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Vega

03 Mar

:a_Top:

 

 

187-189 Hartsdale Avenue
Hartsdale, New York 10530 (Map)
914-723-0061
www.vegamexican.com
 

The WBC is usually wary of specialty-cuisine restaurants that offer brunch.  This is simply because our track record hasn’t been so good. We’ve found all too often that many places will throw a condiment from that particular cuisine on some eggs and call it brunch. But brunch it is not. We were disappointed the last time we tried a Mexican brunch. But we’re troopers, and breakfast must be had! So it was that we rambled into Vega on East Hartsdale Avenue for another Mexican brunch. Was it an egg fiesta? Or did we want to take a siesta? (We know, we know, that was cheesy…just read on.)

 

Attendees: :jump_to_Sylvia:, :jump_to_Andrew:, :jump_to_Shelley:, :jump_to_Jeff:, Reid, Jonathan

 

:a_Sylvia:

After our rather disappointing experience with a Mexican brunch at Casa Maya, I was hoping Vega would be a good place for a second chance.

It was, and I say that with a disclaimer.  I am not well versed in Mexican breakfast foods, so this is the point of view of a newbie.

Another disclaimer.  Prior to breakfast, I had gone out for a run and slipped on the one and only ice patch in the Rockefeller Preserve (it’s a skill), and hit my head pretty hard, so I might have been a bit compromised in terms of appetite and general brunch liveliness (sorry guys if I was a little grumpy or loopy).

We started off with Guacamole for the table.  It was good.  It was guacamole.  I would have preferred a bit more heat or onion, but rule of thumb dictated that the level of heat goes to the lowest tolerance.  So, we had it mild (aka, no heat whatsoever).

I ordered the Chilaquiles Verdes with two eggs.  From what I now understand, Cliaquiles is a trypical Mexican breakfast or brunch dish that helps get rid of leftover tortilla chips and salsa (Thank you Wikipedia).  Fair enough!

It was actually really good, although a bit strange at first.  The texture of softened tortillas takes a bit getting used to, and the salsa was a touch bland.  It needed a little more oomph.  There was a nice sprinkling of cheese on top which lent a nice savory flavor to the bites that had it, and the eggs were cooked over easy although one was more easy than the other (I like them real easy).  I would have preferred this dish with a layer of refried beans between the tortillas.  It’s quite hearty, and I only made it through half of it before I declared myself done and gave the rest to Andrew (although that might have been a function of the general nausea feeling I was still battling from the morning).  At least I can give dessert a try!

Off the dessert menu I ordered the Sopaipilla, which according to the description was puff pastry drizzled with honey.  Now, when I see the words puff pastry, I assume that wonderful flakey pastry that is used for palmiers and baklava.  What they really meant was puffed pastry, which is fried pastry dough (or kind of like a donut).  It was good, a bit dry, but well fried (not greasy) and well drizzled with honey.  It was served with whipped cream and a little mixture of apple and I think pineapple.  Definitely share worthy.

The czar says:  Vega has redeemed Mexican breakfasts in Westchester.  I enjoyed my breakfast, and yes, the coffee was decent, and served in, larger than you usually find in a restaurant, mugs.  A bit pricey, although now, I’m curious to know what chilaquiles from a hole in a wall joint would taste like.  If it’s anything like real Chinese food (the cheaper the better), it’ll probably be amazing.

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:a_Andrew:

The brunch menu was pretty standard for a modern Latin American restaurant, staple breakfast items (eggs) incorporated into staple Latin American ingredients (tortilla, chorizo). The scramble burrito is exactly that, scrambled eggs folded into a corn flour tortilla with chorizo and lettuce and tomato. The taste was clean and each ingredient was distinct. Only the tortilla was a little soggy. The scramble burrito also came with potatoes and some guacamole.  Both tasted bland, it needed some some spice. In addition, the whole dish needed a crunch element, the tortilla was not it.

For dessert I got the Mexican coffee con leche. The menu made it sound special — special Mexican coffee, with special Mexican milk. What came out was disappointing, just regular coffee with regular milk.

 

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:a_Shelley:

I’ve been to Vega twice before this visit, and while I’ve been generally pleased with the quality of the food, what’s held me back is the prices. They offer fairly reasonable lunch specials during the week, but aside from that, the prices are, I feel, too steep for what you get. I can’t justify $15 for a basic run of the mill chicken quesadilla when I could go to Tomatillo and get the same thing for just $9.95. And $11 for a side of guacamole? No.

So it was with some financial trepidation that I agreed to try Vega’s brunch offerings.

Off the brunch menu I chose the $13 chorizo omelette, which was said to come with warm tortillas. When the plate was served, the warm tortillas were nowhere to be seen, but there was a pleasant side of potatoes. The omelette was small compared to omelettes I’ve seen at other places for comparable prices. (Le Grainne Cafe, I still love your omelette.) This portion was reasonable, but I think the price should have better reflected the size. The omelette was well-cooked and the chorizo was well-distributed, providing a nice kick to every bite. The cheese on top was generous without being too much. The potatoes were well-seasoned. Overall, I enjoyed the food. I just still think the prices are too high.

For dessert I tried the vanilla flan. It was cool and refreshing, which I needed after all that chorizo. It was probably my favorite part of the meal.

Vega, I think, is trying to be a hip, cool spot, a place where people will want to go to hangout. But I’d rather spend my pennies at someplace where I can get the same food for a good quality. Make your prices more reasonable, Vega, and I’d return. Until then I’ll go to Tomatillo to get two quesadillas instead.

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:a_Jeff:

When I first heard of the name, I thought Vega was a vegetarian place. Luckily, I was mistaken (since I like meat). Vega is neither a vegan nor a vegetarian place.  Well, they may have those options, but I ate meat.

I ordered the chorizo omlette, which was good.  I suppose it was a standard omelette with chorizo in it.  Better than at a diner, but nothing enough to write home about.  What was impressive was the dessert.  Yes, dessert.  I had the coconut flan.  It was delicious.  I love coconut.  I love flan.  Put them together, delicious.

I don’t know what Vega is like for dinner.  I’m sure it’s good.  I have to try it some day.  For breakfast, maybe look somewhere else if you’re looking for a nicer place, but go to Vega for the dessert!

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