Picholine or Veritas?

[dream399]

I am deciding between Picholine and Veritas for a special birthday dinner. I know they are different cuisines but does anyone have an opinion on which restaurant has better food and ambiance? Thanks for your help!

[bdurrett]

I have eaten at Picholine only once a couple of years ago - the meal still stands out in my memory as being fantastic. HOWEVER to call it stuffy is an understatement. A very buttoned-up uptown crowd.

I share the sentiments of other posters, Veritas is CRAZY expensive and for that price tag I wanted a lot more.

[rrems]

I tried Veritas several years ago, when the original chef was there. There have been a couple of chef changes since, one rather recently I think. I know there are reliable posters on this board who love it, but no one has said that it improved over the years, and I was not impressed enough with my first visit to consider returning. On the other hand, Picholine, after years of decline, was transformed about a year and a half ago with a new menu and redecorated space. It has been soaring ever since. I have had both the regular prix fixe and the tasting menus and each time the food seems better than the last. I love it for a special occasion. The atmosphere is definitely warmer at Picholine.

[idia]

I am in full agreement with rrems on this one.
I had dinner in October at Veritas under the new chef Ed Cotton and frankly I felt it was incredibly expensive at $284+ for 2 with only 3 glasses of wine. To me, that's exhorbitant and I am not exactly known for being stingy with my purse.
My vote is also for Picholine. I haven't been there lately but I have it on my "to go" list and have been hearing more good than bad about it since they refurbished it.

[clashfan]

I went to Veritas a couple of months ago and really enjoyed it. However, we didn't do the traditional price fix. If you can grab a seat at the bar you can order their dishes a la carte. We got a nice bottle of wine, two apps, and then a salad, and split the lamb. It was all very good, the staff was so kind and helpful and the bill wasn't astronomical.

[sam1]

veritas used to be one of my top 3 restaurants in the city under scott bryan but once he left, i tried it again and it was very disappointing...especially considering the price...they raised the price of the prix fixe which i though was pretty ballsy considering the new chef just started.

i havent been to picholine but i heard the revamp has been well received.