So had my law school alumni happy hour at Veritas on Henderson last night. The Anderson brothers who own Veritas are alum, so it was the perfect location (except for the $5 valet parking charge which will ALWAYS tick me off). Veritas has been open for a couple of years now and it's become my go to wine bar in town. It's cozy, never uncomfortably crowded and they have good wines and good prices. Plus the staff is great and knows their stuff. As an added bonus, if you are hungry, you can also get some great cheeses and sausages there (I always tell them to surprise me) and, if you are really hungry, you can order from Horne & Dekker next door and they'll bring it right to you. As my 7 readers know, I'm not a fan of H&D but heard the fried chicken is quite good.
They started a wine club a few months back and I'm a member. There's 2 levels - $30 or $60 - which gets you 2 bottles, mostly reds, per month. I'm at the $30 level. Since I usually drink at least 2 bottles of wine at home per month anyway, I thought I would check it out. I haven't been disappointed. At the $30 level, you will get good, everyday wines that are ready to drink now. Since I'm a very impatient person, it works great for me. In addition to the monthly bottles, you also get discounts on all other bottles you buy there, all case orders, wine dinners, etc. Plus Brooks is now sending out emails notifying us wine members of some great deals he's coming across. Just purchased a 2005 Cain 5 which retails for $120 for $89 (impatiently saving that one for a special occasion) and Brooks says he's expecting more deals soon. Sweet.
After Veritas, M and I headed to Neighborhood Services Tavern for dinner. Wow, it was hopping on a Thursday night, and we got there well after the dinner rush. Like all Neighborhood Services concepts the dining room is, well, loud. But it wasn't so loud that M and I couldn't hear each other so it wasn't that big of deal (do I get old lady points for complaining about the loudness in the restaurant?).
We started out with the brisket meatballs. Cooked perfectly and just what we needed since it was late and we hadn't eaten yet. One word of warning. Now I know my 7 readers are all far more intelligent than I, but whatever you do, don't do what I do and pop an entire meatball in your mouth right after the server puts them down on the table. First, hot. Second, they are sprinkled with bread crumbs which you can inhale and choke on, causing everyone in the restaurant to turn to look at you. Yes, I'm classy that way.
Entrees were next. I told myself I was going to get the schnitz but damn if the handmade noodle special called my name and, apparently M's too. Homemade fettuccine with mushrooms, yellow and red tomatoes, and pancetta in some type of sauce (yes, I know, bad blogger). It was delicious. NST has rotating fish, roast and pasta specials nightly and I highly recommend you try those out first. I've always ordered off that menu and it's never disappointed.
Oh, and how could I forget the brussel sprouts. M and I love, love, love brussel sprouts (I know, weird but it's one of the many things that make us such great friends) and try to order them just about every time we go to dinner. NST has a nice twist on them, adding a touch of maple syrup to give them a nice sweetness. I think next time I go (and there will be a next time), I might just order meatballs and brussel sprouts as my dinner. Oh, that sounds sooooo good right now.
Service was good but not great. Our initial server was nice but she kept getting confused with the specials. Dinner has been going on for a few hours now and you should be able to recite them by heart. Then at some point, we had another server just take over. Not sure what happened to the first girl.
Unfortunately too full for dessert which totally bummed me out because NST has some of the best desserts in town. Ding Dong 2.0 gets the most buzz but it's a tad too sweet for me. I love the rice krispie treat ice cream sandwiches myself. Yum
Cheers!
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