Pizzaria Orso - Change of Command
From the current Falls Church News Press:
Pizzeria Orso has hired Chris Nye as its new pizza chef. Nye, a sous chef at 2941 Restaurant, replaces famed pizza chef Edan MacQuaid who opened the Neapolitan style pizzeria less than a year ago along with his wife and restaurant general manager, Thea MacQuaid. The change in restaurant leadership was due to management differences.
"Management differences?" Perhaps this (before or after) could explain alkapal's soggy pizzas.
By MikeR
on Mar 14, 2011 02:54 PM
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It will be interesting to hear if the change in chef will cure the soggy pizza problem...er, issue.
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My husband and I fell in love with the pizzas made by the departed chef Edan MacQuaid. We'd visited Pizzeria Orso three times before the axe fell and MacQuaid was let go. Each time, the restaurant was packed and there was a great "buzz" in the air. Even though we had to wait for our table, there was a great energy in the room and clearly people were enjoying themselves.
We loved the salad - so incredibly fresh and tossed in a fragrant and delicious vinaigrette. The pizzas were to die for. We loved the slightly sour taste and the thin crust - apparently from the addition of sourdough to the crust's ingredients. These pizzas were crisp, fresh, and absolutely delicious. The best pizza we'd ever had.
And then, we heard MacQuaid and his wife had been fired. All I can say is, when we had dinner there last night, you could tell.
Arriving at 8 pm, the restaurant was all but empty. What a contrast from the busy, buzzing place we'd always encountered previously. You could say it was spring break or Easter weekend, but I think the changes may have been the reason.
We ordered the salad and our pizzas. The salad was fresh. Just lettuce and vinaigrette. it was good, but not like before.
My Margaretta pizza was good. My husband's pizza, the "Crudo" was topped with about a cup of fresh arugula on top. It looked like someone had just dumped the arugula on top. I thought it was a mistake, but apparently not. I tasted my husband's pizza and thought the crust was soggy. Definitely a disappointment. The wine list was changed and the glass of Pinot Grigio I ordered wasn't nearly as good as the wine they used to serve.
Bottom line: this is not the Pizzeria Orso of old. With a new chef, new management, and new menu, I'd say it's taken a big step back. We were disappointed. It's really a shame. When they ushered MacQuaid out the door, they hurt themselves.
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no, there is still the sog issue. went there last thursday. i even ordered mine "well-done" -- and it did have more char, but didn't solve the sog problem. i got the tuscan and mr. alka the daily special, with provola, ricotta. garlic, ramps and an egg. good flavors all round, but unfortunately, still soggy! the tuscan has no veggies to explain the sog issue, either.
had the shaved fennel salad, and it is fine, but dressed too sweetly -- needing some sharpness to balance the fennel. the pine nuts were nice on there, but had all fallen down into the salad so you didn't see them until the end. olives are better than the white raisins on this salad. the orange supremes seem strangely like canned ones, but i cannot believe that they'd do that.
enjoyed my glass of wine, but mr. alka didn't even finish his IPA. (and that's notable!).
still some service issues: followup, water replenishment, timing -- but they're friendly. it was busy that thursday evening.
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