Ozzie's Corner Italian

Many who live in Northern VA are familiar with Great American Restaurants - they are the company who brought us amazing eateries like Sweetwater Tavern, Arties, Silverado, and Coastal Flats. I have always been a fan of these places, because they bring a focused menu of culinary offerings at a decent price and consistent high quality. The most recent addition to this tradition is a modern spin on Italian food at a place called Ozzie's Corner Italian in Fairfax Corner, conveniently located across from Coastal Flats.

My wife Megan and I had the opportunity to visit Ozzie's Corner Italian this past Friday night. We arrived around 9:45pm, which is a usually a good time to arrive at a GA Restaurant for quick seating (check out their call-ahead seating if you go earlier!) The lighting was low and ambient, and the staff offered a friendly greeting with instantaneous seating. The decor had a traditional retro metropolitan feel, dark leather booths, dark woods with elaborate designs and mirrors. I tend to favor places that are lowly lit, with a relaxing vibe.

As I looked over the menu, I noticed modern interpretations on traditional Italian dishes, although nothing that would convey unfamiliarity. The menu also includes some slightly Italian-ized American offerings like Short-ribs with Mascarpone Polenta, and a Cheddar Cheeseburger served on Panini, to name just a couple. The dish that caught my eye was a new offering called Pasta Amatriciana with Shrimp and Bacon, which sounded amazing, so order it I did - and promptly. Megan ordered the Tagliatelle and Jumbo Lump Crab, which almost made me second guess my decision, but sorry - bacon wins.

As we waited, the waiter brought us some bread, with the staple Ozzie rolls (featured at other Great Am Restaurants) and Ozzie's version of Focaccia bread. Both were fresh, and tasted awesome. If you are watching your weight, you may want to avoid the Ozzie rolls, because they somehow (deep fat fry) cram 200 calories into one roll, which is just slightly bigger than a donut hole. The Focaccia bread was very tasty, slightly oily, but a guilty pleasure nonetheless. Imagine a pan pizza crust with an aromatic Italian herb combination.

After a not-so-long wait, our entrees arrived, plated aesthetically and hot. The presentation of the Pasta Amatriciana with Shrimp and Bacon was awesome, and the first thing I noticed was the aroma of bacon and the tomato cream sauce, an awesome indicator that the shrimp was fresh. If you can ever smell the shrimp, look out. The fettucini pasta was slightly rustic and very fresh. So, in I go...I picked up a bite with some perfectly al dente pasta, bacon and shrimp and wow...incredible. The sauce was a nice balance of sweet and savory, a slight creaminess, not overbearing, followed by a slow rising heat provided by a little red pepper flake. The shrimp was tender, cooked perfectly, and completely complimented by the bacon. Ahh, bacon, will I ever be able to adequately sing your praises?

I could also see that Megan was enjoying her Tagliatelle and Jumbo Lump Crab. We'll usually have a taste or 3 of what we have on each other's plates. As she sampled the Amatriciana, I sampled a bite of the Taliatelle - totally amazing, as well! The pasta was resting in a white wine-garlic cream sauce with shiitake mushrooms and very thin, lengthwise slices of asparagus. The lump crab was cooked perfectly and was very fresh. All of it together was amazing, and I would probably order this dish in the future...perhaps with some added bacon??:)

I can't say enough great things about GA's Ozzie's Corner Italian. It is an eatery that fits with the rhythm of GA's culinary standard, yet offers something unique. Ozzies offers a chef-prepared taste at a great price, and I can't wait to go back. There is no doubt in my mind that Ozzie's will remain a fixture in an area where there are people of all walks looking for good food.