Feast in Top 'Gere' at the Barn

 For this writer, Bedford typically conjures up images of bucolic horse farms surrounded by low stone walls, with locals "erranding" while attired in riding breeches and boots; a casual yet refined crowd.  

This is the sort of circle which easily blends into Richard Gere's informal restaurant, The Barn, at his Bedford Post Inn, where you can even commute by horseback along the town's trails, as Martha Stewart is known to do! Throw into the mix a menu combining local seasonal food with a cosmopolitan palate, and you've got the perfect café to add to any cliché'd vision of this village.    

That's not to say you aren't welcome without a closet full of Burberry or custom Dehner riding boots. Not being a horsey person myself, I still easily find myself at home at The Barn, thanks to cheerful service, a stylishly rustic interior with hand-hewn wood beams and fieldstone fireplace, and a New-American-Meets-Farmhouse style of cuisine reminiscent of my late Kansan grandmother's farm-based cooking—if she had spent some time in Paris.   

Not only is the food here local, the chef is too. Brian Lewis, executive chef for both of the restaurants at the Bedford Post Inn, grew up in Northern Westchester and returns to his roots after cooking at fine restaurants both in the United States and abroad. Acclaimed chefs Marco Pierre White, Andre Soltner, and the late Jean Louis Palladin were a few of his mentors, so you know to expect some pretty sophisticated fare.

Dining here for lunch recently, I had difficulty choosing from the tantalizing menu. Luckily I had friends who graciously offered give me tastes of their picks, such as roasted Maine diver scallops, a creamless mushroom soup, and a side of brussels sprouts with sage brown butter.

I started with a glass of wine. Make that a glass of Blanc de Blanc, though I actually ordered an Alsatian white. I was lucky to get my wine, though… one of my dining mates wasn't so fortunate. OK, I did mention that the service was "cheerful", but that doesn't necessarily translate into "professional." My sparkling wine was lovely—maybe the server knew what he was doing, though one should normally expect to enjoy the wine they actually order. Bread served along with drinks was warm and tasty; a crusty country white paired alongside a tangy sourdough, studded with plump cranberries.

My first course of salad of shaved autumn vegetables with an ice-wine/almond oil vinaigrette was a delicate mix of baby arugula with flavorful shavings of locally grown fennel, carrots, and radishes with a surprise of a tangy goat cheese dollop buried under one of the vegetables.  The vinaigrette added complexity to this simple yet delectable salad.  I also tasted my seatmate's aforementioned mushroom soup, a beautiful foam-topped aromatic mixture. Though thin in texture, the fungi-infused liquid is delightfully rich in flavor, and the frothy addition of almond-milk adds a pleasurable intricacy to the dish.

For the second course, I tried the grilled cheese sandwich with wild mushrooms. The bread was perfectly grilled, with an interior of creamy melted northern Italian fontina smothering sautéed oyster mushrooms. Delicious. The crispy fried sunchokes were a more interesting alternative to potato chips. I also sampled the scallops, which thrilled me. Nicely caramelized on the outside, perfectly cooked on the inside, and nestled on a sauce of cauliflower, currants and saba vinegar. Chef Lewis certainly knows his way around seafood. The tasty grilled Branzino, a mild Mediterranean sea bass, was cloaked in a colorful salad of arugula, preserved lemon and fried artichokes. 

Side dishes can be easily shared for a group, though I was reluctant to share the hot, crisp sweet potato fries with a dusting of cinnamon and sea salt. More pedestrian, yet still adeptly cooked, were the roasted brussels sprouts and steamed edamame.

It would be a shame to conclude without dessert. The Barn is known for its milk chocolate and peanut butter tart, with a pretzel crust and straciatella (chocolate-chip) gelato. Consider this a Reeses Peanut-Butter Cup that has graduated finishing school. The vanilla bean cheesecake with dulce de leche was delightfully creamy, with just a drizzle of the caramel-like sauce to cut the tanginess. The chocolate brownie sundae was dense and uninteresting, easily outshined by its confectionary peers. However, the cappuccino might have been the best I've had this side of the Atlantic.

Lunch at The Barn is a quintessential and appetizing Bedford outing, though I do wish something could be done about the acoustics. My companions and I found ourselves yelling across the table in order to be heard. Parking can sometimes be an issue, too.   

Unless, that is, you galloped in on your steed.  

The Barn at Bedford Post Inn
Location: 954 Old Post Road, Bedford, NY  10506
Phone: 914-23-7800
Hours:
Breakfast: Weekdays, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Lunch: Daily, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Brunch: Weekends, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Bakery: Weekdays, from 6:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.