Vinegar Hill House
"The 40-seat space is the embodiment of warm and cozy, quirky but not off-puttingly so. It’s Little House on the Prairie crossed with Freemans, the relentlessly hip Lower East Side restaurant where the couple who owns Vinegar Hill House first met on the job... The focal point of the room is the roaring wood-fired oven, chef-partner Jean Adamson’s primary cooking apparatus," says New York magazine.
"The menu generally features five appetizers and four entrées... The signature dish, the chicken, arrives in a cast-iron skillet, which a waiter sets down on a grubby pot holder. The steam creates an odd, bonglike effect—hits of sherry vinegar—but, once you get past that, the meat is moist and the skin is crisp." says the New Yorker's Lauren Collins.
GQ's Alan Richman writes, "The chicken-liver mousse was delicate, velvety, and laden with spices, both the hot and the sweet kind. Mussels, roasted to a burnished red glow, were impressive, but they were perversely piled in a bowl so tiny they managed not to come in contact with the lemon-chili-garlic oil puddled beneath them. (Dipping the accompanying grilled bread in the oil compensated somewhat.)" How would you rate Vinegar Hill House?
Reviews (15)
dirty_hipster wrote a review on July 24, 2009 12:11 PM
Great atmopshere, great food at a good price. Service is a little lacking, and they recommended a really crappy Oregon Pinot Noir that was 40 bucks and tasted like it came from a box. Definitely worth at least one visit for that sense of adventure of walking thru VH trying to find this crummy looking store front.
Brownstones Half Off wrote a review on July 24, 2009 12:15 PM
Paint the facade.
***Bid half off peak comps***
wasder wrote a review on July 24, 2009 12:24 PM
I love this restaurant. The perfect little out of the way retreat with great atmosphere and delicious food. Great for a birthday dinner or a romantic night out or just a casual dinner with a friend. Highly recommended. Only thing I didn't like were the glasses that wine and drinks were served in...funny little things.
PitbullNYC wrote a review on July 24, 2009 12:33 PM
why do i get the feeling that the bike in the picture is mr. b's bike? ahhaha
*rob*
Nomi wrote a review on July 24, 2009 12:35 PM
I have wondered about this place for a while.
They don't need to paint the facade!
dittoburg wrote a review on July 24, 2009 12:35 PM
BHO - its deliberately that way. I like it.
BH76 wrote a review on July 24, 2009 12:42 PM
The food is good but the whole place seems a little contrived -- like the crummy glasses in which they serve the wine. Charming but uncomfortable -- like a phot shoot. And the no res policy is insane.
dirty_hipster wrote a review on July 24, 2009 12:48 PM
I agree about the no rez policy - but I went when it first opened. Are wait times longer now? I think I had to wait about 15-20 minutes when I went on a Saturday night.
Seems like a trend now amongst these trendy restaurants - make people wait for 1 hr + to get a buzz going.
KHuebbe wrote a review on July 24, 2009 1:46 PM
Really great food. Very well done.
BH76 wrote a review on July 24, 2009 1:58 PM
Yes DH -- it is all marketing. People standing aorund looks cool. Saturday night is hour wait....
superstooper wrote a review on July 24, 2009 2:23 PM
Mad hipster but I love it!
presbkny wrote a review on July 24, 2009 7:29 PM
I rarely comment unless I feel really strongly about what's being reviewed, and frankly, this place sucked. Went for the great food I had heard so much about.
The server kept trying to up-sell us on everything and was annoyed when we didn't order drinks. Was MIA after that. My trout was RAW but no one came by to ask about it. Finally had to grab someone to tell them, and they seemed surprised, but could care less. At that point, everyone else was done eating and we just wanted to leave and never come back.
The steak and chops, were fine, but average. Not worth going for the crappy service and the spotty food prep.
mopar wrote a review on July 25, 2009 10:48 AM
We went early on a Saturday evening, the neighborhood was magical. Silent and empty, except for the birds singing, although right downtown by the BQE and bridge. Cobblestone street and perfectly preserved two blocks of 19th C storefronts, now all being used as houses. At the end of the two blocks, you suddenly come upon a huge power plant. Enjoyed our dinner. We ordered carefully, so it wasn't too expensive. I enjoyed the look of the place and speculating about what was original and what they had added.
chrishavens wrote a review on July 27, 2009 12:10 PM
superb food, just what vinegar hill needed
try everything
Molly wrote a review on August 19, 2009 12:50 PM
I have been to this place twice since it opened. All the food I have tried has been excellent! I LOVE the Guinness Cake. The cheese plate is also wonderful. The raved about chicken was good too. I have always gone here on quiet evenings, and have never had to wait for a table. The service is a little slow - as I find with all restaurants in Brooklyn in general. I liked the bug spray they kept for customers in the back yard (deet and no deet!). Both times I have gone, the wine has not been that great. The best I've tried so far was the Prosecca, and that came in much better glasses than the other wine (which are small and looked they were picked up at a dump boutique). All in all, enjoy the food and chuckle at the hipster atmosphere!
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