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Veritas
Celebrates First Annivesary
By
VALERIE MARKERT
“You“It’s
a constant challenge, but we love it. I think that’s what keeps us going.
It’s not a job; it’s a passion.”
- Tai Lee, Executive Chef
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Veritas
Wine & B istros will celebrate its one-year anniversary
in January, and according to Taffy O’Brien, co-owner of the restaurant,
things are going really well
.
“We’re constantly getting people in here who have never been here
before,” she said. “Of course we have a regular crowd that comes in
all the time, which is good support, but it’s always nice to have new people
coming in.”
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The restaurant features French-American-Asian
cuisine in an atmosphere of “casual elegance.” Taffy and her husband
Mike own the restaurant, but the concept for Veritas was born out of a joint effort
between the O’Briens and their executive chef, Tai Lee
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According to
Lee, the O’Briens initially wanted to do a wine-related business, but he
had in mind more of a restaurant. One day, they just decided to merge the two
ideas. Lee came up with the design for both the kitchen and the wine cellar, while
Taffy took charge of the detailed décor and color scheme. |
Mike, who is an attorney and an investor in
real estate, came up with the general business idea.
“We just went with the concept; we have a lot of belief in Tai and our group
and felt that it was just a really good idea for this area, this small type of
individually-owned restaurant, and the concept of the wine and the food blending
together,” Taffy said.
The O’Briens first met Lee when he was working at Haiku Sushi here in College
Station, and a relationship blossomed from there. Veritas is the O’Briens
first business venture in the restaurant industry, but the success they’ve
experienced so far could be attributed to their ‘Quality First, Profit Second’
philosophy.
“Taffy and Mike have amazing guidance for us. They’re like our parent
figures,” Lee said. “They were very supportive about not cutting corners.
I think that’s where we really set ourselves apart from other restaurants,”
he said.
Veritas only serves USDA certified natural beef from Harris Ranch. Their game
comes from Hudson Valley, New York, the lamb and venison come from New Zealand,
and all the fish are flown in daily from across the world. Lee actually communicates
with the fisherman directly to see what they caught the night before in order
to make his selection for the day. As a result, their fish selection fluctuates,
providing them with a lot of variety in their menu.
“Every fish that we carry is edible raw, so when we grill these, the flavor
just explodes,” Lee said. He insists the flavor is so incredible because
the fish are so fresh and have never been frozen. Because the selection of fish
is constantly changing, Lee says each morning he can’t wait to get back
to the kitchen to figure out what he will make for his chef’s tasting menu
for that day.
“It’s a constant challenge, but we love it. I think that’s what
keeps us going. It’s not a job; it’s a passion.”
Another unique aspect of Veritas is having the opportunity to speak with a sommelier.
Veritas has two sommeliers whose job is to help you select the perfect wine or
to help you pair the right wine with your meal. Lee said, “They can pinpoint
exactly how a certain wine stands out, and I really appreciate what they do for
me because they make my food taste even better.”
Veritas Wine & Bistro
830 University Drive East, Ste 400
College Station, Texas 77840
268-3251
Reservations Recommended
M-Th 5 – 10 p.m.
F/Sat. 5 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Sun. 5:30 – 9 p.m.
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