I have been dying to try Vittorios for over a month now since my friend hyped it up, being one of their regular customers. Finally we picked Friday for me to experience this supposedly unbelievable establishment. And I must say, the wait was definitely worth it. To start of, we arrived and I was a bit nervous because it wasn't busy really. I read reviews that the bar placement, which is as soon as you enter, is inconvenient because of the crowd that gathers at vittorios on the weekend. But, as I was told, last night was not even close to a usual Friday for them (the combo of no meat on Fridays for lent and the night before St Pats did it.) We took a seat at the bar waiting for one more person to arrive and I started with a glass of Riesling. Everyone knew my friend there so we were talked to by our waiter and allowed to ease into our 630 reservation, not sitting down until about 730.
As we sat we wanted to just have our drinks and relax, which the waiter was more than accommodating. He brought out the hot steaming bread, purchased daily from a brick oven place in Brooklyn. The crust was nice and crispy and the inside was warm and soft, perfect. I wanted to let my friend do the ordering so he said we have to, absolutely have to order the tuna tartar appetizer so we ordered two of them. Also, we got mussels luciano, the crab cakes, and fresh mozzarella with roasted red pepper. Oh my god for the tuna tartar, a must have appetizer. It is so fresh and the presentation is really nice. The wine sauce with the mussels was phenomenal, as I soaked it up with the bread. The mussels were not fishy at all. The fresh mozzarella was the way it should be and the crab cakes, which I tend not to order because I do not like them pan seared, were melt in your mouth.
My friend left ordering a nice bottle of wine up to me, with my bit of wine experience. I picked the argyle pinot noir and it was a perfect pick. It had a red cherry taste with a bit of complexity. We relaxed and had the bottle of wine, letting our stomachs digest the redic. amount of appetizers we had. What I really like was that the restaurant knows how to provide appropriate service. After finishing the apps, a bunch of waiters came and cleaned up the table, ensuring there were no crumbs and everyone had their silverware. And even though I was full, I was just too enticed not to try an entree.
I left this choice up to the waiter, who was nice and very receptive of what the customer enjoys. I told him I am not much of a meat person and right off the bat, he said off the menu I would absolutely recommend the striped bass. I never have had striped bass before but he said I could not go wrong. My friend ordered the lobster tail, along with my boyfriend, and someone else tried the spaghetti with fire roasted pepper and prosciutto while the last person ordered garganelli with a veal and sage ragu.
I picked the second bottle of wine to come with our dinner, which was the cab sauv stags leap. Another excellent choice, a bit heavier than the pinot, perfect for dinner.
To start with my food, the tomato brodetto the fish was cooked in was to die for. A generous portion of the bass was on top of a bed of spinach. I was so full but had to soak up as much of the tomato brodetto as I could. My boyfriend and friend's lobster tail was oversized and served with spinach and mashed potatoes. My boyfriend said the sauce was rich, a perfect compliment for lobster, and the lobster was cooked perfect. The spaghetti had a nice spice to it since it was fire roasted sauce, and the garganelli was a nice specialty to have, with a generous portion of veal in the ragu.
After sitting now in the restaurant for 3 hours and digesting everything, of course not finishing our entrees, my friend said we will not leave without ordering dessert. Of course they bring a dessert tray over where you pick what looks the best, and of course nothing looked bad! I left it up to him to order the dessert, and he said we had to order the cheesecake and the chocolate molten cake. I am not a chocolate person but it was dark chocolate heaven when you ate it. And you even have the option of a dollop of peanut butter underneath it. I am not a cheesecake person, but my boyfriend said the cheesecake was smooth, light, and delicious.
We sat a bit after dessert to finish off the wine and ending up leaving the restaurant at 1130, 5 hours after getting there. But those were the best 5 hours I have ever spent at a restaurant. The service made you feel like family and that you were their priority, the way a diner should be treated. I will be returning to try the countless other items on the menu that sound amazing. And, as I was told, the specials of the night are always the best part (mmmm tuna tartar!!)
I highly recommend everyone getting down to Vittorios, use a reservation on the weekend, and taking a step into food heaven!
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