Veritas Gateway to Food & Wine — Restaurant in Ellisville

I worked in restaurants for 20 years, from sports bars to fine dining, and never experienced the lack of service or horrendous customer service at a restaurant. The night started by us seating ourselves, after we told the front desk person arrived for a reservation. We then had to wait 30 minutes for cocktails, though we finally realized they were sitting at the service bar, waiting to be finished. I suppose the server gulping down his glass of wine behind the bar was too busy to help an actual customer. My drink came in a glass that looked like the one holding our table’s candle. Nice touch Veritas. We put our order in and ordered more drinks – which came another 30 minutes after we ordered them. But - as they sat for 15 minutes in service bar, we went to get them. That’s ok, beer needs to air out, right? We also saw the owner seeing us do this – typically, an owner would be appalled at a table doing this – they didn’t care to help out or ask why.

One entrée came out, the other 9 of us waiting. Veritas seems to pen itself as fresh, American cuisine so is not exactly White Castle (though I get better service there), but only one entrée came out, then finally all others except for 3 people. One burger that came out was cold – and was sent back. After some time, 2 entrees came out, then the reheated burger, yet one person was still awaiting her burger. Why all burgers? Because we had a feeling they couldn’t handle us ordering entrees (they can’t handle much apparently). I went and talked to the owners who were sitting at the empty bar, drinking while the place was fairly busy and while their cooks couldn’t even get one tables food out right. I was told it was coming.

Then my wife asks for a manager – the same owner came over and explained the burger was cooking (really? Over an hour for a burger??) and that they “accommodated” our party of 10 that night. Oh – so we should feel privileged to dine at your fine place? How lucky. She asked what did we want her to do – as the owner, shouldn’t you ask what is going on, what the issue is, and how it could be resolved? Cowardice. But not by the cook…who comes out the swinging door and so tactfully says “You can go ahead and leave and we won’t press charges.” CHARGES?? We had no idea what he was talking about, I thought he was kidding at first. He storms back to his place behind the line, probably to do more shots with the sous chef (yes, we saw them too doing this). Apparently the need for liquor on the line is the priority over a ticket that is completely screwed up. Of course, how could the cook know we had a high-ranking St. Louis County Police officer in our group, so thank god the cook was not going to press charges. Whew, finally some relief. Because pressing charges against customers who just want to go out to eat is pretty common.

Finally…the last burger arrived. Except the server now says she actually forgot to put in that order, but that the fries were on the way. Wow.

Don’t eat here. You can find plenty of other restaurants with good food and terrible customer service that will be out of business because of it—and White Castle is...

After reading many good reviews, I had high hopes for Veritas, which proclaims "Fine Dining" on its website. But, after dining there, I can only assume those reviews were written in "vino veritas", Latin for telling the truth while inebriated.

Small Plate #1: Arancini with BBQ Pork, Mushrooms, Cotija, Green Chili Sauce, and Farm Fresh Egg. While visually appealing, the dish was underseasoned and severely lacking flavor. I would've been happy to season it myself had there been salt & pepper on the table.

Small Plate #2: Crispy Cornbread with bacon jam, chives and honey thyme butter. The bacon jam was more bacon crumbles than jam and only 3 of 6 pieces had a small dollop of honey thyme butter. Meh.

Small Plate #3: Devils on Horseback - bacon wrapped, cheese stuffed, deep fried skewered prunes with peanuts and balsamic drizzle. This was by far the best of three small plates. But then again, you could bacon wrap a cricket, deep fry it and drizzle a good balsamic on it and it would probably taste good.

Main Course #1: Strip Steak with Cracked Purple Potatoes, Carrots, Butternut Squash, Turnips, Oregano and Pecans. Holy cow, the plate was covered in undercooked, underseasoned root veggies. Sadly, the steak, while cooked correctly, was 40% fat and gristle. Not worth the price.

Main Course #2: Mahi Mahi, Nut Crusted with Sweet Potato Bisque, Green Beans, Parsnips, Hen of the Woods Mushrooms, Basil, Tarragon and Almonds...at least that's what the menu said. As a wild mushroom forager, I assure you there wasn't any hen of the woods in the dish. The Mahi Mahi was good but again, underseasoned.

When asked if I wanted dessert, I declined, not willing to take another chance just to be disappointed again.

PS... The vibe at Veritas stops abruptly once you walk past the warm front patio lights. Perhaps, upon drinking several glasses of wine, the vibe returns.

BOTTOM LINE: Veritas might be enjoyable to gather with friends over a few glasses of wine and deep friend prunes. Beyond that...head east on Clayton Rd for actual...

My husband and I and various friends have eaten at Veritas many, many times. The food is and has always been excellent, but somehow it seems to be getting even better than excellent, due to the creativity and skill of Chef Mathis. While the menu changes and there are always wonderful new dishes to explore, certain favorites are menu staples. My husband and I believe that the grass-fed burger is the best in the metro area, and, as an added bonus, it comes in two sizes. One of my newest favorites is the arugula salad, a wonderful fresh dish with a lovely balance of complex flavor from orange, pistachios, some crisped potato bites, and the arugula itself, all nestled on a surprising creamy blend of eggplant and goat cheese. The fine dining options never fail to delight. Currently, the braised pork with sweet corn goat cheese and roasted zucchini and yellow squash is a stellar menu addition. Veritas is a wonderful choice, whether you want a fabulous burger or a terrific hot dog when you're on the run during a busy day, or you've planned a special night out with a multi-course dinner and a great cocktail or fine wine. What's more, Veritas offers great service, a terrific wine selection, a bit of a shop with some specialty foods and dining related items, and a handsome, friendly and...