We enjoyed our dinner at Vici Ristobar. The pastas were great and so was the service. I give this place a solid four Yelp stars.
Vici opened in December 2021 in the Hope Valley Commons (Harris Teeter) shopping center on 54. My wife found Vici on Yelp. At the time, it had a perfect five-star average rating with over 20 reviews. We were both skeptical of the high initial rating, but walked away happy and satisfied with our experience here.
If you're familiar with this shopping center, Vici took over the space previously occupied by Tre Forni: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tre-forni-durham. Vici is from the same owners as Vivo Ristorante Pizzeria in Raleigh (https://www.yelp.com/biz/vivo-ristorante-pizzeria-raleigh) and Vieni Ristobar in Holly Springs (https://www.yelp.com/biz/vieni-ristobar-holly-springs).
Vici manager Chris, who also helps run Vivo and Vieni, said Vivo, Vieni, and Vici are references to Caesar. I know Caesar's saying as "veni, vidi, vici," meaning "I came, I saw, I conquered." I then told Chris about the old, popular Italian restaurant in Atlanta (where we're from) called Veni Vidi Vici: https://www.yelp.com/biz/veni-vidi-vici-atlanta-2?hrid=PiUQ6ufjsZQftrG7InLE0w.
I appreciated how Chris came to our table, as managers typically do, to check on us (in addition to our wonderful server, Gabriella H). Chris didn't recognize our faces and asked if it was our first time. We did think it was a little weird when the older lady hostess asked us if we had a reservation. This is a casual restaurant, it was an ordinary Thursday night, and there were several empty tables for the duration of our visit. Gabriella was awesome, A+. Turns out my wife and Gabriella know each other through their shared lab at UNC. The dishes came out fast.
I also have to mention that my wife and I like Vici more than the much older and established Italian restaurant in this neighborhood, Pulcinella's Italian Restaurant: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pulcinellas-italian-restaurant-durham. Not that Pulcinella's is bad (it isn't), but both the food and service we experienced at Vici were better than what we experienced at Pulcinella's.
Below is a list of what we ordered. Along with the types of dishes offered, it should give you an idea on pricing. Along with Italian apps, salads, entrees, and desserts, Vici also serves Italian soups and pizza. Pizzas, a calzone, and a stromboli take up a good portion of the menu. For drinks, they have cocktails, a decently-sized wine list, beer, bourbon, whiskey, and more. "Ristobar" = restaurant-bar.
Antipasti
* Bread service with herbed olive oil (complimentary)
* Burrata with Truffled Oil ($12) - fresh mozzarella stuffed with stracciatella cream over vine-ripened tomato and house crostini wedge
Soups & Salads
* Vici Famous Chopped Salad ($12) - chopped mixed greens, cucumber, olives, red onions, and roasted artichoke hearts, house balsamic
Fresh Pastas
* Spaghetti Carbonara ($18) - sauteed pancetta (pork), sauteed onions, vodka, tomato sauce, cream, Parmigiano Reggiano
* Braised Short Ribs with Pappardelle ($26) - braised beef short ribs in a rich savory veal demiglace and fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Dessert
* Ricotta Cheesecake dessert ($8 per slice)
The pastas were excellent and so was the Chopped Salad. Everything else was A-OK.
The bread service was nice. I liked how they presented the pieces of bread split on top. Both the bread and oil were flavorful. The bread was soft and appetizing. The herbs/seasonings in the oil were a nice touch.
We love burrata and thought Vici's Burrata with Truffled Oil was good, but not great. The burrata itself was fine. Fresh, delicious. However, the truffle flavor was barely noticeable. Still, I'd order this dish again. I love burrata that much.
The "Vici Famous" Chopped Salad was sizable. Also fresh and delicious. My wife and I split the salad and it was plenty of salad for the two of us. For groups that don't eat a lot of salad, Vici's Chopped Salad might be able to be split among three people.
The Spaghetti Carbonara was extra rich and creamy. Very good. I could taste the dense, heavy calories with every bite. But seriously, this was one of the most memorable restaurant pasta carbonaras I've had. It might be better described as "carbonara in an extra rich and creamy sauce." It was definitely wet and saucy in this sense. As a fan of creamy pastas/pasta sauces, I liked it.
The Braised Short Ribs with Pappardelle were terrific. For this dish, Vici gives the option of pappardelle or gnocchi for the pasta. I like gnocchi so I was intrigued having it with short ribs, but I also like pappardelle and thought it would be the "safer" option. According to our server, it's also the more popular of the two for this dish. The dish was incredibly tasty. The ribbons had wonderful texture and the beef was tender and delectably savory.
The Ricotta Cheesecake was good. Par for the course. Tiramisu and cannoli were the only other two dessert choices.