Falls Church Restaurant-Week

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Little City. Big Eats.

MARCH 23 - 29, 2015

PAGE 16 | MARCH 19 - 25, 2015

F.C. R E STAUR A NT WE E K

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Where’s the Food?

Anthony’s • 3000 Annandale Road Applebee’s • 127 East Broad St. Argia’s • 124 North Washington St Dogwood Tavern • 132 West Broad St. Famous Dave’s • 370 West Broad St. Garden Grille at Hilton Garden Inn • 706 West Broad St.  Idylwood Grill • 2190 Pimmit Drive

     

Spend less time searching and more time eating during Falls Church Restaurant Week using this handy map plotting out all this year’s participants.  Ireland’s Four Provinces • 105 West Broad St.  La Côte D’Or Café • 6876 Lee Highway  The Locker Room • 502 West Broad St.  Mad Fox Brewing Company • 444 West Broad St.  Open Road Grill & Icehouse • 8100 Lee Highway

 Pizzeria Orso • 400 South Maple Ave.  Saffron Indian Cuisine • 1077 West Broad St.  Sfizi Cafe • 800 West Broad St.  Taco Bamba • 2190 Pimmit Drive  Trio Grill • 8100 Lee Highway  Yayla Bistro • 2201 N. Westmoreland St.  Zpizza • 1051 West Broad St.

PAGE 18 | MARCH 19 - 25, 2015

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

MAD FOX EXECUTIVE CHEF TRAVIS WEISS (left), stirs the filling for the restaurant’s St. Patrick’s Day Sheppard’s Pie. Weiss is currently conceiving dishes for the restaurant’s spring menu, which he plans to roll out in mid-April. (Photo: News-Press)

Falls Church Chefs Get Kitchens, Menus Ready for Spring Season

by Drew Costley

Falls Church News-Press

Travis Weiss, executive chef at Mad Fox Brewery, said that he works the opposite way of a lot of other chefs when creating new dishes for the Falls Church restaurant. Whereas many chefs conceive a dish in their heads, then go fetch the ingredients needed for that dish, Weiss lets the ingredients inspire the recipes he creates, he said.

Another thing that sets Weiss’ creative process apart from other chefs, at least locally, is the ingredient he tries to center many of his dishes around: beer.

“One of my main ingredients comes from that room right there,” Weiss said, pointing to Mad Fox’s brew room. “And I try to use beer in as many of my dishes as possible. So when my dishes start to come to life or take shape, it’s based on what beers are coming out.

“For this time of year we’re doing an irish stout called St. James Irish Stout and we’re doing an Irish red, and so I’m using those to cook with. The beer is my biggest influence.”

Mad Fox’s beer menu changes weekly, gradually marking the changing seasons, but Weiss, along with a few other restaurants in Falls Church, has seasonal menu changes coming up. The News-Press spoke to the executive chefs at three different restaurants in the city to see what goes into creating a new menu to help bring in a new season.

LOCALLY SOURCED Bertrand Chemel, recently hired as the corporate chef at Pizzeria Orso and executive chef at Orso’s sister restaurant, 2941, said that he is focused on using local ingredients in the dishes he creates for both restaurants.

Right now, the restaurants he oversees are importing ingredients from the West Coast, but he said that he plans to visit the Falls Church farmers’ market when he gets back.

“I’m going to go the Falls Church market on Saturday and see what they have,” Chemel said.

“The idea is to feature new dishes from the farmers’ market every weekend. During the summer, spring and fall, we’ll go to

the market every weekend and we’ll see what they have and then we’ll create a dish or two for the weekend featuring local ingredients.”

The idea of using locally- or regionally-sourced ingredients is nothing new. All of the chefs who spoke to the News-Press about their creative process said that they strive to use local ingredients.

Chris Lefbom, owner of Dogwood Tavern, said that some of the ingredients used in the Virginia southern dishes at his restaurant are locally-sourced and others are imported.

But Mad Fox takes it a step further. According to Weiss, the restaurant makes nearly everything they serve from scratch, except for their bread, which they get from Lyon Bakery in Washington, D.C. When it comes sourcing, Weiss listed a few regional distributors that Mad Fox gets their ingredients from.

He said they get their beef from 1855 and their eggs from from Saunder’s Eggs – both distributors based out of Pennsylvania.

He said that he’s planning a pork belly dinner soon at the restaurant, and that the restaurant is going to

get the pork from Polyface Farms in Swoope, Va. “I try to stay as local as possible,” Weiss said. “Sometimes that’s hard, based on the weather and based on the season.”

WEATHER OR NOT Because all of these chefs are trying to use local farmers for the ingredients in their menus, they are also dependent on the weather, which dictates what and when ingredients are available. For example, a lot of chefs, including Mad Fox’s Weiss, have been using ramps in dishes more frequently in recent years.

But the availability of ramps this year has been delayed because of the record-breaking low temperatures recently, the amount of snow this region has gotten and how long the winter has lasted.

Weiss offered this problem as an example of how the weather impacts the roll out of a spring menu.

“Ramps are a big ingredient for the spring time,” Weiss said. “But because of the cold weather – usually ramps would be hitting right around now – they’re not really

springing yet. They’ll probably be ready in about three or four weeks.

Because it’s been so cold and because of the snow, they never had a chance to sprout. So it can definitely push your menu back.”

Chemel, who apprenticed as a chef in his native France, agreed that weather impacts when the availability of spring menu ingredients. “I’m waiting for the ramps to come, which should be pretty soon when it starts to get a little bit warmer,” he said.

Although Chemel said that he’s waiting on the ramps to be ready for harvest, 2941 rolled out its spring 2015 menu this week. The menu at Pizzeria Orso will be changed over the next few weeks, Chemel told the News-Press from Los Angeles, where he’s working on getting certified as a professional pizzaiolo.

“As the weather gives us the ingredients, we’ll start changing the menu,” Chemel said. Although late March marks the beginning of spring on the calendar every year, that doesn’t mean that “Mother Nature” will provide spring ingredients, he said.

“So we also don’t want to rush to use spring ingredients, when they’re not high quality product,” he said. “I mean here in California, it’s 85 to 95 degrees, but when I left [Falls Church] it was in the 30s, and we were still cleaning the snow away.”

THE CREATIVE PROCESS Much like Weiss, Will Sullivan, who was recently hired as the executive chef at Dogwood Tavern, as well as Lefbom’s three Arlington County restaurants, starts the menu creation process with ingredients.

“I start with ingredients and what I think would work together,” said Sullivan, a Falls Church native. “And then I put some stuff down on paper and get the protein and vegetables that I think work well together and obviously a sauce to tie all together.”

Like many creative processes, there’s an ethereal aspect to how Sullivan, and other chefs, create recipes. “I can’t exactly explain the full process,” Sullivan said.

“It kind of just, over the years, you know all the experience and all the food I’ve seen, I’ve just learned what works together and what doesn’t and come up with new flavor profiles that you think would be good and that the customers would enjoy and what would make diners happy in general.”

And the process at every restaurant is unique. For example, Weiss’ menu creation process at Mad Fox is beer-centric.

“Whereas the food is the star at

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

F.C. R E STAUR A NT WE E K

Mixing Up the Drink Menu, Too

FRESHLY-MADE PORK BELLY CONFIT (left), one of Mad Fox’s new spring dishes that incorporates a house-made apple kimchi, sits atop Mad Fox’s kitchen counter. On the right, Mad Fox’s Albacore Tuna Burger incorporates cucumber, radish slaw and yuzu aioli. (Photo: News-Press) a lot of different restaurants, our food is great, but the beer is the star,” Weiss said.

“I help support the beer and the beer supports me. But I use the beer as an ingredient, not just something that you pair along with a dish. I put beer in everything I make.”

This differs from the process at Dogwood Tavern, a restaurant that specializes in Virginia southern dishes. Lefbom said that they are currently looking to change the signature burger menu at Dogwood. The process goes as

follows: “We’ll tell Will that we want to change our signature burgers, for instance, and he’ll come up with a couple that are different than what we have and he makes them, lets us try them. And if we like them, we’ll add those to the menu.”

Sullivan, who’s in the process of rolling out menu changes at all of Lefbom’s restaurants, said that he plans to bring some contemporary Southern dishes to Dogwood’s menu.

Because he’s currently working

MARCH 19 - 25, 2015 | PAGE 19

on the menus at the Arlington restaurants – Ragtime in Courthouse, William Jeffrey’s Tavern on Columbia Pike and Rhodeside Grill just east of Courthouse – he’ll be working on rolling out a new menu at Dogwood in the late Spring/early Summer.

“Also, with the patio opening up, we’ll try to make things fresh and nice and change up a couple salads,” Sullivan said. “We also talked about doing some oyster roasts on the roof deck, coming up in the summer.”

He said he is planning on using ingredients like English peas, Spring onions and, perhaps, some different potatoes. Lefbom added that Dogwood, where they do two seasonal menu changes a year, will switch to some lighter offerings for the spring and summer time.

“For instance, we have chili on the menu right now,” Lefbom said.

“We’ll probably take the chili off the menu and put on a lighter soup. If it’s 90 degrees out, chili doesn’t seem like the best option.”

Falls Church restaurants are preparing to change the drink menus in addition to changing the food menu for the spring season.

Paul Taylor, beverage director at all of Lefbom’s restaurants, said that, while nothing’s set in stone, the cocktail menu at Dogwood Tavern will definitely change to incorporate more seasonal beverages.

“People tend to drink heartier drinks during the winter and more effervescent, lighter drinks that you can have multiple servings of in the spring and summer,” Taylor said.

For example, Dogwood’s Virginian cocktail will stay on the menu, but will likely be paired with blueberries or cherries to give it a seasonal twist.

The beer menu at Mad Fox changes weekly throughout the year, but Weiss said the beer offerings will soon begin to reflect the spring season.

“Coming into the spring season, you’ll probably start seeing some hoppier beers, lighter beers, probably some saisons and stuff like that,” he said.

-D.C.

FALLS CHURCH RESTAURANT WEEK MARCH 23 – 29, 2015 3-COURSE FROM THE WHOLE MENU LUNCH: $20.15 – DINNER: $30.15

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ONLINE ABOUT THE IDYLWOOD www.tripadvisor.com “Charming restaurant”…“Great food and great with kids” “Hidden gem”

www.yelp.com

“This is my go-to place for brunch!”.. ”The wine options and suggestions were right on the mark and delicious.”

The Washington Post “… Just the kind of place every neighborhood should be fortunate enough to have.”

2190-B PIMMIT DRIVE FALLS CHURCH, VA 22043 (Behind Whole Foods Shopping Center on Rt. 7, Next to Subway)

703-992-0915 – info@idylwoodgrill.com

PAGE 20 | MARCH 19 - 25, 2015

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

FALLS CHURCH RESTAURANT WEEK 2015

MARCH 19 - 25, 2015 | PAGE 21

MARCH 23 - 29

The News-Press is proud to present the 3rd Annual Falls Church Restaurant Week! This year’s event features an exciting selection of restaurants from in and around The Little City serving up special dining deals all week long starting Monday, March 23 and running through Sunday, March 29. All partcipating restaurants and their dining specials are listed below and are also available online at www.fcrestaurantweek.com. Happy eating Falls Church!

A������’� 3000 Annandale Road, Falls Church anthonysrestaurantva.com

I������� G���� 2190 Pimmit Drive #B, Falls Church idylwoodgrill.com

P������� O��� 400 South Maple Avenue, Falls Church pizzeriaorso.com

$5 off purchase of $30 or more

3-Course Lunch from entire lunch menu and desserts for $20.15 3-Course Dinner from entire dinner menu and desserts for $30.15

Lunch Special for $12 (Choose 1, includes soft beverage or ice tea)

A�������’� 127 East Broad Street, Falls Church applebees.com Bourbon Street Steak - cajun-spiced steak served with sauteed onions and mushrooms - $13.99 A����’� 124 North Washington Street, Falls Church argias.com 2-Course Lunch (no dessert) for $12.95 3-Course Dinner for $21.95

Appetizer (choose soup or salad): Salad: Mixed green or Caesar Soup: Minestrone or Soup of the Day Entree (choose one): Pasta: Homemade spinach fettuccini with sautéed shrimp, sun-dried tomatoes, zucchini, and brussel sprouts tossed in a hazelnut brown butter sauce Fish: Blackened Tilapia capped with an arugula and grape tomato salad served over sweet mashed potatoes Carne: Chicken Florentine stuffed with asiago cheese, spinach, red bell peppers and cremini mushrooms topped with a basil cream sauce and served alongside homemade linguine tossed in an aglio e oilo sauce Dessert (choose 1): Warm blueberry cobbler with a dollop of vanilla ice cream or a lemon truf�le tartufo D������ T����� 132 West Broad Street, Falls Church dogwoodtavern.com

Appetizer: $11 - Oyster Bienville - 5 Blue Point oysters topped with a traditional cajun shrimp and mushroom brandy cream sauce, baked to perfection Lunch & Dinner Special: $15 - Chicken Pot Pie - housemade and traditional, served with arugula side salad F����� D���’� 370 West Broad Street, Falls Church famousdaves.com

1/2 slab platter of ribs (St. Louis-style of Baby Back) with choice of dessert, paired with choice of small draft beer or glass of wine for $25 G����� G����� �� H����� G����� I�� 706 West Broad Street, Falls Church gardeninn.hilton.com/fallschurch

Breakfast Buffet - 20% off; 10% off dinner entrees, Monday - Friday; 1/2 off all soup, salads and �lat bread

I������’� F��� P�������� 105 West Broad Street, Falls Church 4psva.com

3-Course Dinner for $26.99 includes Super Salad, Choice of Three Entrees and Specialty Desserts L� C��� D’O� C��� 6875 Lee Highway, Arlington lacotedorcafe.com

3-Course Dinner Monday-Tuesday, Thursday-Sunday for $35 Choice from three appetizers, two main courses and three desserts T�� L����� R��� 502 West Broad Street #5, Falls Church thelockerroomfc.com

But 1 entree, get 50% off second entree M�� F�� B������ C������ 444 West Broad Street, Falls Church madfoxbrewing.com

Falls Church Restaurant Week-Long Specials: Soup of the Day: Beer Cheese Soup, Candied Neuskes Bacon, House Pickled Jalapenos, $4/$7 Entree (dinner only): Full rack St. Louis Style Ribs, Ale BBQ Sauce, Byrd Mill Kolsch Grits, Defender APA Braised Collard Greens, Roasted Apples, $21 Pizza: “The Rock Lobster” - Mac-N-Cheese, Gruyere, Butter Poached Lobster, Neuske Bacon, Truf�le Oil, Chives, Lunch Size- $9, 10” - $15, 14” - $25 Mussels: PEI Mussels, Sundried Tomatoes, Chevre Goat Cheese, Rosemary, Abbay Des Chutes, $12 Fish Market (lunch only): Fish Tacos - Tempura Fried Maryland Cat�ish, Red Corn Tortillas, Cojita, Crema, Pickled Red Onions, Cabbage, $12 Epic Burger: ”Cluck Moo” - Savory Kolsch Funnel Cake Waf�le Bun, House-Ground 8 oz. 3-Cut Burger Patty, Fried Chicken Skins, Orange Whip Cracked Pepper Maple Syrup, Grilled House Chicken Nugget, Tilamook Cheddar, Dijon Aioli, $19 O��� R��� G���� � I������� 8100 Lee Highway, Falls Church openroadmerri�ield.com 1/2 Off All Desserts

Margherita DOC - tomato, bufala mozzarella, basil Diavola - tomato, pepperoni, mozzarella Italian Sandwich - mozzarella, spicy aioli, salami, prosciutto, arugula S������ I����� C������ 1077 West Broad Street, Falls Church saffronfc.com

Around the World With Falls Church Restaurant Week World cuisine is well represented in this years’ Falls Church Restaurant Week lineup with participants serving up cuisine from eight different countries. Give your mouth a world tour all week long, right here in The Little City.

$10 Off $50 check, $20 Off $100 Check, 20% Off Lunch Buffett S���� C��� 2190 Pimmit Drive, Falls Church tacobambarestaurant.com

Ireland

Ireland’s Four Provinces

20% Off Lunch & Dinner Monday - Thursday; 20% Off Lunch Friday & Saturday T��� B���� 6168 Arlington Boulevard, Falls Church neworleanscajunseafoodva.com

Three Traditional Tacos and Grilled Mexican Corn for $10 T��� G���� 8100 Lee Highway, Falls Church triomerri�ield.com 3-Course Meal for $45

Appetizer (choose 1): Soup or Salad

Entree (choose 1): Scallops, Salmon or Filet Mignon Dessert (choose 1): Key Lime Pie or Chocolate Cake Y���� B����� 2201 North Westmoreland Street, Arlington yaylabistro.com

3-Course Prix Fixe Menu Lunch for $20.95 3-Course Prix Fixe Menu Dinner for $30.95 ������ 1051 West Broad Street, Falls Church zpizza.com Buy One Pizza, Get One Pizza FREE

(Free pizza must be of equal or lesser value. Cannot combine offers. Limit 1 free pizza per person.)

Mexico

Taco Bamba

United States

France

Turkey La Cote D’Or Applebee’s Yayla Bistro Dogwood Tavern Famous Dave’s Greece Garden Grille at Hilton Garden Inn Italy Anthony’s Idylwood Grill Argia’s The Locker Room Pizzeria Orso Mad Fox Brewing Company Sfizi Cafe Open Road Grill & Icehouse Trio Grill Zpizza

India

Saffron Indian Cuisine

News-Press Graphic

PAGE 20 | MARCH 19 - 25, 2015

F.C. R E STAUR A NT WE EK

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

F. C . R E STAUR A NT W E E K

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

FALLS CHURCH RESTAURANT WEEK 2015

MARCH 19 - 25, 2015 | PAGE 21

MARCH 23 - 29

The News-Press is proud to present the 3rd Annual Falls Church Restaurant Week! This year’s event features an exciting selection of restaurants from in and around The Little City serving up special dining deals all week long starting Monday, March 23 and running through Sunday, March 29. All partcipating restaurants and their dining specials are listed below and are also available online at www.fcrestaurantweek.com. Happy eating Falls Church!

A������’� 3000 Annandale Road, Falls Church anthonysrestaurantva.com

I������� G���� 2190 Pimmit Drive #B, Falls Church idylwoodgrill.com

P������� O��� 400 South Maple Avenue, Falls Church pizzeriaorso.com

$5 off purchase of $30 or more

3-Course Lunch from entire lunch menu and desserts for $20.15 3-Course Dinner from entire dinner menu and desserts for $30.15

Lunch Special for $12 (Choose 1, includes soft beverage or ice tea)

A�������’� 127 East Broad Street, Falls Church applebees.com Bourbon Street Steak - cajun-spiced steak served with sauteed onions and mushrooms - $13.99 A����’� 124 North Washington Street, Falls Church argias.com 2-Course Lunch (no dessert) for $12.95 3-Course Dinner for $21.95

Appetizer (choose soup or salad): Salad: Mixed green or Caesar Soup: Minestrone or Soup of the Day Entree (choose one): Pasta: Homemade spinach fettuccini with sautéed shrimp, sun-dried tomatoes, zucchini, and brussel sprouts tossed in a hazelnut brown butter sauce Fish: Blackened Tilapia capped with an arugula and grape tomato salad served over sweet mashed potatoes Carne: Chicken Florentine stuffed with asiago cheese, spinach, red bell peppers and cremini mushrooms topped with a basil cream sauce and served alongside homemade linguine tossed in an aglio e oilo sauce Dessert (choose 1): Warm blueberry cobbler with a dollop of vanilla ice cream or a lemon truf�le tartufo D������ T����� 132 West Broad Street, Falls Church dogwoodtavern.com

Appetizer: $11 - Oyster Bienville - 5 Blue Point oysters topped with a traditional cajun shrimp and mushroom brandy cream sauce, baked to perfection Lunch & Dinner Special: $15 - Chicken Pot Pie - housemade and traditional, served with arugula side salad F����� D���’� 370 West Broad Street, Falls Church famousdaves.com

1/2 slab platter of ribs (St. Louis-style of Baby Back) with choice of dessert, paired with choice of small draft beer or glass of wine for $25 G����� G����� �� H����� G����� I�� 706 West Broad Street, Falls Church gardeninn.hilton.com/fallschurch

Breakfast Buffet - 20% off; 10% off dinner entrees, Monday - Friday; 1/2 off all soup, salads and �lat bread

I������’� F��� P�������� 105 West Broad Street, Falls Church 4psva.com

3-Course Dinner for $26.99 includes Super Salad, Choice of Three Entrees and Specialty Desserts L� C��� D’O� C��� 6875 Lee Highway, Arlington lacotedorcafe.com

3-Course Dinner Monday-Tuesday, Thursday-Sunday for $35 Choice from three appetizers, two main courses and three desserts T�� L����� R��� 502 West Broad Street #5, Falls Church thelockerroomfc.com

But 1 entree, get 50% off second entree M�� F�� B������ C������ 444 West Broad Street, Falls Church madfoxbrewing.com

Falls Church Restaurant Week-Long Specials: Soup of the Day: Beer Cheese Soup, Candied Neuskes Bacon, House Pickled Jalapenos, $4/$7 Entree (dinner only): Full rack St. Louis Style Ribs, Ale BBQ Sauce, Byrd Mill Kolsch Grits, Defender APA Braised Collard Greens, Roasted Apples, $21 Pizza: “The Rock Lobster” - Mac-N-Cheese, Gruyere, Butter Poached Lobster, Neuske Bacon, Truf�le Oil, Chives, Lunch Size- $9, 10” - $15, 14” - $25 Mussels: PEI Mussels, Sundried Tomatoes, Chevre Goat Cheese, Rosemary, Abbay Des Chutes, $12 Fish Market (lunch only): Fish Tacos - Tempura Fried Maryland Cat�ish, Red Corn Tortillas, Cojita, Crema, Pickled Red Onions, Cabbage, $12 Epic Burger: ”Cluck Moo” - Savory Kolsch Funnel Cake Waf�le Bun, House-Ground 8 oz. 3-Cut Burger Patty, Fried Chicken Skins, Orange Whip Cracked Pepper Maple Syrup, Grilled House Chicken Nugget, Tilamook Cheddar, Dijon Aioli, $19 O��� R��� G���� � I������� 8100 Lee Highway, Falls Church openroadmerri�ield.com 1/2 Off All Desserts

Margherita DOC - tomato, bufala mozzarella, basil Diavola - tomato, pepperoni, mozzarella Italian Sandwich - mozzarella, spicy aioli, salami, prosciutto, arugula S������ I����� C������ 1077 West Broad Street, Falls Church saffronfc.com

Around the World With Falls Church Restaurant Week World cuisine is well represented in this years’ Falls Church Restaurant Week lineup with participants serving up cuisine from eight different countries. Give your mouth a world tour all week long, right here in The Little City.

$10 Off $50 check, $20 Off $100 Check, 20% Off Lunch Buffett S���� C��� 2190 Pimmit Drive, Falls Church tacobambarestaurant.com

Ireland

Ireland’s Four Provinces

20% Off Lunch & Dinner Monday - Thursday; 20% Off Lunch Friday & Saturday T��� B���� 6168 Arlington Boulevard, Falls Church neworleanscajunseafoodva.com

Three Traditional Tacos and Grilled Mexican Corn for $10 T��� G���� 8100 Lee Highway, Falls Church triomerri�ield.com 3-Course Meal for $45

Appetizer (choose 1): Soup or Salad

Entree (choose 1): Scallops, Salmon or Filet Mignon Dessert (choose 1): Key Lime Pie or Chocolate Cake Y���� B����� 2201 North Westmoreland Street, Arlington yaylabistro.com

3-Course Prix Fixe Menu Lunch for $20.95 3-Course Prix Fixe Menu Dinner for $30.95 ������ 1051 West Broad Street, Falls Church zpizza.com Buy One Pizza, Get One Pizza FREE

(Free pizza must be of equal or lesser value. Cannot combine offers. Limit 1 free pizza per person.)

Mexico

Taco Bamba

United States

France

Turkey La Cote D’Or Applebee’s Yayla Bistro Dogwood Tavern Famous Dave’s Greece Garden Grille at Hilton Garden Inn Italy Anthony’s Idylwood Grill Argia’s The Locker Room Pizzeria Orso Mad Fox Brewing Company Sfizi Cafe Open Road Grill & Icehouse Trio Grill Zpizza

India

Saffron Indian Cuisine

News-Press Graphic

PAGE 22 | MARCH 19 - 25, 2015

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FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

the little city’s most social restaurants

In this day and age, restaurants need more than just a website to establish an online presence. The rise of social networks has given both diners and restaurateurs a new way to share and advertise their eating experiences through check ins, food photos, daily specials and more. We looked at restaurants throughout Falls Church to find The Little City’s most connected and social joints. We limited our search to local non-chains within the City limits and determined the most social spots by tallying likes, followers and check ins on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Foursquare.

likes

Mad Fox Brewing Company Dogwood Tavern Clare & Don’s Beach Shack Ireland’s Four Provinces Pizzeria Orso spacebar Argia’s

News-Press Graphic. Source: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare

followers

6,522 5,770 _2,341 155 72,903 184 91,177 0 81,568 379 51,959 117 5860 33

followers

check ins

549 10,689 100 5,747 0 4,837 0 3,669 2,401 0 2,059 0 1,345 0

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

F.C. R E STAUR A NT WE E K

LESS THAN SIX MONTHS AGO, new Pizzeria Orso corporate chef Bertrand Chemel had no experience with pizza. Today, he’s on his way to becoming a certified pizzaiolo by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana. (Photo: Jody Fellows/News-Press)

Chemel Makes His Latest Challenge Look Like a Breeze at Pizzeria Orso

by Jody Fellows

Falls Church News-Press

Bertrand Chemel has worked at some of the finest restaurants in the world. He’s cooked in the kitchens of Laurent Tourondel and Daniel Boulud and helmed the kitchen of the acclaimed Cafe Boulud in New York City. Since 2008, he’s been the executive chef at Falls Church’s award-winning fine dining restaurant 2941, and just last October he took over the reins at Pizzeria Orso in the City.

But despite his extensive culinary background, up until five months ago, Chemel had no history with

Orso’s signature offering. “I had zero experience when it came to Neapolitan pizza,” he says. In fact, Chemel says he had no experience cooking any kind of pizza.

But with the same drive and motivation that had him sweeping the floor of a local bakery at age 14, Chemel is tackling the pizza world with fervor. So much in fact, that he’s currently in California training for his official Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana certification this week. His goal is for Pizzeria Orso to join an exclusive club as one of the few VPN-certified pizzerias in the area (there are only

five others in D.C., Maryland and Virginia). Neapolitan pizza differs from other styles in that there are strict regulations as to how they are prepared. Everything from the ingredients to the temperature of the oven and even the way the dough is mixed is sanctioned to assure adherence to the tradition of Neapolitan pizza making.

Since he took over Orso last October, Chemel – who’s still the executive chef at 2941 – says the transition has been smooth, mostly because much of the kitchen crew also works at his sister restaurant.

“They’re all my guys,” he says.

But despite the familiarity in the

kitchen, the new Italian cuisine – not to mention the pizza – presents its own set of challenges. Orso is more Mediterranean than the French 2941 and, therefore, relies on different ingredients. “It’s more olive oil, seafood, cured meats,” he says. Evidence of this is a new cured meats and cheese section on the menu with sweet and dry pork sausage, housemade garlic sausage and prosciutto di parma.

Also new are shareables like bruschetta with tomato confit, basil and garlic, a delightful beef tartar crostini dressed in truffle oil and a you’d-swear-it-was-burrata cold parmesan dip drizzled in olive oil and capers. A new octopus appetizer is another example of Chemel’s take on Mediterranean, mixing peppers, smoked eggplant and mozzarella di bufala with chunks of the grilled cephalopod.

Chemel says while the pizza dough recipe has remained largely the same, it’s now a little more yeasty and less sour than before.

As for those Neapolitan pies, the 14-deep lineup keeps the restaurant’s longstanding favorites – the eponymous Orso and Orso Bianco – along with other, more traditional pies like the Margherita DOC and Diavola. And while Chemel respects those classic combinations, he also likes to have some fun.

“There’s a couple on the menu with a little twist,” he says with a smile.

And one of those is, quite literally, a twisted pizza. For the Rotolino, Chemel takes fontina, pecorino, ricotta, prosciutto di Parma and prosciutto cotto and rolls it all up in dough before tossing it in oven. The result is a pizza-calzone hybrid in the shape of a crescent moon with an arugula salad in the middle for good measure.

The other pizza twist is the Orso Di Fumare, an excellent example of Chemel’s deft touch when it comes to smoked vegetables. Sausage, peppers and onions

MARCH 19 - 25, 2015 | PAGE 23 mix with delightfully smoky tomatoes on this one. Another testament to the chef’s wizardry with veggies and fire is his baked eggplant. Don’t be put off by the burnt-looking outside, its amalgamation of sweet, smoky richness is nothing short of wonderful.

Larger plates include pasta dishes like a traditional spaghetti with beef and veal meatballs but also more upscale fare like braised short ribs and pork belly agnolotti and a light and pillowy ricotta gnocchi mixed with spicy sausage and baby kale. There’s a rib eye, in a portion suitable for a cave man, served with grilled onions and crispy potatoes, a chicken parm and a burger that just may be one of the most underrated in the D.C. area.

Along with Chemel, Jonathan Schuyler and Caitlin Dysart – 2941’s wine and beverage director and award-winning pastry chef, respectively – have lent their skills to Orso, too. Schuyler revamped the beverage program (including a new “quartino” wine option that splits the difference between a glass and a bottle) and a new dessert menu from Dysart features standouts like vanilla cream donuts, a playful spin on a sundae with blood orange sorbet and a decadent chocolate cake with nutella cream and toasted hazelnuts.

Chemel says he’ll be a frequent attendee of the Falls Church Farmers Market and his future plans for Orso include an herb garden outside, chilies growing on the patio and he wants to make his own foccacia along with homemade ricotta, too.

For a guy with relatively limited experience with Italian cuisine and someone who just started making pizzas for the first time six months ago, Chemel is certainly a fast learner.

“Orso has been my most challenging restaurant yet,” he says.

He could have fooled me.

A CREAMY PARMESEAN DIP with olive oil (left) and the Orso Di Fumare pizza with smoked tomatoes, mozzarella, roasted peppers and sausage are just two of chef Bertrand Chemel’s newest additions at Pizzeria Orso. (Photos: Jody Fellows/News-Press)

PAGE 24 | MARCH 19 - 25, 2015

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FALLS CHURCH RESTAURANT WEEK 2015 MARCH 23 -29

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Featuring a Week Full of Fantastic Dining Deals From: Anthony’s Restaurant • Applebee’s • Argia’s • Dogwood Tavern • Famous Dave‘s Garden Grille at Hilton Garden Inn • Idylwood Grill • Ireland’s Four Provinces La Cote D’Or • The Locker Room • Mad Fox Brewing Company Open Road Grill & Icehouse • Pizzeria Orso • Saffron Indian Cuisine Sfizi Cafe • Taco Bamba • Trio Grill • Yayla Bistro • Zpizza

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PAGE 26 | MARCH 19 - 25, 2015

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM

It’s Thursday.

Do You Know Where Your News-Press Is?

Not getting the scoop on news in the Falls Church and Northern Virginia area before your friends? Don’t feel left out at the water cooler! Pick up a copy of the Falls Church News-Press, hitting the streets every Thursday, at the locations below!

FALLS CHURCH

• 7-Eleven (Annandale Rd.) • 7 Stars • Applebee’s (Broad St.) • Argia’s Restaurant • Barnes & Noble • BB&T Bank (Broad St.) • Bentley’s Restaurant • Board of Education Building (803 W Broad St.) • Bowl America • Bikenetic • Bill Page Honda • The Broadway • Burger King (Broad St) • Burke & Herbert Bank (Broad St.) • The Byron • Center for Multicultural Human Services • Chef Express • City Sunoco • Clare & Don’s Beach Shack • Clay Café Studios • CVS (Broad St. locations ) • Curves • DK Nails & Spa • East Falls Church Metro • Elevation Burger • El Tio Restaurant • Entenmann’s Bakery Outlet • Fairfax Auto Parts • Fairfax Laundromat • Falls Church Animal Hospital • Falls Church City Hall Lobby & West Wing • Falls Church City Public Utilities • Falls Church Community Center • Falls Church Education Foundation • Falls Church News-Press (200 Little Falls) • Famous Dave’s • F.C. Police Station • Five Rings Fitness • Flippin’ Pizza • Galleria Florist • George Mason High School • Gold’s Gym • Goodwin House • Idylwood Towers • Indian Spices • Ledo Pizza • The Local Market • Long & Foster Realtors • Long John Silvers • Mary Riley Styles Public Library • Mount Daniel School • Nourish Market • Halalco Supermarket • Hillwood Cleaners • Inns of Virginia • Jhoon Rhee • Kinko’s • La Caraquena • Mad Fox • The Madison • Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School • Master’s Touch • McDonald’s • Moby Dick • Munson Hill Towers • Oakwood Apartments • Panera Bread (Broad St. & Leesburg Pike) • Panera Bread Building Lobby • Park Towers Condo • Pearson Square Apartments • Pet Supplies Plus • Pho 88 • PNC Bank (Broad St.) • Point of View • Professional Building (313 Park Ave.) • Providence Recreation Center • Quick Copy • Red White & Bleu • Reed Building - Vantage Fitness • Rite Aid (Lee Hwy & Leesburg Pike) • Robeks Juice (Broad St.) • Roosevelt Towers • Safeway • Salon Centric • Sanz School • Sfizi Cafe • Silver Diner • Sislers Stone • Smokey’s Garage • Spectrum Cleaners • Starbucks (W. Broad St. & Leesburg Pike) • Stratford Motor Lodge • Subway (Broad St.) • Sunoco (Leesburg Pike) • Sunrise Retirement Home • Suntrust Banks • Super A Market • Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt • Tax Analysts • Thomas Jefferson Elementary • Thomas Jefferson Library • Timberlane Condominium Bus Stop • Towne Place Suites • Troya International Market • Tutti Frutti • Tysons Pharmacy • Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library • Unity Club • UPS Store (7 Corners) • UVA/VT Northern Virginia Center • U.S. Post Office (City of F.C., Culmore & 7 Corners) • Victor’s Grill • Virginia Auto Repair • Wendy’s (Lee Hwy) • West Falls Church Metro • The WestLee • Willston Multi-Cultural Center • Woodrow Wilson Library • Zinga Frozen Yogurt • Zpizza

ARLINGTON

• Ballston Common Mall • Ballston Metro • Cassatt’s Kiwi Cafe & Gallery • Clarendon Metro • Courthouse Metro • CVS (Lee Highway) • Entree Vous • Grand Hunan • Joe’s Pizza • Linda’s Cafe • Metro Diner • Pete’s Barber Shop • Rosslyn Metro • Safeway (N. Harrison & 2 on Wilson Blvd.) • Urban Pantry • U.S. Post Office (Courthouse) • Virginia Hospital Center • Virginia Square-GMU Metro • Westover Market • Wilson Blvd. & George Mason Dr. Bus Stop

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