The Barrel Room

In town for a visit and found this place around the corner from my hotel. My server, Nicki (I hope I spelled it correctly), was fabulous - attendant, but not overly so - and very helpful describing some of the items on the menu and helping me with an after dinner amaro. I went light with a bowl of lentil soup and a seasonal salad. Both well prepared and delicious. The rest of the menu looked great. Hoping to fit in a return trip before I head home. The only one slight drawback was the noise - it was a little loud for my taste, but certainly not enough to keep me from returning.

Barrel room has a bit of secrecy going on. At first sight, you barely see any dining tables and it feels like a wine bar. It made me think perhaps there is another restaurant with the same name. But don't be fooled. Walk through the bar and there is about 10~15 tables in a cozy alcove. Barrel room brings you Chilean and Argentinian, somewhat tapas-like, cuisine, paired well with a healthy Argentinian malbec selection that complements the food well. Again, reminding you to absolutely pair your food with malbecs. The fish dishes including the ceviche were okay. Nothing special. The fish croquette even felt a bit grainy. Dates with bacon were amazing. But everything was forgiven with the wagyu steak. Absolutely gorgeously prepared, well crusted and marinated, with fabulous potato and salad. Not sure if this was Argentinian beef but simply mindblowing. And yes, with the malbec! And yes, the desserts also were tasty! This is a great place for business drink and meals. Awesome find and will be back.

Come for the unique wine tasting experience, stay for the delicious and well prepared food! What a novel concept! A restaurant with a rotating wine list and menu, featuring the wines and accompanying cuisine of a different region of the world four times a year. We heard The Barrel Room was known for its wine list and had won awards for their rarified wine selection and educational experience uncommon beyond the confines of wine country so we had to give it a try. This was their ‘Basque’ menu so the featured wines were from the South of France - interesting. We were given a blind flight of 3 white wines with the concept that we would decide which we liked best, then scan the QR code presented to us to learn the origin of each of the wines - an interactive and fun experience. The servers were super knowledgeable and proceeded to educate us on each of the wines we’d been served. The food was equally amazing. The standout for me was probably the mouthwatering Petite Filet Bordelaise - a perfectly cooked prime filet mignon, Hen of the Woods mushroom, and creamy & super savory mashed potatoes in a yummy French style gravy. Another highlight was the unexpectedly unique Cauliflower Gratin, which was oh so delicious and used multicolored spiral shaped cauliflower drowned in a cheese sauce of Gruyère and manchego, with slivered almonds and herbs - definitely an appetite ruiner. Always curious to try croquettes so we ordered their Comte and Mushroom Croquettes, which came drizzled in a garlic tarragon aioli with herbs for a starter, pairing well with the flight. To keep it authentically French we opted for the mussels, the Moules Frites, which were served in a bright yellow saffron cream sauce with herbs and a huge side of French fries with aioli. And finally, the Garlic Prawn Provençal Angel hair pasta with green olives was a totally solid pasta with a rich and tangy tomato sauce and perfectly cooked buttery prawns. We definitely plan to return to take advantage of the rotating wine list and new menu drop each quarter (or as often as we can.) Overall, an elevated dining experience especially tailored to the wino or just those looking to culture themselves in the ways of wine, without having to skimp on dinner!

I was excited by the unexpected wines offered here, so it's worth a look. We got flights so we could try several. The pours were awkwardly leveled and small. I'm not sure why he didn't have a measuring shot like he used to make other drinks. The wine was interesting and tasty. He took the food menu away before asking us to order so we didn't stay to eat after our yummy flights.