Little City’s Pizzeria Orso Earns VPN Certification
The Little City has just joined a very exclusive club. Falls Church is now home to one of only five pizzerias in all of D.C., Maryland and Virginia that have been certified by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana Americas to serve traditional Neapolitan pizza. And it’s all because of Pizzeria Orso and its chef Bertrand Chemel.
The accomplishment comes eight months after Chemel traveled to California to train for his certification to sling the traditional pies in accordance with VPN America’s strict regulations. In order to be certified, the pizzaiolo, or pizza maker, must follow rules set by the organization which include everything from the tomatoes and flour used to the temperature of the oven and even how the dough is mixed. The two certified pies at Orso include the marinara with sauce, oregano and garlic and the margherita topped with tomato, bufala mozzarella and basil.
In celebration of its new VPN membership, Orso will be offering specials on both their certified pies and their speciality pizzas through the end of the month. Both marinara and margherita pies are $7.95 while all other neapolitan and seasonal pizzas are $10.95 through October 31.
Pizzeria Orso | 400 South Maple Avenue | Falls Church | pizzeriaorso.com
After Less Than a Year, Native Foods Closes in F.C.
Well, that was fast.
Open not even a year, the fast-casual vegan restaurant Native Foods Cafe has closed its doors in the City of Falls Church. The Chicago-based cafe, which had major expansion plans with hopes of 200 stores by 2017, opened just last December in the West Falls Church shopping center on West Broad Street. The Little City location was one of three in the area, with two others in Washington, D.C.
While no official reason has been given for the closure, sources say the Falls Church restaurant had been experiencing management and service issues. The store’s final day of operation was last Monday.
Earls Kitchen + Bar Now Open in Tysons
Joining the Tysons dining scene is Earls Kitchen + Bar which opened last week in the Vita apartment building in Tysons Corner Center near the Metro’s new Silver line. With more than 60 locations throughout the United States and Canada, the new Tysons restaurant is just the sixth in the U.S.
The menu at Earls includes a variety of cuisines including everything from burgers, pasta and ribs to bibimap, sushi and kung pao chicken and shrimp. Brunch on the weekend is served until 3 p.m. and includes French toast, goat cheese frittatas and nod to the Commonwealth with eggs benedict made with sweet Virginia ham.
The new 10,000 square-foot restaurant has seating for 280 with another 114 available on a partially-covered patio.
Earls is open for lunch and dinner Monday – Friday beginning at 11:30 a.m. and opens at 10 a.m. for brunch on Saturday and Sunday.
Earls Kitchen + Bar | 7902 Tysons One Place | McLean | earlsrestaurants.com
