Veritas

On Saturday, October 31st, my wife and I and my brother and his wife “dined” at Veritas in Manhattan and had a surprisingly bad experience. For starters, my brother and I both ordered the Pimiento al Piquillo which the menu described as “red peppers stuffed with chorizo and pork belly”. When they came, they were tasty but there was no sign of any chorizo anywhere. The dish tasted markedly incomplete, especially for chorizo devotees like us. For entrees, my brother and I ordered the sliced duck breast with figs and foie gras stuffed grapes. The duck came and was fine, but there was no sign of fig anywhere! Discerning a pattern, I cut open a stuffed grape and there was no foie gras to be seen. We complained to the staff and asked for an explanation, but all we got was an apology. Service was slow and overall the evening was a huge disappointment, especially at those high prices. I’ve been to Veritas before with the earlier chef and enjoyed it but none of us would ever go back.

Had an amazing meal at Veritas tonight. Everything was spot on. I was dining with a group of 6 and we were all totally blown away. The service was superb. We all had a lot of questions pertaining to the menu and the wine and our server was more then happy to give his insight and opinions. We all ordered different appetizers and everyone was pleased. The entrees were also amazing. The dessert left a little to be desired, but after the great meal no one was complaining.

Veritas was a very good restaurant: the steak was excellent and the Bluefin Tuna in particular was extraordinary. The service was also exceptional and the embiance was exquisite. The one question I had when signing the bill was whether or not it was worth it.

I tried Veritas because it has perhaps the best wine list in New York and I need to find a restaurant to entertain a European friend who has a major wine cellar. We were seated at a table for two, virtually on top of the next table for two. There are only two good tables, by which I mean not directly adjacent to other tables, both round, and both seating six people. This is not a restaurant designed for luxury. When we ordered, my wife requested a substitution for a vegetable puree and was told that there are no substitutions. I turned around, faced the server, and said that I was scouting the restaurant for a group and did not want to hear that there are no substitutions. She went to the kitchen and returned to say that the chef would give my wife some unpureed vegetables. The remainder of the service was marred by the formulaic question during each course, "And how are you enjoying your food?" When I replied to this question regarding my dessert by saying "no", the waitress did not reply and walked away. When she returned ten minutes later to clear the table, I asked if she had heard me say that. She said yes and walked away. Two minutes later the maitre d' turned up, acknowledged my dissatisfaction with the white pepper ice cream, saying that others have made the same comment, and offered me another dessert. It appears that one can secure responsive service at this restaurant, but only by using heavy explosives. The food was OK, just OK, no better than, say, 100 other restaurants in New York. I do not plan to return, either with or without my European friend.

Had 9pm dinner reservations, Fri. 2/2, but schedule cleared up sooner and arrived at 8:15 expecting to sit at the bar for up to 45 mins, however VERY pleasantly surprised that we were seated immediately. Loved that! Menu was very tempting and very appropriate for the season. It happened to be cold and rainy that evening and I was in the mood for comfort foods. The braised rabbit satisfied that need. Very hearty and tasty. My husband had the crab ravioli, and our only complaint that it was a tad too heavy on the herbs. We both chose the organic chicken which I couldn't believe I went to a restaurant and ordered chicken, but it sounded great and didn't disappoint. The portion was big- a large breast and I was happy to see a nice thigh with the top skin remaining that had been crisped. It put me in mind of duck which I love. I could not finish my portion. I was saving room for dessert which I am glad I did. I ordered the granny smith apple cobbler with cinnamon ice cream. It was perfect. My husband ordered the vanilla rice pudding that was served with brandied cherries. It was absolutely the best rice pudding I have ever tasted, and I hate rice pudding. It was so good, I was sorry I didn't taste (steal) more of his. We don't drink, so we didn't have wine or mixed drinks to up our check. Husband had coffee-tap water for me...yeah I know a waiter's worst nightmare. Bill came to $168 before tip. Service was excellent. The restaurant had 3 different types of rolls to offer and they were very generous with them, making many passes through the dining room. Refreshing to see since some restaurants often skimp on the quality of the breads and ration them out.

After years of hearing great things about Veritas, I had the pleasure of finally dining there tonight for a very generous birthday dinner. And it did not disappoint. From the service to the wine to the appetizer to the main course and dessert, everything was perfect. I could not have asked for a better meal. After having eaten at some of the top restaurants in New York City, I would rate Veritas at the top. I will most definitely make it a point to return sooner than later. Highly recommended!

We went last night for our anniversary...Veritas is definitely a recommended spot. The service is one of the best I've had in the many places we've been. The food was incredible, and while the bill was definitely higher than it normally is for an evening out for my husband and I, it was worth the experience. My only complaint all night was that the room was very noisy for most of the evening, but the first thing our waiter did was apologize for the noise and explained that it was unusual (there were a couple of larger parties). We felt like we had 4 people waiting on us and they were very attentive without being overbearing. The sommelier was incredible. We told him what we like and the price range we'd like to spend, and he gave us two perfect bottles. Our waiter made incredible dinner and dessert recommendations. We couldn't decide on two of the amazing desserts, so he brought out three! We ended up being the last diners in the room.