Sometimes even the most creative chefs need a side project. Take, for example, Bertrand Chemel, whose work at 2941 in Falls Church made it my No. 1 restaurant this year. And we food critics can’t live on fine dining alone. Sometimes, we all just want a pizza. That’s why this weekend, a visit to Pizzeria Orso, also in Falls Church, was a match made in VPN (Vera Pizza Napoletana) heaven.
The pizzeria is the 2941 team’s place to let loose with Italian comfort food, albeit beneath blown-glass chandeliers that bring to mind the artsy appeal of their marquee restaurant. Menu options include octopus with house gnocchi and a filet mignon sandwich, but I was at Pizzeria Orso to sample the pies.
Despite the more casual vibe, my meal still began with an amuse-bouche, a pair of bite-sized segments of pizza fritta blanketed in grated grana padano cheese. My dining companion, who considers pepperoni pizza the best of all possible foods, felt it was his duty to go even meatier with the Toscana, a cheese-and-tomato pie blitzed with ham, salami, sausage, and yes, pepperoni. Combined with the blanket of cured flesh, the thick application of mozzarella felt a bit overwhelming. This might have been less of an issue if the pie had remained in the oven a few seconds longer.
The marvel of a Neapolitan-style wood-burning oven is that it operates at such high temperatures (the one at Orso cooks at around 800 degrees) that pizzas are generally ready to serve in around 90 seconds. I get it, though. Not everyone likes the classic blackened edges. If the bones of the pizza were a little bit blonde for my tastes, I can’t really blame the pizzaioli.
I had even fewer complaints about one of the current specials, a pizza centered around black mission figs. I’m a sucker for a fruity pizza, and this one delivers. Beneath a forest of arugula dressed in a syrupy balsamic reduction, the figs blend with fresh rosemary, blistered blobs of salty blue cheese, and thinly sliced prosciutto. There’s another special that centers around chanterelles, and it was a tough decision to choose between them. Which just means that I’ll have to return sooner rather than later. I always embrace a chance to relish Chemel’s cuisine. When it’s less than $20-a-head, I can afford to become a regular.
400 S. Maple Ave., Falls Church
Feature image by Alice Levitt
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