Vesta - 21-02 30th Avenue, Astoria NY 11102718.545.5550
N/W Train to 30th Avenue
www.vestavino.com
My friend Crystal and I had the most enjoyable brunch at Vesta yesterday. I wasn't surprised by how much I adored it (as I love everything in this restaurant) but I must give Vesta additional praise for always reinventing the menu, making their dishes appropriately seasonal. Below are some of the foods we tried:
Hangover Pizza - I was extra eager to try this, especially after last week's post, comparing my hangover pizza to theirs. The texture was excellent, with Vesta's signature flaky crust--I loved the smokiness of the pancetta pieces on the thin layer of spicy tomato sauce. But my favorite part was the fried egg that broke apart when bitten, infusing with the rest of the ingredients. It was a fabulous way to "recover" after a long weekend of eating and fun.
Whole Wheat French Toast - One of my all-time favorite brunch dishes, I ordered it as my main meal. The toast was crunchy on the outside but soft and moist on the inside. It was super thick-cut and once slathered with the sweet apricot/orange marmalade, it was bliss. The pieces of toast were topped with sweet butter, which was a nice complement but I think there was too much, so I removed most of it.
Buttermilk Pancakes - Crystal chose this as her main brunch entree and also loved it. The pancakes were thick and fluffy, topped with juicy, fresh fruit such as bananas, blueberries and strawberries. A gorgeous dollop of fresh whipped cream lay on top and while it looked impressive, Crystal was conservative about eating it. After all, we still had a whole Hangover Pizza to get through.
Dessert - Although our tummies were nearly full, we saved room for dessert, which consisted of grapefruit sorbet and affogato. Both were decadent and super tasty but we had a strong preference for the grapefruit sorbet, which was so refreshing that we nearly polished off the entire thing. We loved the fresh fruit served with it, including sliced peaches, grapes and strawberries, making this the perfect summer dessert.
The affogato was fantastic as well but more on the indulgent side. I enjoyed pouring the fresh espresso over the vanilla gelatto and the peanut brittle softened slightly after making contact with the warm liquid. It was a very different flavor than the sorbet, but equally delicious.
Service and Cost:
You always feel pampered when you come to Vesta. The servers are so warm and attentive that you have a hard time leaving. I could confidently say that they treat all the customers, well...like family.
Costs continue to be a great value with brunch entrees ranging between $5.95 - $10.50. Coffee and a morning cocktail are priced separately but you get what you pay for--excellent quality. They use local, fresh ingredients supplied by a local farm in Greenpoint, which happens to be on top of a building. Wowza!
3 Mmmms
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