Going to Black Barn is like stepping in a farm in the heart of New York. Located North of Madison Square Park, this place is a true find: this farm to table restaurant’s kitchen is headed by Chef John Doherty who spent 25 years in the kitchen of the Waldorf Astoria. For sure the decor is amazing and I wished I could have visited their second level: thanks to their high ceilings, they built the structure of a barn and the main dining room overlooks the open kitchen and a wine cellar that is quite impressive.
But it is a cocktail I wanted and settled for the Farmhouse, a drink made with High West American Prairie Bourbon, Allapice dram, lemon and honey. Citrusy and slightly sweet, it was a good way to start.
It was followed by a nice bread basket accompanied by a butter with roasted garlic, as well as, complimentary of the Chef, a lemon arancini that was gooey.
Jodi did not want any appetizer but on my side, I could not resist the bone marrow that was served with Manila clams, a delicious take on surf and turf. I was just disappointed it was not bigger!
Then, for her entree, Jodi went for the wild mushroom toast that was made with three kinds of cheese: robiola, tallegio and Parmesan. Very good, with lots of cheese, the mushrooms adding a earthy tone to it. She also had a side of Brussels sprouts that they graciously made with bacon.
On my side, I chose the duck breast pastrami and sausage. I love duck and was not disappointed: the meat was perfectly cooked, the breast having a nice smokiness and being my favorite over the sausage. The addition of the kumquat preserves gave a succulent sweetness to it. However, I did not like the Spanish torta that had nothing to do with a tortilla unfortunately.
For dessert, we could not resist ordering the apple cider donuts that came with a caramel sauce: they were superb, soft and pillowy.
So overall we had a great meal at Black Barn. This is definitely a place that stands out and I cannot wait to go back there for brunch.
Enjoy (I did)!
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Black Barn- 19 East 26th Street, NY 10010