Last month, we featured the House, the slightly more upscale half of House and Barn. This month, it's all about the Barn, which automatically takes its design cues from the fact that it's a real barn, complete with random equipment, exposed wood beams and vintage signs found on site. It could not be more different, aesthetically speaking, from the House, but this relaxed spot is also owned by Peter and Nicole Adams, along with Carl Billera. The Barn serves food that's familiar but not comfort food per se, and food in a bar that's not bar food. Confused? Executive Chef Nate Weida set out to elevate the typical culinary experience one might encounter in a bar setting.
“I love bar food, and I am very good at cooking bar food. But I wanted to give people something more than what they're accustomed to, more than just slugging down beers and eating nachos and wings,” says Weida.
Still, Weida admits to having some difficulty describing the menu “and I came up with it,” he says.
This kind of dining approach isn't unfamiliar, but it usually gets slapped with the “gastropub” moniker. However, that's not really what Weida and his team are doing here. We're not looking at burgers with eggs on them (there's a no-burger- and-fry rule here—the Billeras own The Burgery Company across the street) or fancy frites, or even fries at all. No, instead, what you're looking at, ladies and gentlemen, is the birth of the barn bistro, complete with farm-fresh fare. It's where the menu is divided into implements used to feed oneself—hands, fork, spoon.
It's where the crab mac and cheese is made with Manchego cheese, without fillers and with a secret ingredient I've been sworn to secrecy about. It's where wings are made sous vide and you're provided with something called Lehigh Valley Ranch™ as one of your dippy sauces.
It's where you can crave something called a cauliflower salad with pickled veggies, a brown butter vinaigrette (yep, how about that?) and the unexpected addition of cashews. It's where Weida indulges his obsession with pork—yes, sort of a cliché among chefs but bear with me—and serves you something called a Smoked Pig Sandwich. “That sandwich is my heart and soul on a plate,” he says.
When asked what he puts in that particular dish, he says, “time and smoke,” a classic answer when asking about barbecue. But all jokes aside, Weida's heart and soul produces a mélange of delicious, tender, smoky and crunchy flavors and textures. He says it takes about six hours to smoke the pork, and uses, among other things, cumin, garlic, brown sugar and smoked paprika—but no salt in the rub. The house-made barbecue sauce is so good, gleaned in part from the juices emitted during the smoking process—real nose-to-tail cooking. Weida refers to those juices as “pig love,” and he's not joking. He assures me that there's a container in the walk-in at the Barn labeled “Pig Love.” All the love goes into that sandwich too, which arrives with a choice of a side, another twist on a mainstay—smoked potato salad. Or house-made kettle chips or a mixed greens salad.
All of this thoughtful but decidedly unfussy fare is served in a real live 100-year-old-plus barn that's been shored up, cleaned up and opened for business. There are barely two dozen items on the Barn's menu altogether, including bar snacks and desserts.
“It's really creative and concise,” says Peter Adams. “That's the word we like to use.” If you're a regular, it's not hard to get stuck on favorites, or to try the whole menu within a half-dozen visits—depending on the size of the dining crowd accompanying you and how much those people are inclined to share. However, now that the Barn has been opening its doors for about a year, and has established a clientele of regulars (mid-20s to mid-50s, they say), people are looking for more. Did they exhaust the menu? Or do customers love it so much they want more options?
It seems like a fair mix of both. “The hard part is that people are responding well to everything. It's not easy to maintain,” says Adams. “We kept saying that this place would be so great when it grows up, when it figures out what it's going to be. That happened much faster than we expected.”
Hence, the push for more choices. But unlike the House, whose menu is subject to more alteration, the Barn is different, although it still follows the farm-first ethos. “I don't imagine the menu will change as frequently. We have such a limited menu here, and most of the items have been staples that people are coming back for,” says Weida. However, there is some room for growth. “If anything, we will add items,” he says. And that's directly related to customer feedback.
“People who've had our stuff ten times are asking us, ‘Can you do wings? Can you do nachos?'” That's how those items were added; they weren't on there initially. They shouldn't be missed, though. Wednesday is now the designated wing day and their fans are legion, both in and out of the Barn's tiny kitchen.
“These wings naked are better than any sauced wing I've had in the Lehigh Valley. At least one cook will grab one [after it comes out of the fryer],” says Weida. People have a seemingly insatiable appetite for wings. “The first time we had a wing night, I did 40 pounds and we sold out,” he says.
As you might expect, and because we've already established that the House is your place for extensive wine vibes, beer is a driving factor at the Barn. Bar manager Melissa Roach keeps the ten taps rotated with hard-to-get selections and many local favorites, whether it's Sole Ales, Funk Brewing or Neshaminy Creek (a nitro tap is in the works; stay tuned). Roach says they also have a hand pump—only one of about five in the Lehigh Valley. Craft beer has maintained its momentum for the most part, but local spirits are gaining traction, too. A whole spate of local ones are prominently displayed just above eye level, behind the 800-pound concrete bar, and are featured on Thursdays. The import list favors Belgians, but not exclusively.
“She's got stuff that only a few other places have, like Spinnerstown Hotel,” says Weida. “You've stepped into real beer geek territory here... and I'm a beer geek.” That doesn't even really tap into the cocktail list, which features, among other concoctions, something called the Barn Burner—a Bloody Mary with house-made roasted, infused garlic, a barn dust rim, blue cheese-stuffed olives and bacon. “She's like a chef behind the bar,” says Weida of Roach.
Given its location, its ability to host separate special events in the basement (the chafing dishes rest upon the old pig troughs) and the surfeit of outdoor dining areas, the Barn is a unique and charming spot for events large and small. Cindy Billera says she receives at least half a dozen calls a day from people who are looking to book events at either the House or the Barn. Given the rustic and rural feel of the property (just forget for a minute that Chestnut Street is right there), music is a natural fit. And outdoor music possibilities are even more exciting.
“One of our little fantasies is to have a music festival here. You know, rootsy, indie, classic stuff,” says Adams.
It makes sense on so many levels. There's ample parking along with great food and drinks, and a laid-back vibe pervades. At the Barn, it's really easy to plant roots here and stay a while. “People come here and they don't want to leave,” says Weida.
The Barn
1449 Chestnut St., Emmaus | 610.421.6666 x 2 | houseandbarn.net
Hours: Tues.–Thurs.: 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Fri. & Sat.: 11 a.m.–11 p.m.
Parking: Enormous lot on the premises; the door faces the back of the property, not the front.
Reservations: Recommended, especially on weekends
Payment: Visa, MasterCard, American Express
What to Order: The menu here has quickly become revered. The crab mac and cheese is decadent. The Barn-BQ-Nachos are a must, with smoked pork, pickled jalapenos, aged Manchego, heirloom tomatoes. The smoked pig sandwich is popular, too.
Specials: Every day brings something different. Tuesdays are half off draft beer and food special. Wednesdays feature wings—a dozen for $12 and half-off draft beer. Thursdays are for local spirits—$3 off and half-off nachos. Fridays and Saturdays are for live music from 7–10 p.m.; Fridays are half-off bottled beer of the day and 10 percent off for school district employees (from 2:30–4 p.m.).
