This was my first meal at Veritas since their famous chef Scott Bryan left, replaced by one of the sous chefs that had worked for Daniel Boulud for many years, Ed Cotton. Of course, nothing else has changed. Wine Director Tim Kopec is in charge, backed up brilliantly by Yoshi Takemura and Patrick Cappiello.

To say something wonderful has gotten even better is an understatement. This was, by far, the finest meal I have ever had at Veritas, and a tribute to new chef Ed Cotton, who had been cooking there for about two months by the time I rolled in. I didn’t even list the appetizers, which included some wonderful tuna tartare, and little risotto balls. The courses were superb – the lobster and cabbage soup great, the fluke sashimi terrific, and the sauteed wild turbot the favorite of my first three courses. But they were only to be exceeded by spectacular wild game Bolognese, a perfectly cooked chunk of foie gras, and then three great courses in a row, starting with an amazing rabbit civet with truffled spaetzle and little chunks of crunchy bacon. The Kobe beef was probably the best Kobe beef I have ever had in my life, and I have had some great ones. This one was amazing, literally melting in your mouth before you could even chew it. That was followed up by crunchy pig’s trotters, which were the perfect foil for the French green lentils and black truffle they sat on. This was as great a meal as I had in all of 2007, and it is good to see the new chef introducing a number of dishes to the cuisine at Veritas. Change is always feared, but it can sometimes result in profound improvements, even when the previous level of quality was brilliant.

The wines were a tour de force of some of our favorite wines. A wonderfully fresh 1985 Dom Pérignon Rosé was followed by a brilliant 2004 Aubert Chardonnay Reuling Vineyard. This vineyard is planted with a suitcase clone taken from the Montrachet vineyard, and there is no doubt this wine does have an extra level of minerality not often found in California Chardonnays. It is a brilliant wine. We then moved on to some of the greats from Châteauneuf du Pape. Clos St. Jean’s breakthrough vintage of 2003, when Philippe Cambie started to work with a newly committed proprietor, the young Vincent Maurel, was a triumph in richness, intensity, and complexity. The 2003 Deus Ex Machina goes from strength to strength, and for me, it has hit the peak – Châteauneuf du Pape or even red wine in general simply can’t be any better than this. It is an extraordinary expression of Châteauneuf du Pape with incredibly intense dark fruit, an almost confit of roasted Provençal herbs and meat juices, and a nectar-like finish. This is a stunner that should continue to age beautifully for 20 or more years. The mini-vertical, or at least a vertical of every bottled  Cuvée da Capo from Domaine du Pégaü to date, was again triumphed by the 2003, a somewhat weird and erratic year, but when it was handled well, an absolutely extraordinary vintage of monumental wines. Alone, I have often given a perfect score to the 1998 Cuvée da Capo or the 2000 Cuvée da Capo, but served next to the 2003 Deus Ex Machina and the 2003 Cuvée da Capo, there is simply no contest. As compelling as the 1998 and 2000 are, both 2003s have so much more there. Another wine that I underrated (probably because of my generally conservative nature regarding new estates, and I had only tasted one previous vintage from this one) but the 2005 Domaine La Barroche Pureis an absolute elixir of 100% old vine Grenache from sandy soils not far from the Rayas vineyards in Châteauneuf du Pape. It is a brilliant wine.

All of these wines were matched perfectly by Ed Cotton’s cuisine, and the service was impeccable. If you haven’t been to Veritas since the change in chefs, I think you’re in for a remarkable evening of extraordinary food. What a day.