Three heifers had dinner together at Barberet Bistro & Bakery in Lancaster. While two of us have had brunch here before, this was the first time we tried the dinner menu.
When I first started going to Barberet I didn’t know there was a full restaurant hiding behind the bakery. You walk through the bakery to get to the host stand to be seated. If you go early enough, make sure you stop for some delightful desserts on your way out before the bakery closes.
After starting with warm bread and drinks, we opted for oysters and escargot as our starters. Oysters are on special on Thursdays, a dozen for $ 36. We were told they were from Virginia. Local enough that I can trust them to be fresh. These were okay – the mignonette definitely helped. The escargot came in a small pot with a few slices of bread. These were also good. A little on the chewier side, but flavorful.
For my main, I went with the 11oz Grille Prime New York Strip. The cook was a perfect medium rare, and the potatoes Lyonnaise was a nice accompaniment. I enjoyed it enough that I took the leftovers home. I almost never take leftovers home. And there were a lot of leftovers – 11 ounces of beef is a hefty piece! Alex even commented on the fact that I never take leftovers home, so I must have really enjoyed it. And I did. I rewarmed it gently this morning and it made for a fantastic breakfast.
Jilly had the Grilled 72 Hours Short Rib and Alex opted for the Roasted Rack of Lamb. Both of them enjoyed their meals and had only positive things to say. The sides all looked fantastic and there were empty plates all ‘round. The plating wasn't the prettiest, but the food was delightful.
For dessert, Alex had the Moelleux au Chocolat, Jilly the Floating Island Chef Cedric's Chopped Sweet winning dish, and I ordered the Crème Brulée. Again, empty plates for all. Originally, the server brought me out a Profiterole but quickly corrected that. My only quibble was with the plating, or lack thereof, for the Crème Brulée. It was delicious and I actually finished my dessert, but it was missing something visually interesting. The other desserts were quite pretty, but mine was very plain. Even some in-season berries would have helped.
I would happily return to Barberet Bistro & Bakery for a meal in the future. I know I will certainly be stopping into the bakery for dessert sometime soon.