The Barn

The Barn is just a Shed!

Went to have crabs, the man at the hostess station inquired about a reservation, place had many open tables at 8pm. Was seated and waited for about 15 minutes with no recognition from any of the wait staff, Finally inquired of a young lady if we were ever going to be waited on. She went and got our server, low and behold he was the guy at the hostess station, he apologized and gave a complimentary shot of vodka. We order an Orange Crush cocktail, they forget the Triple Sec, and our server was the one making the drinks. We ordered steamed shrimp for an upfront order and 2 dozen crabs, Everything came out at the same time! The crabs were under seasoned (appeared to be rationing of the old bay seasoning). The crabs were not steamed with sufficient old bay, dry mustard, vinegar and beer - the traditional Maryland way. We observed the wait staff eating and drinking at the hostess, in plain view of all the customers and a social congregation at the bar drinking and talking ( don't know if alcohol was involved). There was no music for back ground or least turn up the sound of the Orioles- Yankees Game, very dull. A young lady came and asked how we enjoyed the meal and we informed her of the problem with the drinks and crabs, She said the kitchen had run short on seasonings ( Mars is across the street, sure they sell Old Bay) .She asked us to please give them another chance and next time to ask for double seasonings. Shouldn't have to ask for Md. Crabs to be cooked properly. I guess we will go back to Schultz's in Essex, where the crabs are done perfectly every visit! We do give local establishments a chance but when what I cook at home is better than what a restaurant has proffered  me, is hard to give them a second chance.

We were visiting friends in Parkville on a weeknight and needed a place for dinner. We noticed this place near the corner of a busy intersection and made our way into the tricky parking lot. We went in the upstairs entrance located on the street side and was instantly impressed by the amount of outdoor seating they had on a private deck sheltered from the street. We could have sat at the large bar with the ample amount of TV screens tuned to sports channels, but we opted for one of the private tables in the dining room. They do have quite a nice selection of craft beers on tap and by the bottle, as well as many wines and cocktails. My wife opted for a Guinness and I chose a strawberry wheat from Lancaster. A nice and smooth beer, but the strawberry was more evocative of breakfast cereal than actual fruit. We ordered the calamari, which came out slightly overcooked with a chunky tomato sauce that was hard to eat with it. We ordered two flatbreads, one with sausage and one with onions & spinach. Both were cooked fine, and while not anything special they were exactly what you would want if you were just coming to a pub to watch a game or chat. This place has a fantastic atmosphere, and I don't think it will take long for the food to catch up.

Why don't they allow half stars?  Consider this 3.5 stars, but I round up since it is new and was good for being so new.  It can improve but it is off to a good start.  First of all, this is not incredible food. It doesn't aspire to be.  It is high end bar food with great beer options -- really great.  I don't ask for more much more. I have heard criticism about not having more local beers, but I don't care where my beer is from. I care that it is good and that there is a variety of options for my friends and I. That it had.  As for food, their non-standard wings were good (lime and jalapeno i think), crabcake was very good, and a flatbead was solid.  My service was very good. I heard some grumbling from one table but I can't review based on their experience.  All in all, it is a great addition to that part of the area.  I don't think there is anything better unless you head into the city on Hartford Road.  And those comparing it to Racers.... Racers serves no food so stop the comparison. I would compare it fairly well to Hamilton Tavern.  I like Hamilton's burger way more of course, but the menu here has a lot more options for people and is kid friendly.  Oh, and good place to watch soccer matches or baseball at the bar for those so inclined.