First and Foremost we want your own pizza experiences added to this. Send us in the comments section a bit about a good/great pizza place you've been to recently, why you liked it, and data such as name, location, etc. This should be an interactive blog to spread the knowledge for pizza passionistas everywhere!
August 4, 2010 Today begins the quest for the perfect pizza in the Greater Washington area. Pizza preferences are subjective with most people comparing a new pizza restaurant against the standards they experienced in their teenage years. My standards are hard to beat. I was raised in the New Haven area, home to two pizzerias that the Food Network ranks as among the top five: Pepe's and Sally's, both on Wooster Street in New Haven. Anyone who went to school in New Haven chooses sides -- either Sally's or Pepe's-- with the same loyalty accorded sports teams or the loyalty an Italian son has to his mother's "gravy." That said, I begin this quest for the best pizza in the DC area with, hopefully, an open mind and the aid of team members JO and Neil.
First on the list was Pizzeria Orso, opened 8 weeks ago by the same pizza master who got the Two Amy's on their feet among others.
August 4, 2010
My trusty team hit Orso on a Wednesday night. We ordered three appetizers: the fennel, orange and chive salad, the heirloom tomato and Blue Ridge Dairy mozzarella caprese salad, and the arancini - a fried rice ball with mushrooms and peas. The rice ball was creamy with a crisp, slightly salty crust and not a crumb was left on the plate. The Caprese salad boasted a mild, fresh cheese layered with distinctive and flavorful red and yellow tomatoes and exquisite Italian black olives. The fennel was fresh, finely sliced and tender and the oranges sweet, with the juice of the oranges used to make a mild vinegrette that didn't overpower the main ingredients.
Then it was on to the pizza. My assistant, Neil, had been to Orso for lunch and ordered the Marguerita pizza so chose the Pizza Fritta for his main dish in a spirit of adventure and willingness to take one for the team. The Fritta consisted of dough wrapped around cheese and fried. The team consensus was that it was good but tasted a lot like county fair fare. It did remind me of Mrs. LaPorta's fried dough with tomato sauce which she used to make at our Church fair -- not a bad comparison but not something to try when you've got so many other and more tempting choices.
Assistant Jo ordered the Tri Colore- which was ricotta and pesto on one side, ricotta and salami on the other, separated by marguerita(tomato and cheese) and then folded over. Excellent - no leftovers there.
Finally, I was torn between the special of the day - pizza with chantarelles, cheese, tomato, garlic and chives or the Quatro Stagione (Four Seasons). I went for the Four Seasons. The pie was divided into four seasons: one with buffalo mozzarella, tomato and black olives, one with arugula, one with tomato, cheese and salami, and one with tomato, cheese and fresh baby artichokes quartered. All the different flavors were distinct and savory. The salami is not your standard salami but more like a serrano ham. But the truth in pizza is always in two things: the crust and the sauce. The crust had that bubbled under-texture that results from being cooked at a very high heat. It was light, slightly chewy and reminded me somewhat of Pepe's back home. Neil and I ordered the gragna, the light, slightly effervescent wine that is also known as Italian Coke. A perfect accompaniment to the meal.
Finally, it was dessert time. Neil is our cannoli man - he once refused to order a cannoli in NY's little Italy because "no one makes it better than my mom," he told his hosts. Well, mom needs to take a back seat because Orso won him over. He and Jo each ordered a cannoli (they come two to an order) one chocolate, one pistachio. The pistachio won hands down. I was afraid there was going to be a fight at the table as the concept of sharing went out the window. I ordered the special dessert of the day, fresh yellow peach sorbet (they called it sorbet but it was Gelato). Chef Kevin came over to chat and came back with a bowl of Virginia blackberry sorbet(read Gelato) and that was voted the best of the best by the team.
So, with three appetizers, three pizzas, two glasses of gragna, one coke, one espresso (no folks, it ain't EXpresso so pleeeese don't say it that way)and two desserts the bill came to $101.
They do have take out and, as Neil will attest, even after taking back to his office cold, he was up for more that night.
Ambiance: Large, open spaces, comfortable booths, minimal noise quotient. Our only complaint was that the air conditioning kept us wishing we'd worn our ski jackets despite the fact that it was 90 degrees out and 99% humidity.
Will we go back? Oh yes. But our quest has just begun. I think I need to double my workout time at the gym.
Pizzeria Orso
400 So. Maple Ave.
Falls Church
703-226-3461
www.pizzeriaorso.com
Coming up: We the Pizza, the new restaurant by Spike Mendelsohn on 3rd and Penn SE.
