Marzano.  It surpassed our expectations in food (including a terrific "fisherman's" soup and fabulous osso buco), service, and ambiance.  A very welcoming, warm place.  I'm looking for an excuse to go back soon!

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Our first time at Osteria Marzano was dinner last night.  It was a little difficult to find the restaurant once we got to the address, but the parking made up for it. Garage parking with a covered entrance to the back of the building. The restaurant was located in the front, just a short stroll through the center of the building.

I was underwhelmed with the bread basket. The focaccia was too dense, dry, and crumbly and the other type tasted like a homemade, thick sliced white bread. Calamari appetizer was very rubbery and unevenly cooked. Some pieces were very dark and hard and others were light. 

The highlight of the meal was the Angolotti de Magro - angolotti pasta filled with spinach and ricotta in a walnut cream sauce. This was outstanding.  The Lasagna Alla Bolognese was good -  bolognese sauce, besciamella, ricotta, and Parmesan. Finally entree was the special of ricotta gnocchi with pancetta and pistachios in a Gorgonzola sauce. I love Gorgonzola so I enjoyed this dish, but it was too rich and strong tasting for my younger daughter. We also ordered a side of broccolini, which was very good.

My younger daughter ordered dessert. She chose the chocolate layered cake with raspberry sauce and felt it was very dry and extremely cold, almost like it came from the freezer.

Service was standard, and we were seated in the flexible bench seating side of the room. If you are seated there, be careful with the low hanging lights. One of our party banged their head hard on those lights are we were leaving.

Overall, I thought was a mixed bag. Perhaps that was due to eating on a Sunday night? We will definitely return to give it another chance, and will explore the homemade pastas a little more. 

 

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