Good-Bye, Va Beh'

Every day, Michele and I are moving closer toward our dream of establishing our new life in Maui. Part of this transition is leaving our little restaurant, Va Beh', behind. We have sold the space to a very dear friend and wish him all the best in his new endeavor. 

Va Beh' was a dream come true for us. Building a business together, an extension of our love and of our home, brought us closer together as a couple and as a family. Challenging, inspiring, exhausting, exhilarating, every day tested and enriched our lives. We can only hope that we have done the same for our community, loyal customers, family and friends. 

Thank you to everyone who supported us on this journey. Thank you to those who continue to hold us up, as we prepare to open our next restaurant in Maui. 

Risotto alla Milanese

One of the best things about having a restaurant in Park Slope is the proximity to Asia's school. Most days, she walks in to Va Beh' right in time to try the daily specials. Last night, we shared risotto alla Milanese. 

The name speaks for itself: This distinctive dish is native to Milan, Michele's home town. It gets its rich, red color from the addition of saffron but the flavor is very elegant and light. 

According to legend, this dish has an exact birth date, 8th September 1574. The event is chronicled in the  Milan City Government Resolution of Recognition of Communal Denomination:  “That date had been set for the wedding of his daughter by the Belgian master glazer Valerio di Fiandra, who was working on the stained-glass windows of the Duomo, Milan’s cathedral, and for whom it apparently had a special meaning… During the wedding dinner appeared a rice dish coloured with saffron, a material that the crew of Belgian glazers, following Master Valerio, used to add to different colours to bring about particular chromatic effects. The rice prepared in that manner, perhaps as a joke, was enjoyed by everyone just as much for its flavour as for its colour; in those times pharmacological qualities were attributed to gold and, when this metal was lacking, to yellow substances”.

It will be on the menu for the next few days so come by or try this recipe at home. 

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Lately, date night has been a quick drink at Blue Ribbon Brooklyn, at the end of a long Friday or Saturday night shift at Va Beh'. The bartender there makes the best French martini in NYC, beautifully balanced, just strong enough with only a blush of Chambord and a hint of pineapple. Michele has a classic Stoli orange on the rocks. Both are usually ready on the bar before we can even have a chance to place our order.

We're usually holding hands as we sip our drinks but we probably chat more with Dan and Sean and the other bartenders, managers and customers than we do with each other.  It's that kind of place,  "where everybody knows your name" and all that, the perfect little detour before we finally head home.  

Crostini di Figati

Va Beh' chicken liver crostini

It was very busy at Va Beh' last night. Michele and I knew that we were in for a ride:  Andrea Bocelli was playing at The Barclay's and there is no better precursor to a night of opera than an authentic, Italian meal. 

Bocelli is from Tuscany. As a nod to him and that beautiful region, I am featuring our crostini di figati, chicken liver crostini, and a simple recipe that works well for the home cook... We wouldn't dare give ours away. :) 

Barclay's

So the Barclay's Arena is open at long last. If there was always a soft purr of activity on Flatbush Ave before, now it is a roar! In terms of pure volume (people, cars, commerce), the physical space around the arena is almost unrecognizable.

The effects on us have been instant. Va Beh' is packed from 5pm through 1am, at least that was the case this weekend. We have all been working non-stop, and as a native Brooklynite, it feels good to be a part of the new energy and growth of our neighborhood in my own small way.

The newspapers reported that at Jay-Z's opening show on Friday, he talked about how Brooklyn's rags to riches story parallels his own and that immediately struck a chord with me. Many of us share the same essential and particular story. It is emotional and empowering to see an image reflecting our experience back to us. In this way, the Barclay's Arena is more than a building. It is a testament to possibility and an homage to us all.