-Mmm.
[MUSIC - ENDLESS BOOGIE, "PACK YOUR BAGS"]
JEAN ADAMSON: We're Vinegar Hill House.
This is Sam, one of the owners.
I'm Jean.
We're going with Andrew from the Rockaway Taco, Brian a
chef at the restaurant, and Chris Parachini from Roberto's
over to Hotel Delmano in Williamsburg.
It was part of my plan to eventually
open up my own place.
Once this space became available, just owning a
restaurant became what I wanted to do.
We're going over there because our friend, Zeb, is going to
hook us up with some oysters and some nice cocktails.
I went to the French Culinary Institute.
I moved here in '97 to do that.
And then worked at Tribeca Grill, just to kind of get me
through school, because I was going to school at night.
And then I started working at Balthazar.
And I became a sous chef there after about two years.
And then just kind of worked my way through everything in
Keith McNally land.
Finally was at Freemans and then here.
SAM BUFFA: Hey, what do you guys want to drink?
JEAN ADAMSON: The Tres Hombres.
Do you still have that?
ZEB STUART: Three amigos.
JEAN ADAMSON: Oh, Three Amigos.
ZEB STUART: Yeah, it's our house-- yeah,
you should get that.
SAM BUFFA: Should we start with that?
ZEB STUART: It's a can of beer, sangrita,
and a tequila shot.
It's nice.
SAM BUFFA: Yeah.
ZEB STUART: It's a very fancy cocktail
SAM BUFFA: It's a very fancy cocktail.
JEAN ADAMSON: My intention was basically to bring some people
that had either been here at the restaurant with us,
because Andrew Field from Rockaway Taco, Chris Parachini
from Roberta's, had both initially helped me out of
that time, when things were bad before Brian got here.
SAM BUFFA: Cheers.
ANDREW FIELD: Cheers.
JEAN ADAMSON: I mean, the restaurant was a fucking shit
show from the beginning.
We had one cook that had never cooked before,
myself, and my mom.
Chris came over.
We started drinking at 7:30.
CHRIS PARACHINI: Got it done.
JEAN ADAMSON: And then basically, six months into it,
I was like, I've got--
I need some help.
And I had a couple of interviews, one with Brian.
And I knew, like, right when he walked in the door.
I was like, [SNAPS], that's it.
He's the one.
I asked him to make something with coleslaw.
It was good.
-Wow.
ZEB STUART: He's going to explain to us what we got
here.
-This is the Kumamoto.
It comes from California.
And this is the [INAUDIBLE] from Washington state.
And you have Beausoleil from New Brunswick.
And this [INAUDIBLE] from Rhode Island.
-Nice.
Awesome.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
SAM BUFFA: Vinegar Hill is like a five block by five
block little area where there's no other restaurant.
ZEB STUART: You guys had balls to do that.
You know what I mean ?
I thought about it, but I didn't have the balls to open
a place there.
SAM BUFFA: Hard place to get to, hard place to leave.
ZEB STUART: Hard to get to, but hard to leave.
Hotel California.
SAM BUFFA: Yeah, exactly.
-We're going to Pies 'n' Thighs.
-I want to eat some chicken.
-Let's get some chicken.
JEAN ADAMSON: No, let's get the big salad.
-I'll get the big chicken salad.
JEAN ADAMSON: Don't bump me with your dick.
Can we get just three fried chicken boxes, two extra
biscuits, and all your sides.
One of all the sides.
-Done.
ANDREW FIELD: Cheers to the pies.
-Cheers to the pies.
ANDREW FIELD: Pies and thighs.
-Cheers.
[MUSIC - ENDLESS BOOGIE]
SAM BUFFA: I was just trying to keep up with the pace.
It's like, we're a restaurant in Brooklyn, but you're doing
Manhattan numbers.
But I think in Manhattan, it's the rent that kills you.
Like, right from the start, it's the rent, and it's the
size of the space.
And then it's all the people around you that are going to--
JEAN ADAMSON: It's not cool.
It's like, of course you can get a space on Avenue A
between 1st and 2nd.
And then you just have a space on Avenue A
between 1st and 2nd.
We have a space that's in a beautiful neighborhood.
It's about creating that--
SAM BUFFA: Your own world.
JEAN ADAMSON: --your own world.
And you can't do that in Manhattan.
-Not anymore.
SAM BUFFA: No, we missed that boat.
So we went out to Brooklyn.
JEAN ADAMSON: Originally, the idea was that this was a place
made by hand with a group of friends.
Kind of spinning off of Woodstock, that kind of 1970's
communal vibe.
So that's where the oven came into play.
We're like, OK, cool.
Let's make everything in cast iron in the oven.
BRIAN LETH: I think first and foremost, everything here is
always very satisfying.
People are coming here to eat certain dishes they might have
read about, that are usually on the menu in one permutation
or another.
And then as far as people in the neighborhood, we try and
run specials pretty frequently.
So there's usually something new or something you might not
have seen before unless you come here a
couple days a week.
JEAN ADAMSON: In that sense, it was just kind of like the
food was just supposed to be homey and comforting.
We have a couple of dishes of mine that stay on the menu.
But Brian's always offset that in a more technical way but
still have that seeming comfort,
delicious vibe to them.
We're hippies, man.
ANDREW FIELD: But in the newer [INAUDIBLE].
JEAN ADAMSON: Brian is a sophisticated hippie.
ANDREW FIELD: We're all sophisticated hippies.
SAM BUFFA: I think we should take pie to go.
-Pie to go.
JEAN ADAMSON: We want chocolate peanut butter,
concord grape--
-Sounds great.
JEAN ADAMSON: --and sweet potato.
SAM BUFFA: We're going to eat that in the car.
It's going to be awesome.
ANDREW FIELD: Let's go make some pies.
Pizza.
JEAN ADAMSON: Oh my god, I'm scared I hope I do good.
Everyone's in a pizza cook off.
We have 40 pies we're making.
I'm making the the [INAUDIBLE].
-What's that?
JEAN ADAMSON: Eye of the bull.
Ham, I think it's [INAUDIBLE].
My pizza is going to be amazing!
It's a bunch of thing that I don't know what they are.
ANDREW FIELD: Where are we?
-What is this?
JEAN ADAMSON: What is this place?
ANDREW FIELD: What is this place?
JEAN ADAMSON: We're at Vinegar Hill House.
Let's go.
ANDREW FIELD: All right, let's go.
JEAN ADAMSON: We just invited everybody.
We told the whole staff to come back and--
BRIAN LETH: And bring their friends.
JEAN ADAMSON: --bring their friends.
We just kind of wanted it to just be like a bunch of
friends coming back, as if it turned into a house party.
I've got to change.
-Change?
JEAN ADAMSON: Well yeah, I'm not going to wear this.
We just wanted to do something different, because we were
like, well, let's do something that we don't normally make at
the restaurant.
Because Brian works here a ton, and who wants to come
back here--
not that it's not delicious--
and eat a huge pork chop or chicken or whatever.
And so we knew that those guys were coming.
And they'd both had experience in the oven.
And so we're like, let's just bring that to
the table and see.
I thought that it turned out really community based.
Everyone's doing everything.
And I thought it was really fun.
Serve it with a steak knife.
Ooh, we need some crushed red.
Hey, go deliver this pizza to that guy right there.
Chris Field, pizza number one.
[MUSIC - ENDLESS BOOGIE]
-Maybe we should get Chris in there.
JEAN ADAMSON: Oh, Chris knows he has to come in here.
-Chris, Chris, let's go man!
-Whoo!
-Can I have an egg on it?
My favorite.
-Yes.
-I volunteer to try that one.
JEAN ADAMSON: I want to taste it.
-Cauliflower and onions and parsley.
JEAN ADAMSON: It's already cut.
-I don't eat pizza.
JEAN ADAMSON: What?
You don't eat pizza?
You're not an American.
-I'm not an American.
I'm an immigrant.
I'm not an immigrant.
ANDREW FIELD: Cauliflower and onions.
Cauliflower and onions.
Get in there.
Grab it!
Yes!
See that?
Doesn't stand a chance!
SAM BUFFA: So we're back here with Justin and Sammy, two of
the other partners here.
And Jean just made some pizza, and we're going to have a pie.
JUSTIN GALLAGHER: Just going to cut the whole thing up.
SAMMY STEWART: I already know I'm going to be cheering for
Jean's pizza.
SAM BUFFA: Here's Jean's.
Awesome.
JEAN ADAMSON: I think it was a shit show once we got back
here, but a pretty fun one.
Right?
BRIAN LETH: Yeah, it was nice.
JEAN ADAMSON: The shots were good, too.
BRIAN LETH: Shots?
JEAN ADAMSON: I did a couple shots.
BRIAN LETH: Oh.
JEAN ADAMSON: Anyway, the point of the
whole thing, right?
Cheers.
-Cheers.
SAM BUFFA: Salud.
-Cheers.
-Ride the wave.
-Ride the wave!
JEAN ADAMSON: Ride the wave!
[MUSIC - ENDLESS BOOGIE]