Today I had the opportunity to have brunch at Vesta Trattoria, a relative newcomer to the neighborhood. I think it's one of the best brunches I've had in NYC. This is based on two things: interesting dishes that were incredibly flavorful and delicious.
Here's part of their story, according to their website:
With their combined passion for Italian food and the Astoria neighborhood, Leo Sacco and Giuseppe Falco decided to open Vesta Trattoria and Winebar - a neighborhood restaurant offering simple and Italian-inspired favorites guided by the local greenmarket.
They are committed to the Astoria neighborhood; the childhood friends grew up in the area and continue to call it home. Now an extension of their own homes, Vesta Trattoria and Winebar, is dedicated to serving the local community.
We started with coffee. When I asked about how strong it was, Giuseppe said it was strong, and that I'd love it. He was right - it was really good! Nice and rich, bitter and smooth at the same time, with chocolate notes within. I'd like to try a latte or cappucino next time.
T and I ordered three things: for him, the minestrone soup and hangover pizza (though he did not have a hangover), and I, "A Warm Bankie". All three were delicious and I'd be happy ordering them again.
Minestrone Soup: This was an amazing bowl of soup. It had greens and white beans in it, with large croutons and a poached egg. Fantastic flavors - complex and beautiful.
A Warm Bankie: Fried eggs with creamy polenta, asparagus, crimini mushrooms, truffle oil. It was amazing - the polenta was really smooth and lucious, the veggies perfectly cooked for my taste, the eggs delicious (I understand they are organic), and the truffle oil complemented everything.
Hangover Pizza: What a great invention! Potato, pancetta, caramelized onions, fried eggs, spicy tomato sauce. I loved the spice level - hot but comfortably so. The eggs again were great. The crust was excellent - thin and flaky, which went well with what was on top. It was quite light. We have half of it in the fridge waiting for us to nom nom nom.
A brief note about their wines: they have a nice selection of well-priced wines that you can get by the shot, glass, or bottle. We had a wine that went well with the pizza, the Aglianico "Contado" 05.
We also had a slice of the La Torta del Picolo Bambino Gesu Cristo, aka Baby Jesus Cake. It appears to be a kind of spice cake that has a toffee-like crust on top, covered in a kind of caramel sauce. Whipped cream comes on the side. I do not have a picture because I ate it too quickly!
I absolutely loved the food and expect to return often. Definitely head on over and check it out. The staff is so friendly, and really make an effort to make you feel comfortable and at home (thank you Giuseppe!) in their space (which is lovely). The food is delicious, interesting, and excellently prepared. Highly recommended!
Vesta Trattoria
21-02 30th Ave.
Astoria, NY 11102
718-545-5550
http://vestavino.com
4 comments:
Meg, this looks absolutely scrumptious. I need to get myself over there - pronto!
I absolutely LOVE Vesta! Great pics from the brunch! I wrote up a description of my dining experience trying their dinner menu and it is just as great as their brunch! Here is a link if you were interested:
http://liveitupnyc.blogspot.com/2008/11/divine-addition-to-astoria.html
It is so delicious that I cannot wait to go back again!
hey gang,
My wife and I went to Vesta tonight for dinner and it was great! Fist of all I'm a big proponent of supporting the Astoria hood. I think it has so much untapped potential that people just haven't discovered because it's queens.
Vesta was great. We were a little skeptical about the location on 21 street which can be busy and really empty feeling, but in the warm cozy environment we didn't even notice the traffic whizzing by. Very friendly staff, great food and reasonable wine (we had a $24 of salice salentino that was delicious). If you go, you have to try to butternut squash soup and ministrone (big croutons and a poached egg). We had the lasagna and the striped bass, both were really good. The only down side was the panna cotta. The custard was good and sweet enough, but there seemed to be too much liquid on the top of it. None the less, we will go back again. overall very good meal!
Thanks for the recommendation and look forward to visiting this place again.
Paul
When I was in teenager I started to take coffee with my friends and girlfriend and until now.
Laby[seersucker suits]
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