Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine

True Food: Vrai–healthy, tasty–and maybe a glass of wine.

For their first restaurant venture, Shelly and Mike Page had a plan. They wanted to offer healthy options to area diners and do so in an atmosphere evocative of an informal European bistro.

So, they transformed a former Verizon store, located in a small strip mall, into a contemporary, attractive space and planned a menu around one simple word—Vrai— French for “true.” Pronounced with a long “a” sound, Vrai is all about “clean” food, according to Shelly.

“No hormones, no pesticides,” she said. “We use no white sugar, avoid white flour and use vegetables as a bigger part of the plate.”

By providing consumers with more wholesome options, the health-conscious couple taps into a movement towards more nutritious consumption. According to the National Restaurant Association, locally sourced and minimally processed foods are both among the top five restaurant trends for 2016.

The couple chose Lemoyne for its proximity to their home.

“I thought it would be a great location because I knew I’d have community support,” Shelly said.

The short commute also factored into her decision.

“Especially since I knew I would be living here seven days a week,” she added.

During the day, the large glass window at the front of the restaurant allows ample natural light to illuminate the space. After dark, modern, green-glass lighting fixtures combine with pendant lighting to lend a soft glow. A curved marble bar seats about 14 patrons, and the teal and black banquettes along the wall are comfortable and spacious. Chairs in black and white are paired up with wooden tables in the middle of the room.

Shelly remarked on the provenance of the chairs.

“They’re made of Coca-Cola bottles,” she said.

Most striking of all, though, is the beautiful, black-and-white tiled Mugnaini wood-burning oven located behind the bar, which hails from Italy and spans from floor to ceiling.

“I feel like the wood fire does make a better product than the gas,” said Shelly. “The wood is FDA approved and bug- and chemical-free.”

The oven does indeed get a workout. The pizzas are popular and range from the traditional Margherita, to mushroom, sausage and a special vegan pizza, with broccoli, sweet pepper, tomato sauce and a dairy-free cheese.

 

Passions

Shelly embarked upon the ambitious undertaking after a 25-year career in accounting and finance.

“I think that, when you get older, you get this urge to fulfill some passions that you have,” she said.

Taking the next step, she enrolled in the National Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York to learn more about running a restaurant and healthy food preparation. The menu at Vrai includes starters like flatbreads, with toppings ranging from dates to figs and prosciutto. Turkey meatballs are a crowd pleaser, as are wood-fired vegetables like Brussels sprouts, beets and cauliflower.

Among the selection of five salads are arugula with whole-grain croutons, shaved gouda, egg and Meyer lemon vinaigrette, a kale and farro salad, which includes dates, apricots, pumpkin seeds and shaved fennel, and the special Vrai salad, which is comprised of baby greens, roasted honey carrot, pickled and grilled corn, smoky carrot chips and orange tarragon vinaigrette.

Entrees include chicken, vegetarian options, the aforementioned pizza, fish and a selection of pasta like house-made, short-rib ravioli served with a horseradish cream and pecorino.

Rounding out the menu are dessert selections like vegan blondies and zucchini brownies with homemade ice cream.

 

Rewarding

Vrai is not only breaking ground in Lemoyne cuisine-wise, but drink-wise.

Serving alcohol in the borough was banned until six years ago, and Vrai is the first restaurant to obtain a liquor license there, acquiring it from the former Coakley’s in New Cumberland. So, wine, craft beer and cocktails are now offered for those who enjoy an alcoholic beverage with their meals.

“I’m thrilled to have an additional healthy and sophisticated dining option in this area, and Shelly has done a tremendous amount of research to find high-quality ingredients using local sources,” said customer Sharon Turner.

Among the menu items the Lemoyne resident has sampled are the salmon, cod, Vrai salad and BBQ chicken pizza, all of which received applause. Turner also appreciated the wine selection.

“The wine list offers great variety at a reasonable price,” she said. “They’ve really done their research and know their wines.”

Patron Erin Martin echoed Turner’s appreciation for a healthy dining alternative in a beautiful setting.

“You feel like you’re in a different city,” said the Mechanicsburg resident. “I’ve had the homemade ravioli with butternut squash that was absolutely out of this world and the vegan black bean sweet potato burritos, which were delicious, and the pizza is also good.”

According to Shelly, plans for Vrai might include an expansion of the brand, but, for now, the couple is thrilled to fulfill their dream of running just one restaurant.

“Food brings people together, and being able to focus on providing healthy, good food for our customers is very rewarding,” she said.

Vrai is located at 1015 Market St., Lemoyne To learn more, call 717-412-0067 or visit www.vrairestaurant.com or the Facebook page: Vrai Restaurant.

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