Today, I am taking you to 14th Street and Hudson, to Vento, an Italian Restaurant. You may know this place because it sits on the “V” where 9th Avenue and Hudson split.
Let me set this up for you. September was the first time my boyfriend and I were celebrating each other’s birthdays, and his birthday is 10 days before mine. He knows I like restaurant selecting, so he said I could choose where we would go for his birthday. Up to the challenge, I asked my boyfriend what type of cuisine he wanted. I needed a starting point. He said “Italian.”
Italian. Birthday dinner. Must pay. Must impress. Pressure. Pressure. Pressure.
Italian restaurants are the hardest restaurants to surf on http://www.menupages.com because every area of the city has so many “Italian Restaurants” since every pizza joint falls under this umbrella. I came across Vento on http://www.brguestrestaurants.com, a group of restaurants opened by Stephen Hanson (Dos Caminos, Blue Water Grill, etc.). The restaurant looked so pretty, and the pizza dishes are $12.00 and the pasta dishes are $14.00. So far, this place seemed reasonable to me. Of course though, add in an appetizer at $9, and two glasses of wine at around $18, my bill would be over $50 before tax and tip.
On the second page of the menu, I struck gold! “Sunday & Monday Nite Pizza or Pasta $12.95. 5 pm until close. Your choice of any pizza or pasta. Includes Sommelier’s choice of wine by the glass or 12 oz domestic beer.” JACKPOT. Boyfriend’s birthday is on a Monday. So now, for right under $26, we can order pizza or pasta and each have a drink. Incredible. The deal basically equals a free glass of wine or beer, and a dollar off the pasta dish. Now, you eliminate the choice of chicken or fish for dinner, but it is called a deal, so deal with it.
We arrived at Vento, and the hostess promptly seated us after checking in with our http://www.opentable.com reservation. The outside dining area is great, and I imagine there is fun people-watching there. We sat inside, which was beautiful. I could not believe we were going to get food and wine for so cheap at this beautiful restaurant.
We got a basket of bread, which was delightful. When the waitress came by to take our drink orders, we said that we were at Vento for the deal, and so we would have the House White Wine. She gave us a choice of Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. I was happy to drink the House White, and to have a choice between two different whites, I was in heaven!
We ordered the Florentine Dip to start, which is a fancy form of Spinach and Artichoke Dip. We were pretty hungry, so the chips and dip were great. I agonized over the pizza or pasta decision, but I wanted the best bang for my buck, so pasta was the way to go. I ordered the Whole Wheat Tagliatelle, which said it came with market vegetables. I asked the waitress what the market vegetables were, and she said “Let me go check.” Thank you waitress for not just guessing the answer and retrieving the right answer. I appreciate it, and yes, I will have the Whole Wheat Tagliatelle with cauliflower. I cannot recall what my boyfriend ordered. I know he enjoyed it, but we enjoyed my pasta more. The pesto was delicious and the fact that it was Whole Wheat just made me feel good.
The dishes arrived and they were great. Really nice sized portions. Not so big that we had leftovers, but we had enough to take our time and enjoy a nice dinner. It was not too loud inside, and the waitress was very attentive. We asked two different waiters to take our pictures at different points and they were very nice about it. We passed on dessert, since I had made a brownie cake with candles (aw cue cheesy music).
So lets do the math. 1 appetizer + 2 glasses of wine + 2 pasta dishes + Tax + Tip = $44.00. That is incredible. Birthday SUCCESS!!!
Overall, this is one of those few restaurants that I would put on my “Must Go Again” list. There are so many great restaurants to try that I hardly hit the same restaurant twice. But I would love to go to Vento again and try the pizza.
Want to go to Vento Tuesday-Saturday? They have a $24.07 Dinner Prix Fixe, which includes appetizer, dinner, and dessert. That is a great deal considering Restaurant Week Lunch Prix Fixe is $24.07, and here, you are getting dinner.
Yes, Sunday is basically over, but you have this deal tomorrow night, and every Sunday and Monday of every week.
Check it out for yourself: http://www.brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/vento/index.php
Have a delicious day!
NYCMenuGirl
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