At Sara's Table: Orzo Kitchen and Wine Bar

Style: European and Wine Bar
Website: http://www.orzokitchen.com/

My Rating: 5/5 stars

Likes: Divine food, excellent wine, friendly staff that was able to deal with splitting checks in many ways, beautiful decor

Dislikes: It's too far away to return and finding it was tricky the first time (but it does have a parking lot which means no parallel parking!)

My friend Lindsay, from Eveery Day is an Adventure and I had just finished a long day of travel. The night before I had been out for a going away party for my cousin who was moving to Alabama. Then I had to get up around 3:30 a.m. and drive with Lindsay to Charlottesville, VA in order to attend a Google Teacher Conference. The conference was an amazing adventure in its own right as we spent the day learning about ways to use Google Apps. However, after the conference session was done for this day, it was time to take our tired brains and retire to the hotel. But first, and most importantly, it was time to eat.

My cousin had mentioned a restaurant to try that was nearby called Orzo Kitchen and Wine Bar. So Lindsay and I loaded up into our big white whale of a car that we named Bertha and tried to find it. We drove up and down Main st. and looked for it. It was helpful that we found the street address because it was tucked away inside a shopping center. We parked Bertha and walked in the back way, realizing that there was a front door. Whoops. Then, both the host and a manager asked if we had a reservation. We didn't because we weren't even sure if we could find the place. They both seemed deeply disappointed, which left Lindsay and I slightly puzzled.

We were seated right next to the open kitchen and a dessert case. From that moment on the awkwardness subsided and excitement took over! When we were handed the menu, I was tantalized by the variety of savory excitements that awaited us. This was the type of menu that is good for your soul. The pairings of food were beckoning to me and I easily found six or seven dishes that I wanted to try. The ones that I did not get to were such a tease! I still feel them calling to me and my mouth waters for them.

Glass of Water at Orzo

When we ordered, we were served with a delicious artisan bread that was crusty the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. There was a tasty and aromatic hummus that accompanied the bread that we spread over the top.

We ordered an appetizer of figs served with buratta, bacon, and grilled lettuce. The sweetness of the fig was opposed to the salty and savory bacon and brought together by the mixture of textures that were present. It seemed like each flavor in this bite was clearly present as an individual, but was united in a perfect union with the others. It went especially well with my wine pairing of the Chianti that they offered.

When we were ordering food, I thought for sure that I would be able to remember all of the little components of the dishes we ordered. If not, then I thought I would be able to look at the menu online. However, the menu online is not the same as when we visited last weekend. Therefore, I am going to wing it!

Lindsay ordered a filet of trout on a bed of calamari. I loved the bite I had because it was a beautiful seafood taste with tomatoes without it tasting like a cup of ocean water.

I ordered pork belly on a bed of spinach gnocchi and broccoli rhab. The bitterness of the broccoli rhab was absorbed by the gnocchli dumplings and the pork belly addition added a flavorful explosion to the palette.

We were not necessarily hungry at the end of our entree, but we were so impressed by our meal that we had to get desserts. I ordered Tiramisu, which had the correct flavors. I tasted the lady fingers, coffee, and cocoa. The consistency was slightly more like pudding than I am used to though.

Lindsay ordered a bread pudding, which was very tasty, but barely recognizable as bread pudding. It had a sheet of caramelized sugar over a bed of sweet sauce and a chocolate bread cube at the top. Although not what I was expecting, it was still very tasty.