Verace Is True To Its Italian Roots
By Pete & Rosie/foodie@longislandernews.com

The Foodies hit the road this week, heading to the south shore to try Verace, the newest addition to the group of restaurants owned and run by the Bohlsen family, owners of Prime on Huntington’s harborfront.

In Italian, Verace means truth, and authentic reflection of Italian inspiration is the theme for the stylish eatery. Verace is a celebration of things Italian and it celebrates the best that Italian culture has given us: food, design, architecture and, mostly, the passion with which all of these things are enjoyed.

Verace is located on Islip’s Main Street, immediately next door to the Bohlsen family’s vaunted (and vaulted!) Tellers Chophouse. Diners must walk the length of the red brick building to enter the restaurant at the far end. The warm brick patio is the first sign of the attention to design and detail that is obvious once inside. The walk back to the dining room brings visitors past a bustling open kitchen with fire-engine red stoves and a Woodstone gas-burning brick pizza oven. Steel and glass accents lend a contemporary flair to the Old World architecture. A red Berkel meat slicer built in 1909 on display adds old-fashioned charm.

The 100-plus seat dining room with its rustic brick walls is contemporary in a Rome-meets-Soho kind of way. The vaulted ceiling overhead is painted with bold graphics that evoke an oversized Emilio Pucci print. Despite the simplicity of the design, there’s plenty for the eye to take in.

We were seated at a table along the wall and even though we were far from home, immediately saw familiar faces at a nearby table – an indication that the buzz about Verace is far-reaching. We were immediately greeted by our server, Kristen, who explained everything we needed to know about the menu and wine list.

First the wine. In addition to an extensive list of Italian and Long Island wines, Verace features “wine on tap,” a concept new to this area. She explained that through arrangements with a leading Italian winery and Long Island-based Raphael winery, Verace receives wine in the steel “barrels” in which it was made. The result has a two-fold advantage: the wine – never exposed to oxygen – tastes fresher and cleaner; and by eliminating bottling steps in the middle, the cost is less than the typical wine by the glass. The merlot-Bordeaux blend from Raphael ($9 a glass) was clean and robust with a strong fragrance. The wine list itself is likewise priced affordably, starting in the low $20s and maxing with the $198 Ceratto “Briccho Rocche-Brunate” 2001.

Our server explained that the menu at Verace is true to the Italian way of eating several small courses. A $30 three-course prix fixe encourages just that, and takes the pressure off of the typical menu-selection experience.

A selection from the “Sfizzi” menu – crusty grilled bread with a tomato-fig marmalade and ricotta ($4) – was a sweetish start, and the Salumi with olives and bits of cheese ($11) was a wise choice. The meat and cheese board was a generous sampling of cured meats, Parmigiana and creamy herbed goat cheese and olives in oil with pink peppercorns. The peppercorns were a highlight of the meal. Also from the “Antipasti” menu, steamed mussels in white wine ($8) featured plump, fresh shellfish with a crusty bread for dipping the flavorful sauce.

From the “Primi” menu, linguine with white clam sauce ($11) likewise featured chunks of plump clams, though the star was the house-made pasta itself which absorbed the delicately flavored broth. What the pasta missed was eagerly sopped up with crusty bread.

For our main course selections – or “Secondi” – the marinated veal chop ($14) was a gorgeously caramelized chop atop radicchio. The crispy artichokes – battered and deep-fried – were tasty, though overly crisp.

Grilled branzino – as authentic an Italian dish as there is – was a home run. It is grilled simply with olive oil and sea salt, allowing the delicate flavor of the fish to shine, and served over baby spinach sautéed in olive oil and garlic. A touch of salt made it perfection.

The three-course meal was more than enough and we were content to watch desserts get delivered to other tables while enjoying our espresso. They were as impeccably presented as our entire meal had been – we’ll know to save room on our next trip back.

And there will be trips back. Even being able to make as many choices as we did, there was much more on the menu calling our name. Verace’s elegant back patio, with its cushioned wicker chairs, candlelight and plantings, also called our name. It looks to be a beautiful place to enjoy dessert and espresso.

Verace
599 Main Street, Islip
631-277-3800
Veracerestaurant.com

Atmosphere: Old-style Rome meets Soho chic

Price: Moderate

Cuisine: Authentic Italian with elegant flair

Hours:
Lunch: Mon-Thur., 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Dinner: Mon.-Thur., 4-11 p.m.;
Fri. & Sat., 4 p.m.-midnight
Sun., 2-10 p.m.

Main Menu