Veritas in Sturbridge:a truly fine dining experience

UPDATE: Sadly Veritas has closed.

Below is my review of the Sturbridge restaurant, Veritas that appeared in the October, 2012 Sturbridge Times Magazine.

Dining Out

Veritas in Sturbridge: a truly fine dining experience

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Since the dawn of humanity, people have been searching for truth.  Finally, we can stop, at least in Sturbridge.  The lovely building at 420 Main Street now is home to Veritas, Latin for truth. 

You will not find philosophers debating what is the good.  Instead, diners seeking victuals and staff preparing and presenting them are there.   When we entered we were cordially greeted and taken into the colonial dining room.

Our waiter, Rick came by to ask if we had a drink order.  We told him that we would choose a wine with the dinner, but would like the fried calamari appetizer.  Rick took the order but quickly returned with a breadbasket.  A buttery sweet potato spread came with the bread.  It seems sweet potato is in everything these days, which is not something to complain about.

The calamari came in due course, served with feta, capers and field greens with an aioli sauce.   It was crunchy and gone quickly.

We ordered dinner when the appetizer arrived, and it came soon after we had finished the calamari. 

My choice was the sauerbraten, a German pot roast.  The menu described it as being made Rupprecht’s way.  Rupprecht’s way is a well-flavored serving of beef.  It was accompanied by a sweet and sour sauce and spaetzle.  I like spaetzle, a soft noodle and the sauce was nice.  Better was the wonderful red cabbage that completed the plate.

Bríd, my daughter, ordered the ahi tuna steak. It was large and cooked medium rare. The noodles, seaweed salad, and ceviche on the side were all full flavor and fun additions

The hit of the afternoon however was the Salmon Oscar my wife ordered.  The salmon itself was pan seared and had a delicate flavor and tenderness.  The asparagus in béarnaise sauce with basil garnish was lovely and of course, who does not love garlic mashed potatoes.

My wife’s desert was the Crème Suchard, which is a light chocolate mousse, whimsically called Moose on the menu.  She described it as delightful.  It is composed of chocolate, whipped cream and cookies and served in a martini glass.

My key lime pie came with pineapple, mango coulis, a cool dish on a warm early evening.

Bríd ordered the bread pudding. She described it as tender, flavorful, and large. Also the brandy sauce was “killer.”

As you approach the restaurant at the front door, there is a sign with the legend, In Vino Veritas.  This is a hint as to the truth Kelly and Kurt Soukup were looking for.  The phrase translates as “In wine, truth.”  It means after enough wine, one cannot lie.  Kelly and Kurt were looking for truth in good wine for a wine bar they contemplated opening in Hartford.  That did not happen, but they loved the name and would use it twice.

What is immediately evident about the couple is they love the restaurant business.  Kurt started at 14 years of age doing dishes at the old Lakehouse in Wilbraham.  His true education began at the Student Prince, a Springfield Institution.  Under the tutelage of Chef Rupprecht he learned everything from butchering to the formal tableside service.

Kelly started waitressing 14 years ago.  Obviously, she got along with Kurt and now gets to run the front of the operation.  This is not the first Veritas.  On the American Caribbean island of Vieques, they operated an open-air restaurant for three years.  They still own the home they built there.

The Soukups came back to Massachusetts because of family.  It can’t be the weather.  Fortunately they found 420 Main Street and signed a lease.  They have only praise for the landlords at the 420 complex who have been there for them.

Everything is made on the property, including catsup and pickles.  They do their best to source locally.  Their goal is to be consumer friendly and economy friendly given the current financial environment. 

The happy hour menu is a budget bill of fare.  Especially so is the build your own burger option.  The toppings list is exhaustive.  Mondays is burger and beer night, a pint of the beer of the month and a 9oz burger is $11.

We also sampled the Stone Pie.  No, it is not a pie made of stone, but a pizza made in a stone oven.  We have good pizza in Sturbridge, but the stone pie is New Haven style, which is popular in the lower Nutmeg State.  New Haven style pizza in Sturbridge is news.  We sampled the Giardino, a vegetable topped thin crust pie.   There is a Wednesday deal of $30 for a pizza and bottle of wine from the Forever $21 wine list.

On Sunday nights, Prime Rib is on special.

The interior of the dining rooms is in an appealing colonial décor.  The bar upstairs is a cozy room.  Kurt’s mom made all the drapes and his dad framed the prints.  Veritas is a welcome addition to the Sturbridge restaurant lineup.

You can read more about Veritas at http://veritasma.com/.