This evening we didn’t have to wait in the bar and again were seated in the windowed room, not in the main barn.  It was brighter and quieter but more sterile.  It was a chilly night so we had the car pick us up and drop us at The Barn.  They alert the driver when you are served dessert so they are ready when you depart.  On the menu only the soup changed all else was the same and the dessert menu was exactly as it was yesterday.  It seemed to me that since they require you to stay at least 3 days they should change more of the items, particularly since some of them repeat even more days.  Service tonight was a little quicker and that did help but the look in the wine cellar was not offered again and Chef Cassidee Dabney did not make contact with any of the guests that I saw but she was in the kitchen every night  She’s the one at the front wearing glasses.  All the servers were friendly and happy.  This place has been responsible for many fine chefs who move on to their own restaurants, J C Holdway comes to mind but no photos of their past chefs were on the wall nor mention of them anywhere seemed odd.   It is a beautiful setting and the food is way superior in the Barn than the Dogwood but it’s a food-filled vacation.

Set-Up

 

Food

Tonight’s bread service included a yeasty roll of black peppercorns  and Nigella seeds and a slice of rye and sesame sourdough bread.  With these were salted butter and black-eyed pea spread.  I liked both of the bread selection’s flavor and texture.

 

The amuse bouche was a crispy beet with mushroom, fennel and something pickled. It was nutty and light.

 

Asparagus and Beemster cheese was with crispy ham, roasted garlic aioli, shallots and herbs.  The asparagus pieces were fresh and lovely and there was more than enough dressing to go around.  It was heavy on the dill for me as it overpowered the cheese and ham.

 

Whey braised spring onions, were with charred shallots, whipped buttermilk potatoes and Nigella seeds.  This was a layered dish with the onions below a layer of potato foam which was topped with herb powder.  The Vidalia onions were braised in the whey and were tender and nice.  This dish was filled with fun flavors.

 

Roasted potato soup had crispy potato skins, Brebis cheese and pickled shallots.  It came with the ingredients in the bowl and broth was added at the table.  It was a rich and velvety soup that was delightful with the crunch of the potato skins.  The pickled shallots gave a pointedness to the flavor.  My husband liked it.

 

Wood grilled wagyu hanger steak was plated with crispy potatoes, spring onions, confit horseradish, pickled mustard seeds, pickled mushrooms and garden greens.  The potatoes were cooked, crushed and then fried to a crisp exterior.  They were excellent and the meat was tasty but didn’t seem marbled enough to be called wagyu.  It was a nicely balanced plate.

 

The pre-dessert was the ginger carrot madeleines again.  They were as good as they were the previous night.

 

For dessert we both chose the peanut and chocolate sundae we had the first night.  It came with peanut toffee, crispy meringue and hot fudge.  I asked for extra hot fudge but think it came out the same as before.  The ice cream, meringue and hot fudge are a favorite combination of mine and this one didn’t let me down.   Lots of texture, flavor and a good sweet finish to the meal.