"The Barn" at The Bedford Post Inn: Yep...It's THAT Good

Kristin L. Wolfe August 02, 2020

There are very few meals that truly linger days after I have them. Ohhhh, but when one does, I’m inclined to get out my imaginary megaphone and shout. The Charred Octopus at The Barn has had me positively awestruck. Our very editor here at CTbites asked me, “It was that good?” “Yes, Boss Lady, it was realllllllly good.” As one of three new eateries housed within The Bedford Post Inn, The Barn is in the midst of a fresh start. Again. Chef Roxanne Spruance and her crew had only just taken on the restaurants, and restructured and revived The Barn, just a few months before the pandemic hit, so the June Phase 2 re-opening has given them yet another chance to really open. Chef feels lucky. She says, “Thankfully, despite the timing, we’ve hardly skipped a beat.”

In Westchester County, an environment where many estates look like they fell out of a magazine and where successful enterprises seem to launch from every corner, it seemed odd that a place as picturesque as The Bedford Post Inn could hit a rough patch. Chef Spruance, who knows a thing or two about giving every ounce of herself to her work, had a sense of what this beautiful place needed though. From the field hockey turf as a star athlete to kitchens in Chicago, her rise in the industry is nothing short of stellar; it’s a clear track of ambition and passion. She began as pastry chef at the much beloved Blackbird in Chicago, an institution Spruance says she is currently mourning as it has just recently closed. It means so much to her and has to so many people. Many chefs get sentimental about their first kitchen. Much like your first love; you never forget.

With stints at wd-50 under Wylie Dufresne and Dan Barber at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Spruance was groomed under some of the top names and places around. She wowed judges on Chopped with her use of bacon--AND WON; and more recently served as a judge on the History Channel’s “The Butcher”. (I’m hooked by the way and find myself aching for a big new cleaver). When you see her work, her pedigree is obvious; the use of fresh ingredients is so creative, and those ingredients on a plate, working with the negative space, exhibits a piece of art.

Back at The Bedford. It had changed many hands over time, so when Spruance and her crew came in late last fall, she discovered, “It just needed some extra love.” So, joining forces with Jason Cott who oversees their impressive beverage program and Luke Deardurff as pastry chef, and that big dose of love, and the freshest ingredients around, The Barn and the others (The Farmhouse and The Terrace) will surely be a new stop in this neck of the wods for diners who want it all: beauty, ambience, and delicious food.

Like walking onto the patio of a European cafe, climbing greenery was lush and abundant, and the little wooden tables were spread out and topped with custom bottles of hand sanitizer. Times sure have changed but the pandemic did not remove this crew’s sense of style. You wear your mask until you are seated and each member of the wait staff is wearing one; yet, just being back to work, and at such a beautiful place, you just know there were smiles behind those masks. The ordering method with QR codes might take some diners a little time to stumble through, but in terms of safety, hygiene, and saving on printing and paper, it could be a win win for everyone despite the altered universe we’re living in.

With crisp specialty drinks like The Pimm’s Cup including fresh cucumber and strawberries or the Part & Parcel with the tart punch of elderflower and grapefruit we were lit up and ready to dive into the menu. We opened our palates with gorgeous fresh oysters on a mound of ice with lemon, a mignonette, and a dijonaise. What is it about oysters that makes it one of the best ways to start a dining adventure? We continued with the raw Kanpachi Crudo (above). It couldn’t have felt cleaner and was beautifully fanned on the plate dressed in white soy ponzu, ginger, radish, lime olive oil and spruce. On the one hand it was light as air and yet gave a little punch of poignant flavor. Then came the new love of my life, the Charred Octopus with beets, radish, candied kumquats and a cool labne on the side zapped with togarashi; it took my breath away. The char was bold but didn’t overpower the mollusk one bit. My guest Marina Escobar, a foodie if ever there was one, and whom I refer to as the green goddess, mentioned, “I’m hopeful my garden beets taste like freshly picked blueberries when I harvest them, like these.” So very earthy and sweet.

We then went for the fresh Tagliatelle with fiddleheads, that ever so whimsical green; then all was topped with a perfectly oozy egg. Does that puncture on top ever get old? Not for this foodie. The pasta was so light, approval from nonnas everywhere could be heard: va bene. Add to that the Grilled Asparagus with a perfect char and generous side of miso butter. But wait. There’s more.

I am not often inclined to order chicken out, but I was curious about the fried chicken (above). Given the ambience it didn’t seem fitting. At first. However, if fried chicken and fried pickles could be considered sexy, it’s here. It was actually the lightest fried chicken I’d ever had; it gave you all the crunch and taste you desire without the grease or weight.

We had to take a break a bit from munching and enjoy a glass or two of Sancerre from their generous, eclectic wine menu.

Dessert. I tend to swoon more over the savories and yet, I may never look at a brulee the same again after what we had at The Barn. The Yuzu Lemon Curd Brulee was out of this world. It was light yet widened our eyes with an unmatched zing of tartness. And for those traditionalists, The Barn’s riff on Cookies and Milk is worth it. A big, warm, chewy gooey chocolate chip cookie with hazelnuts and a granita, if you will, of milk ice on the side. Adorable.

On our ride home, my pal Marina said, “The last meal I had in which cocktails to appetizers to dessert was perfection was in Melbourne, Australia a lifetime ago. That changed in Bedford! Perfect portion sizes and every bite was fresh, bright and delicious. I felt very safe, and the service and level of cleanliness was impeccable.”

So Westchester and beyond, carve out some time, grab your mask and tickle your palate with an evening at The Barn. And next month (hopefully!) The Terrace will open offering a mid-century meets modern vibe with a full outdoor kitchen; then in Spring 2021, The Farmhouse opens with a full fine dining tasting menu of Contemporary American fare.

954 Old Post Road
Bedford, NY
914.234.8808
4pm-10pm on the patio (reservations recommended) + take out available
Bedfordpostdining.com