Vita Restaurant: Worth the Trip

Vita is a must try. The food was fun and unique even if the atmosphere is not the greatest, which is ironic since it was their promo photo that attracted to me to it in the first place. The photo shows a nice warm booth, subdued lighting, and fun light fixtures. This is slightly misleading since there are just a few booths in the place. Still, the view of downtown from the standard tables by the window is very nice. There were also fresh flowers on the table and jazzy prints on the walls. The light features were unique but too sparse and the ceiling was another industrial painted ventilation system. The crowd of swankily dressed young’ens at the bar probably did not even notice these architectural features being far more interested in checking each other out over frosty martini glasses.

The ambiance may have been average, but the food was delish. I started with the Fall Salad, which came out as a checkerboard of red and golden beets, greens, sliced radishes and goat cheese. I don’t know what I liked more, the presentation or the distinctive blending of flavors. My companion had another unusual dish of pork bellies (uncured bacon) with potato dumplings, minced apples, and a most flavorful juice. Despite the country fair lip smacking I heard from across the table, this was not Iowa home cooking.

Our shared entrée consisted of a duck breast on a bed of slaw that included golden raisons, chunks of duck comfit, potato gnocchi, and diced apple. How many times have you seen duck l’orange on the menu? I found the subtle flavors in this dish filled with complexity. Each bite was an adventure as I mixed and matched the various ingredients together. To be fair my companion thought this dish was boring. You’ll just have to try it for yourself and report back!

So, if you want an escape from the same old, same old (industrial ceiling aside) make the trip to the Highlands. If the crowd a vita is not to your liking, you can pop next door to LoLa, which caters to similarly draped 30-somethings making love to brightly colored concoctions. Viva Vita!