Pizzeria Orso, S. Maple Ave. in Falls Church - Chef Carlos Diaz Steps In For Will Artley, With GM Sara Barrera

[ktmoomau]

Ouch

I just read that review and, "Oh, Snap!" came to mind.

[jparrott]

The bit about the pies coming sliced is telling. A Neapolitan pie is still setting up when it comes out of the oven to the table. Slicing it prematurely is the leading cause of soupiness in traditional pies.

[KSPS]

The bit about the pies coming sliced is telling. A Neapolitan pie is still setting up when it comes out of the oven to the table. Slicing it prematurely is the leading cause of soupiness in traditional pies.

I'm confused. Who is claiming that the new chef is serving sliced pies? The menu states that the pies will be delivered to the table unsliced -- and finished with olive oil -- unless otherwise requested. And unsliced is exactly what we got Sunday night when my husband and I ate there. If someone else got a sliced pizza, the take-away message is that the server needs more training not that the restaurant has backed away from the right way to deliver the best Neapolitan pie.

[ktmoomau]

I'm confused. Who is claiming that the new chef is serving sliced pies? The menu states that the pies will be delivered to the table unsliced -- and finished with olive oil -- unless otherwise requested. And unsliced is exactly what we got Sunday night when my husband and I ate there. If someone else got a sliced pizza, the take-away message is that the server needs more training not that the restaurant has backed away from the right way to deliver the best Neapolitan pie.

It was in the Sietsema dining guide linked above.

[jparrott]

I'm confused. Who is claiming that the new chef is serving sliced pies? The menu states that the pies will be delivered to the table unsliced -- and finished with olive oil -- unless otherwise requested. And unsliced is exactly what we got Sunday night when my husband and I ate there. If someone else got a sliced pizza, the take-away message is that the server needs more training not that the restaurant has backed away from the right way to deliver the best Neapolitan pie.

From the review:

"Pancetta, fava beans and delicate ricotta impastata sound like a winning score, but the toppings are lost on a crust that clearly hadn't spent enough time in Orso's wood-stoked oven; the base was doughy in the center. A fluke? A second pizza, with prosciutto, basil and mozzarella, was flimsy and white. Like the first pie, it also was served sliced rather than left whole, one of many details I miss from the MacQuaid era. "

[KSPS]

From the review:

"Pancetta, fava beans and delicate ricotta impastata sound like a winning score, but the toppings are lost on a crust that clearly hadn't spent enough time in Orso's wood-stoked oven; the base was doughy in the center. A fluke? A second pizza, with prosciutto, basil and mozzarella, was flimsy and white. Like the first pie, it also was served sliced rather than left whole, one of many details I miss from the MacQuaid era. "

Okay. So "the review" is Sietsema's write-up in the new spring guide. All I can say is that the menu I was presented on Sunday, May 8 stated that pizzas would be served whole and ours were.

Bottom line: Pizzeria Orso needs to work on training if its servers are slicing into the pie against best practices or without being asked to do so. OR Pizzeria Orso took a look at its quality and decided to stop slicing the pies between the time when Sietsema and I each visited the restaurant.

[Sthitch]

Okay. So "the review" is Sietsema's write-up in the new spring guide. All I can say is that the menu I was presented on Sunday, May 8 stated that pizzas would be served whole and ours were.

Bottom line: Pizzeria Orso needs to work on training if its servers are slicing into the pie against best practices or without being asked to do so. OR Pizzeria Orso took a look at its quality and decided to stop slicing the pies between the time when Sietsema and I each visited the restaurant.

Seems that slicing is the least of Orso's problems.

[ktmoomau]

Seems that slicing is the least of Orso's problems.

Hahahaha that is such a Horatio Cane line,Whaaaaaaaooow.

[kturkey88]

We popped in on Sat afternoon ~1+pm and were one of 2, maybe 3 tables. The fennel salad with golden raisins and pine nuts was very good as was the orso pizza. Our server specifically mentioned that the pizzas typically come out unsliced but, given that we were holding our infant, offered to slice it for us in case that would be easier. I really appreciated the offer, took him up on it, and the pizza didn't suffer in the least because of it. Granted, it was a white pizza, so runny sauce/mozza not really an issue - but either way, the pizza was good and the server was great.

[DannyNoonan]

Stopped in for dinner at Orso last night. I think we must have caught them on an off night because it was a subpar experience across the board. It wasn't particularly busy but for some reason everything took forever to come out and what did come out was not up to the usual standards. Drinks took a long time to materialize, which should have served as an omen for the rest of the night.

We ordered the smoked bocconconi & asparagus salad and an order of calamari for apps. They took a while to come out but were actually the highlight of the meal. The calamari was fried well and nicely seasoned. I love the asparagus salad still even though I have had it 10 times now. The smokey mozzarella pairs perfectly with the grilled asparagus. This was where the good times stopped unfortunately.

I ordered a margherita pizza, my mom ordered the ripieno with ricotta & broccoli rabe, a bambino for the kids and my wife ordered an entree sized pickled beet salad. For whatever reason, they delivered my wife's salad right after taking away the appetizer plates despite her ordering it as an entree and then never questioned why it was sitting there uneaten while we waited for the rest of the food to arrive. We waited and waited for the pizzas to arrive, then they trickled out one by one, and they weren't as good as they usually are. The margherita crust was overcooked and the pizza seemed to be thrown together more so than usual. It looked like it was made in a hurrry. The bambino was a touch overdone too. The ripieno was really salty and the broccoli rabe totally dominated the filling. You tasted almost nothing but that, no ricotta. And the filling seemed oily too. The GM eventually apologized for the slow service and offered to pay for dessert but the charge for gelato still appeared on the bill.

Anyway, I am thinking, and hoping, that this was an aberration and not an indication of things to come at Orso. I am pretty sure that I saw the new chef there so not sure what the problem was in the kitchen and, as I mentioned, it didn't seem that busy so not sure how to account for the poor service. We'll still return and keep our fingers crossed that the level of service and execution of the dishes returns to what we have become accustomed to.

[DrXmus]

Mrs. DrXmus and I went to Orso a couple of weeks ago. We got there about 6 and saw a sign in the window announcing "Happy Hour 4PM - 7PM". "Even better," we thought, "good pizza and discounted beers!" The pizze were fine, not quite what they used to be, but edible nonetheless. When the bill came, the beers were full price. I asked about the Happy Hour prices and was informed only Peroni was discounted. Unfortunately, we didn't ask before the meal (although we wouldn't have gotten Peroni when they had Union Jack IPA on draught) but there's no mention of a limited Happy Hour, either. I left with a bad taste in my mouth, and it had nothing to do with the food.

[Scott Johnston]

Claudia and I had dinner here last week. The pizzas were very good, but not as good as they were with Pizzaman. The new app, calamari that had a sprinkle of smoked paprika was really good as was the salad we had. The place was not crowded and even less so during a lunch Claudia had a couple of days later.

[Ericandblueboy]

Website says they're open all afternoon. When we showed up at 4:30, there was a sign saying they are closed between 3-5 today. Didn't see any activity in the restaurant other than staff hanging around. WTF! It ain't easy dragging a prego woman and an infant around.

[Dr. Delicious]

Two great pizzas for lunch on Wednesday, really authentic, very similar to our experiences in Italy. The toppings were ample and the crust was tasty and cooked to perfection. Really, the best pizza we've had in some time and certainly the best in the area. I never went there when Pizzaman was in charge, but I don't see how they could be any better. We also got the Tomato Arancini, which was just OK (too dry for my preference).

[Dr. Delicious]

Oh Pizzeria Orso, i was so nice to you last time, and this is how you treat me? Two additional trips following up my last post. For the first, they didn't put any sauce on the pizza we ordered. How do you forget the sauce?! For the second, they told me it would be a 45 minute wait, which seemed reasonable since it was Sat night. I go to pick up the pizza after 40 minutes, they're ready so I take them home, and they're an absolute mess. The entire middle of the pizza and crust had basically disintegrated, grease was everywhere, and it was cold. Totally disgusting. They left the order slip on the pizza, and it notes that it came out of the oven 10 minutes after I ordered it! Why tell me there's a 45 minute wait when there was a 0 minute wait. Really damn annoying.

[jiveturk21]

My wife and I stopped by for dinner on Saturday night because we were in the area. After this visit, we may stop by again if we are in Falls Church and really want pizza, but we will never drive from Fairfax to go there like we used to in the past.

Service was fine, restaurant was mostly empty at 8:30 PM. Neither of us are drinking at the moment, so we didn't order any wine, but after glancing at the wine list, it was uninspiring. Not sure if they have changed that over the years, but if they have, they need to change it back.

The only winner of the evening were the meatballs, very juicy and flavorful. I thought that the portion was skimpy (three of $8 or so) and the fennel wasn't a great pairing, but they tasted damn good. The salad that I had (escarole, hard boiled eggs, fried anchovies) was way overdressed, I mean, it was ridiculously overdressed. The pizza (don't remember the specifics) had plenty of flavorful toppings, but it was simply pizza soup in the middle. If I had to estimate, I would say at least 60% of the pizza was soggy as hell. The edges, however, were very good. Then again, I am not paying for the edges.

Disappointing, because it used to be so much better. Unfortunately for them, and for us, it started out on too high of a note.

[Fishinnards]

Looks like Will Artley will taking over as the new chef here. link

[Arcturus]

Say what you will about the pizze losing quality since Edan's departure, but the ones that I got to enjoy while Chris was there were were still among the best in the city, and he's still a damn good cook (and friend). He'll land on his feet, for sure.

So they've gone through two extremely talented chefs, and the place still isn't packed every night? Clearly, the only solution is to hire yet another one.

[DrXmus]

I'm happy to give Orso another try, but we'd given up on them after my aforementioned "happy hour" debacle and because we had sketchy service for most of our visits (during- and post-Edan).

[Scott Johnston]

Several of us dined at Orso yesterday, now under the leadership of Chef Will Artley. Will previewed a couple of small plates that will debut as a new menu over the next couple of weeks. Will (as usual) has his game on and will really light a match here. Stay tuned for great things!

[DrXmus]

We hit Orso tonight and had a great meal. The calamari app with smoked paprika didn't stay on the plate for long. I'm happy it seemed to be a larger portion than when I had it a few months ago. I thought back then it was a bit light for the price. Mrs. DrX's Diavola pizza was fantastic. The spicy pepperoni were great and the crust was perfect - charred, chewy, firm, no soup. I had the special pizza of the night and I wouldn't do it again. I would've been happy with the brussels sprout "hash" the fontina and the prosciutto, but I didn't appreciate the vin cotto drizzle. Personally, I get overwhelmed by this type of flavor on foods like this. I would've enjoyed a couple of pieces, but the more I ate the more I grew tired of the meal. The sweetness and the acidiy became bothersome. On the plus side, I'm happy the Firestone Union Jack IPA is still on draught. We'll be back to see what happens with Orso as Will molds it. The grand re-opening is March 18, according to a brochure on the table. IIRC, they're closed the 16th and 17th.

[agm]

OK, the new menu is in place, so it's time to get yourself over to Orso. This is - already - a damn good restaurant. The dinner menu is in two parts, small plates on the first page, pizza on the second. NQD and I, of course, over-ordered. Sophie’s Meatballs, served on creamy polenta, Seared Scallop w/couscous, tomato jam, Papperdelle w/milk braised veal, spring vegetables, and Gnocchi with fine herbs and truffled cream. All were excellent, no misses in the bunch. But the highlight may have been Baby Carrots & Beets with carrot vinaigrette and ewes cheese. No, sorry, I'm not going to describe every dish - go try them yourselves. All but one under $10.

By this point, we could easily have stopped for the night. Dessert was also a possibility (a plate of donuts that passed by was extremely tempting). But we weren't going to leave without sampling the pizza. We split an Orso - mozzarella, pecorino Tuscano, fontina, grana, ricotta, garlic, prosciutto. We opted to have it sliced for easy eating, even though that can contribute to soupiness. Despite that, and despite all that cheese, the crust retained its texture and was nicely chewy, not at all soupy. I had no problem picking up a slice without excessive sagging at the end. Lightly charred, enough to give it some flavor without scaring away the char-phobic. Char lovers might want more. Overall flavor was outstanding, as you'd expect with those cheeses and a very generous layer of prosciutto.

By that point, we were done. Stuffed. No dessert, no coffee.

On the strength of the small plates menu alone, this is one of the best restaurants in Falls Church. On day one of the new menu. And it just happens to have the best pizza in the area.

[DonRocks]

OK, the new menu is in place, so it's time to get yourself over to Orso. This is - already - a damn good restaurant. The dinner menu is in two parts, small plates on the first page, pizza on the second. NQD and I, of course, over-ordered. Sophie’s Meatballs, served on creamy polenta, Seared Scallop w/couscous, tomato jam, Papperdelle w/milk braised veal, spring vegetables, and Gnocchi with fine herbs and truffled cream. All were excellent, no misses in the bunch. But the highlight may have been Baby Carrots & Beets with carrot vinaigrette and ewes cheese. No, sorry, I'm not going to describe every dish - go try them yourselves. All but one under $10.

By this point, we could easily have stopped for the night. Dessert was also a possibility (a plate of donuts that passed by was extremely tempting). But we weren't going to leave without sampling the pizza. We split an Orso - mozzarella, pecorino Tuscano, fontina, grana, ricotta, garlic, prosciutto. We opted to have it sliced for easy eating, even though that can contribute to soupiness. Despite that, and despite all that cheese, the crust retained its texture and was nicely chewy, not at all soupy. I had no problem picking up a slice without excessive sagging at the end. Lightly charred, enough to give it some flavor without scaring away the char-phobic. Char lovers might want more. Overall flavor was outstanding, as you'd expect with those cheeses and a very generous layer of prosciutto.

By that point, we were done. Stuffed. No dessert, no coffee.

On the strength of the small plates menu alone, this is one of the best restaurants in Falls Church. On day one of the new menu. And it just happens to have the best pizza in the area.

Say hi next time!

[agm]

Say hi next time!

You did!

[DannyNoonan]

We returned to Orso after a relatively long time away and for the first time with the new chef in the kitchen. Our experience was enjoyable across the board.

The new menu is divided into a Small Plates section and a Pizza section. In all my numerous trips her in the past, I had never ordered anything but pizzas so I thought I would branch out in this visit to explore the small dishes. My adventurousness was richly rewarded. I tried a number of dishes, all of them successes:

• Baby lettuces salad - tender lettuces, pickled onions, poached egg tossed lightly with a dressing that somehow had the kick of jalapeno. A nice salad
  
• Crispy Brussel Sprouts - addictive, salty snack tossed with parmesan and salt. So good for munching on.
  
• Baby carrots and beets salad - roasted beets and baby carrots tossed with chunks of blue cheese and a dressing. Honestly I hardly noticed the dressing because the carrots so we explosive with carrot flavor. Completely fantastic salad.
  
• Smoked chickpeas - another completely addictive snack food. Salty, smoky and unexpectedly delicious. I could have ordered 3 of these.
  
• Seared scallop - perfectly cooked scallop on a bed of couscous with maybe a ring of pesto (?). Lovely dish.
  

My wife ordered a marinara pizza and I sampled a bite. We both agreed that the pizza hardly missed a beat vs. those produced in previous administrations here. My kids had mac & cheese and a Bambino pizza, both above average kids food.

It seems as if the kitchen here is off to a good start and doing some things that should give us reason to be excited, especially those of us lucky enough to live close by. I love this place and hope that the turbulence is behind it and that the neighborhood fully supports the restaurant because it is a gem.

- Sean

[kirite]

We returned to Orso after a relatively long time away and for the first time with the new chef in the kitchen. Our experience was enjoyable across the board.

The new menu is divided into a Small Plates section and a Pizza section. In all my numerous trips her in the past, I had never ordered anything but pizzas so I thought I would branch out in this visit to explore the small dishes. My adventurousness was richly rewarded. I tried a number of dishes, all of them successes:

• Baby lettuces salad - tender lettuces, pickled onions, poached egg tossed lightly with a dressing that somehow had the kick of jalapeno. A nice salad
  
• Crispy Brussel Sprouts - addictive, salty snack tossed with parmesan and salt. So good for munching on.
  
• Baby carrots and beets salad - roasted beets and baby carrots tossed with chunks of blue cheese and a dressing. Honestly I hardly noticed the dressing because the carrots so we explosive with carrot flavor. Completely fantastic salad.
  
• Smoked chickpeas - another completely addictive snack food. Salty, smoky and unexpectedly delicious. I could have ordered 3 of these.
  
• Seared scallop - perfectly cooked scallop on a bed of couscous with maybe a ring of pesto (?). Lovely dish.
  

My wife ordered a marinara pizza and I sampled a bite. We both agreed that the pizza hardly missed a beat vs. those produced in previous administrations here. My kids had mac & cheese and a Bambino pizza, both above average kids food.

It seems as if the kitchen here is off to a good start and doing some things that should give us reason to be excited, especially those of us lucky enough to live close by. I love this place and hope that the turbulence is behind it and that the neighborhood fully supports the restaurant because it is a gem.

- Sean

We tried the small plates tonight. The beet and baby carrot salad was very nicely done--would order it again. The fava bean raviolli was really interesting with pureed beans on the inside and peas and tiny mushrooms on the outside. We found the smoked chickpeas inedible because of more salt than a horse could lick, but we were comped. The lobster raviolli was OK--just two of them. We want to return. Both of us have flat bellies and small appetites, so two small plates each should suffice. We look forward to one or more of their salads. Service was professional and friendly.

[agm]

Forgot to post this Saturday. While it's still around, get "the dude." Pizza with ramps, smoked blue cheese and speck. It truly does not suck.

I don't know if it was a one-night deal or if it will make it to the regular menu, but if Will's poutine is available (with a spicy bolognese and poached egg), it's a must. Order a beer to tame the heat.

[mdt]

Made our first trip here since the chef change.

We shared a few small plates and a pizza.

Sophie’s Meatballs | 8 served on creamy polenta were good, but I wish they were served a bit warmer.

Crispy Brussels Sprouts | 6 with parmesan cheese were tasty and addictive, but the bowl is just a bunch of petals (for lack of a better word). I am not sure how many brussels sprouts were needed to make the dish, but it seemed expensive for what we got.

Grilled Octopus | 10 white beans & artichokes was another OK dish as it was rather bland. I am surprised to now read that there were artichokes in the dish as I did not notice them.

Fava Bean Ravioli | 8 parmesan broth were good, but not if you want to taste fava beans. The flavor of the broth and mushrooms was good and it played well with the (surprise) peas that covered the (4 or 5) ravioli. The flavor of the pureed fava bean filling was completely lost in the dish. The broth with the peas and mushrooms would be great over some plain home made pasta.

The pizza, Primavera | 14, one of the specials (Ramps (pureed), cherry tomatoes, grana, and mozzarella) was cooked perfectly and we enjoyed it, although the ramps were barely detectable despite the amount of puree on the pie.

Dessert was Donuts | 6 3 larger than donut hole size that were lemon ricotta flavored and topped with nutella mousse.

With a 3 beers and a coffee it was $80 before tip.

[DonRocks]

Forgot to post this Saturday. While it's still around, get "the dude." Pizza with ramps, smoked blue cheese and speck. It truly does not suck.

I don't know if it was a one-night deal or if it will make it to the regular menu, but if Will's poutine is available (with a spicy bolognese and poached egg), it's a must. Order a beer to tame the heat.

I also had both of these on Wednesday night, and loved them. The key with that pizza is to get some speck in every bite (which is easily enough done). I'm not even a fan of poutine, but the bolognese poutine here is, as Adam says, a must.

I'm not surprised Will Artley is making great small plates, but I'm delighted that Pizzeria Orso is once again a top pizza in the area (certainly top 5, and arguably higher).

[Will Artley]

I just wanted to say thank you for all the feed back. We have had great response and support of our new direction:)

This week i'll start offering tasting menus at dinner tuesday-saturday. brunch starts in a month. look forward to cooking for y'all !!

P.S I have a wicked whole wheat sour pizza dough that comes out this week....

[DonRocks]

P.S I have a wicked whole wheat sour pizza dough that comes out this week....

Is this the one I had? If so, it is wonderful.

[Will Artley]

Yes....definitely not your typical whole wheat crust;)

[goodeats]

One BIG thing I noticed tonight that I rarely notice at other restaurants anymore is that Chef Will personally went to patron's tables and asked how their meals were or chatted with them. I feel like this was more of a practice in the days of yore, but I don't see this much anymore. Please correct me if I am wrong. This gesture goes a LOOOOOng way with patrons, and I think it will help Orso in the long run that Chef Will is very friendly.

Chef was a big hit with two five-year olds* (including little man) and one eight-year old autistic boy who is an aspiring chef. Chef took the time to talk to the boys, to their parents, and let us sample some delicious small plates and pizzas. Little man proclaimed Chef's new business cards' pose is a "cool pyramid-looking dude." (Note: hire this photographer!) He really made the boys' evening!

I really loved how lively the atmosphere was here tonight: a great mix of families with children and tables with just adults looking for a pleasant atmosphere and great food. Even though Chef's crew was a bit sparse and the restaurant relatively busy, I can't say that I felt the kitchen missed a beat--it was smoothly run, even short-handed, and that's saying a lot with THREE hungry boys at around 7:00pm tonight.

My friends, the boys' parents, were really addicted to the Crispy Brussels Chips and the Oven-Roasted Hearts of Brussels. I really appreciate the hard-working preppers who dedicated many hours to prepping for the former delicious dish. They could not stop raving about them! (It was their little crack.)

They equally enjoyed the Baby Carrots & Beets (clean flavors - see above reviews), Seared Scallop (grilled textbook good), Grilled Octopus and PEI Mussels. You know they're good mussels when every shell was empty and the bowl swiped clean by the accompanying bread (grilled perfectly--it has the little man seal of approval). I really loved the tenderness of the grilled octopus: easily cutable when the knife is put to pressure, cooked well, and clean mouth feel (no stringness) with the right flavor notes. I hate to say, but I loved the white beans paired on the side more than the grilled octopus--hearty, cooked to a nice softness. We did not have issues that mdt reported above with the octopus dish.

I was a little bit surprised by the fact that little man could not get enough of the BLT Gnocchi. This is a must get, if you are a gnocchi or bacon lover. The gnocchi's tonight were pretty pillowy soft with just a delicate touch of the smoke left by the applewood bacon accent. Little man made a sad face after discovering there is no more gnocchi left in the bowl. I noticed the father of the two boys took any remaining bits of the leftover bacon in the bowl.

The boys had the bambino pizza or children's pasta, while the adults shared a The Dude and a specialty spring pizza. If you are sensitive to the allium family, please don't make the mistake I did and accidentally enjoy the dude. The fresh ramps can really do a number. Really. An accidental bite was worth it, though. The specialty pizza had Salami + Green Olives and a cheese. Brain too fuzzy to focus on anything really but the smoked ewe cheese atop many plates. It's a really delish cheese that you must try.

The boys finished their pizza and pasta, so you know it's good. Scarfed down-type of good.

I am so glad to share this experience with little man and his friends and their family. I really appreciate the service and Chef Will's kindness. Definitely can't wait to go back.

*The two five year olds finished their first US Chess Federation sanctioned chess tournament. Their registered school team came in first(!) in the K-1st grade category. The two boys contributed largely with Boy 1 getting two wins and a draw (2.5), while little man got one win and a draw (1.5) in four rounds. Celebration meal!

[JBag57]

My wife and I went in late Friday night, after a long hiatus. The staff said that they had been slammed earlier in the evening, which is probably a good thing in some respects. Hopefully those feeling the effects of the "slamming" had some bright spots in their experience.

The pizzas are top notch. (the dough/crust is slightly better at Pupatella, IMO) We had the Filetto and The North Beach (which sounds like what the above poster may have had). The Filetto was meatless, so while it was not my cup of tea, my wife loved it. The North Beach was terrific--the not quite jalapeno-hot Fresno peppers, the green olives and the salami made for a delicious combo! We also had the Crispy Brussels Sprouts (Brussels leaves) and they were fairly addictive. I can see why Don is predicting that this is going to turn into a small plate destination out in Falls Church!

As the above poster mentioned, the staff and chef were quite welcoming, even though we could sense the weariness from having handled a big spike during family dining hour.

I am glad to see, if Orso was ever on a downswing, that the pendulum is swinging back in their direction!

[DannyNoonan]

Another solid meal at Orso this past weekend. The highlights:

• crispy Brussel Sprouts - salty, crunchy, awesome
  
• beet & carrot salad - the carrots weren't quite as transcendent as last time but this is still a really good salad
  
• mixed greens salad - fresh greens with subtle vinaigrette, though unevenly dressed this time
  
• grilled octopus - nicely grilled, not rubbery; will order it again next time
  
• seared scallop - served over well seasoned couscous; again, perfectly cooked; great small plate
  
• fried calamari - perfectly fried; my kids love the basil aioli
  

Service was welcoming and pleasant and efficient on what seemed to be a busy night. I think they might have a new floor manager as well. I saw a gentleman at the host stand whose face I had not seen before and he seemed to be in charge.

We did not, alas, receive a visit from the Chef but we will return nonetheless because the food is awesome.

[Pizzaandbrew]

New GM is Jon Bentley. Jon is a great guy. Worked the last few years at Rustico for NRG. Before that was a key team member of Eric Reid and Mary Abraham's squad at DelMerei Grille and a long time cog at Evening Star before Will ever graced the kitchen there. Sounds like they are getting the band back together...

[mdt]

Another solid meal at Orso this past weekend. The highlights:

• crispy Brussel Sprouts - salty, crunchy, awesome
  
• beet & carrot salad - the carrots weren't quite as transcendent as last time but this is still a really good salad
  
• mixed greens salad - fresh greens with subtle vinaigrette, though unevenly dressed this time
  
• grilled octopus - nicely grilled, not rubbery; will order it again next time
  
• seared scallop - served over well seasoned couscous; again, perfectly cooked; great small plate
  
• fried calamari - perfectly fried; my kids love the basil aioli
  

Service was welcoming and pleasant and efficient on what seemed to be a busy night. I think they might have a new floor manager as well. I saw a gentleman at the host stand whose face I had not seen before and he seemed to be in charge.

We did not, alas, receive a visit from the Chef but we will return nonetheless because the food is awesome.

The seared scallop is listed as follows: Seared Scallop | 9 couscous, tomato jam. Is it really one scallop for $9? If so, am I crazy to think that this is a rather expensive dish?

[Will Artley]

Mdt- you are not crazy- its an expensive dish- its one of the down sides of using the best sourced ingredients .... But I promise you it's worth it:)

Come in and try it - if it's not great and not worth $9 then I'll buy your dinner(and it's half priced wine night;) )

And I love all the feed back, we are pushing hard to make the restaurant reach its potential.

"Behind every great chef is a great kitchen crew and behind every great restaurant is a great community" WA

Thank you all for the support!

[goodeats]

The seared scallop is listed as follows: Seared Scallop | 9 couscous, tomato jam. Is it really one scallop for $9? If so, am I crazy to think that this is a rather expensive dish?

It's a good sized piece of scallop, accompanied by lots of couscous and other sides on the dish. I split the one scallop three ways and found it was great; just enough for a taste and still not be full enough to save room for the pie. It was done really, really well.

[mdt]

Mdt- you are not crazy- its an expensive dish- its one of the down sides of using the best sourced ingredients .... But I promise you it's worth it:)

Come in and try it - if it's not great and not worth $9 then I'll buy your dinner(and it's half priced wine night;) )

And I love all the feed back, we are pushing hard to make the restaurant reach its potential.

"Behind every great chef is a great kitchen crew and behind every great restaurant is a great community" WA

Thank you all for the support!

Thanks for the offer and I will try it next time I am in, but no need to worry about buying my dinner. I did not mean to imply that it was overpriced. I was just surprised at the cost of the ingredient.

The 1/2 price wine night is certainly something to keep in mind.

[Will Artley]

No worries at all- I didn't take it that way:)

It's very important to me to get all feedback.

Say hi when you come in- I truly enjoy meeting The DR folks:)

[JuneBacon]

Sounds like that offer is on the table for everyone on DR. I look forward to taking advantage of you, I mean of your offer.

---

Edited April 19, 2012 by DonRocks

[goodeats]

Sometimes, a picture is all you need...

[Many thanks to Chef Will, GM Jon, Glenn, Jaime, Jason and others for making people laugh on a rainy day.]

[ol_ironstomach]

[see my disclosures waaaay upthread]

Get the scallop. It's a bit of a splurge, yes, and it's not even one of those obscenely large U10s, but a few sweet bites into the perfectly seared, uniformly rare shellfish are all you need to understand that the chef is a sourcing fiend, and that he developed his seafood skills at the unforgiving hands of Bob Kinkead. He told me it was perfect as he set the plate down, and it was. The accompanying couscous is essentially prepared as a very rich risotto, so take a bit of tomato "jam" with each bite to cut the weight.

Will Artley is a man on a mission, and an unusual choice to take over Orso considering that he had to be shipped off to study Neapolitan-style pizza first. What he brings, though, is a surprisingly strong set of complementary skills that have already transformed the menu here. Where non-pizza offerings were previously given short shrift, they are now poised to compete head to head with Orso's namesake pizzas, and perhaps eclipse them. Poutine, sliders, and even pasta items are moving front and center on the menu. But even more remarkable has been the improvement in the front of the house, which had been sufferingly amateurish the entire first year.

I'm not going to detail what I ate today, apart from conveying my relief that the pizza (particularly the crust) had returned to a high standard from the somewhat overbaked example I had a few weeks ago, apparently a victim of both a faulty IR thermometer and an overly ambitious dough experiment. I will say that talking with Will for about a half hour had me excited about his plans for small plates going forward, as did his insistence on making even minor items in-house as much as possible. The slider buns will not disappoint. There was talk of serious charcuterie. Menus will change frequently, with four items to be introduced next week. If there's one concern I have, it's that he seem to like his food fairly rich; a few lighter or palate-cleansing options might be in order.

Orso today isn't quite what anybody had imagined for it when it opened (for me, right now Pupatella's pizza still holds a edge). What it ends up becoming, though, might be better than I'd hoped.

[MsDiPesto]

The latest Falls Church News-Press has an ad for Orso with a great picture of Chef Artley!

[DannyNoonan]

I am just back from one of our family' s frequent Friday evening visits to Orso.

A few items to report:

* new menu items include a slider burger (house made bun, grilled onion, bacon aioli) and a sweet corn and crab agnolotti - we tried both. My kids pounced on the burger and ordered another. I didn't try it but it sure looked good. The agnolotti was a perfect spring small plate: corn, crab, maybe peas ( or fava beans - sorry for not being more discerning), red pepper delicately combined into a ragout and served with two agnolotti stuffed with puréed corn. Lovely combination of spring flavors and different textures.

* for the first time I ordered a martini at Orso and was pleasantly surprised. Gin, trace of vermouth, shaken table side - it soon made me forget my week of work. It is rare,and quite nice, to find a place where you can eat nice food, have a proper cocktail, and be in such a relaxed kid friendly environment.

* I tried the romaine salad tonight too for the first time: baby romaine leaves tossed with Caesar dressing (with dill I think), Parmesan, anchovies and grilled onions. They dont refer to or as a Caesar salad but it is a version. A nice salad overall, though be prepared for rather assertive anchovies.

Another lovely night at Orso. As always the staff was so welcoming, service was efficient, and we had a great time.

[agm]

We're also finding ourselves at Orso with surprising frequency. Trust your kids - the burgers rocked. Deliciously greasy - maybe too much so for a full-size burger, but for a slider, just right. NQD agrees that the agnolotti was wonderful (I don't do crab). Mussels flew off the table.

There are still ramps available for "The Dude," but now they're sliced and roasted, and the speck julienned, which changes the flavor balance a bit but ensures that you're getting speck and ramps in each bite. Get it while the ramps are still here.

The one disappointment of the evening - no poutine on the specials board. But we still left stuffed and happy.

[weezy]

A friend from NYC was in town for the holiday weekend, and I picked her up at the Metro and we came to Pizzeria Orso for lunch. For all that she is a Manhattanite, she actually prefers a Napolitano pie. We split a caesar salad, which was made that day with red & green leaf lettuces with white sardines. I found it too heavily dressed for the softer leaf lettuce v. romaine, and more fishy tasting than I wanted from the sardines v. briny taste of anchovies. Not a winner for me. The pizzas, though, were very good. My friend got the Orso and I got the Fun Guy and we were both very pleased with our choices. She especially remarked on the generous amount of proscuitto on hers. A very good crust with good leopard spotting/blistering, but I still have to give the nod to Pupatella on crust flavor. We split a bottle of a chilled Lambrusco recommended by our waiter -- who did a good job although a bit strong on trying to upsell, and the day was nice enough that we had a very leisurely lunch on the patio soaking up the sun & wine. The total came to $80 with tax, so expensive for "just a lunch" but then we just noshed out of my fridge for dinner that night so it all evens out.

[agm]

Sliders - pork belly in some kind of asian-inspired sauce, sweet and slightly spicy and porky and tender and delicious. Not sure what they'll be called, but if and when they make it to the menu you have to try these.

Apparently oyster mushrooms are really good right now. They added an extra element of earthiness that made one of my favorite dishes here - the BLT gnocchi - better than ever.

Pizza didn't exactly suck, either.

[DanCole42]

Forget that "Pizzeria" is in the name. The pizzas are still great, and new chef Will Artley certainly has the passion to keep up the standards you need for good high temp pies, but it's the small plates at Orso that are worthy of a trip to the speed trap that is Falls Church.

The only stumble of the night was a bit of overzealous service: as soon as our plates were clean, they'd ask to take them. They'd even ask if we were finished with obviously empty glasses of beer. "Are you done with this?" "Nah, I just want to sit and stare at the empty glass while contemplating the meaning of life." But really, that's just a nitpick. I'll take overzealous instead of underzealous any day.

Anyway, on to the food:

A mushroom salad served with a warm ham vinaigrette is the first hint that you're going to really enjoy their use of herbs: parsley, tarragon, and rosemary punched up this simple salad in a way that defines clean, rustic Italian.

On the opposite end from clean, rustic Italian were the croquettes with smoked tomato, bacon, cheddar fondue, and chive puree. Which is not to say I wouldn't have eaten a hundred.

The standout for me was a single scallop served on couscous with tomato jam. The sear was perfect - an even golden brown. But the texture on the inside was absolutely incredible: like freaking butter. I meant to ask about their sourcing, because I've never had a scallop before that didn't have at least a hint of rubbery bite to it - this had none.

Oh, and the pizzas were pretty good, too.

So if you haven't been since Will Artley took over, give Orso a shot. It's a totally different animal.