Munchies

Vinegar Hill is a peacefully remote neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, just to the north of Dumbo, which is a mostly terrible area beneath the Manhattan Bridge with high-rises, a few projects, and some other things. Dumbo’s biggest virtue, actually, is that its streets lead straight to Vinegar Hill House, one of the finest restaurants in any NYC borough. We decided that featuring VHH’s chef-owner Jean Adamson and chef de cuisine Brian Leth would be an excellent way to begin this, the second season of Munchies. Thankfully they agreed.

Jean and Brian invited along VHH partner Sam Buffa, Andrew Field of Rockaway Taco, and Chris Parachini of Roberta’s, in Bushwick, and we carted them around town as they ate and drank through the night. In the end we were left with a drunken afterhours pizza cookoff back at VHH, with all the chefs pitching in to make a few dozen pizzas for a few dozen VHH friends and family. They drank all the beer but ordered more—it being Vinegar Hill, this was hand-delivered by a nice guy with a big shopping cart.

A warning: The uninitiated who are hoping for a glimpse at dishes from VHH’s much-discussed menu will be left to wonder. There is none of that here, because Jean and Brian prepare those dishes all day long over and over, and this was their night to not do that. Having eaten at their restaurant on more than several occasions, however, we can’t recommend it highly enough—you should go as soon as possible.

Welcome to the Vinegar Hill House episode of season two of Munchies, featuring the gracious hospitality of Zeb Stuart from Hotel Delmano and the many kindnesses of our friends at Pies ‘n’ Thighs.

Up next, in January: Brooks Headley of Del Posto
Up after that, in February: The guys behind Joe Beef in Montreal