Barrels and Boards
The first thing I want to say about Barrel and Boards is that I’m happy we don’t live closer! I’m fairly certain it would be like Cheers ( 80’s TV show) and everyone would know my name!! This place is phenominal, start to finish!!
The restaurant was standing room only on a Saturday night but, from what I’ve been told, it can be the same way during the week. When Jessica and I are traveling I usually research restaurants ahead of time, but with that said, if we drive by a place and there are people waiting outside, we try to get there before we head home. In other words, if you see a restaurant with a line ……get in it !!
I didn’t get a good look inside with all the people, but from what I could see the decor featured dark wood tones, was extremely clean and had a large bar area. We had called ahead so we only waited about 20 minutes before we were seated on the outside patio, which is also a good size. B&B provides an ecletic but not overwhelming menu with prices that are comprable to any other restaurant in the area.
Maeghan, our waitress, came over to our table to greet us and I have to say that she had a fantastic personality and for me, that’s an important part of dining out.
If we are dining out with the intention of writing for the Blog, we will pick a couple of appetizers so we decided on Chicken Buffalo Dip ($14) and Dry Rub Bone In Wings ($11). Yes, if you’ve followed our last few posts you may have noticed that I’m on a wing kick lately. We loved how the food was plated on “boards” keeping with the theme of the restaurant. The Wings were hot, crispy and with one bite the juices were flowing! The perfect amount of dry rub moved these Wings into my number 1 spot!! I wanted to eat all of them, but did show some restraint. The Buffalo Chicken Dip came with fresh, house made chips, drizzled with a touch of honey as Maeghan pointed out. Now to be honest, many followers may know that I’m lactose intolerant but, at times, I will dabble in some ice cream but cheese is a very different story.
The Chips were crispy and the touch of honey on top added just the right amount of sweetness. Jessica loved the hunks of blue cheese throughout and said it was a cheese lovers paradise.
Jess and I both agreed that we could come here, have only appetizers and be completely satisfied! Tonight, however, we were going all in!!! We were both torn on what Entree we wanted but once we had our apps we knew we would be coming back so it was decision time.
After much deliberation, Jessica chose The Cast Iron Portguese Haddock ($23) and I opted for Chicken Scampi ($19). As the “boards” were places by the table, we were both excited not only by the portion size, but by the the absolutely fantastic aromatics wafting from our food. Loaded with hunks of linguica, diced potatoes, kale, onions and peppers, this mozambique spiced haddock topped with sherry spiced crumbs was a home run from the first bite. My Scampi was nothing short of fantastic! What can go wrong when you have chicken, cherry tomatoes and campanelle pasta enveloped in a garlic, basil and white wine sauce? NOTHING!
As we were eating we knew a very critical decision needed to made…..to dessert or not to dessert! We knew that finishing our entree’s would mean dessert would probably not be an option, so we did what any sane person would do……exhibited a bit of self control and decided to take leftovers home. You just don’t skip dessert on a two girls spooning date night!!!
Barrels doesn’t have a ton of dessert options but we highly reccomend the Bacon and Waffles. Take a look at the picture…need I say more?? Two sweet crunchy warm waffles with a creamy butterscotch ice cream topped with bacon and whipped cream….I threw back a few Lactaid pills, and jumped right in! Savory, sweet, and salty heaven! We struggled to finish it, but I proud to say that we conquered the mountain of deliciousness!
Barrels and Boards does everything right! From the atmosphere to the staff and of course the food, Barrels pleases from start to finish. Our total bill was $86 without tip and for what we received, we felt that was more than reasonable. We absolutely can’t wait to go back and try something new.
They also have a Specialty Market place right next door that offers hand-cut meats, fresh seafood and fresh chicken, as well as pastries, soups, salads and sandwiches. We have heard great things about the Market Place so we will be Spooning there soon!
Looking for a great date night? Take a drive to 1285 Broadway in Raynham Ma and tell them Two Girls Spooning sent you!
Happy Spooning!
Sara and Jess