Barley & Board's Fall Menu Preview

I had the pleasure of trying Barley & Board's Fall Menu Preview at the end of November. As some of you know, Barley & Board is my new favorite restaurant since I discovered it earlier this year. It's all the way out in Denton though, so every visit is special. This was no exception. We feasted on their new additions until we can no longer move!

I was there with my fellow food bloggers and writers. I knew like 60% of the guests that night so it was pretty awesome. Just one big party!

Barley & Board
100 W. Oak St.
Denton, TX 76201
(940) 566-3900
http://barleyandboard.com
Price: $$-$$$

The evening started off with an introduction by Chef Chad Kelley. He talked about the inspirations and ideas behind their menu and new items. He also introduced all the dishes as they came out of the kitchen. I cannot wait to see what all they have in store for us!

Some of my friends ordered cocktails. The liquor was certainly flowing that night! hehe.
Bitter Little Pe'ach (deep eddy lemon & peach vodka, lemonade, mint) $8.50~ Pe'ach is pronounced like "biatch". hahaha. I heard the waitress say it and thought it was hilarious! This seemed to have been the favorite. I kept seeing people reorder this.

Camaraderie (vodka, lemon, blackberries, champagne) $8~ Pretty!
Clara Lou (tequila, hibiscus syrup, lime, grapefruit) $10~ This was the pink ones in the martini glasses.
Sam Bass Bullet (bacon infused rye, maple syrup, bitters) $9~ My friend said he could actually taste the bacon in this. He enjoyed it a lot.

We started off with the appetizers.

Buratta Cheese (beet salad, chives, crushed walnuts) $12~ 

I would've ordered this myself if it wasn't part of the tasting. The buratta was like butter...basically melted in your mouth. And the combination with the raw beet salad was very interesting. I loved everything about it. It had a great combination of flavors as well as textures.

Roasted Cauliflower Flatbread (garam masala ricotta, lemon, pickled onion, capers) $13~ 

YUM! The garam masala added this nutmeg-y flavor. Very interesting, and oh-so-good! The lemon on the greens brightened up every bite. And if it had meat on top, I can totally make this my entree.

Second round were the sandwiches.

Harvest Turkey Sandwich (sourdough, smoked bacon, cranberry mostarda, arugula, havarti; served with house chips) $13~ 

Thanksgiving in a bite is what this is. Not only were the colors vibrant and festive, that tart cranberry mostarda wakes you up a little. I loved that the turkey was thick cut... none of that thin, deli sliced type of meat. And their chips... wow. Superbly crispy without being too greasy. They also reheated very well in the oven since I got one of the sandwiches to go. :P

The House Reuben (russian dressing, sauerkraut, gruyere; served with house chips) $13~ 

I normally don't care for reubens because I find the corned beef too salty. But the chef explained that they decided to use large chunks of beef instead of the typical thin slices. And by making the chunks bigger, they were able to use less salt while curing the meat. So the salt level was perfect. Also, the ratio of sauerkraut was just enough where it didn't overpower the rest of the ingredients. And the pickles were the perfect pairing to the meat. Loved it! I got one to-go to take home to my husband since he loves Reubens. :)

Now for the entrees! And I'm loving some of their item names. They're fun. :P

Soba-dass Noodles (yellow curry, coconut, bok choy, chickpea, acorn squash, cashew) $15~ 

This is a completely vegan dish so they're covering all the bases now. It had a ton of different ingredients and textures. I loved the subtle flavors... even the curry flavor was very light but still prominent. The more bites you take, the more flavors you discover. I loved the addition of the chickpeas.

Mr. Shankly (braised lamb shank, warm barley salad, jus) $25~ 

This dish made me wish I liked lamb. This was more than fork tender. Someone picked up the bone, and the whole thing just slid off. Knife definitely not needed! Served on a bed of barley, on top of a board... their namesake, hehe. Smart move there! I enjoyed the barley salad a lot. It was a light compliment to the heavier meat.

Scottish Salmon (horseradish crust, celeriac puree, brussels sprouts, golden raisings, dill brown butter) $22~ 

One of my favorite dishes of the night. That plating was gorgeous with that perfect horseradish crust on top. At first bite, the horseradish knocks the wind out of you. In a good way! But you'd have to like horseradish to like this dish. The salmon was perfectly pink and sooo tender. I loved the compliment of the brussels sprouts and puree.

We were told at the beginning of dinner that we were welcome to order anything else off the menu. So we're getting the burger! Duh!! One of the best burgers in Dallas, imo! There hasn't been a visit to Barley & Board where I haven't had the burger. :)
B&B Burger (sweet onion, b&b pickle, house sauce, american cheese; side of matchstick fries) $12~ It's just so amazing. Everything melds together so well. I can't believe I had half a burger after everything else we just ate. haha.

A friend of mine got the Mother Board (selection of artisanal cheeses, cured meats, pickles) $28~ I guess it's chef's choice since we didn't really know what all was on the board.

What a fantastic meal. As always... I was so honored to have been invited to be a part of this. It made my long drive to and from (on a week night, I might add) totally worth it. I didn't get home until 11:30PM but was still on a food high when I got home. haha. I also had a blast with my food blogger friends. And our waitress, Chelsea, was amazing! A big shout out to the PR team, particularly Narciso who always takes the best care of us. :) I highly recommend you to go check out their new menu as it is seasonal and may not be around forever. They also have some new additions to their brunch menu, I heard. I gotta make it out there to try that at some point. Looking through these pictures is making me hungry again. haha. I better go find me a snack!

*The meal was comped but all opinions are always honest and my own.

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~

Asador: Chef's Harvest Dinner Series - November Edition

Last week, my husband and friends and I went to the Asador Chef's Harvest Dinner Series: November Edition. They do these dinners seasonally and is available once a month. We decided to do the one in November thinking it'll get us in the mood for the holidays. Boy were we in for a treat!

Asador
Renaissance Dallas Hotel
2222 Stemmons Fwy.
Dallas, TX 75207
(214) 267-4815
www.asadorrestaurant.com

I had gone to a preview of the upcoming fall harvest dinners at the beginning of September. There we got to taste some of the dishes featured in the September dinner. The food was amazing! I have to say... I've always heard of Asador, but it's never been on my radar. The location is never really in an area where I frequent. But it truly is a hidden gem. I had an amazing time at the preview. (At some point I will finally write up the post for that one. hehe.) They told us that each dinner will feature 3 courses family style. Start off with a welcome drink and some snacks, then move into the actual dinner. Each dinner will have some sort of beverage accompaniment, whether wine, cocktails, or beers. And the whole dinner PLUS drinks PLUS tax PLUS gratuity is only $90! Whoa... That's a game changer. Most dinners like these typically run $80-120 and THEN you have to add on another $30-50 on the drink pairings. And they never include gratuity! This is a steal people... stay tuned for their dinners next season!

We arrived a little late due to terrible traffic. The dinner was on a Wednesday night and we were driving from Rockwall. The group had already started with charcuterie boards and a welcome beer. The dinner this night featured pairings from Real Ale Brewing. One of my friends was super excited because he's a real beer connoisseur. He had a hell of a time talking to Brad, the owner of the brewery, the entire night.

Asador has one of the best charcuterie boards I've ever had. Their smoked duck is my favorite. :) It was a little sparse by the time I got there. haha.

After some introductions and background info from Real Ale, they moved us to the long wood table for our feast. It was a communal style table since the dinner is family style. Looking through the menu, there's gonna be so much food. I'm so excited! The theme was Thanksgiving, since it was so close to the holiday.

First Harvest:
The featured beer is Lost Gold, IPA.

Carrot Cumin Soup (chive cream). The soup was poured tableside by the Chef, Brad Phillips. He's super nice and you can tell he's just so passionate about the food. Ever course he comes out to explain the dishes and ingredients. 

 

 

OMG... I normally hate carrots, y'all. But this soup was something else. One of my favorite dishes of the night. It was smooth, creamy, and luxurious. Slight sweetness from the carrots and just the most beautiful color. It had none of the flavors that I normally dislike of carrots. It was just magnificent. I'd be happy if we were only served this dish in the entire dinner!

Crispy Pork Tibia (wild boar, jalapeno orange, baby kale). 

 

I love me some pork. This was no exception. That jalapeno orange glaze was a great pairing with the boar meat. Just a hint of citrus sweetness and heat. I really tried hard not to over eat. There was just so much food!

Frisee, BBQ Apple, and Red Plum Salad (chestnut puree, black pepper honey vinaigrette). 

Loved pairing this with the Crispy Pork, the flavors all complimented each other so well. This was dressed lightly, which I liked. I did think the apples were cut a little too large but the flavor was great. It was so interesting with the BBQ rub on it. Loved it all!

Oh man... the first course blew our minds already and we've already been stuffing our faces. There's so much more coming!

Second Harvest:
The featured beer for the main course was Brewhouse, Brown Ale.

Turducken Roulade (cranberry tartar). 

 

OMG. My first ever Turducken! It was beautiful. The cranberry tartar was so vibrantly red. It was great but I think the turkey overwhelmed everything else because I couldn't discern the chicken or the duck. haha. But oh well. Yummy!

Roasted Wild Trout (mashed rutabega, artichoke). 

I think the fish stole the show for me for the entrees though. It was so freaking fresh and tender. The whole thing just melted in your mouth. And that rutabega mash... oh my. Just gimme a bucket of it. It's not often that I get to try rutabega either. Loved all the interesting ingredients we were tasting that night. Each plate of food they put on the table were just over flowing with food. The fish dish is the only one where we finished every piece of fish. We just can't let that go to waste!

Sides:
The side dishes were a show of their own!
Green Bean Casserole (crispy onions). Fresh green beans, not that mushy stuff from a can. Delish!

Crispy Squash Blossom (ricotta, goat cheese). I love squash blossoms. These were so perfectly fried and the filling was fluffy. 

Sourdough Stuffing. We had so much stuffing we didn't know what to do with ourselves! We barely made a dent in this. I hope they let the staff take the leftovers, cuz I hate to think all this food was wasted. Or they should've just given me like 10 to go boxes. hahaha. 

Carrot Souffle (pecans). My favorite side dish. Again, CARROTS! Wow... they're really making me rethink my preferences. haha. This tasted more like a sweet potato souffle. It was cinnamon-y, nutmeg-y, and fluffy. The crushed pecans on top were a great additional texture. 

Potato Puree (garlic confit, truffle). Silky and smooth. Really great mashed potatoes.(And apparently I didn't get a picture of this...)

Third Harvest:
For dessert, our pairing was Coffee Porter, Brewed with Katz Coffee. Really quite interesting, to have beer paired with coffee. I managed to take a couple sips since usually I don't drink any beer.

Vanilla Panna Cotta (persimmon chutney). 

 

Persimmons seem to be the fruit of this year. I've been seeing it everywhere! And it's not that popular of a fruit! The panna cotta was creamy, yet light. The persimmon chutney on top was the perfect flavor pairing with the vanilla panna cotta.

Dark Rum Sticky Buns (apples, caramel). 

 

 

This was a show stopper dessert. I mean, serious mike drop. They placed about 3 of these mega sticky buns on the long table. Topped with that shiny pool of caramel sauce. Ahhhhh. If only I can just stick my whole face on it! Use it as a pillow. haha. They did give us some small to go boxes for these cuz there was no way we could've finished any of that.

What a phenomenal dinner. Chef Brad and the team at Asador outdid themselves. It was literally a Thanksgiving feast! I'm so glad we were able to be a part of this dinner and I will definitely be on the lookout for their future special dinners. Asador is worthy of a visit, add it to the top of your list, you won't be disappointed! The food was fantastic, and so was the company. We sat by Brad, the owner of Real Ale Brewing, and learned a lot of things on his business and beers in general. If you are ever in Blanco, TX, they do tours of their facilities.

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~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~