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Serving: Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Cuisine: Irish Prices: lunch entrees, $4.99-14.99; dinner entrees, $7.99-23.99 Scoring: Our Gourmet and The Dining Companion each grade a restaurant in six categories, for a combined total score of up to 100 points. Visit the Dining section of NewHampshire.com to read previous Our Gourmet reviews listed by town. |
Our Gourmet: The Barley House is a Irish-style pub/restaurant located across from the State House in Concord. The dining area is open and clean with dark paneling and a mix of booths and tables. I found it very basic, but comfortable and pleasant. Management describes it as an “upscale tavern” and I don’t think that’s too far off the mark. Score: 4.
The Dining Companion: I would agree about the “upscale tavern” designation and being that it is on North Main Street across from the State House, it must have great lunch traffic. Also, on most evenings the Barley House has entertainment, so take that into consideration if looking for a quiet place to go for a meal. Score: 4.
Appetizers 16.5/20
OG: One of the things that attracted us to The Barley House was its interesting and somewhat eclectic menu. The standard Guinness stew stands alongside poblano tortilla lasagna and a coffee bbq bison burger. Appetizers are equally interesting. I passed up the black pepper shrimp cakes in favor of what sounded like a nice comfort food on a winter evening — the blarney puffs ($6.99), which are fried dumplings with cheddar, scallion, and potato filling, served with a Guinness cheese sauce. The fried dumpling was somewhere between a spring roll and a meat pie — crispy and nicely browned. The filling was tasty and just as I expected — perfect comfort food. The whole thing went perfectly with the Guinness cheese sauce that was nicely flavorful, as well as the obligatory black & tan. Score: 8.
TDC: I went for the fried calamari served with three dipping sauces — chili garlic, marinara and a chipotle aioli ($8.99) — and was pleasantly surprised. Calamari can go wrong and be very rubbery, but these were some of the most tender ones I have had in a long time. The dipping sauces were a nice complement, but one of my favorite dipping sauces wasn’t among the three offered — it was OG’s Guinness cheese sauce. Score: 8.5
Entree 16/20
OG: Sticking with the Irish comfort food theme, I ordered the Guinness beef stew ($13.99), a thick flavorful stew with fork-tender beef, carrots, onions and potatoes — and of course, finished with Guinness Stout. Perfect for the cold winter’s evening, the stew was served with a brown bread and was a generous portion — so much so, that I had plenty left over for the next day’s lunch. It was an excellent dish and a great value. Score: 8.5.
TDC: I thought I’d try something that’s not usually tavern fare and see how The Barley House did it, so I ordered the tequila cilantro lime sea scallops — skewered scallops seared over high heat, served with tomatillo salsa and roasted veggies on a bed of jasmine rice ($17.99). The veggies consisted of some nicely grilled onions, carrots and squash and were well prepared and tasty. The scallops were tasty with the tomatillo salsa, but I wish they had seared them a bit longer as they seemed a hair undercooked. Score: 7.5
Dessert 16.5/20
OG: The Barley House has a short but varied dessert menu. I opted for the chocolate cake ($8.99), which the menu said was meant for two and they weren’t kidding. I ate half and was more than satisfied. It was dense, yet moist, with a thick chocolate frosting and chocolate sauce. I ate half at home, drenched in chocolate sauce and heated in the microwave for a few seconds. Sinful. Score: 8.5.
TDC: I went with the bread pudding ($5.99). It was nice and dense, with the right amount of egg to bread, with raisins and spices. It was served warm and drizzled with a delicious maple whiskey sauce. A “would order it again.” Score: 8.
Service 10/10
OG: Our server Lisa was well informed, pleasant and very competent. She did a great job. Score: 5.
TDC: Lisa was attentive and when we had a question she had the answer. When I asked to substitute a different beer to go in my Guinness black & tan, she took care of it with no problem. Score: 5.
Value 17.5/20
OG: As far as I’m concerned, The Barley House was a great value. Our bill came to just over $75 for two black & tans, appetizers, entrees and desserts — and we had enough left for lunch the next day. With its selection of burgers and pizzas, you could eat there for less and still have an excellent meal. The Barley House manages to get that balance of good food in good portions at prices that are well within reason — the very essence of good value. Score: 9.
TDC: I also thought that we got a well-priced meal at The Barley House. Another plus: As some have noticed in past reviews, we have a vegetarian diner who joins us at times, and after looking at their menu, this place would be a suitable place to bring him. Score: 8.5.
Total score: 84.5/100
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