Ive lived in Astoria practically my whole life yet never been to Vite. It off 31st ave on 34th street and for some reason ive never ventured there. While deciding where to go one day, this was suggested and im so glad I went.
The restaurant is cozy with tables inside the main dining room and in an enclosed outdoor seating area. Im guessing it opens in the summer. I sat down with my niece while waiting for my sister and for a good 5-7 minutes, no one stopped by and gave a menu nor offered water. Finally after about 3 people walked by not saying anything, someone came. The area is not that big and 7 minutes isnt that long but to sit there any not be addressed by all the staff walking by was annoying.
Finally my sister came and we were offered water and a menu. After hearing about the specials and asking for recommendations, we settled on the gnocchi (housemade potato gnocchi, burrata, peas, pesto sauce, toasted pine nuts), Pappardelle alla Bolognese (housemade ribbon pasta, meat sauce), and side of sautéed spinach.
The food arrived and we were pleasantly delightful by the main. The gnocchi was so soft and creamy, the sauce was delicious. Im not a fan of gnocchi but this was so good. The papardelle was my meal and it was also so good. There was a lot of pasta and a good amount of meat sauce. It was also delicious. The spinach on the other hand was bland. It has no flavor and we had to add some salt.
A few times we tried to call someone over to our table but felt like no one was paying attention.
When we were done with our meals, my sister had a few pieces of gnocchi left. She asked for a box as it was to be my nieces lunch for tomorrow. I then said, can you also box up the spinach. A few minutes later, the server dropped off a bag with one container and said here's the spinach. We tried to call his attention but he was already walking away. Where was the gnocchi. Finally when we came back, we asked about it and he said oh I thought it was garbage. I said no we asked for it to be boxed. He said let me talk to the kitchen. He came back and said sorry, they cant do anything but one dessert will be on me. I guess thats fine but we more wanted the food for the baby.
For dessert we ordered a tiramisu and pistachio gelato. The tiramisu was in a jar as opposed to a cake slice. One bite of the ice cream and I knew it was bad. It was grainy and sandy texture. I looked up why that would be and one reason stated it could be improper storage, like it was unfrozen or melted then refrozen. I wasn't chancing that. I told the server and said I couldn't eat it. He offered another dessert but I said know, then offered a limoncello shot. While I appreciate the offer, we weren't drinking before so that wasn't the best option to offer. I just said im fine without a replacement.
When we got the bill, the dessert was taken off like he said he would. We paid and left.
Overall the main course/pasta meals were delicious. The sides and desserts could use work. Service was alright. Id definitely come back for the food and to try some of the pizza. read more