Terrific Takeout: Vago Restaurant Inaugural Review Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Tony Rustja and Vicky Guan of Vago Restaurant
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It's not who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW and we are glad to know Vicky Guan, a restaurant owner new to us in 2016 who has proven not only her passion for the culinary pursuits as a true vocation but also that she is interested in the wide world of food with her latest and greatest creation: Vago Restaurant. Vago is a lovely fine dining venue that is the newest hot restaurant to open in Manhattan! Vago opened on August 6, 2016.
Vicki was previously praised for her performance at Wa Jeal:
http://www.whomyouknow.com/2016/06/terrific-takeout-wa-jeal-sichuan-chili.html#.WAerBuArLIV and this is our second time working with her and our first time at Vago. The name is derived from Vicky's philosophy of having a great vision with a view from a great vantage point. We suggest the vantage point of a table!
There's depth to this menu and we were delighted to begin with the convincing, mouth-watering Vago Burger, which arrived perfectly medium. The American Kobe Beef is sourced from Texas and this juicy winner is absolutely succulent. Of course, cheese makes everything better and we asked for mozzarella! American Cheese and Cheddar are also options and they sound fantastic as well.
The classic menu of Vago has great depth in the salad section which we are happy to see. There are six options. We first tried their signature Vago Salad: arugula, radicchio, endive, mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, radish and peppers. The radicchio and peppers fly in twice a week from Puglia, Italy to grace your plate and you'll be impressed with this colorful bastion of nutrition. They thoughtfully put the mustard vinaigrette on the side for Ms. Pretty Picky; it's composed of lemon, evoo and a dijon mustard.
Underrepresented at many of Vago's competitors, the White Salad is both unique and a superb combination of ingredients sourced from Conco D'Oro of Northern Italy: artichoke, fennel, celery and parmesean cheese. Paired with a light lemon dressing of evoo, lemon and Venetian (from Venice) White Vinegar, this salad is triumphant and delicious. Though the color does not vary, the flavor and textures absolutely contrast with grace.
A great test of any venue is the Octopus, and Vago's is sourced from Portugal via the vendor Sea Breeze. Balanced is achieved between land with the fava puree and the sea with the superlative sushi grade Mediterranean grilled octopus. This dish is further highlighted by onions, capers, lemon and herbs making it an appetizer not to miss. The quality of the octopus is just right and not overdone.
With eight selections, the pasta section is also strong at Vicky's Vago. You absolutely need to try the Fusilli: corkscrew shaped pasta, crafted on premises three times a week, with rock shrimp from Mexico announces a winning dish reminiscent of the Mediterranean. Olive oil and garlic enhance this and broccoli, shiitake mushroom and sundried tomato add both nutrition and color.
Italian regions make a strong showing at Vago: meet the Fettuccine, a Venetian dish with homemade fettuccine that you'll fall in love with. The truffle oil and mixed mushrooms add signature depth to the mix that will absolutely hit the spot!
We are always interested in strong seafood dishes and Vago suggested the Organic Salmon, which is a decadent Venice center cut. The dijon mustard with a touch of cream reduction accentuates the phenomenal flavor of this fish that is joined by attractive and fresh zucchini sliced on the diagonal with style.
You should know that although Vicky of Chinese descent and does her native cuisine well at Wa Jeal, she understands and is committed to a high level of quality in upscale dining with a variety of cuisines and is smart enough to know people that enhance her expertise. Meet Tony Rustja, the Manager who is a former veteran of Cipriani, we understand. Just to make sure we wanted to know if he knew the Bellini, another fabulous drink that's peachy. He certainly does and we cannot think of a venue other than Vago where we've had as great of a Bellini other than Cipriani itself.
Not only does Vago excel at the burger, but also they make a sublime Chicken Paillard. Both are found under Classic Meat Entrees. It is difficult to find this dish on menus in general, and you'll be enchanted with this version.
Organic chicken breast is expertly pounded and grilled, and is served with a mixed green salad garnished with chopped peppers, onion and mango which is just amazing:
The chocolate souffle is the dessert you want to try and it's more special with the pistachio accent! Vanilla gelato and strawberries also come to this sweet party on a plate.
We always look for venue that execute classic dishes so well, and Vago really impressed us on our first visit. We can't wait to see what they do next!
Vago Restaurant is Terrific Takeout!
