Orzo

Located in the Main Street Market building, Orzo has been cooking up Mediterranean food since February. This place hides in plain sight. A narrow restaurant, once entered, it opens up considerably. The bar, kitchen, and racks of wine make up the west wall. Tables line the east side. An overhead loft holds tables in the back. An outdoor patio is planned to open in a couple weeks.

The 150 wines are organized under helpful headings. They have an ample amount available by the glass. Wine can be purchased here at any time and the staff is very helpful. At least tonight, their special soup was a gazpacho, chilled, delicious. With the "soft and layered" tempranillo, it went very well. Homemade sausage with penne was hard to pass up. The generous portion contributed to lunch the next day. Perfect describes the salmon, served on a bed of lentil-mint-cucumber salad. Having left room for dessert, the semi-sweet chocolate pot de creme provided the perfect end to a filling meal. On this week night, the rest of the clientele were older, mostly gray haired, and there was no one sitting at the bar. Unlike the newly minted Maya, and Blue Light and Zocalo that came before it, this hasn't become a natural singles hang-out. With time and some more exposure, it could easily enter this niche. Then again, maybe Orzo is looking for people who consistently eat large meals and tip well. Dinner for two: $85

One interesting offering is Siesta and Wifi from 2-4 Tuesday to Saturday, in which a simplified menu is available, all the wines, and, of course, free Wifi. It beats sitting on the curb trying to catch a signal.

416 W Main St
Charlottesville, VA 22903
(434) 975-6796