Veritas: A Special Occasion Dinner or Casual Date Night in Columbus
Alright.. so here it is – I’m not a huge fan of “special occasion” dinners. It’s my birthday? I’ll take tacos please. Oh, a large accomplishment? Let’s celebrate anywhere other than a restaurant where I don’t know how to pronounce half of the menu items. I’d rather feel comfortable rather than out of my element when enjoying a nice meal or out for date night, you know?!
And that was exactly how I felt about Veritas up until I visited their restaurant last week. Of course I’d checked out the menu online before, noting a “7 course chef’s tasting menu” and a few other items that looked just a bit too fancy for me. Last week when they invited me in to try their newly released Small Plates menu, I was excited for the opportunity to check out the restaurant I was so curious about while hopefully not being too judged about my lack of “fine dining” knowledge.
After all, this was a restaurant for distinguished adults, right??
(Lol that I still don’t refer to myself as an adult even though I’ve had my full time job for almost four years now and I’m only a day away from 26.)
As soon as I walked into the restaurant I immediately felt comfortable. Sure, there were a few couples scattered throughout the cozy dining room that were certainly there to celebrate something. They were dressed to the nines and had a bottle of wine resting on the table – cheers! But the rest of the space was filled with groups of friends catching up over the most creative and well-thought out plates of food (we’re getting to that, I promise!!) and sipping on refreshing cocktails or glasses of wine. I instantly planned my next girls’ happy hour in my head – cocktails in hand and charcuterie boards passed around the table. And I hadn’t even tried the food yet!
So let’s get to it.
The Small Plates menu at Veritas is made up of all sizes of dishes, so don’t let it fool you into thinking it’s just for appetizers! We started the evening with the chef’s pickles + charcuterie. This was a collection of smoked salmon, pastrami, pickled vegetables, fried capers (omg SO good), and crackers. The plate came with two spreads – a jam and a dill sauce. I think we licked the dill bowl clean. 🙂
Next were the tomato + cucumber + herb salad (left) and the tuna + daikon + lime (right). Both were composed of extremely flavorful components and left me wanting more. I’m officially obsessed with daikon..where can I buy some to make at home?!
Let’s talk about pasta. I NEVER order pasta when I’m at a restaurant. Nope, not even Marcella’s or Brio! I don’t find a lot of flavor in pasta dishes or I get bored with the taste of it by the end. Unpopular opinion? Maybe. But that’s just my preference!
Now that you know my feelings on pasta, you’ll know how good the ravioli + sweet corn small plate is when I say that I’m STILL thinking about it – even a week later! The ravioli itself is so thick when you bite into it that you instantly know it’s homemade. The ravioli is set on top of corn flakes and covered in corn, parsley, and an edible flower. The best part? Corn husk oil is drizzled over the top. Just in case you didn’t think you had quite enough corn flavor in each bite.
Wow.
Wow Wow.
Maybe my favorite dish.
Next! For seafood, we tried the Blue Prawn and the Striped Bass. Colin claims that his favorite dish was the blue prawn – he loved the masa (think light and flavorful corn bread) that was dotted with an avocado sauce. The prawns themselves were thiccc and juicy.
The Striped Bass was also a hit. I’ve never had Hen of the Woods (mushrooms) before, but I certainly know that the next time I have it I want it tossed in the sauce that comes with this dish. The mushrooms were just thin enough to be a delicate accompaniment to the fish, but serving size was perfect.
Cocktail break!
For our first round he ordered a Spanish Gin and Tonic and I had a Gin Collins. Funny, because we’re both not typically gin drinkers but the descriptions made the cocktails sound so refreshing. I wish I could give more detail, but I forgot to take a picture of the cocktail menu! So pictures will have to do. We’d both certainly order these drinks again.
What’s date night without some steak? If I had to pick a second favorite dish, of course it would be the prime strip + harissa + potato. It was cooked to perfection and the portion size was phenomenal. You can’t see it in this photo, but the harissa and potato side to the meat was an excellent combination. (duh, meat and potatoes!)
We ended the meal by trying the strawberry + hibiscus + cake. Although small in portion, the shortcake-like cake itself was thick, so I only needed a few bites! Although I’m a chocolate girl through and through, I just love refreshing fruity desserts in the summertime.
All in all, I was pleased to find that Veritas is an extremely approachable restaurant. Whether you’re looking for a fancy celebratory seven-course meal or a casual date night with some shared apps and inviting cocktails, Veritas is a great choice. The chef has put an incredible amount of hard work and thought into each and every dish on the menu and it shows. See you soon, Veritas!
Note: Veritas invited me to come try their new menu items complimentary. They did not ask me to write this blog post, but I enjoyed my evening and the food they served us even more. I wrote this post to encourage you to try their new menu items as well, I know I will certainly be back soon! Please send me a message or email if you have any questions!
