Black Barn

American.   When I think dinner in Manhattan, barn would probably be the last word to enter my mind.  That is, up until I broke bread at Black Barn.  And my former thought process went instantly bye bye.

While the name is accurate, the vibe is purely NYC.  The crowd, the room and the genius produced in their kitchen are as cosmopolitan as it gets.

Upon arrival, they presented gazpacho of cauliflower and caramelized onion — a delicious indicator of what to expect the rest of the evening.

I followed this with Maine lobster salad (little gem, Thai curry dressing, mango and scallions) and tried the white pizza (cheese fondue, mangalitsa spicy coppa, arugula, truffle oil).  Though the two could not be more different, what they shared is an outrageous amount of flavor (the pizza rivaling any the city can produce).

It would be wrong to overlook the Amish chicken with ricotta gnocchi, winter vegetable, grapes, parmesan.  Or the grilled swordfish (Sicilian caponata and spinach salad in a light mustard dressing).  Really, there was something amazing and memorable about every dish I encountered.

The meal ended with chocolate soufflé, vanilla sauce infused.  It requires 15 minutes to prepare, but I’d have waited twice that, so wowing was every warm and wonderful bite.  Besides, it gave me extra time to soak in the Black Barn experience.  You’ll walk out thinking hey! (and not the straw kind) ’cause this ain’t no place to square dance.