Dining Guide

Barley Swine

Over ten small courses, you see what a mad scientist/creative chef can do. We savored a wisp of flash-fried chicken skin (think bacon) with deviled egg (like a very eggy aioli). We relished a small dry-aged Akaushi ribeye, and swooned over a fabulous, if very odd, smoky quail (one leg was stuffed with homemade pork sausage) on a gingered carrot puree. We wound down with aromatic apple-lemongrass sorbet. The words “avant garde” come to mind, but the setting is so relaxed, it never feels intimidating.