Henry's at the Barn

Henry's at the Barn

36840 Detroit Road

Avon, Ohio

(440) 934-6636

http://www.henrysatthebarn.com/

The Mr. suggested we catch a Crushers' baseball game, and since we rarely head out that direction, we decided to try out a new restaurant beforehand, as well. Going back and forth between Henry's at the Barn and Nemo Grille, we ended up choosing Henry's at the Barn based on the rave reviews of their patio. And with the absolutely gorgeous weather we've had lately, how can anyone turn down a meal outdoors? So, to Henry's we went!

What We Drank:

bottle of Dryer-Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon, $25 (from their "20 for $25" wine list)

What We Ate:

The LL:

*Iceberg Wedge, Apple Pepper Smoked Bacon, Pimento Cheese, Corn & Hot Pepper Hushpuppy, Green Goddess Dressing, $6

*Cast Iron Grouper, Fried Smoked Bleu Cheese Grits, Caramelized Onion Jam, $28

The Mr.:

*Lake Erie Fries, Perch, Walleye, Idaho & Sweet Potato, Paul's Cool Tartar sauce, $13

*Grilled 12 oz. New York Strip, Butter Garlic Mushrooms, Smoked Bleu Cheese, Melted Leek, Sweet & Yukon Potato Gratin, $28

Henry's at the Barn has character. Situated in an old 1830's blue barn (it's tucked near the back of Olde Avon Village, so keep that in mind when you're trying to find it), the inside seating offers a warmth of an old ski lodge, and the upscale nature of a fancy establishment. Since we had plans to eat out on the patio, we knew we could get by with slightly more casual attire, but upon returning to check on the inside, I would recommend business casual.

The menu, and restaurant itself, are reminiscient of a Southern restaurant, with plenty of seafood options and comfortable hospitality. The website decribes it as "Carolina Low Country Cuisine." An in-ground fire pit sits in the middle of the patio, which I'm sure would be fun to sit around in cooler autumn evenings.

Onto the food. Warm multi-grain bread arrived first, with three options for dressing it up: pimento cheese, chow chow (a spicy, sweet & sour pepper relish), and honey butter. Of the three, the honey butter was our least favorite.

I got the iceberg wedge. It was fabulous. I would by all means order this again. The pimento cheese was an interesting addition; one that I wasn't particularly wild about, but it was a nice change and complimented the other flavors well. The Green Goddess dressing was fantastic, although it left quite a ferocious taste in my mouth, so pack gum or mints.

The Mr. got the Lake Erie Fries, which I didn't have a ton of because I knew I was going to be eating grouper as my entree. The whole time, I couldn't stop thinking: "I wonder what came first? Burger King Chicken Fries? Or Henry's Lake Erie Fries? They are basically long strips of fish, fried. They had a flavorful breading and a wonderful tartar sauce. The actual potato fries were, in my opinion, average. Not enough crisp and not enough salt.

The Mr.'s entree. He seemed to really enjoy this, especially the load of toppings that came on the steak. I did catch him successfully working around the button mushrooms, but for all you other mushroom-scaredy cats, do not fear, because there were too few mushrooms to really worry about. I always prefer a filet mignon over a strip steak (even if I have to pay for it), but this was a nice option.

The Little Lady's grouper and fried bleu cheese grits. The fish was great -- it tasted blackened, which I wasn't really expecting, but had no complaints. The caramelized onions were a delicious addition. The fried bleu cheese grits were probably what sold me on ordering this as my entree, but I was a little disappointed. It seemed that there was a hunk of bleu cheese in the middle, surrounded by the grits, and then deep fried. While it was still good (how could it not be?), I wish the bleu cheese had been evenly distributed throughout the grits.

The service was what you would expect at a restaurant like this - we were treated well from the moment we walked in to the moment we walked out. The only thing that threw us a little was the fact that we were left to refill our own wine glasses. Not that it bothers me that much, but since that's what you typically expect at a place like this, we gave it some extra time and then opted to just refill the glasses ourselves.

A Note From the LL: We bought a gift certificate off of Restaurant.com beforehand, which is a such a great way to enjoy a nice meal for less. If you're thinking about dining at Henry's at the Barn, you should do the same thing!