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FeedBig Easy vibe
With live music and Cajun flavors, Bexley’s Barrel 44 Whiskey Bar draws inspiration from New Orleans
The best reason to visit New Orleans isn’t the debaucherous Bourbon Street, it’s the free-spirited Frenchmen Street. Wander this stretch of jazz clubs, bars and cafes any night of the week and you’re guaranteed to stumble upon some fantastic live music, stiff drinks and decent grub.
Remarkably, even though it’s been open for just a few months and has some mighty big shoes to fill (the space’s previous occupant was the legendary Bexley Monk), Barrel 44’s Bexley outpost has already cultivated some of that Big Easy vibe. In the roomy bar area, regulars fill the seats just about every night of the week, grooving to live blues and jazz bands as they nibble on small-plate snacks.
It’s a lot of fun. And it’s the best thing this place has going by far.
Those who frequented the Monk back in the day will find little has changed lookswise—right down to the stained-glass monks. (A few whiskey-themed artworks are the biggest indication of a change in ownership.)
It’s a challenging restaurant space, honestly, with a cavernous, buttoned-up dining room that feels severed from the rollicking bar area. But these digs dictate a restaurant-first, bar-second mentality. Now, the original Barrel 44 location in the Short North has always been primarily a bar—and that may shed some light on the Bexley Barrel’s biggest weakness, the food.
With lots of seafood and blackened this and that, the menu clearly gets its inspiration from New Orleans, too. It’s a shame, then, that the quality of ingredients doesn’t match up to the caliber of the whiskey list and the live music lineups.
My favorite dish is one of those blackened seafood ones—the Barrel Blackened Catfish ($22). Planks of spicy, smoky fish sit, askew, on a pile of garlicky smashed redskins, flanked by big, plump seared shrimp and scallops and a few roasted asparagus spears. On top, a tomatoey garlic cream sauce unites everything nicely.
From an assortment of flatbreads, the sweet-leaning duck confit ($11.50) is best. On a thin, soft, charred crust comes a nice amount of tender, flavorful pulled duck, set off by toasted goat cheese chunks and a tangle of caramelized onions, all drizzled in a nice, tart port-berry reduction.
More treats await on the small plates menu, like cute, crunchy wonton cups filled with wasabi-dabbed Ahi tuna ($10). Or the luxurious Shrimp and Scallops Sambucca ($11), with sauteed seafood slathered in a creamy parmesan sauce—and a puff pastry sailboat rising from that saucy sea.
When Barrel misses the mark, though, it really misses it. I wasn’t too put out when my $9 Barrel Bourbon Burger came out overcooked and flavorless, but when my $29 broiled bone-in ribeye steak was served the same? Well. At a time when everything is organic, grassfed and free-range, this just doesn’t cut it.
Sauces are sloppy, too. A jumbo scallops appetizer’s Cajun “remoulade” tasted just like spicy brown mustard, while the spicy peanut sauce accompanying some beef and pork satays was eerily reminiscent of Creamy Jif. And the bourbon-tomato cream sauce ladled on my Whiskey Penne pasta was seriously lacking in boozy kick.
I’m pleased to report, though, that the drinks themselves are stellar.
Ease into any meal with a worth-the-splurge whiskey flight. Three shot glasses filled with your choice of spirits are served on a handsome wood tray with hand-labeled descriptions suggesting tasting order.
From there, order your favorite on the rocks or venture into the mixed drinks. Stick with a classic Manhattan or try the Kentucky Mule, a refreshing bourbon and ginger beer concoction. And for a whiskey bar, Barrel 44’s wine and beer lists are refreshingly diverse.
Of the three dessert options, only one, a Grand Marnier Creme Brulee ($6), is made in-house, and it’s fairly unremarkable. Honestly, just order another drink.
Shelley Mann is editor of Crave, the Columbus dining magazine.
