Could Vetri be best Italian in America?

[Jeff L]

Not having been to this venerable restaurant, I am curious to hear others comments on its current quality or lack thereof. We are considering going for a special ocassion in the next few weeks with close friends and would welcome comments.

I just scanned some of the older posts on this place and the reviews are decidedly mixed.

[mrbigjas]

beats me, but i went over there last year and had the best roast goat and polenta EVAR.

[Jeff L]

beats me, but i went over there last year and had the best roast goat and polenta EVAR.

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Yeah, I read your report back then. Nice touch someone else buying at that place. Who was he..maybe he wants to pick up our tab too.

[Capaneus]

beats me, but i went over there last year and had the best roast goat and polenta EVAR.

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Yeah, I read your report back then. Nice touch someone else buying at that place. Who was he..maybe he wants to pick up our tab too.

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Price is definitely a part of the equation, and it's steep at Vetri. Undeniably good, and Jeff can steer you towards drinkable wines at about $50/btl, but it's still a definitely pricey evening.

My choice, given that there are entire swaths of the country I know little about, would have to be Babbo. But it's apples and oranges, they aren't trying to be inventive, like Marc Vetri is, so they don't overreach.

Still, if all you care is whether you're going to get a good meal, it's been great every time I've been there. And if this is likely to be your only visit for a while, consider getting the tasting menu. It's actually good value, in an expensive sort of way.

Enjoy.

[shacke]

Django and Vetri are the two places that make me feel like a pariah. Both places when I went were just "OK" but EVERYONE goes nutzo fir them. Having said that, while I still have no desire to return to Django, I do plan on hitting Vetri again.

Evan

beats me, but i went over there last year and had the best roast goat and polenta EVAR.

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Yeah, I read your report back then. Nice touch someone else buying at that place. Who was he..maybe he wants to pick up our tab too.

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Price is definitely a part of the equation, and it's steep at Vetri. Undeniably good, and Jeff can steer you towards drinkable wines at about $50/btl, but it's still a definitely pricey evening.

My choice, given that there are entire swaths of the country I know little about, would have to be Babbo. But it's apples and oranges, they aren't trying to be inventive, like Marc Vetri is, so they don't overreach.

Still, if all you care is whether you're going to get a good meal, it's been great every time I've been there. And if this is likely to be your only visit for a while, consider getting the tasting menu. It's actually good value, in an expensive sort of way.

Enjoy.

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[Diann]

My two cents - I liked it, but like Evan, I wasn't bowled over by it. I don't have a burning desire to go back (although if someone else was paying, that might be different...)

Still, I'd say you should go check it out at some point. Just don't go with insanely high expectations, like I did.

[Jeff L]

My two cents - I liked it, but like Evan, I wasn't bowled over by it. I don't have a burning desire to go back (although if someone else was paying, that might be different...)

Still, I'd say you should go check it out at some point. Just don't go with insanely high expectations, like I did.

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Well thanks to you all. I think my expectations are in line for a good meal, not something otherworldly. As a rule, I tend to ratchet down expectations so I don't come away disappointed, particularly at Vetri's prices. I probably will try it though and report back here afterward.

Another choice for me was indeed Django Eric. I've been before and liked it a lot but I'm just not sure about our friends paletes...Django tends toward the esoteric ingredients. Stay tuned

[dagordon]

Jeff L, did you ever go?

We have reservations for tomorrow for the "Chef's Menu" -- on Saturdays during the year and Fridays during the summer, they do a tasting menu for every table in the restaraurant. It sounds (from the website) like each table gets a different menu -- anyone know if this is correct?

Anything in particular I should request? Roast goat?

Also, Capaneus -- you mentioned that "Jeff" can recommend wine -- is that the sommelier, or someone on this board who's familiar w/ the restaurant?

Want to make sure we get the full experience.

Thanks!

[Capaneus]

Also, Capaneus -- you mentioned that "Jeff" can recommend wine -- is that the sommelier, or someone on this board who's familiar w/ the restaurant?

Want to make sure we get the full experience.

Thanks!

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"Jeff" is Jeff Benjamin, who manages the restaurant and the wine list (I seem to recall he's also co-owner, but don't quote me on that). He's always steered me to good wine in my price range. There are few bargains on the list, as such, but they carry a few good reds under $50, or did last I looked (a while back now).

[Jeff L]

Jeff L, did you ever go?

We have reservations for tomorrow for the "Chef's Menu" -- on Saturdays during the year and Fridays during the summer, they do a tasting menu for every table in the restaraurant. It sounds (from the website) like each table gets a different menu -- anyone know if this is correct?

Anything in particular I should request? Roast goat?

Also, Capaneus -- you mentioned that "Jeff" can recommend wine -- is that the sommelier, or someone on this board who's familiar w/ the restaurant?

Want to make sure we get the full experience.

Thanks!

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I did not end up going as we deferred to our friends suggestion of trying Roy's. I had never been there and since this friend is also one of my largest clients, we all went as they had heard great things about the place.

I was disappointed in Roys for both their cuisine (dryed out tuna of some sort) and extremely high prices for the level of food.

Next time we all go out, it will be Vetri. Please let us know how your meal is tonight.

[jelly]

Yes Jeff is the co-owner. Last time we were there, he was very gracious about helping us find a barolo in our price range. I had called ahead of time and he agreed to open the bottle in advance. He also called me back to let me know it was a different year than what he'd quoted and ask if that was okay. He is always very helpful.

[dagordon]

First, thanks for the responses! It turns out that they were offering pairings for last night's tasting menu, so we jumped on that. We were very happy with the choices.

So, the meal. There was a menu of several dishes spanning six courses, and they gave you the opporunity to say mainly whether there was anything that you didn't want; the chef would construct the meal based on the remaining dishes. You also had a choice of six or eight courses. We chose eight, with the wine pairings, and told our waiter that we eat anything. (This is true -- I once ate some craft or hobby foam on top of an artificial waffle display in Brussels, although this was unintentional.)

The food: At several points they gave my girlfriend and me different dishes (sometimes w/ different wine pairings), which was great, because with sharing we got to sample pretty much the entire tasting menu for the night.

1. Started of with some Prosecco, and a Tuna and Chickpea Meatballs amuse. They were great -- crisped to perfection on the outside. I'll take these over Maoz or Mama's falafel any day.

2. Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho w/ Cured Halibut, Cucumber Gazpacho w/ Cured Salmon

Abazia di Novacella, Kerner 2005 (Alto Adige)

The gazpachos were listed separately on the menu; we had them presented in the same bowl (that two soups of complementary colors on either half of the bowl style, which makes for a nice presentation). This was welcome, because the results was better than either individually would have been. Both were fairly thick; the cucumber had, well, pure cucumber essence, the heirloom tomato was exploding with tomato flavor. The cured fish cubes were a nice addition. A whole bowl of the cucumber gazpacho wouldn't, I think, have been that memorable; the combination (especially getting a bit of each on every spoonful) definitely was.

3. Halibut and Cod Brandade on Crispy Polenta Croutons

Castelcosa Furlan, Cuvee Tai 2004 (Friuli)

Baby Lettuce w/ Sardinian Goat's Milk Cheese, Pine Nuts and Currant

Broglia, Gavi di Gavi La Meirana 2005 (Piedmont)

The brandade was simply outstanding. The dish was extremely light and delicate. There was a drizzle of very high quality olive oil around the plate. I was happy that they gave the salad to my girlfriend. But when we did the mandatory exchange of dishes I was quite pleasantly surprised with her dish. The cheese in particluar was exquisite; the currants gave the dish sweetness. I have to say that I could happily eat this as a course, although I'd need to go out and buy a Hummer after ordering it...

4. Golden Sweet Onion Crepe w/ Parmesean/Truffle Fondue

Chateau Marjosse, Bordeaux Blanc 2003

This was very good, not great. The crepe was very oniony, the texture of the crepe itself was nice; just nothing overwhelmingly impressive. I also found that the onion crepe could pretty easily overwhelm the parmesean truffle fondue, so you had to modify the proportions in each bite accordingly.

5. Spinach Gnocci

Robiola Gnocchi w/ Pioppini Mushrooms

Tiefenbrunner, Pinot Nero Riserva "Linticlarus" 2001 (Trentino)

The texture of both gnocci was other-wordly. Unclear how they were structurally sound on the plate; they just melted inside the mouth. The spinach gnocci, unfortunately, didn't have a whole lot of taste. They were in what seemed to be a pool of butter. Hey, I love butter, but it overwhelmed, I think, whatever taste the gnocci had. The robiola gnocci were another story. This dish was fantastic, bursting with flavor.

6. Skate w/ Spring Onions and Olives

Timbach, Gewurztraminuer 1990 (Trentino)

This was delicious. But we've had a lot of really delicious skate prepared simply, like this. The onions were excellent.

7. Capretto allo Spiedo (Roasted Baby Goat) w/ Polenta

Tenuta San Leonardo 1999 (Trentino)

Ah, the goat. We had heard about this, not only here but in the article that prompted the thread. This was, quite simply, mind-blowing. Unbelievable. Each plate had 2 what I take it were ribs and assorted other meat. Whatever meat had been on the ribs had been transformed into pure, crispy heaven. The goat is spit-roasted for 5 hours over mesquite. I know that a lot of bbq pros don't like mesquite because they think that the flavor that it imparts is too strong; this certainly wasn't the case here. An absolutely perfect level of smokiness. And the goat had a unique flavor! This was a revelation. I guess we'd only ever had goat in Indian restaurants, where it had been masked by very robust sauces. Now I know what goat is supposed to taste like. And I want more. (Actually, my gf finished everything but the tiniest piece, which she insisted on taking home, and which is now in our fridge.) We were in Memphis for the Memphis in May "Superbowl of Swine" just a couple of months ago -- this brought those sweet memories pouring out...

8. Papaya Italian Soda

At this point in the meal we both felt like we were going to pass out. For one thing, the pours on the pairings were very generous. And so were the portions of food. The Italian soda was perfectly timed. As we were drinking it we both remarked that we were starting to feel much better. It was pretty funny; it really did revitalize us. There's simply no way that we could have eaten the following course without this before it. It was, btw, really tasty.

9. Ricotta Cheesecake with Fig and Black Papper Sauce

Chocolate Polenta Souffle w/ Vanilla Gelato

Cascinetta Vietti, Moscato d'Asti 2005 (Piedmont)

This "cheesecake" was not your average cheesecake. There was a bowl made out of fig leaves, and inside was a kind of fresh ricotta 'soup'; it was thick, but still liquidy. On top were several sliced figs. I thought this was outstanding, particularly because it was so light. In fact, this really could have appeared at any point during the meal and it would have been appropriate. The black pepper was a nice addition. When I first tasted it I was taken aback a bit, and for a second didn't know what I was tasting, as it was so unusual, for the context. The lightness was also a perfect complement to the souffle. The souffle was probably the best chocolate souffle we've ever had. Just indescribably rich & luxurious.

Sorry I don't have descriptions of the wine pairings; as poor as my food descriptions are, you really don't want to hear me start describing wine. I will say that the Gewurztraminer, which was described as having 'hints of lychees' really, truly did, it was almost uncanny. The white Bordeaux was another standout, I thought.

Overall, we were extremely happy with the meal. Several of the dishes -- certainly the Goat, the brandade, the two desserts, the robiola gnocci -- will join the pantheon of the greatest dishes of all time for us. The meal was, of course, not cheap, shall we say, and, as a result, this isn't quite going to become a regular thing. But I'm very, very happy that we did it, and recommend it highly, for whatever that's worth.

Oh, and the entire staff was extremely nice. Zero attitude, zero stufiness. A real pleasure to interact with.

Edited August 5, 2006 by dagordon (log)

[Jeff L]

Overall, we were extremely happy with the meal. Several of the dishes -- certainly the Goat, the brandade, the two desserts, the robiola gnocci -- will join the pantheon of the greatest dishes of all time for us. The meal was, of course, not cheap, shall we say, and, as a result, this isn't quite going to become a regular thing.    But I'm very, very happy that we did it, and recommend it hightly, for whatever that's worth.

Oh, and the entire staff was extremely nice. Zero attitude, zero stufiness. A real pleasure to interact with.

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Thanks for the very comprehensive review. It sounds like you folks would have needed a forklift to get out of there, a lot of food and wines consumed.

Vetri is at the top of my list for a special occasion dinner.

[mrbigjas]

great review, dagordon. that goat is something else, isn't it? maybe it's time to head back for some more...