***Special Guest Post***
Hi. My name is Julio and I am an avid reader of
What Micky Eats. I also happen to be a work colleague. So, one day, Micky graciously extended to me the chance to write a guest column. Hence, today’s article really should be titled, “Where Micky Asked Me To Eat” . . . which brings me to lunch with my wife, Joann, at
Pizzeria Orso. Closest Metro is East Falls Church.
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| Photo: Pizzeria Orso website |
Located on South Maple Avenue in the Tax Analyst Building at Pearson Square in Falls Church, Virginia, Pizzeria Orso is brought to you by the people of
2941 Restaurant (which is one of my favorite restaurants of all time). However, Orso’s location has none of the charm of 2941 because Orso is directly across an auto parts store. Inside, however, is a different story. When we arrived, we were greeted at the entrance by a big wooden bear; fitting as
orso is bear in Italian. We were the first ones here for lunch and we were seated immediately. The restaurant is spacious, airy, and sunny, with bright colors suggesting a Spanish vibe (colors are reminiscent of Spain’s flag) instead of Italian.
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| Photo: Pizzeria Orso website |
Orso features a handmade, volcanic brick oven by Forno Napoletano that dominates the open kitchen. As stated on Orso’s website, true to traditional Neapolitan technique, the pizza dough at Pizzeria Orso is naturally leavened, never refrigerated, and baked in the wood-burning oven at approximately 800°F for 90 seconds. Joann ordered the “
create your own” pizza with tomato puree, mozzarella cheese, crimini mushrooms and artichokes. I ordered the
Margherita DOC, which had buffalo mozzarella, tomato, and basil. I asked the waiter to explain “DOC”. He said it meant that the ingredients were imported and were the best . . . but he did not spell out the abbreviation. Pizzas are normally served unsliced, but he asked if we would like ours sliced, which we did. We simply had water to drink. The pizzas arrived quickly. I enjoyed mine. Often, I find that these upscale “personal” pizzas are too much for one person and leave me feeling stuffed if I eat the whole thing in one sitting. This Margherita pizza was light and with a crispy outer crust. The mozzarella was delicious, the sauce just sweet enough, and the basil was not overbearing. Orso pizzas are finished with olive oil and this provided an excellent added dimension of flavor and sophistication to the pizzas. The edge of the crust was somewhat burnt (blackened), which I like. Joann did not like it on hers. Her pizza was somewhat soggy due to the artichokes and she pronounced the pizza as being “just okay”. She asked for Parmesan cheese to add to the pizza, but found it flavorless.
Overall, the pizzas were tasty enough and the experience was good. But here is the thing; Falls Church is packed with pizza places. It has the usual chains (Pizza Hut, etc.) and upscale (pricier) pizzas from Zpizza, Pie-Tanza, and, soon,
Matchbox (perhaps Orso’s most direct competitor). Although Orso’s pizzas are good, Orso is not the 2941 of pizzas.
Total Rating:
3.38
Food: 3.5, Price: 3, Service: 4, Ambience: 3, Accessibility: 3
