Have you been to The Barn?
We waited a few weeks after its opening to review this new restaurant in Princeton, in the location of the former Mountain Barn, to let them work out the kinks.
Jay started this story, and I thought it needed enough fine tuning (I’m actually serious) and that we should go back a second time just to make sure our review was spot-on.
No charge to you, we now have a more detailed review, because we were willing to go out for dinner two Friday nights in a row for the benefit of our readers.
We recently visited the newly opened The Barn restaurant, located in scenic Princeton, Massachusetts. Our very first impression was “Wow….this parking lot is PACKED”, and we didn’t have reservations, because they don’t take reservations.
However, they gave us reasonable expectations on when we’d be seated, so we went for a drive, came back 10 minutes earlier than they said, and were seated almost immediately.
The Barn is located in the same building as its predecessor, the Mountain Barn, but that, along with the seating, is just about the only thing they have in common. The interior is still very comfortable, but a lot of the signs and memorabilia are now gone. This creates a much cleaner and less cluttered feel.
The ownership has stayed in the same family, with The Barn now co-owned by Gabi Bennett and her mother Carla Zottoli, and managed by Gabi and her husband Ryan Bennett. It seems they all make a nice team, and the energy of the restaurant and bar area is quite comfortable.
Of course, the menu, food quality, prices, and service levels are why you go to a restaurant. All the rest is background.
This is where we really noticed the changes. We were very pleasantly surprised at how well the food was presented and most importantly, tasted, particularly given that the prices at The Barn are moderate.
I was initially disappointed that they didn’t have the billboard of dozens of menu items to choose from, as were previously offered when under different management.
During our first visit, I ordered the Seven Saws Short Ribs, which are beer-braised short ribs served over horseradish mashed potatoes. Wow, was I surprised! It was so delicious that I now didn’t care that the menu items were more limited. Complete Menu here
We learned at this time that they would be changing the menu seasonally, so that’s exciting! Also, the beer and wine menu are carefully curated to provide excellent options. The Victor Hugo Cabernet was our go-to for both visits.
When we went back the second time, I suggested to Jay that, for research purposes, we should definitely not get the same dinners that we did last week. He proceeded to order the exact same thing all over again.
So much for my advice. We now know that he votes TWICE for the Chopped Salad, which includes crumbled Great Hills bleu cheese with maple balsamic vinaigrette, followed by the Pan-Roasted Cod served on top of bourbon sweet potatoes.
I did order the same salad twice, because I loved the dressing–it was the Spring Harvest Salad with mixed greens, sweet peas, asparagus, radish, feta, toasted sunflower seeds with a lemon mint vinaigrette dressing. On our second visit I ordered the Chicken Milanese, at the recommendation of our server.
The Chicken Milanese is a breaded chicken breast, locally made mushroom ravioli, creamy mushroom sauce, grilled asparagus and truffle oil.
The only feedback for improvement on the dish above is that I’d like a bit more of the creamy mushroom sauce, but if the worst thing I can say is ‘more, please’, I’ll call that a success. Of the two entrees I’ve tried so far, I prefer the short ribs, just because the beef was so tender and the horseradish potatoes were memorably delicious.
Similarly, both times, our servers were great. They were friendly, but didn’t talk with us too much, which would have been impossible anyway given that all the tables were full, but also everything ordered was correct, arrived quickly, and you had the feeling they both actually enjoyed their jobs.
I guess a good way to express it is just that The Barn has a nice comfortable vibe for all. Like The Barn on Facebook
One area that doesn’t appear to have changed much is the bar, although it was so crowded it very well might be redecorated, but we couldn’t see it.
For people who want to enjoy their meal sitting at the bar, there’s now more of that type of seating with the creation of a second bar area, in the primary dining room. This seems to have improved the traffic in the small intersection that houses the front door, host station, entry to the main bar area, the stairs and the restrooms.
What we did see was people we knew, which is always nice, and the vibe of the bar seemed to be just like it used to be–a great spot to hang out, and where you could bump into a lot of fellow Princeton or Westminster friends. We’re looking forward to dining on the patio in the warmer weather!
Hours of operation are detailed below. When you go to The Barn, tell them you read our review!
*No takeout box for him, either visit.
April 2023: The Barn is currently open Thursday through Sunday, at 4:00pm, with a last seating at 8:30pm Thursday through Saturday, and 7:30pm on Sunday. The restaurant, including the bar, is open until 10 on Thursday, 11 on Friday and Saturday, and 9pm on Sunday.
The Barn
174 Worcester Road, Princeton, MA 01541
978-464-6136
barnprinceton@gmail.com