Barleygarden Kitchen & Bar: Beyond Beervana

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 6/25/20

So Beervana, DOES exist. Located on the end of the Avalon complex, with a large patio and rooftop bar, Barleygarden Kitchen and Bar has a legitimate stake in Beervana, but we hope you stay for the food because you’ll be in for a real treat. From a ton of local, regional, and national beer varieties with everything from IPAs to sours to stouts, they have anything you could want made of hops and malt. On top of that, you can’t really go wrong with Barleygarden’s eats either, from fried cauliflower to brussels sprouts, to handheld favorites, to wings, stay a while and enjoy a drink and grub! Let’s check out our heady adventure on a fun OTP patio.

By the time you read this, they’ll probably already be slinging a whole new array of signature cocktails. We tried the Never Say Die set to be one of their features, as well as sipped on a delicious Untitled Art stout. Plus, we paired Arches Queen’s Weiss with the handheld, stay tuned for that pairing later. As for the new cocktail menu Never Say Die is a take on a pina colada with light and fresh lime, demerara, orgeat, curacao, and of course dark rum. It was light and refreshing and perfect to enjoy on the patio. They also plan on having a Baby! Baby! Ruth! Baby! cocktail, which will include peanut butter whiskey (!), rum, orange, pineapple, cream of coconut. Doesn’t that sound divine? They’re planning on reopening the rooftop bar and service 6/26, so you should get over there and try one of these!

Of the starters, we sampled a few things including the brussels sprouts, wings, and our favorite the fried cauliflower. Diving straight into our favorite, the fried cauliflower was crispy cauliflower battered and fried to perfection. It’s served with a side of a paprika aioli that was rich and creamy with a hint of spice. What was dynamic about this bite was the crunchy, cheesy crust that was like eating crispy fried cheese! Dip it in the aioli to round out the bite. Spectacular. We also really enjoyed the brussels sprouts that were a great balance of earthiness of the greens and sweetness of the vinaigrette. We loved the addition of the crunchy almonds and meaty bacon to balance out the bite! Also, get down to the bottom of the bowl, that’s where the best flavors and sauce pool together. Rich, meaty, crunchy, earthy! Our tip is to ask for a side of blue cheese and toss it in there to add even more flavor. Beyond the vegetables, we also go some meaty wings dusted in lemon pepper, with the right amount of char and pop of the skin. We were impressed with how meaty the flats were, as well. If you are asked what sauce you want, opt for the paprika aioli. It actually mixes really well with the lemon pepper sauce and is an excellent mix of flavors.

Of the handhelds, Butchers Bun is an over the top ribeye and gruyere sammy with a fantastic garlic aioli, fried onions, and earthy arugula. What a tasty sandwich. It’s so rich and meaty with the tang and tart of the gruyere and earthy of the arugula and the crunch of the onions. Please don’t forget the garlic aioli which was the right amount of creaminess to compliment all the other ingredients. For the best bite, eat it from the bottom, all the juices, melted cheese, aioli and meat come together down there. So. Freakin. Good.

Something you can do to elevate your meal is pair your food with beer! This is the place to do that! We opted for the Queens Weiss from Arches, which is a wheat beer that pairs well with the strong flavor of the gruyere cheese on this dish. Ask your server or bartender what they’d recommend with the food and enjoy. If you could pair a beer and food together what would it be?