SPRING has sprung: Vai Restaurant

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We have been teased with sunshine and warm weather, and even oppressive intense heat. On those pleasant sunny Sundays, New York City streets are flooded with revelers, soaking up the sun and inhaling the first tastes of spring. Brunch culture flourishes as windows open to the rising temperatures, sun filters in spaces, and outdoor seating becomes a must.

With the change in the season comes a change in the brunch menu at Vai Restaurant. With the expertise of Chef/Owner Vincent Chirico, the small upper west side Mediterranean-inspired restaurant celebrates the season with the freshest ingredients that sing spring with euphonious and delicious melodies.

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Chef Chirico presents fleshy bright delicate Muscat grapes, fragrant Thai basil, salty cured meat, and voluptuous burrata in a chilled appetizer, and satin soft fingerling potatoes piled with succulent and perfect charred octopus with just enough heat to compete with spring weather in a warm appetizer.

Textures play tag in a sumptuous hamachi crudo, decorated with silky avocado and grapefruit gems ready to burst at the touch, while deep green asparagus and velvet pink fat-lined meat nestle runny bright yellow egg yolk and wide briny flakes of cheese.  

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A shallow bowl of pearlescent white polenta supports a plump poached egg hidden beneath earth tones of ramps and mushrooms, laced with large chips of cheese.

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And dessert is just as smooth and fresh, light but decadent with an ombre of chocolate and just enough sweetness to end.

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Each of these offer a taste of spring amongst the other dishes featured on the menu. Not only is spring highlighted in the seasonal ingredients that are featured on the brunch menu and brunch prix fixe, but also the textures and aesthetic of the dishes bring to mind that whimsical playfulness and flirty feeling of the season.

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5.2016

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bonding over BRUNCH: Maysville

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Some things can definitely catch you by surprise, like how fast time flies. The years blend and bend until you have no concept of how long it  has really been. And then you all sit down, eventually—staggered arrivals—and the faces are so familiar and nothing has really changed, but at the same time, so many things have. It’s a feeling when you come together like time has forgotten to move but events have transpired and developments felt.

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But it’s at that table at Maysville in the Flatiron District, eating super sweet and cakey citrus glazed doughnuts as an amuse-bouche to the amuse-bouche, drinking orange saturated mimosas, you realize it all feels the same. Immutable time.

Your brunch bites are secondary to the conversation flurrying around the table as future plans are divulged and pasts stay where they belong. Something about the crisp winter sun streaming in, reflecting in the mirrors, echoing the clean lines, has taken things out of context but each note is recognizable.

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Pretty French toast, sticky with honey, tangy like orange and smooth as ricotta tastes sweeter out of habit. Warm tones and thick slices bring comfort and a little piece of home, made special with golden honey and bronze orange marmalade.

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Bitter Brussels sprouts, gravy heavy sauce Mornay and salty smoked deli ham, comes to life with shared laughter and secrets. Taboo and leftover memories are eliminated with a thick brick of fried grits and its warm creamy center, echoing the textures of the crisp green leaves of the Brussels sprouts and the decadent sauce.

Chef’s Breakfasts are made less ordinary with birthday plans and getaways and stroller talk. Eggs over-easy, eggs scrambled— same difference, when there are more important details to discuss and crunchy potatoes to forget.

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You linger after the eats and mimosas are long gone and questions of ‘what’s next’ and ‘when’ cross your minds and reach your lips. No set plans in place, but you all know there will be a next time before too long, another chance to evade time and pick up where you left off.

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