Beverly's Barrel House Brings Urban Bistro Style To North Shore

With its dim lighting, exposed brick, creative menu and killer cocktails, Barrel House has all the hallmarks of a trendy, urban bistro. Except this restaurant isn't in Downtown Boston; it's located about forty minutes north of the city, in Beverly.

"We want the beer geeks to have a place to come outside of the city. But we are also here for those people who have never experienced this. We're not snobby," says General Manager Alexandra Lorenzano.

"Whether you're new to the scene or you're an experienced beer and cocktail person, you can walk in here. We'll sit you down; we'll give you a cocktail that you will love; and we'll make sure that you have an experience that you'll want to come back to again and again."

Lorenzano knows it's not just the bar scene that makes this place a local favorite. It's their unique take on French-American cuisine.

"We wanted to take your favorites and turn them up a notch using French techniques, but doing American classics." she says.

For appetizers, you may want to order up a plate of the Bacon and Eggs, which features a thick cut of pork belly topped with a fried egg and served over spicy sriracha agave sauce.

Or, you can try the Poutine, smothered in thick gravy and creamy cheese curds.

"If you add an egg on top, you will never, ever, ever do anything again, besides come in and get the Poutine. It is amazing," Lorenzano describes.

The star of all starters here at Barrel House has to be the Hog Wings basted in a homemade Buffalo sauce.

"Chef actually made his own hot sauce. He created it; he cooked it down, and he put it downstairs to age in an oak whiskey barrel that had whiskey aged in it prior. And he aged it for about six months. He takes it upstairs, and we use our own barrel-aged sauce on these hog wings," Lorenzano adds.

"Imagine taking your favorite pork dish and making your pork nice and soft, and then adding Buffalo sauce to it. It's just, it's heaven. It's absolute heaven."

If you don't fill up on Poutine and Hog Wings, the entrees include classic Streak Frites cooked to order, Semolina Crusted Fluke over rich hollandaise, Braised Short Ribs served with local greens and a cheddar polenta cake, Grilled Game Hen with tomatoes and mustard vinaigrette, and of course, the juicy BH burger.

"It's got all that flavor in the meat that you really want from a burger without being overpowered by the things you put on. You don't need ketchup on this burger. It's the perfect amount of richness and smokiness. It's just beyond words," Lorenzano said.

While it's always a shame to skip dessert, here at Barrel House, it's practically criminal. Their dessert list offers items like the Adult Milkshake brimming with fresh whipped cream, Burnt Bourbon Bread Pudding topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled in local honey, and the Old Fashioned Cheesecake.

"When we say Old Fashioned, we're not talking about your grandmother's cheesecake. We are talking about the bourbon Old Fashioned. It has a cardamom crust. It has bourbon in the actual cheesecake. There are bitters in the cheesecake as well," the General Manager sayd.

"It gets a bourbon wash over the top. It gets topped with a cherry. Now, I am not an Old Fashioned drinker, but this cheesecake could change me for life, because it's that good."

Can there be a dessert so decadent, so indulgent that the thought of losing it makes people protest? Alexandra says yes, and that dessert is the Deep Fried Twinkie.

"Our Twinkie is a housemade yellow cake that is wrapped in pretzel dough that we make here in-house, with Nutella inside of it. We take that, we deep fry it in duck fat, cut it in half, and it goes on the plate with another smear of Nutella, vanilla ice cream and some whipped cream on top," says Lorenzano about the treat. "And it is the hit of the restaurant. People here can't get enough of it. We tried to take it off the menu at one point, and there was almost a boycott. So it's on for good. It will be our signature: Twinkie forever."

There's no need to worry, and nobody ever has a frown on their face at Barrel House; and that's no happy accident.

"There is no feeling like walking in this door. Everybody looks you in the eye. Everybody remembers your name. We are so excited to have people back again. It feels like you're walking into our living rooms, or our kitchen," Lorenzano says. "It's an overwhelming, exuding feeling of welcoming and of a good time."

You can find Barrel House at 252 Cabot Street in Beverly, or online at barrelhousebeverly.com.

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