Barrett's On The Pike — Restaurant in Bel Air

My husband and I went to Barrett's for dinner last night. We were seated shortly after arriving for our reservation. The server greeted us shortly after being seated. We placed cocktail orders, and they arrived promptly, were strong and well made. We ordered two appetizers, they arrived hot and were delicious. Our waters, cocktails, and appetizers were finished and we waited for roughly 20 minutes before the server came back to take our dinner order. When our server came back to take our dinner order, we had to ask for refills on our waters. My husband ordered the trout special and I ordered the ribeye, medium, with grilled onions. Because those orders weren't taken until after we had already finished our appetizers and had been sitting there, the entrees took an exorbitant amount of time to arrive to our table. Upon arriving, my steak was a Well-Done's Well-Done. Charred on the edges, dry and tough inside. It also wasn't accompanied by the onions. I waited for about 5 minutes for the server to approach us asking how our meal was. I showed her my steak and she said "yeah that's well done. You also didn't get your mushrooms, you want them to remake it?" I said yes please and it wasn't mushrooms, it was onions. She flipped through her server pad puzzled and said "that must have been a different tables order." She took the steak back to the kitchen. Time passed as my husband finished his meal.

Another server approached our table and said "you're waiting on a remake?" I said yep. Our server, finally returned after 20 MORE minutes and said "you never got your steak?" At this point, we had been there for almost two hours, had finished our appetizers almost an hour ago, and I was finished with waiting. I told our server that it was ok, we were ready to leave.

I hear her yell back into the kitchen "they don't want it anymore."

She told me they were taking it off the check. The steak I was served was inedible and I didn't have one bite, so I didn't expect to pay for it. When the check arrived, I saw they had added the full $8 for the Cesar salad I had added to the ribeye entree, which was only to be a $2-3 upcharge from the entree price.

Our bill, at the end, came to $117. Would have been $150ish with my ribeye, before the tip. When you go to a restaurant at that price point, you expect the service to be attentive, food be correct, and pacing be measured. None of those boxes were checked. Disappointing experience, we chose Barrett's because of the ribeye option and after two hours, we left. With all of the lovely locally owned restaurants in the area, with similar prices and much better service, we won't be...

We visited Barrett’s last night during Restaurant Week and had a mixed experience. While the food was fantastic, the service and atmosphere left much to be desired.

The quality and flavor of the food were excellent, as expected. The dishes were well-prepared, and the ingredients seemed fresh. My crab cake was delicious, and the baked potatoes were perfectly cooked. However, a few key accompaniments—such as butter for the baked potatoes and remoulade for the crab cake—were missing and never arrived, even after requesting them from the server.

Unfortunately, the service did not match the quality of the food. • We were not offered water upon arrival, and refills only came when the check was handed to us. • A second round of drinks we ordered never arrived. • After the food was served, there was no follow-up from the server to check on our table. • Requests for basic items like butter and remoulade went unfulfilled, even after multiple reminders. These lapses in service detracted significantly from the overall experience.

While Barrett’s usually has a pleasant ambiance, last night was disappointing. There was a strange ringing or buzzing noise in the back room that persisted throughout our meal. It was loud enough for everyone at the table to notice and made it difficult to fully enjoy the evening.

Overall

Barrett’s has always been a go-to spot for great food, but this visit during Restaurant Week fell short due to poor service and an unexpected disruption in the atmosphere. While the food remains a highlight, I hope the restaurant addresses these issues to provide a more...

My girlfriend and I went for the first time on a Sunday for brunch. I saw that they had three types of Eggs Benedict so I had to go. Plus it didn't hurt they had "all you can drink" Bloody Mary's for a great price. Wanted to beat the rush so we got there when they first opened. We were greeted immediately and shown to our table. We were given three menus. The brunch, the lunch, and the harford county restaurant week. It gave us so much to choose from! I love that there is normally a brunch and lunch menu because I wanted to try an appetizer. Their Shrimp escargot was absolutely perfect to start. Cheesey, buttery, and cooked to our liking. We used the toast to sop up the juice! Sadly we could of used more bread but it was the right amount. My girlfriend had the classic Eggs Benedict and I had the shaved Prime Rib Eggs Benedict. Although I like my muffin toasted a little more, we both really enjoyed the perfectly poached egg and creamy hollandaise. The lyonnais potatoes sounded normal but were made with care and were crispy on the outside and oh so tender inside. The caramelized onions and a sprinkle of sea salt made them oh so perfect. Next time we are ordering a side of them! After, we decided to try their dessert sampler. I do not have enough room to describe how delicious each of them were. The three tastings of flourless chocolate cake, whiped cream with berries, and a warm apple bread pudding were the best I've had in a long time. The staff was very courteous and we felt comfortable immediately upon entering. I can't...