The Truth is in the Tasting Vol. 2: A Return to Veritas

We don’t do fancy meals all that often, so anticipation rises high when we do indulge. Four years ago in 2015, we found ourselves in Delaware, Ohio at Veritas, a place which had been earning "Best Of" kudos throughout the region. We found out the recognition was well earned, and their tasting menu and cocktails provided us with easily one of our top three dining experiences ever.
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Flash forward to the future: owner Josh Dalton has jumped at the opportunity to move his restaurant to the proverbial heart of it all, relocating to the historic Citizens Building in Downtown Columbus. Not only that, they have emphasized the tasting menu even more, both with their current seasonal tapas selections as well as their Chef’s Table, which leaves it up to the chef and his kitchen staff to wow you with their creativity.
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The latter option sounded like the perfect way to dive into Veritas the second time around for another special meal.

Sangria in the Rain: Barcelona

For my spouse and I, this is around the time of year where we indulge a bit more due to various personal landmark days. Last year we allowed ourselves to experience the excellent tasting menu of Veritas Tavern in Delaware, Ohio. This year, we made a visit to one of those places that for some unknown reason we hadn't made it back to ever since my relocation to the Buckeye State - Barcelona, the longtime tapas-oriented standout in German Village.

Barcelona was an eatery we experienced firsthand during a Columbus Food Adventures tour of the area. At the time, we got to taste the creations of Chef Paul Yow and, unlike our previous stops, felt closer to a meal than a sampling. We enjoyed everything from a panko-crusted crab-stuffed salmon with a cherry gastrique to their house made hummus with an assortment of veggies to their baby spinach salad replete with Marconi almonds and feta cheese. While the chef had changed since that initial visit (Yow moved on to establish the Korean-leaning Hae Paul in downtown, with sous chef Jacob Hough receiving promotion to Executive Chef), the Spanish-oriented menu had not. It was as good a time as any for us to get ourselves reacquainted.

El Segundo: Arepazo Tapas and Wine (Downtown Gahanna)

In complete contrast to the original El Arepazo in downtown Columbus (my post on their location can be found at this post,) their second location in tony downtown Gahanna seems mansion-like in comparison. The interior is reminiscent of their original Pearl Alley location with the dominant brick inlay; even the chairs and tables are similar to each other. However, modern style touches such as fancy overhead lamps, wine racks and industrial pipework lend a much more refined atmosphere. Here, the diner gets much more of a chance to stretch out and relax even during peak hours, enough time to notice these details, including a very cool South American mural toward the rear of the room.

More space means more attention to interior and details at El Arepazo Gahanna

Like the increase in space, Arepazo's menu here is expanded across all fronts. Aside from the traditional items you can get at their anchor downtown location, a list of South American influenced tapas are offered for $6-$8 each; their Picada for $18, a blend of various items including chorizo, steak and chicharron, can serve 2-3 people, The options include Albondigas (essentially, spiced pork and beef meatballs with tomato sauce), Chorizo al Vino (Colombian sausage in red wine) and Peruvian Ceviche (tilapia, onions and herbs in citrus juices.) As implied in the business name, wine is also a focus: Arepazo offers solid list of various wines to diners to enjoy with their meal.

Examples of Arepazo's expanded tapas and wine menu, plus two
Arepazo traditions (the Arepa and the Empanada)

As this was my spouse's first visit here, we decided to forgo the tapas menu for this visit and stick to Arepazo's traditional items. The arepa was as good as ever and my spouse appreciated her first sampling of this Venezuelan standard, but we both agreed that it was the empanada which was the star for both of us. The exteriors were perfectly textured, tender and but not mushy, and the fillings were all cooked and spiced well.

Worthy of sampling at all their locations is their spicy cilantro sauce. Even my spouse, who is not the biggest cilantro fan, agreed that this Arepazo creation is a winner; bottles of their signature sauce are offered for sale at their locations.

We have found this Arepazo location has a winning combination of food and atmosphere, making good on the promise shown by their anchor downtown location. It only seems natural at this point that we'll need to make it a proverbial "tercer" of sorts and drop by their German Village location in the future.

Arepazo Tapas and Wine
93 North High Street
Gahanna, OH 43230
(614) 471-7296

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