Brad Long to shutter Veritas; Betty’s owners to move in

Brad Long to shutter Veritas; Betty’s owners to move in

Brad Long at last year’s Toronto Taste (Image: Renée Suen)

After almost five years, chef Brad Long is quietly handing over Veritas, his “local fare” restaurant on King Street East, to the owners of neighbouring bar Betty’s. Noting the lack of drama in the restaurant’s closing, Long tells us, “It’s not a very sexy story, sorry. But my landlord and partner asked me to sell so they can do something else, and they’ve always been great to me, so I said, ‘Sure, no problem.’ ” Long was quick to add, “It’s not like I don’t have enough to do.” By which he means, of course, his bustling Café Belong at the Evergreen Brick Works. “I’ll definitely be concentrating on the café—it’s going crazy, and as far as I’m concerned, it still needs my full attention.” But it seems one business is not enough for Long: “There are certainly other projects going on but I don’t think any will be ready for quite a while.”

One of the partners behind the new project is Alex Bartlett. He’s the current GM of Betty’s—a King East institution since 1992, loved for its long beer list, summer patio and classic bar fare—and was recently spotted at a local antique shop, picking up old industrial light fixtures and a pair of swinging saloon doors. It looks like an extreme makeover is in the works. As for the menu: out goes the local and fine fare of Veritas and in comes something more along the lines of Betty’s standard pub grub. Bartlett hopes to open the doors of this new watering hole sometime mid-summer.