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30th Ave (N, W)
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My childhood bestie Ada D. decided to celebrate her quarter of a century birthday here at Vesta! And what a wise decision it turned out to be!!
My friend and I were the first guests to arrive after Ada, and already Ada was seated at a table for seven. That NEVER happens anywhere! Some places refuse to seat you if even ONE person in your party is absent! Yet they seated her right away with no one there. Definite plus. It wasn't as if it being a Wednesday meant the place was dead. It was relatively busy!
After we all arrived our awesome waiter essentially described everything on the menu to us in astonishing detail. Unfortunately the menu was very limited in my opinion. I'm not really a one page menu kinda guy. Even if I usually stick to what I like (I'm not adventurous when it comes to food) I still like options. The only reason I'm not rating this a 5 star is for that simple reason.
Having seen that slow-braised meatballs were on the menu, we all wanted to know how many were served. So upon a dare I asked the waiter "How many balls are there and how big are they??" LOL!!! The best part was, as predicted, when the waiter laughed and said "You have no idea how many times I get asked that!!! THREE BALLS!!! You get THREE!" HAHAHAHAHA!!! Good times!
I ended up with the pizza. : )
The margherita pizza was quite tasty, with a very thin almost cracker like crust. I'm not a huge fan on crust so thin it's almost not even there. Nor am I a deep dish guy. Somewhere in the middle is good. However, it was delicious and HUGE. For $10! Can't beat that. As someone at the table said "This is Manhattan food at Astoria prices". I like. Ultimately with a couple glasses of wine, a bowl of butternut squash soup (really good, smells like the Holidays), the massive pizza AND covering a good portion of the birthday girl's tab, the total for two of us was $40. NOT BAD. YAY!
My social organization had requests to do an event at Vesta. So we did.
IT was probably one of the best places we have had dinner. Giuseppe was extremely friendly towards the group, and offered us a complementary desert. He was knowledgeable about his wines and offered pairings for the food people chose.
I about died when I tasted the Lasagna--it was great. I recommend this place for good Italian food...especially if you don't want the stereotypical spaghetti and meatballs.
I highly recommend this place.
After my dinner last night, I absolutely cannot avoid shining the shoes of this place with the greatest and most illuminating polish.
Usually, restaurants are so finicky about allowing you to sit at a table for a large group of people if they are running late. Fortunately, the waiter/host let me enjoy a break from my heels while I waited for my fashionably tardy guests. He must've known that I walked a good 10 blocks with enthusiasm from the 30th avenue train station (I was prepared for greatness, but damn, it takes a good minute to get to 21st street, land of barren Astoria for a long stretch).
Additionally, the humble, comical, raspy-voiced nice man who was our waiter was extra patient when it came time to our reflections over the menu. I had read from yelpers that the butternut squash soup was to-die-for, but there were so many other items that caught my attention (and my friend's as well- brussel sprouts?! -I'll get to that later).
The menu is one page and filled with semi-traditional Northern Italian cuisine with a little flare, such as frisee salad with pomegranates and roasted buttercup squash. We chose a Primitivo for the wine, recommended by our waiter, and it hit the spot (we ordered two, and we're not the richest kids on the block, so you must know it matched our expectations). All items sounded extremely delicious, but then they hit us with the specials! I was the only one who decided to go for the gold. I got the Oxtail ragu, which, sadly, lacked a lot of flavor, but was cooked to great tenderness and would be superb if they had added a hint of cheese or salt. Other than that, I had the frisee salad with the most DELICIOUS squash that resembled more of a roasted potato with some kind of aged balsamic vinegar, and a side of creamy, soul-satisfying polenta.
Everything else that my companions had was phenomenal (of course I tasted it all. Not ONLY was I birthday girl, but my family taught me to be an experimenter of shared cuisine). I recommend the Cavatappi for the creamy-cheese cauliflower lovers, the lasagna for the home-cooked lovers, and the butternut-squash soup with its little roasted seeds of spicy surprise for the taste-lovers. The most memorable dish was the side of brussel-sprouts, roasted to a crispy and wrapped in parmigianno cheese. I LOATHE brussel sprouts and these were an absolute gem.
My favorite part: everyone had to leave early being that it was a Wednesday night and work was on the horizon for the next day. So, one of my dearest friends stayed with me, and I told him "We'll leave after I finish this wine. Wasted wine is a sin!", but just then, the gentile waiter turned the corner with a candle on a slice of cake and placed it in front of us. I turned to my friend and said "Wow. I must look hella lonely with 5 empty seats around me, only you to witness my birthday cake. Oh well, let's sing!" And we sang my birthday song, and as soon as I bit into this cake, I cannot tell you what heights I reached as far as tasteful bliss goes. Cake is not my favorite dessert, but this baked cake with some kind of crusted caramel, and home-made whipped cream, was superior to all cakes I've ever had in my life. This is not a joke. So, I couldn't care less about it just being the two of us. More cake for us!! To complement it, the gentile waiter also filled our glasses and said "it's on me."
Thank you, Vesta, for making my birthday night magnificent. Any quaint little restaurant that can accommodate me (and my insanely loud laughter) is definitely on my list of exceptional. I can't wait to go back!
Cute little Italian restaurant in Astoria. My cousin's friend knows one of the bartender's here and he hooked us up with some freebie appetizer. It was the arancino risotto which is a fried risotto ball stuffed with veal, tomato & sheeps milk ricotta. It was delicious!
We , as a group, had the following:
- Margherita pizza which was good but nothing really special. I heard the hangover pizza is to die for.
- Lasagna three-meat ragu (Sunday Dinner Style) was super rich and flavorful.
- Pan Roasted Salmon preserved lemon sauce, raisins,
charred green & purple kale: This was AWESOME! The salmon was cooked perfectly. Crispy on the outside and super moist on the inside. They also had the best sauce to go with it.
As for desserts, I've never been a huge chocolate fan. I can eat it but I never crave it. But after having the freshly baked double chocolate chips cookie dessert here, I am now a true convert. It comes with dolce de leche ice cream with pistachhio nuts over the freshly baked double chocolate cookies. It's absolutely the best dessert I've ever had! Almost brought tears to my eyes. This is their new dessert offering so remember to order this!
We also had the Baby jesus which is a spice cake with homemade cream (super fluffy). I was so in love with the other dessert that I didn't pay much attention to this one. It's good but the other dessert is awesome!
The restaurant has great service and a cute decor. They support the local artists by displaying their work on the walls inside and outside the restaurant. They also play very good music. They played the Snow Patrol and Postal Service cd all throughout dinner. Oh and they have a great wine selection. Waitstaff was super attentive and always checked up on us.
Remember to stop by here if you're in the hood!
I loved eating Baby Jesus!
...and the hangover pizza wasn't bad either.
Can't wait to try dinner.
We had a lengthy discussion while at dinner at Vesta to discuss how many stars to give the dinner we received. Initially the conclusion was that service was a two, and the food was a four*, so let's give them three stars as a way of meeting in the middle.
And then I thought about it, and as I got here to write it, found that two stars actually says "Meh, I've experienced better." and thought that more-than-accurately encapsulates exactly how I feel after dinner at Vesta.
We were a large group (9 full-fledged adults) and when we made the reservation and told them this, they said they'd be happy to accommodate us. When we showed up as 7 (two were running late), they gave us a table capable of seating eight and told us they'd give us the table next to us when our ninth showed up. Instead, no more than two or three minutes later, they sat a couple there while other tables in the restaurant went unused and our very tall friend had to sit at the head of the table designed for what can only be described as eight very small adults. And while he enjoyed the Don Corleone moment, these tables aren't built to handle a large group (there is very limited depth, so they lack room to put all the different plates and glasses needed for a large group), let alone three people at one area, so we were constantly shuffling plates, glasses and meal dishes in order to make sure there was room for everything.**
Shortly after our tall friend arrived, the table behind him stood up and left, and I am pretty sure I politely asked if we could have one of the two tables that made up the five-top there, since there were also empty tables elsewhere. The server I asked went and talked to someone else only to tell me that no, they couldn't do that, because it was reserved for five people.
So what happened when two people walked in and wanted a table? You guessed it, they got half the table, and still no offer was made for us to have the extra room. I'd think they'd want to keep the table of nine who are ordering wine like it's Diet Coke happy and drinking more, especially when it came highly recommended by the Astoria-based contingent of our friends group, but then you'd have the reason why I don't plan on going back.
As we wound down, and made the calculated decision to go elsewhere for more wine, not because the wine wasn't good (it was) but because we didn't want to give them any more money than we already had, they took two of our party's plates before they were done eating.
Call it the last straw.
It's a shame, because Vesta is a cute place with pretty good food, if a bit small and not designed for large groups, and I see by the plethora of five-star reviews here that a lot of people seemed to really enjoy it. But because the attitude of the employees in making it difficult for our group to enjoy dinner was so consistent and pervasive***, I'm turned off ever wanting to come back.
* - Special standouts include the meatball appetizer, the whole wheat spaghetti (I don't like mackarel that much, but it's a limited healthy menu and the spaghetti had a ton of butter) and the pizzas, which I didn't have but everyone else seemed to enjoy.
** - There wasn't. We ate a lot of the time holding plates.
*** - None of the employees were mean by any stretch of the imagination, rather they were incredibly polite in making things difficult for us.
Food: Food is a standout here. Sand-free mussels in a garlic-y sauce for appetizer. Pizza was bomb, steak was actually cooked to order (medium), special of the day was pasta with presto sauce (IMO the best dish for the night, others enjoyed my pizza more), and lasagna, when compared to the other dishes was easily the worst of the night. Everything was seasoned well, not overly salty nor did other flavors mask the natural tastes of our individual dishes. Classic case of quality ingredients resulting in quality food.
Drinks: Cannot speak about the wine. But the beer selection was seriously lacking. No microbrew selections. Some macrobrews and a few selections from Italy. I can sum that beer up as the Coor's Light of Italy. Like how Sapporo is the Coor's Light of Japan. Dos Equis to Mexico, Hite to Korea, Heineken to the Netherlands, and so on. I was dying for Dogfish IPA to down with my sausage pizza. Espresso was A+ though.
Service: Another standout point. We were drinking the aforementioned mussel sauce with the mussel shell, upon noticing this, the waiter brought us spoons without prompting from us. I guess the manager can sense that we weren't too happy with the beer so he comped us the drinks. Ladies and gentlemen, that is attention to details. Then you have the service which should be the norm, filling up water, clearing plates, etc. done without us asking. (Some places think that is above and beyond service, oh well).
Ambiance: Corner establishment resulting in windows and sunshine. After the sunset, the place had a nice glow of indirect lighting and table candles. Local crowd adds to the warm, friendly vibe. Comfortable seating, can be there for a while without squirming. Good for couples and small groups.
Wow. This place is very good. The menu items are creative and the portions are healthy. The "hangover pizza" and "le italiano" are my favorites. Discover this place before everyone else does. Astoria is coming up!
I came here with my gf for some dinner this past Friday. Of course I live fairly close to this restaurant and something bothers me about eating close to home. But this is a nice hidden Gem like everyone mentions.
This isn't a place where you order mainstream pasta or played out Italian dishes. From what I saw, This was an Italian restaurant that brings traditional Italian dishes to life and also they show love to all guests. Nice welcoming from entire group when we were stepping in, addition to the very attentive service throughout the meal. Not like most restaurants who is very helpful when you come in and then forget about you for the rest of the night.
Pizza made fresh on pita was a big surprise (I loved it!!! Even though theres no meat, Damn Veges!!). And my lasagna was just amazing. Prices were a little higher than expected but service makes up for it. I can see myself coming here for some wine and pizza or bread with cheese and just relaxing.
Very Welcoming restaurant and BABY JESUS CAKE is not hyped up by everyone on Yelp for no Reason!!!!! I was already set on ordering this , I dont know why I asked for the dessert menu. I got scared when I didn't see it on the menu though, but because of my College Education I was able to break this down "La Torta del Piccolo Bambino Gesu Cristo" to be the baby jesus cakeee. Give it a try!!!
Fabulous food, great service.
The real question, my dear Watson, is NOT why should one go to Astoria, but instead, why should one ever leave it?
In a PM exchange with the King of Queens, Jeff O, we both marveled at Astoria's diverse, high quality, wallet friendly dining establishments. At the time, Astoria boasted Three of the Top 5 restaurants rated by yelp (Sal, Kris, & Charlie's Deli, Kabab Café, Trattoria L'incontro), not to forget other 5 star restaurants like Taverna Kyclades (Greek), Malagueta (Brazilian), and Koliba (Czech & Slovak).
So, when I read a steady stream of 5 star reviews for Vesta, I felt compelled to investigate the phenomenon. You can understand Vesta's popularity the moment you step foot into the restaurant. Named after the Italian goddess of home and hearth, Vesta is a cozy restaurant that successfully straddles the balance between 'warm' and 'hip'. That is no mean feat. As date spots go, Vesta remains unparalleled in the neighborhood, perhaps all of Queens. Soaking in the ambiance, I remarked casually, "Bringing Brooklyn to Queens", to which my proud Astorian friend retorted, "Only if you consider the vegetables that they source (from Greenpoint)" :)
As we looked at the menu, I made note of the innovation of making wines available by the shot glass ($2.50-4.00). Not only does the option make imbibing wine affordable, but one can also pair different wines with the food courses. I suspect that indiscipline with the shots of wine also provides Vesta with many a repeat customer the next morning for their famous 'Hangover Pizza' (Potato, Pancetta, caramelized onions, spicy tomato sauce, and fried egg). I must admit, I am a fan of the business sense of the owners.
However, I also believe that the food, at least the entrees, lags the ambience and service. I was unimpressed with the Margherita pizza. Even though, I do trust in thin and crispy crust, I found the Roman style (cracker thin) pizza to lack any chewiness whatsoever. The sauce didn't have much complexity, nor was the cheese particularly flavorful. Similarly, there wasn't much to rave about the Veal Milanese.
However, the desserts compensated for the entrees. Like many others, I too strongly endorse the Baby Jesus Cake {a warm, crispy (with a toffee-like crust) spice cake, covered in sauce made with brown sugar and served with whipped cream on the side}. It resembles one of those unassuming cakes that one expects to be served in a diner with modest ambitions. Yet, sometimes it is the simple things in life that provide the most satisfaction, as is the case here. Dessert fiends that we are, we also tried the chocolate ice box cake, which tastes nothing like the version at Magnolia. Obviously, neither of these two desserts would muster much support for being traditional Italian dolci.
As I understand, one of the most important functions provided by the Vestal virgins was to maintain the sacred fire, in return for being committed to celibacy for 30 years. You can be pretty sure that a meal at Vesta will offer you a much better deal than that!
There is NO wrong in this restaurant.
The warm bread they start you with, all the appetizers (great mussels, amazing fresh cheese), the entrees (perfectly cooked bavette steak, tender free bird, cooked to perfection, spectacular thin crust pizza) and the the wine but the most divine-licious thing on the menu is the BABY JESUS cake, and with a name like that you would question such a thing. But your tastebuds would gratefully thank the heavens for whoever came up with this light and sweet (but perfectly sweet not overly sweet) cake. Staff is friendly. Atmosphere is great (with great exhibitions of local artwork). Nice local place to unwind to.
I did not have a chance to go with my friends to this restaurant but I asked one of them to write a review of what she thought:
I am writing this review as a family member of a Yelp elite member. It is my pleasure to do so and hope it will be useful,
Last evening I had the opportunity to dine at "Vesta" in Astoria, N.Y.
This is a local neighborhood little "gem" with wallet-friendly prices and absolutely delicious, beautifully prepared and served food. It is, at the same time, both hip and inviting
Much of the food (especially the salads) are from local roof top gardens with humane, free range & antibiotic free meats served.
Wines are available by the glass for a very modest price, a very nice option which allowed us to try several with our various courses.
The fresh tomato (roof garden) salad was our first course (after we consumed large amounts of warm, delicious, melt in your mouth bread) and it was spectacularly fresh as was the green market salad- with herb Dressing & toasted almonds.
Our friends had the Chilled Roasted Tomato soup, toasted coriander & basil cream and said it was spectacular.
My next course was the Prince Edward Island Mussels with saffron citrus and grilled crostini. This was a little bit of heaven and a huge hit with me. You must order this when there!
My friend ordered he Lasagna for her entree. She is an excellent cook and discerning epicure who made a point of calling the manager over to tell him how delicious and fresh the lasagna was.
My entree was the Free Bird Half Roasted Chicken with maiitake & spring garlic mashed. It melted in my mouth.
The gentleman ate the Bavette Steak (from Cedar Rivers Farm) string beans and olive putanesca and the Pan Roasted Salmon preserved lemon sauce, raisins, charred green & purple, respectively. We were in awe throughout the meal, savoring each bite.
I am not a big dessert eater but our party decided they wanted to order dessert and at least one of us simply had to have Vesta's famous "Baby Jesus Cake".
We each sampled the delicious warm chocolate cake as well as the Grape Berry Sorbet with fresh fruits. Truly sinful.
The table was ours for the evening and we were made to feel as though we were
Guests in a friend's house. We left with plans to visit again very soon (and with Matt this time).
All in all, this is an outstanding restaurant with superb food (much of it locally grown) that won't break the bank. Yes, they do serve all kinds of innovative pizzas and have a brunch which has received great acclaim elsewhere.
went for brunch there
well the food is actually really nice
the service is about slow considering it was not busy at all
and worse of all they have noooo bloody mary
no bloody mary no brunch no liqueur license i guess
well its an ok place the location is not convient either
you have to drive to get there the subway is 10 + blocks away
and 21st street is a hard to cross when walking
difficult to find parking
I had the butternut squash and pomegranate salad which had such wonderful flavors. My husband kept oohing and awing over his beet salad. The salmon and pasta dishes were great. My glass of wine was not good, so I told the waiter, he immediately took it back, told me he had tasted it and it was a bad bottle and brought me the cabernet that my husband had ordered. Such wonderful service.
5 stars just for the baby jesus cake - AMAZING!
So, here's the deal. I don't trek out to Astoria all that often. And, when I do it's only for special people (they know who they are). But that might change after my trip to Vesta today.
Went here for brunch and it was great! My friend and I each got a pizza - a margherita and a pesto ricotta. Both were good. Then we ordered the baby jesus cake. I don't know how to explain it except to say that it was caramel and cake deliciousness in every bite.
The service was also great - they're not stingy on the water refills, and they let us hang around and chat even after we finished. I'll surely be back, even if it's just for the cake.
I went back here again for dinner tonight and I like this place even more.
We had:
- Fritto misto (Perfectly seasoned fried calamari, shrimp, and zucchini.)
- Buccatini with broccoli rabe, garlic, and ricotta salata (Wonderful!)
- Margherita pizza (just thin enough, perfectly done.)
- Macaroni and cheese with parmesan, fontina..and something else (Quite good.)
- Parmesan brussel sprouts (So good.)
- Baby Jesus cake (Awesome awesome awesome. I don't usually like cakes like this (I prefer something light and citrusy or something with chocolate), but this is just so great.)
I think I love this place more than I did after the first time I was here.
I just went here for dinner with my parents. We started with the fried calamari which had a nice… Read more »
This place is good. I wouldn't say spectacular, but I'd definitely be a repeat customer.
It's a bit off the beaten path, but a very quaint and comfortable space. The service was spectacular, and the guys that work there are very friendly.
That being said, the steak and potatoes were fabulous- very tender with lots of flavor- it didn't require any additional salt and pepper, and the potatoes melt in your mouth. My pasta was a bit bland- I anticipated the goat-milk cheese to have a bit stronger flavor so I was slightly disappointed; it was also a bit too al dente for my liking.
I have a feeling I could really, really like it here, so I am certainly not against trying Vesta again.
Ok I'm so coming back here.
Sunday brunch with a friend, perfect warm and friendly atmosphere. Cozy but not crowded. Unpretentious. The staff are really friendly and start talking to you the moment you walk in. You never have to wait for things.
The brunch menu is perfect too. My friend had "hangover pizza" which was a large personal pizza with lots of meats, cheese, 2 eggs, and fried potatoes on it. Perfect. I had "A Warm Bankie", which is fried eggs with polenta, asparagus, mushrooms & truffle oil. Heaven. The cappucino was creamy, strong and perfect. There was nothing about this brunch that was not perfect. Oh and it's CHEAP. I just can't wait to come back.
Sometimes a place can be new and yet feel like it existed forever. This part of 21st street was rather barren since my childhood - and so this little corner restaurant is a welcome development. Vesta while a somewhat recent establishment - has a following and a hearth-like feel.
Tried both the whole wheat and regular thin crust ricotta, mozzarella, and pesto pizza. Both were absolutely delicious. This slice does not fold, is extremely brittle, delicate, and light to the taste. Not overwhelming but every bite was wonderful. Usually a whole wheat man, I found the regular to be the better of the two. It is however, great that Vesta offers both options.
Enjoyed the penne with caramelized fennel, basil, radicchio, and ricotta salad. Penne cooked to the tooth, the fennel and radicchio worked wonders together, giving each bite a slight spice that countered the bit of sweetness in the dish.
I also sampled my friends Mac & Cheese. Comfort food wearing somewhat more elegant clothing, the fontina/mozzarella/parmagiano trifecta gave it the kind of creamy texture that makes you smile with every chew. The toasted breadcrumbs just take it to another level.
The service was good. It was a rainy day and the place was still busy, so I recommend making reservations. Next time, I will sample some of the wines and eat at the bar.
I'll be back.
Came here for brunch on a Saturday. We had read what other Yelpers have said and looked up the menu online, so we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted. I had the citrus mint tea, which sounded better on the menu than it tasted. But the warm bankie and hangover pizza we ordered definitely met our expectations. I am a big fan of asparagus and mushrooms, so anything with them gets approval from me. I've never had polenta before, but this was a good first! I wasn't able to finish about a third of my plate because it did get a bit too rich for my liking. The home fries that came with the dish were really good! And the pizza had a delicious crispy, thin crust.
We noticed that several other guests had ordered the ricotta pizza, so we will be sure to come back for that!
I'm violating my own rule of not reviewing a place before I tried it at least three times. I've been there only twice, but after my last visit, I will never return.
The problem I've had on both occasions was service, but my more recent experience was much worse than the first.
8:30 reservation for three; sat at 8:45 w/no apology. Took a long time to be acknowledged, and a long time for bread. Our apps. took forever, but we didn't complain. When our entrees also took forever, we said something, and they said there was a problem in the kitchen with the stove, but assured us it'd be ready in two mins. Well, it took about another ten, and we were very close to leaving. And I'd bet my life that they wouldn't have said a word had we not said something first.
Look, shit happens. I understand that sometimes there are circumstances beyond human control. I am a very fair person. The kitchen problem per se is not why I'm complaining.
That is, while the kitchen problem is excusable, the staff's handling of the matter was amazingly bungling and unprofessional.
Food taking an eternity? Go to the table and apologize. Give us a free glass of wine. A free small plate. Do something to show that you're sorry. They gave the table of two right next to us more bread as soon as they finished theirs, yet my table of three had to ask for more - not bangin'.
The food here is pretty good, but it sure ain't knee-buckling. The pizza is fuckin great, I must say. But hey, this is NYC, and (especially) Italian joints need to bring their A game if they wanna compete. Trattoria L'Incontro is about 100x better than this place. Fiore in W'burg and Lupa in the West Vill are too. Even in LIC I'd choose Manetta's or Bella Via over this shithole.
I don't mean to rain on the 'Vesta's the best restaurant in the world!' parade, and I'm no hater. Great food is not hard to find in this city - it's that plus great service that makes a restaurant a destination.
Both times I've been there, they were clearly overwhelmed. It's a small, cramped spot, and the waiters are in over their heads. If I wanna wait all night to eat, I'll cook a lasagna at home from scratch.
Again, my one-star was primarily for the miserable service. If you're in the hood and wanna walk to a decent place, go for it. But don't think a reservation's gonna ensure a timely table. And if you're driving, drive somewhere else.
Really delicious brunch. They had different combinations of food that were just awesome together. I had the 'warm bankie'. Which had truffle oil, mushrooms, eggs, polenta and asparagus. Soooo Yummy. The wait staff was very friendly and their coffee was delicious. I'm a coffee addict and very picky about it.
I knocked them down one star because I had viewed their menu online which listed a mac and cheese...when I got to the restaurant all hyped for the mac and cheese...I found out they had changed their menu. That was a huge let down.
Vesta is wonderful! The space is cute and cozy. The staff has always been attentive and helpful. And the food? Yum! Try the pizza. One is certainly big enough to share. The homemade pasta is also quite good. The only complaint is that their beer selection could probably be a bit better. A minor issue, in the scheme of things.
Oh yeah...and remember to save room for the Baby Jesus Cake for dessert. Holy hell, it almost made me go back to church, it was soooo good.
It just opened and I've been twice already. Even though it means a ride out to Long Island City from the LES.
First off, food is amazing. There are two dishes that haunt me for days after I go... Meaning: I can't stop thinking about them. First: the orecchiette with sausage. (I am currently experiencing a pavlovian salivary response to just typing the words.) And the "Little Baby Jesus" toffee cake. Worthy of the name. Of our lord. The savior.
Other dishes that are great: the pizza, the steak, the brussels sprouts, the gnocchi, the lasagna, the calamari. I haven't tried everything on the menu yet, but give me time...
Ambiance is laid-back and lovely (love the paintings). Staff is super-friendly and helpful. And the music is fab and decidedly non-Italian-restaurant (David Bowie, The Sounds, etc.).
What else can be said about a restaurant where, as you are eating, conversation revolves around planning the next dinner there?
Nothing. Except amen, JC.
Having moved over to a wonderful part of LIC last year; there are drawbacks..very few stores and restaurants. Vesta is more in Astoria than LIC, but it's more than worth the little trek over there. Reasonable and tasty wine list, and an menu that's just large enough to stimulate the imagination, but focused and fresh. A nice mix ranging from delicious thin pizzas to delicious steak and salmon dishes. The brussels sprouts were a big hit at our table, and that says it all!
Get a table up front of sit at the bar and enjoy the wine selection. But the food is worth staying for!
I love the Brussels Sprouts. I want to marry them. Then I'm going to cheat and have a torrid affair with the Baby Jesus Cake. Then I will die happy.
Finally got to go to Vesta last night after much good press on http://astorians.com. Everyone was so friendly. There was an absurd amount of hand shaking & also a lot of hugging. I think a few more times & I might graduate from the shake to the hug.
We ate a lot. Eggplant, cannelini beans, calamari, those magical sprouts, chicken, lasagna, dessert, coffee, wine. I liked all of it, though when I go back I will forget the starters which were good but not particularly memorable. There were many other entrees I would like to try.
Also I thought the bartender/waiter was pretty cute. But, no, it was all about the food.
AWESOME LOCAL PLACE!!!
Wonderful food, excellent wine list with good pricing and an excellent pricing structure. You can either do a bottle or single glass, but then they also have a "shot" choice. The glasses range from $6.50 to $9.50. Every wine except a $6.50 bubbly choice was from Italy. Anywho, my wife and I went and were really impressed right from the start with the design of the place....very understated and chic. Exposed bricks, votive candles etc. We were hoping that it would be a break from the cheesy greek designed eateries with faux waterfalls and 38 different color TV's playing music videos...and it was totally different! So thats awesome.
The appetizers are all around $3.00, we split a cannelini bean crostini, spiced well with garlic, olive oil and basil/parsley. The wife went for a pizza with pancetta, arugula, potatoes and goat cheese. Amazing. The flavors were truly well balanced, but the crust and dough is the superstar. Paper thin, yet somehow manages to keep its integrity throughout the eating process. I had an amazingly fresh and perfectly executed sea bass filet with eggplant faro and a kalamata puree. The skin was amazingly crispy with moist fish flesh. The acidic puree cut through the richness of the fish and the faro gave it a study leg to stand on.
We had a great time, excellent food, wine and friendly waitstaff. I totally recommend this place.
We had 3 glasses of wine each, two entrees and an appetizer. Our bill was $79. Very well priced. I cant speak highly enough of the "shot" idea on the wine list. How often do you just want a taste of something at a wine bar, but you dont want to commit to a whole glass let alone whole bottle? Great idea.
AMAZING!!!! Came with friends to have lite dinner before we finished up the Oscars and ended up with 3 courses of YUMMY food. Had mussels, which were amazing; cheese plate (bleu cheese goodness); potato pizza (different but seriously scrumptious); lasagna (not my fave. but held its own); asparagus (could eat all day everyday); polenta (no words); and to finish up...had Baby Jesus cake which was lite, not too sweet, and just perfect to finish a large meal.
Now, I am not 300 pounds mind you and I usually have a small appetite but the food was so good I REFUSED to stop eating! I think that says a lot! Will def. go back, no questions asked. Can't wait!!!
Went back there four more times and....yup, it's my new favorite spot to have a carb fest!
Love this place an am recommending it to my padres ;0)
It's a solid italian place! The space is cute, quaint and cozy.
You get the feeling of a family…
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Vesta is obviously no longer Astoria's well-kept-secret, but it's still just so surprising to have such a fantastic place on 21st street, when all you can usually find on 30th past Crescent St. is bodegas. Luckily, the exceptions for that not only include Vesta, but my apartment. I can practically see Vesta from my bedroom window. But even if this is not true for you (and it's probably not), you should check out Vesta. It's incredible. The atmosphere is just as charming as everyone says. Very warm and inviting. It's a really nice balance between fancy and romantic and relaxed. An excellent date night spot! (Or birthday dinner date night!) And the staff is well-informed, attentive, and friendly. My only tiny quibble is I wish that the waiter had not assumed Andrew J. and I were going to split a dessert. Yes, I know we ate a lot, but we're not done. Got a problem with that? But, very tiny quibble.
Anyway, but excellent interior, excellent staff, but what makes me ecstatic about Vesta was the food. We started with the mussels, which were really delicious. The bread they were served with was so good! I'd expected it to be an after-thought. Then I got the buccatini with broccoli rabe and pecorino cheese. Holy crap. It was perfectly seasoned- a tiny bit of a kick from something, I couldn't tell what- and the cheese was just incredible. It was also a really fantastic amount of al dente, and also appeared to have been pan fried for a little bit, too? Perhaps to cook in with the vegetables? I don't know, but I don't care, I just want more of it. I tried a bite of Andrew J.'s pork loin, which was really awesome, and I don't even like pork, generally. But this made me wonder if maybe I was judging pork too harshly. For a restaurant to do that is pretty incredible, is it not? We then got dessert. Andrew J. got the hyped Baby Jesus cake. I don't like caramel, so I didn't try it. He liked it, but wasn't exactly dying over it the way everyone here and on blogs does. I got the ice box cake, which was delicious. And the waiter helped us pick dessert wines to have with it that were incredible!
While this place is affordable, it's not cheap. A bottle of wine, an appetizer, two entrees, two "shots" of dessert wine, and two desserts came to just under a hundred bucks. Which isn't bad, but no one ever likes to pay a hundred bucks in a recession (and a girl feels bad when her boyfriend spends a hundred bucks on her birthday in a recession!). But this was definitely worth it, and I know for sure I'll be back here many more times, if eating a little more frugally.
Fan-freakin-tastic brunch!!! While back in town this weekend, a few friends and I met up for some early afternoon food and fun. On the recommendation of a friend who is a local, we headed over to Vesta. After living in Boston for a few years (a very brunch-oriented city), my expectations are naturally high. I ordered a cappuccino which was delicious...Espresso that was not too strong, not too weak and just the right amount of fluffy foam. For the main event, I had the L'Italiano which was phenominal! Toast topped with ricotta cheese, spicy soprasado and poached egg. The fries that accompanied it were not greasy at all and very flavorful. The service was definitely above average and, overall, I thought Vesta was one of the best places for brunch in the NY metro area. I can't wait to come back!
I went to Vesta for a causal lunch and I was soooo impressed. The waiter was laid back and didn't rush us esp since we couldn't decide what to order. The entire menu looked delicious and everything we ordered tasted home made. Keep room for dessert! Oh and buy your own! I didn't want to share my cake after tasting it!
We went to Vesta and definitely enjoyed ourselves. I don't know that it's the Best Restaurant Ever, as so many people seem to, but it's good. I like the wine list and the option to have a "taste", very nice way to do it. Our server was helpful and polite.
I have to say I was not impressed with the bread, far too hard and messy for my liking. Great olive oil, though.
We got...
-Vignarola salad - Excellent! Really adored the English peas. Everything was fresh and crisp.
-Prince Edward Island Mussels chili-tomato & grilled crostini - Very good, wonderful sauce! The crostini was lacking, very small and not very flavorful.
-Pizza with Potato, pancetta, caramelized onions, apple & goat cheese - Interesting flavor profile! The crust was very cracker like...I'd say their pizza is more flatbread than a pizza. I would get something different next time.
-Baby Jesus Cake - Okay, this is where the 4th star came in. Maybe the best cake I've ever had. Of course, put a stick of butter and some caramel on anything and I love it, but it was really out of this world. I will dream about this cake.
Overall, we were pleased and will be back.
I love Vesta. I love everything about it - the way that you get get wine by the shot, glass or bottle, the marinated olives and caper berries that are available for $3, the waiters that flirt with us in a way that doesn't make me and my girlfriends uncomfortable - and the food. Especially I love the food. I've been for brunch and for dinner. The warm eggs with asparagus and polenta made me feel all nice and happy inside. The pizza with potato, panchetta and cheese was gone in 15 minutes. There is nothing bad about it! And the best part - it's walking distance from my house. Score.
The place is wonderful. Not one bad thing to say about it. Shot sizes of wine are a great idea. Wine selection was interesting, I didn't recognize one label. My Primitivo was unbelievable. Mussels' broth was to die for, fresh mozzarella was light as air, everything was perfect. Guys, please, don't get spoiled by your success, the way some other great Astoria restaurants did. If you become very hot and trendy, please remember that restaurant hunters come and go, but long time Queens residents pay your rent.
Just came back from brunch. It's so nice to have a classy and friendly brunch place to go in Queens instead of joining the line in Manhattan (you know which places I'm talking about). Granted the brunch menu is quite small and entree salads are limited (if management is really this, please ask your wonderful chef to create more entree salads! :P), I've to give my thumb ups to the great service. The waitstaff accommodated the dish I wanted. When one item was missing from my salad, he apologized and brought the item back to me right away. The prices are reasonable and the portion is no diner serving, so it's just right and won't make you hold your tummy out the door. The cappuccino was delicious too. Very casual and laid back atmosphere. Partial walls are in brick, whereas others were stocked with a shelf with random items that give the place a rustic look. I'd imagine it must feel really sexy and atmospheric to eat dinner there. Outdoor seating would be great, but really, not much of a scene there and because it's at the corner of a busy street, you'd just be inhaling gas and dust. So stay in. Too bad it's so difficult to get there by public transportation, but it's definitely a nice addition to the neighborhood.
PS I once emailed the management a question about the yogurt they serve. The person replied back with a great answer and even offered if I need them to get some for me! What nice touch of great customer service!
this place is amazing! everything from the very hospitable staff to the warm ambiance complete w/exposed brick... the menu offers a perfect selection. not too many dishes to choose from so you don't feel lost, yet plenty of options which all sound promising...
we started off w/a margherita pizza and the antipasto plate (manchego cheese, hot soppresata, and fig spread). DELISH. the waiter later suggested the asparagus w/three sisters cheese and the brussel sprouts. though excited about the aspara... i was skeptical on the sprouts. WRONG. the brussel sprouts arrived perfectly hot, lightly fried, and covered in grated parm. THE BEST VEGGIE DISH EVER. honestly...
my pasta w/fennel sausage was unforgettable. my friends ordered linquini, salmon, and lamb which was all very good, but my fave was definitely my fennel sausage pasta dish.
i am not too much of a dessert person but the toffee cake was pure goodness.
to sum, Vesta is a very intimate and inviting restaurant w/an impressive italian selection. if i lived in the area, i would be back over and over. this is such a find for you Astoria folks!!
Where can you spend only $7 but feel like a swank, nose-in-the-air oenophile? Astoria's newest hidden gem will have you rubbing elbows with wine snobs, but paying beer prices. At the corner of 30th Ave and 21st street, Vesta is a little bit on the out skirts of the hustle and bustle around the subway/Steinway, but well worth the short walk. The staff is über welcoming and the atmosphere is warm in an old world meets new kind of way. But let's get down to brass tacks. When it comes to bang for your buck, this little hole in the wall is the total shizz. We went for brunch and ordered three generous, DELICIOUS entrees, two drinks, and a side of bacon for $31. $31 people! Most of the brunch/lunch offerings are around $7 (with dinner coming in around $12) and if my " L'Italiano" (poached eggs, grilled Italian bread, hot sopressata , ricotta cheese, and I'm pretty sure the tears of an angel), or the "Warm Bankie" (fried eggs with polenta, asparagus, mushrooms & truffle oil) my boyfriend ordered are any indication of how good the whole menu is, then all I have to say is go now because this place won't stay a secret for long. Already I see most of the tables full on any given night. It could be because of the great food. It might also be because of the carefully handpicked wine selection that starts at about $6.50 a glass, but get this: they also offer wines by the shot for $2.50 each. $2.50 bitches! Bring a date for a little tasting at the bar and for less than $20 you can look like a hotshot wine connoisseur. You'll be droppin' Lincolns like their hot.
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mmm, mmm, mmm. I recently had the pleasure of dining at Vesta with a couple of friends. The margerita pizza is fabulous. Very thin crust that actually tastes exactly like a big table water cracker. That may not sound good but it was. I think what makes it good is that it the crust didn't take over the flavor of the pizza. Good service too. And there's a hook on the table for your purse. hooray!
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Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Long Island City
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Neighborhood: Long Island City
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Long Island City
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Long Island City
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