Black Barn by John Doherty Winter 2017 Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Sublime Roasted Duck Breast of Black Barn
Executive Chef and Owner John Doherty, Peachy Deegan, and Chef Matteo Bergamini
"We expected January to be a quiet month, and we find ourselves increasingly busy. This past week, Netflix filmed part of an episode of one of their original series here. We're doing an all-truffle six-course tasting menu for the month of February, black truffles from Perigord, France at the chef's table at 7pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays (make reservations!). The holiday season with all the festivities was a phenomenal time evocative of a high level of fun, cheer and positive energy. The success of a restaurant, like other businesses, is dependent upon the level of attention to detail exhibited by every level of the restaurant staff. Everything matters from the table to the look and feel of the sensory elements, and most importantly, we talk about the difference between service and hospitality. Service is getting people what they need and want; hospitality is how we make people feel and every day we strive to make people cared for and exceed their expectations."
-John Doherty
Fresh Origins is America’s leading producer of Microgreens and Edible Flowers. Combining the benefits of an ideal climate with a deep passion for quality and innovation, Fresh Origins products are sought after by the finest restaurants and top chefs. The farm is located in the picturesque rolling hills of San Diego County, where the near perfect weather allows for production and harvest all year. Fresh Origins produces almost 400 Microgreens, Petitegreens, Edible Flowers, Shoots, Tiny Veggies™ and related items. Many are not available anywhere else, with new introductions nearly every month. Fresh Origins products are on top of the finest cuisine in the world! Fresh Origins supplies distributors of specialty produce who serve fine dining restaurants and resorts nationwide. There are also a few online sources of their products available to private chefs and home cooks. Read our first Culinary Queen interview with Kelly Sasuga:
For more information about Fresh Origins, visit their website at
There's only one place in Manhattan where you can dine and the silverware rests in elegance (above) and the candlelight lights up the dinner aura of your table in diagonal circles (below) exactly like this: Black Barn. A phenomenal level of thought behind the scenes endeavors to make every moment of your Black Barn experience complete bliss in hospitality perfection.
No one has a job here: everyone has a vocation.
And your vocation as the guest is to enjoy yourself and add your personal happiness to the collective joy that the guests emanate at Black Barn more than any other venue in Manhattan.
Earlier, we quoted Vince Lombardi on winning during this high holy time of football, Superbowl Week (see our friend Patrick the Patriot fashionably representing the visual.)
"Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all of the time. Winning is a habit."
-Vince Lombardi
We'd like to paraphrase Vince. For your stomach, winning is a habit when you return to Black Barn again and again because they are constantly improving and making their best which is THE BEST in Manhattan, even better. This is their fifth earned feature, and it is devoted to their brand new items on the menu as of within the last week.
Black Barn was first featured in early 2016- we were actually physically there in December 2015:
It advanced to Peachy's Picks with amazing alacrity:
Black Barn earned a review in Peachy Dines Al Fresco last summer:
Black Barn was most recently featured in Fall 2016:
Light up your life with their four new menu items (and also our obvious favorite!).
The newcomer to the "Garden" section of the menu are the Roasted Beets which arrive in style in hues of maroon and gold. Sliced into attractive nutritious slices, the red and yellow local beets host a soiree in lentils, hen of the wood mushrooms, and queso fresco. The papadum chips perch above the party and invite you to a crispy contrast in crunchiness while you bite into a most succulent beet. They've got the beat.
Two new items are found under "Slow Cooked."
Roasted Duck Breast pays homage to the bird like no other: black truffle sauces, braised savoy cabbage, sweet potatoes, and pickled prunes each respectively highlight this juiciest of duck! Peking Duck from Long Island is sliced in glorious perfection radiating flavorful winter majesty alongside the casserole that reflects the duck sausage which is thoughtfully crafted twice a week at Black Barn culminating in a round of applause coming from your stomach, which you didn't know could clap. It does here.
Every element of this plate, like every other plate at Black Barn (even the plates themselves are picked out specifically for the dish...Belleek we think for your 160th you should celebrate further with a John Doherty collection) is arranged thoughtfully and exactly. This lamb looks like it's doing a High-Five and it tastes even more so like one. The girl that does not care for lamb anywhere else and said no thank you originally wound up really liking this dish quite a lot: that's the mark of an extraordinary chef: to make us like something that we do not normally like. Most chefs cannot come close to doing this.
This Colorado Rack of Lamb is the second new item found under "Slow Cooked." The lamb hails from Australia (we'd like to hear from Dr. Blake to see what he thinks of this-it's no mystery how terrific it is!) and the braised shoulder is joined by merguez cassoulet -the lamb sausage is made on premises twice a week-with embellishment of sorano beans and tomato topped off with a lovely dusting of breadcrumbs.
Finally, swimming in from the Atlantic to make your night you'll meet the perfectly Poached Black Bass, below. A decadent saffron fumet dreamily accompanies this superlative poisson alongside the ricotta cavatelli (made on premises of course), fennel and sea beans all cumulatively reminding you that you will be swimming in a few more short months. The flavor and succulence of this fish is sublime and though comparatively light in contrast to the Slow Cooked competition, it is also a major-league winner of a dinner.
Peachy Deegan is not an actress or a faker; she cannot pretend to like your dinner if she in fact does not.
That smile above says it all. It is real, but even better, make these pictures your own reality and warm up in this snow at the most delicious and cozy venue in Manhattan, Black Barn.
We began our first review with:
Most barns we think of in America are red, and we know something about farms. Peachy Deegan grew up next to one. However, when Mick Jagger said "I see a red door and I want it painted black," we think he undoubtedly had a vision of John Doherty's ribs in 2015 at Black Barn restaurant, which should be at the top of your edible New Year's Resolution list.
We conclude this review with our sincere belief that at this stage, probably even Elizabeth Arden is painting her Red Door Black!
Still the most phenomenal anything you can eat in Manhattan: BBQ Beef Ribs at Black Barn.
Black Barn continues to be Highly Recommended by Whom You Know.
