Thursday, April 30, 2009

The Barn


I said this before and I left a comment on Syd’s blog about how I find that restaurants with large signs have the worst food. The best food can be found at restaurants with small or no signs at all.

When I lived back on the East Coast there was a place that I used to frequent that was called it The Barn. As its name indicated it was a barn that was once part of a working dairy farm in the late in 1779. The land around it was sold and homes were built in the early 1900’s. The barn became a speakeasy during the prohibition years,and after prohibition was repealed it remained a quiet drinking establishment.

There was no sign for the barn. You couldn’t see it from the road. There was only a light bulb on a tree that when lit people were welcome. There was limited parking so an attendant guided patrons to a spot and when the lot was full the light on the tree was turned off and saw horses were placed to block the entrance. There was no on-street parking.


The Barn was total atmosphere. There were beams that anyone over six-feet tall had to duck under. The floors were the original warped and cracked planks that were nailed down with nails that were made by some local black smith. The tables were carved with names and dates or past patrons from the 1920 and they weighed a ton from all the beer they had sopped up over the last century.



Now I have to admit that the place had great bar food, or at least as good as upper end bar food can be. It was the privilege of eating in such a hidden, historic and exclusive place that made meals there extra special.

9 Comments:

Blogger Donna. W said...

A nearby farming family took an old barn and turned it into the store/tasting room for their winery. Very rustic!

5:33 AM  
Anonymous Pam said...

Cool place, but isn't this a rerun? Or was that about Frank's Weiner-Diner or something like that?

5:53 AM  
Blogger Tango's Going Ons said...

This is so true! When my sister gets to town, my family and I drive 2.5 hours to the Edelweiss Restaurant in Staunton, VA. It's off the highway on a gravel driveway up a hill and has the most awesome German food.

5:55 AM  
Blogger Syd said...

Hidden places are always the best. This one looks really cool.

7:32 AM  
Blogger JustRex said...

Does the place still exist? Sounds like a great reason to go the east coast. Not that I would go, mind you. But we should send someone and have them report back. Make it so, Number One! Engage!

7:46 AM  
Blogger g said...

i've always went by how many people are in the parking lot works on gauging restaurants.

6:56 PM  
Blogger The Guy Who Writes This said...

Donna, I hope the local authorities didn't make them go overboard bringing it up to code.

Pam, it may be a repeat, but I have written about Herk's hotdogs, The Turning Point, Johnny and Hanges and Pals diner.

Tango, Distance is nothing when it comes to quality.

Syd, it is, and it's just funky enough to make one wonder how good it really is, but it is good.

Darev, it does still exist, though their website is as well hidden as the place is. I had to go through three search pages to find it.

g, so by your logic the Pig and Pancake has better food than the Urban Cafe?

8:32 PM  
Blogger g said...

depends on what kind of food you are hungry for...

7:12 PM  
Blogger The Guy Who Writes This said...

Good food or sucky food.

9:11 PM  

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