Have you heard of New York Italian? Immigrants from the 19th and 20th century brought their cuisine to the USA. Those who stayed in NYC created a foodie phenomenon called New York Italian. This is what inspired Utah’s 2017 Best Chef, Chad Pritchard, to create a new age contemporary Italian restaurant. Oregano is quickly becoming one of Provo’s favorite Italian restaurants.
Chef Pritchard comes from a family legacy of foods. Growing up, his father was a baker who instilled a love and respect for food in his son. This passion continued as Chad went on to study and teach culinary arts at Le Cordon Blu Institute, in Paris France. After returning to the US, Pritchard spent a year working at the New York Italian house, honing skills dedicated to Italian food rather than his French culinary education.
The restaurant is tucked away on the side of a hotel in central Provo. This modern open spaced restaurant has a perfect mixture of Italian décor and art that highlights Utah’s beauty through the photography of Willy Holdman. The restaurant’s employees are just as impressive as the atmosphere. Chad wanted servers to adopt a technique of serving called silent serving. Servers know the daily menu inside and out and although attentive they emphasize trying not to distract you from your experience. It is all about the experience, Pritchard pictured the restaurant as somewhere people could go to have a memorize time eating together, not distracted by phones or time. Just a time to enjoy the art of dining and those around you.
We sat next to a large window that had a beautiful view of the mountains. Choosing what to eat was the hardest part. We decided to go for the Truffle fries and Lemon Basil Chicken. While we waited for our food the server brought us warm baguettes that had a perfect crackle with each bite and a warm soft middle. The bread came with a dipping sauce consisting of olive oil, a sweet balsamic vinaigrette, and fresh black pepper.
When our appetizer came out it looked pretty similar to normal French fries, but it wasn’t even close. Truffle is a type of rare mushroom that has an earthy and musky taste. The potatoes were fresh, thin cut, and had their skins on. They were surprisingly and thankfully not greasy. They mixed the truffle into the coasting, so each fry was dusted with a garlic, parmesan, salt and white truffle oil powder. The truffle flavor was distinct it almost tasted fishy in the best way possible. What brought everything together was the pesto aioli sauce. Mustard, egg yolks, garlic, olive oil and of course pesto blended together in a creamy sauce that just lit your mouth up with sweet, tangy, goodness when it went in with your fries.
Then the main entrée came out, and it was beautiful. Perfectly placed on the plate with a mountain of mashed potatoes topped with green beans and sundried tomatoes behind and in the front of it all a lemony crusted chicken. The Tuscan mashed potatoes were chunky, well-seasoned, with a hint of the fat that brought it all together. The green beans were perfectly done and lightly salted. The sundried tomatoes were well ripened and brought a bright pop of sweetness to the dish. And the chicken was crusted with parmesan, basil, and pesto, with a lemon butter sauce to top it off. The chicken was moist and perfectly cooked. Together it was definitely one of the best meals the spoon crew has had.
The chef said college students love to come to Oregano because it’s a great spot for dates. Everything in their menu is under $30. Chef Pritchard didn’t want the price to be the focus, he says a couple can be in and out for $40 bucks. Dates can even split a portion, they are definitely big enough! Just remember to make a reservation if you want to impress that certain someone because it’s one popular place!
1600 N Freedom Blvd, Provo, UT 84601 www.oreganoitaliankitchen.com
801-788-4185