When living in a metropolitan area with as many culinary opportunities as Dallas/Fort Worth, it is way too easy to intend to visit a given restaurant for many years and not ever actually dine there. This comes pretty close to describing my relationship with Villa O, an Italian establishment on Travis Street in Uptown.
The first two questions that come to mind are, “What does the ‘O’ stand for?” and “What makes this place different from the other five hundred Italian Restaurants in the area?” I think the answers to these two questions are closely related. At the restaurant, they would tell you that the “O” stands for “Original, Organic, and Oceanic.” They claim to be original because their pasta is “served without pretense.” I think it is the other two labels that make them truly original. The most impressive to me is their organic statement. They take great pride in preparing menu items with “100% organic local, pasture-raised, wild, or imported products.” The oceanic theme is evident from the façade of the building (see above) and their nautical flag logo. It is also evident in their culinary inspiration, the Italian Amalfi Coast.
As always, I start discussing the experience at the curb. As with most of the uptown area, parking is hard to come by, and Villa O does not offer complimentary valet. They do have valet service for $4.00 once you find it. We actually drove down the street twice without finding the valet stand. I then turned around and pulled up to the valet stand across the street at Trece, their sister restaurant. The valet there pointed out the Villa O valet stand across the street. There was a small sign on the front of the stand, but the stand is at a circle drive, not on the curb, and they had parked two cars directly in front of the stand, so you could not see where it was. Once the Trece valet explained that we could pull through the covered drive that actually went behind the valet stand, we pulled through to be met by a very friendly valet who welcomed us warmly.
It was a beautiful night, and there were people everywhere around the restaurant. The doors were open to the patio and the front porch area, and it was a very welcoming and comfortable environment. I do not normally go out to dinner in jeans and a t-shirt, but I had taken the day off from work, had a relaxing day, and did not think about what I was wearing until we walked into the restaurant. They list their dress code as casual, and although the restaurant is beautifully decorated, I did not feel out of place. There were actually a lot of people in nice t-shirts with jeans, as I was wearing, and there were people in suits or nice dresses. There is just something about the environment at Villa O that makes you feel comfortable.
We were almost an hour early for our reservation, so I had no expectation of getting a table right away. I told the hostess that we were there, but that we knew we were early and would have a drink in the bar. I seldom order beer at an Italian restaurant, but I was in the mood for a beer and pleased to hear that they had two imported Italian beers, Moretti & Peroni Nastro Azzurro for only $5.00. This was a better deal than $8.00 for a single gin and tonic, but nothing was incredibly overpriced. They also pride themselves on having “50 Great Wines Under $100” per bottle, and they will actually serve each of them by the glass or half bottle as well. The hostess had obviously watched to see where we sat in the bar, as over twenty minutes before our reservation time someone came directly to us, greeted us by name and said our table was ready whenever we were through at the bar. We closed out our bill and were shown to a nice table by the open patio doors.
The restaurant purifies and produces their own still and sparkling water. Sparkling water is my favorite accompaniment to a nice meal, and theirs was very crisp and fresh. They offer a wide range of reasonably priced appetizers from traditional calamari and bruschetta to eggplant rollatini or mussels. They are probably best known for their Portobello mushroom fries. They also have a variety of salads, an antipasto plate and a daily soup selection. The soup during our visit was an eggplant and lentil soup, which was absolutely delicious. The freshness of the vegetables was evident in every bite. Their Caesar salad is very light and fresh in an age when they seem to be getting thicker and heavier at many places. However, do note that they use polenta croutons so you won’t be surprised by the difference in flavor they lend to the dish as a whole.
Entrée selections are divided into three categories: Pasta, Wood Fired Neapolitan Pizza, and Dinner Specialties. This classic separation on the menu allows you to choose a direction for your meal or choose a variation in course design by adding a pasta course or splitting a pizza for the table as a starter.
They are very proud of their pasta and have every right to be. All pastas are made in-house with imported organic semolina flour. For $13.00, you can have your choice of eight pastas with your choice of sauce (marinara & organic basil, alfredo, basil pesto, garlic & herb infused organic olive oil, wagyu beef Bolognese, vodka tomato sauce, or puttanesca). For an extra $4.00, add your choice of protein or organic vegetables.
There are five pizza selections including two classics in the form of margherita and sausage rustica. There is a veggie offering with goat cheese and the Beau Nash with smoked salmon, organic dill cream cheese, shaved red onions, and capers. The Villa-O is their take on a white chicken pizza including grilled chicken, smoked mozzarella, sweet onion, spinach, and white sauce. Aside from the five pizzas, they also offer their “secret recipe” Tuscan Pizza Bread with organic tomato and caramelized onions.
Dinner Specialties include a wide variety of protein offerings. Beef offerings include Steak Pizzaiola as well as Lasagna Bolognese made with Wagyu beef. Among others, poultry choices include Organic Chicken Milanesa and an innovative Breadless Chicken Parmesan. Branzino (Northern Italian term for Mediterranean Sea Bass) and Seafood Risotto Diablo, including shrimp, calamari, clams and mussels, are standouts in the seafood selections. Outside of those categories are Organic Vegetable Antipasta and a Veal Chop, each grilled with a balsamic glaze as well as a vegetarian version of the lasagna.
We each went with a foundational Italian dish for our first experience. Rebecca ordered the Lasagna Bolognese. This was quite an exceptional lasagna. The flavors were beautifully balanced. The ricotta did not overwhelm the dish, and the fresh pure taste of the beef was clearly present. There was really no doubt as to what I was going to order. I’m always tempted any time you put the words “Seafood” and “Diablo” in the same dish, and I will have to try their Seafood Risotto Diablo sometime. However, one of my primary comfort foods is Spaghetti and Meatballs, and it tends to be my first test of any Italian restaurant. I just can’t bring myself to order a complex creation somewhere that cannot make good spaghetti and meatballs. I will admit to being a little concerned about the Organic Turkey Meatballs. I have had many attempts at exceptional meals made from ground turkey, and the percentage of chefs who have managed to get the turkey fully cooked while still flavorful and moist is unfortunately a single digit number. The turkey meatballs at Villa O were some of the best meatballs I have ever tasted. The meat was beautifully cooked, yet still moist and delicious. I do not know what herbs, spices and binders are used in their meat mixture, but it is a perfect combination. When you combine that with perfectly cooked fresh pasta and an organic tomato and basil sauce that makes you think you’re eating straight out of the garden, you can count on seeing me become a regular at Villa O.
I’ll backtrack for just a moment to discuss service during our meal.
As you can probably imagine, I tend to ask a lot of questions before ordering. However, very few questions were necessary. After discovering that we had never been to the restaurant before, our server went to get our drinks and then immediately returned to tell us about Villa O. He described the restaurant’s culinary perspective including their emphasis on organic ingredients. He highlighted some items on the menu with descriptions of flavors and textures that actually brought a taste experience to your mind. Empty dishes were never on the table more than about thirty seconds. Villa O uses very small water glasses, but the water level never went below the halfway point. All in all, service was incredible. I will be requesting our server by name in the future.
Aside from our primary server, every other interaction with a professional from the restaurant was also a positive experience. A manager who had greeted us along with the hostess when we arrived came to the table to check on our evening and apologize for the delay in receiving a table, even though we were early, and we were still seated prior to the actual time of our reservation. On our way out the door, the same manager thanked me for coming, by name, over two hours after I had given my name at the front door. The valet promptly and courteously retrieved our car, and we headed home in a very good mood.
Regular readers know that I have been convinced in the past by poor service to not return to a restaurant in spite of incredible cuisine. That will certainly not be the case here. I look forward to running into all of you over dinner at Villa O in the future.
