Chef Sam Hazen’s Menu to Complement World-Famous Wine Cellar
Veritas, beloved New York wine restaurant, will reopen November 30, 2010 with a fresh new approach. Under new owner and Executive Chef Sam Hazen, Veritas will serve contemporary American fare, offering softer priced à la carte and bar menus that will satisfy casual diners and serious wine lovers alike. Veritas’ unparalleled wine cellar, boasting more than 3,000 selections (and 75,000 bottles), is accompanied by a rotating market selection of wines under $100. “We literally want to open the vault,” explains Chef Hazen.
With Veritas, Chef Hazen is returning to his roots and doing the kind of cooking he enjoys, in an intimate, elegant setting. Chef Hazen’s background includes such iconic restaurants as La Côte Basque and London’s Michelin three-star Le Gavroche, as well as critically acclaimed Cascabel and The Quilted Giraffe, among others. Hazen is more recently known for two of the biggest restaurant successes in the country: Tao New York and Tao Las Vegas.
“I want people to come to Veritas and have great, accessible food prepared with top notch, quality ingredients,” says Chef Hazen. Focusing on every detail of a diner’s experience, he has sourced Vermont Creamery butter, tea from Serendipitea (including a Veritas blend), coffee from Kobricks, and bread from Sullivan Bakery, among others. In the kitchen are local produce from Union Square Greenmarket, meat from Debragga & Spitler and Niman Ranch.
Whereas most restaurants design their wine lists to pair with the food, Chef Hazen was inspired by Veritas’ cellar when he created the new menu. The Ocean & Land, a brioche crusted lobster draped over roasted bone marrow has a richness that pairs exceptionally with a medium-bodied Burgundy. Beef In Transition showcases three different cuts, textures and cooking techniques: classic beef tartar, peppered sirloin with Cognac mustard, and short rib sliders, a trio that lends itself to a full-bodied Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Stuffed Squid is married with lemon jam, black olives and peppadew peppers, a balance of sweet and tart that perfectly match an aromatic, dry Riesling.
At the bar, a selection of wine-friendly small plates and bar snacks are on hand, such as Duck Fat Fries, Chicken Livers, a decadent pâté made with Belle Rouge chicken livers and served with pickled Cipollini onions, and a Veritas Steak Tartare.
Alexander Williamson (Compass, Morimoto, Gramercy Tavern) is Chef de Cuisine. Pastry Chef Emily Wallendjack (Nougatine, Pierre Hermé, Cookshop) prepares seasonal desserts that mirror Chef Hazen’s comforting classics including an Heirloom Apple Crisp with cinnamon and crème fraîche ice cream, and a Goat’s Milk Panna Cotta with Port-glazed figs and local honey.
Working with Veritas’ world-famous wine cellar, Head Sommelier Rubén Sanz Ramiro (The Monday Room, Public, The Fat Duck) and General Manager David Kravitz (Rue 57, Tao, The Venus Room) will organize special wine dinners with producers, centered around vertical tastings, or as an opportunity to open outstanding magnums.
To complement the wine list, Kravitz has created a cocktail menu of classic libations. A small selection of local beers, amaros, cognacs and grappas is also available. Redesigned by crème design (Garces Trading Company, Rayuela, Komegashi), Veritas has been reconceived as a warm, elegant and inviting space.
The restaurant features off-white brick and chalkboard-black walls accented with cork patchwork created by Julien Gardair. A hallway connecting the lively front bar and the intimate dining room is framed with walls of wine bottles, giving guests the impression of entering a cellar. Other elements include a communal table in the bar area, espresso-colored wood tables and softly lit pendant lights.
Park B. Smith, the restaurant’s founder and partner will continue to make his extraordinary wine collection available for Veritas’ reserve list. Arthur Aidala, Esq., a prominent New York defense attorney, is also a partner.
Veritas accommodates 10 guests at the bar (and 10 more at the bar’s communal table); 50 in the dining room. The restaurant is located at 43 E 20th Street, between Broadway and Park Avenue South. For reservations the public can call (212) 353-3700.
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