We've been meaning to go for years, but never had the chance. Danielle and Mark were raving about it and figured our anniversary was the perfect excuse to splurge on something tasty.
DUMBO isn't the easiest area to get to, especially from Greenpoint, so we took the East River Ferry for the first time.If you haven't ventured on the ferry yet, you should. It was only $4 and we loved the ride. The ferries were so fast that we barely had time to take in the beautiful view of the city. I wish it was a viable way for me to commute in the morning, but at least I have an easy way to get around the NYC waterfront.
When we docked in DUMBO, we had a bit of a walk to Vinegar Hill House, but I always enjoy exploring neighborhoods I'm not familiar with.
I've been to DUMBO on numerous occasions, I just never walked around extensively, instead I stick to the same streets over and over again.
We tried to get to the restaurant as early as possible since it was Friday evening and they don't accept reservations on the weekend. We expected to wait but were seated right away by the window. I wished we had sat in their adorable backyard, but our spot was great regardless.
Unfortunately due to my dairy allergy, I was limited to only a few entrees on their menu.
We first started with their special appetizer of fresh sardine on a crispy crostini with wax beans, cherry tomatoes and basil.I was surprised to find only one sardine, considering this was an $11 item, but like I always say "quality over quantity."
This dish was superb! The fish was perfectly cooked and every ingredient enhanced the oily, fishy flavor of the sardine. The crostini melted in your mouth and added a nice crunch to the delicate fish. So yeah, it was worth the $11 and we savored ever bite.
Adam ordered the striped bass, which came with wood grilled eggplant and poblano peppers with a side of yogurt ($23). It was a beautiful piece of fish, perfectly good and simply seasoned. Fish this good doesn't need fancy dressings. Adam doesn't like eggplant, so I lucked out and got to enjoy them instead.
I love eggplant, and these were particularly delicious since they were cooked over a real fire. You could taste the difference!
This special dish of the night consisted of elbow pasta with grilled squid, cranberry beans, bread crumbs and seaweed ($17). It seemed like a very simple dish, but as I slowly ate it, the flavors combined in unexpected ways. Yes, it was very simple with just a few ingredients, but it worked and I enjoyed it. This is the perfect summer pasta dish. Light, but interesting with contrasting textures, which I'm a huge fan of. The squish was cooked perfectly, so it was soft. The beans had that mushy texture and then the bread crumbs added a crunch. When you put everything in your mouth at the same time, this dish really sang.
With Adam's eggplant and this dish, I felt satisfied but not disgustingly full - which is how I usually feel after dinner. Good thing I wasn't too full because their dessert was amazing!
I ordered the Guinness Chocolate Cake with cream cheese frosting ($8). Needless to say I would come back just for this, it was that good. The cake was moist with a rich, chocolately flavor. The cream cheese frosting (which I know I'm not supposed to eat) was the best I've ever had in my entire life. It was so smooth and thick I thought I was going to die.
Every bite of this was heaven... oh man I can't stop thinking about it!!! AHhHH!!
Adam ordered the Salted Caramel Custard with coconut shortbread ($8). I really couldn't eat much of this, so only had a little taste. It was really intense! The custard really tasted of salted caramel, which I love, but this was super concentrated. It was really good and went well with the light whipped cream and shortbread cookies that brought out the sweetness in the dish and toned down the salty flavor of the custard.
Adam couldn't finish this dish, so its really the perfect dessert to share with someone. After a while you get sick of the rich salty flavor, but that's just me.
Overall, Vinegar Hill House was spectacular! They were so unbelievable nice to us regardless of how crazy it got throughout the night. By the time we left there was a huge line outside. Thank goodness we came early!
So definitely check this place out for fresh, inventive fare. I'll definitely be back to try the winter menu and their brunch - all of which I'm sure is amazing.
Thank you Vinegar Hill House for making my anniversary so special. <3
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