Pizzeria Orso scores with variety, taste Restaurant's simplistic menu underscores quality of dishes, ingredients
by Mary Hager | Dining Review
Mothers, secretaries and April Fools have their days and fire prevention, consumer awareness and volunteers merit weeks, but pizza is honored with a national month -- and it happens to be October.
Maybe statistics justify the honor: A $30-billion-plus annual industry with more than 61,000 pizza parlors and counting in the U.S., and the average American eats some 46 slices a year. And though the dish is an affordable family favorite, it's also easily adaptable to new and different ideas.
Enter Pizzeria Orso. Located on the street behind the original Elevation Burger on Lee Highway, this spacious newcomer with sunny yellow walls and a domed brick pizza oven is known for its pizzas with slightly tangy sourdough crusts and understated toppings.
A companion -- in ownership at least -- to the elegant and expensive restaurant 2941 in Falls Church, Pzzeria Orso is the handiwork of Chef Edan MacQuaid, who earlier put Pizza Paradiso and 2 Amys on the dining map in Washington, D.C., and his wife Thea, who is the manager.
Maybe "understated" is an unlikely word to describe pizza toppings, but it seems to fit MacQuaid's repertoire here. Unless you count the do-it-yourself pizzas -- your choice of sauce, cheese, and toppings -- the selection seems limited (at least compared with some other pizza places), with only five special and seven traditional pizza choices.
But these are deftly composed pizzas, with distinct and high-quality toppings that make them special. There's no mishmash of ingredients and flavors in these pizzas, which are baked quickly in a 900-degree oven, just enough to melt the cheeses and give a slight char to the crust.
One example is the Orso Bianco, one of the specialty pizzas, with its topping of garlic and ricotta, mozzarella, grana, fontina and pecorino cheeses. The distinctive flavor of each cheese is present in each bite, set off nicely by the thin crust.
Among the favorites are the classic Margherita, with buffalo mozzarella, basil and either San Marzano or halved cherry tomatoes; the Vera Orso, with five Italian cheeses and shaved white truffles (when in season); and the Capricciosa, with tomato, mozzarella, artichokes, mushrooms, ham, basil and olives.
Pizza is clearly the specialty here, but the antipasti should not be ignored. A salad of shredded fennel, oranges and olives is a refreshing companion to any pizza, while the frito misto, an assortment of quickly fried battered vegetables -- unfortunately a bit too greasy -- was well paired with garlic aioli. But those dishes, as well as mussels on the half shell, are substantial enough to be stand alone entrees.
For dessert, the homemade cannoli, especially the version with bits of candied orange, is hard to resist. So is the selection of wines from Campagne and Sicily, modestly priced by glass ($5-10) or bottle ($18-38.
All things considered, Pizzeria Orso (which in Italian means bear and accounts for the bear motif throughout the restaurant) is a splendid addition to the nation's pizza places. Luckily, it's in our neighborhood.
Pizzeria Orso
400 S. Maple Ave., Falls Church
703-226-3460
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun.; 5-10 p.m. Mon.; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tues.-Thurs.; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat.
Price range: reasonable (12-inch pizzas $12-16)
