Tasting menus always allure me because you get a chef painstakingly planning an entire meal. Not to mention, it allows the opportunity to make fewer choices. When you see the menu at Vai Sputino you will see how even the most impulsive could be rendered indecisive. With that in mind, I just needed to make the call between the five course or the seven course tasting menu. At $75 and $100 respectively, price is hardly a consideration. I opted for the five course not knowing what the night held for me beyond my table.

Ok I’m still lingering on this pricing, for all I’m expecting, this all looks so affordable. Chef Jesse Schenker has an ever-evolving menu that capitalizes on locally grown produce to make new American favorites a cut above. We started with a tuna crudo with fennel, mussel vinaigrette and caramelized orange caviar. The combination of herbs, fat, sweetness and acidity brought out the broadest range of flavors from this sashimi grade tuna.

Next we had spring pea soup, a roasted sea scallop, foie gras and fresh peas. The freshness of the pea soup affirmed the feeling of anticipation that comes when the spring turns into summer. Now I’m not usually excited about scallops, but the seared outside and moist, soft center of this one made me rethink my position. The decadent foie gras was saved for last and it was truly the best part of this dish; crisp and rich to the point of slowly savoring it, almost in disbelief.

The third course was anticipated from the start, this dish brought halibut together with morel mushrooms, artichokes, asparagus and saffron beurre blanc. The density of halibut can be a challenge to cook well. The number of times I’ve had dry, over-cooked or inconsistently cooked halibut, ugh. This halibut however was cooked to perfection. The accompanying mushrooms and veggies gave the dish a warm, comforting touch, while the essence of saffron was subtle and a bit playful.

The intensity escalates as a plate arrives with Berkshire pork belly, rock shrimp and turnips. When is the last time you’ve had a fresh turnip on your plate? You could be missing out. The pork was cooked to retain just enough firmness to resist the pushing prongs of the fork for a split second as the tenderness gives way. This pig probably didn’t work a day in his life, because this was one of the softest pork bellies I’ve ever had. The real celebration in this dish was the romesco sauce, which held almost combustible combination of peppers, nuts and garlic.

Rounding out the dinner was a passion fruit tart with raspberry and Meyer lemon sorbet and compressed pineapple in a coarsely crumbled graham cracker crust. After such a rich dinner I was thankful the tart didn’t have the typical pastry dough. Considering the fruits involved I was afraid this dessert might be too sour. Thankfully there was a sweetness to it that wasn’t just a lot of sugar. The tart went down light and the crunchy crust was just, well, fun.

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