Savory Eats: Vauxhall

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Joanna Adduci is a Northport resident, currently working as a writer. She has a B.S. in Journalism from St. John's University and is active within her community working as a blogger and musician. She enjoys cooking, traveling, hiking and performing with her dad in their LI-based cover band, Next Generation. Joanna can be reached by e-mail at: joanna.adduci10@gmail.com.
    Anyone who knows me knows that on any given weekend, you can find me at Vauxhall in Huntington Village.
Although I’m not supposed to play favorites, it’s hard to ignore the quality ingredients, outstanding service and feeling of genuine comradery amongst staff and customers. The rare assurance that when I order a burger, I know it will be medium rare and that my cocktail will be exactly as promised. These things are important to me, and ensure an enjoyable, undisturbed dining experience. 
    Vauxhall’s menu is unpretentious and to the point. Starters such as “Free Range Chicken Wings” and “Craft Beer Steamed Mussels” appear as mundane appetizers, but upon first bite, your taste buds are startlingly overwhelmed with exotic flavors and familiar favorites. The integration of duck sausage and red gypsy ale into the mussels is nothing short of tantalizing. They offer a variety of “Poutine”, available with duck sausage or beef short rib. Also available in a vegan rendition, this starter is unapologetically gratifying. 
    Now listen, I’d be lying if I said I come to Vauxhall for the starters alone. They’re worthy of a visit, but it’d be a sin to leave without trying one of their half-pound custom blend burgers.  I dream about this burger menu.  No seriously, it’s magical.  Who doesn’t love a properly cooked meat patty, decorated with ornate toppings like tomato jam, pickled red onions, sunny side eggs or roast wild mushrooms. The list goes on and on, from spicy ghost pepper marmalade to crumbled BBQ chips, there is something for every food enthusiast. If you’re a vegan by some stroke of misfortune, you wont miss out on all of the fun. Vauxhall offers a “Black Bean Sweet Potato Burger” and a “Chick Pea Edamame Burger”, both complete with their own sumptuous toppers.
    On their “Not Burgers” menu, they offer a multitude of notable delectable bites.  Think “Chicken and Egg BLT”, “Chicken and Waffle Sandwich”, “Grilled Cheese” available with short rib, and more. Their “Double Duck Dog” is one of my favorite late-night snacks – a flavorful combination of duck sausage and onion mustard seed relish on a pretzel roll. Lastly, don’t forget to peruse their cocktail list, beer menu and selection of desserts. They are top of the line and extremely inventive. (Oh, and delicious.)
    Chef Michael Meehan, named one of the region’s “super chefs” by The New York Times, is well known amongst Long Islanders for his time as chef at Mill River Inn in Oyster Bay and Tupelo Honey in Sea Cliff. His menu at Vauxhall is wildly imaginative and markedly audacious. On any given weekend, you’ll find me seated at the bar, chatting with friends, enjoying a meal, daydreaming of Meehan’s “Burger of the Week”. I urge you to join me in discovering some of the best food on Long Island, at my neighborhood retreat, Vauxhall.