Edible Blue Ridge Summer 2022

CHEF’S TABLE

The Farmhouse at Veritas

It’s a warm spring evening. e breeze is slight, just enough to ruffle your shirt or gently tousle your hair. e sun is brilliant as it makes its descent, spreading a lush golden hue across a broad oak tree. To the right of the tree stands a large white brick house, which almost glows as it falls within the sun’s path.

Opened in 2012 and designed by owner Patricia Hodson, e Farmhouse has 6 inviting bedrooms upstairs, where guests can stay while they tour the wineries of Nelson and surrounding counties. Originally intended for guests of the inn, the restaurant gained a steady following of culinary admirers. Now, on any given evening, the Farmhouse may serve some 50 guests, who enjoy a 4-course meal and wine pairing. On this late April evening, my husband and I enjoyed a first course of North Carolina shrimp, expertly seared over stone-ground grits with a touch of aged gouda folded into them. A staple of many restaurants in the south, we’ve all experienced a shrimp and grits dish that is unbalanced: grits that are drenched in so much butter it pools along the edges of the bowl, shrimp boiled to rubber and so much cheese grated over the dish that it stretches a web from dish, to fork, to mouth. At e Farmhouse at Veritas, this dish is subtle. e shrimp are tender, nestled against one another like sleeping swans. An island of grits has just enough texture to hold the melted gouda while complementing the ramp-smoked fresno broth that encircles it. e plate is finished with pickled spring onions, the acidity of the onion balancing the weight of the cheese. Executive Chef Andy Shipman’s menu often reflects what’s in season. In April, ramps reigned the menu (and really, with a season that barely lasts a month, how could they not?), making an appearance in all three savory courses. Sometimes an ingredient can be overused to the point that a dish seems uninspired: not so under the expertise of Shipman’s cooking.

We’ve come to dine at e Farmhouse at Veritas.

Upon entering, it feels as if we are being welcomed into someone’s home. e maître d’ takes our names, hands my husband and I each a glass of sparkling wine, and invites us to enjoy the grounds until it is time for dinner. As we stroll through the house to the porch out back, I notice how every room is set for guests, each evoking its own personality. e porch leads to a gravel path, along which a large tent is set for dinner. Further down the path lies an herb garden and, of course, grapevines. An orange tabby cat makes his rounds, curling around our legs and then sauntering off. In the past decade there has been a growing trend among wineries to offer a dining experience that matches the caliber of their wines. Veritas Vineyard and Winery, known as a leader in the Virginia wine industry, has again placed themselves at the forefront of their industry, this time with the tasting menu e Farmhouse at Veritas offers.

14 | EDIBLE BLUE RIDGE SUMMER 2022