The Barton House of Salado — Restaurant in Salado

I have eaten at the Barton House on several occasions, but the last two times were so negative that I felt compelled to leave a review. I love the atmosphere and the fact that it is a locally owned restaurant, so my husband and I choose to frequent it for special occasion date nights. Last night was one such occasion. My first issue is that I have a dairy allergy (specifically for my newborn who is breastfed, I cannot eat dairy due to her allergy). I asked the server if there were dairy free options, and about dairy in specific appetizers and entrees. She told me there were some communication barriers in the kitchen, but the calamari I was looking at did have dairy. I was then offered “A side of fries covered in Parmesan” as an option, so I was very skeptical of their ability to handle allergies. Ultimately I had the sausage and peppers, which was very good. I ordered the 6 oz filet for my meal, and was advised that the peppercorn sauce was dairy free. When this sauce came to the table it appeared to have dairy as it was a white sauce and looked creamy, so I asked which sauce it was because I thought it to be a mistake. The server said, “That’s the peppercorn, it’s dairy free.” I tasted it and immediately felt like there was dairy present, so I again asked my server to double check - she went to the kitchen and came back to let me know that there actually was dairy in the sauce, and took it away. The biggest issue of the night was the filet. I ordered this to be cooked medium. My first steak came to me well done. The server acknowledged and apologized as did I assume the manager (she didn’t tell us her name or role) and another filet was prepared. This second steak was rare (in the photo). At this point my husband had nearly finished his meal and so I told the staff I didn’t want it remade as it was getting late and I didn’t want to wait. Again an apology was given by two persons and the steak was removed from my bill. My server told me that the chef was making me a new steak and it would be packaged to go - this didn’t happen. I left dinner without even eating a meal. The last time my husband and I visited he also had an undercooked steak which was then put back on to cook to temperature instead of remade fresh. At the price point of this restaurant I expect steaks to be properly cooked to order. The bill was $134 with only my steak being removed from the bill, and another was not remade. This is a restaurant I would have given 5 stars after my first visit, but for the price I would advise others to avoid based on my last two experiences. I still appropriately tipped my server, as she was very kind and attentive and the kitchen issues were not her fault. I give 2 stars for service because I think a better resolution should have been made for the cooking/allergy mistakes, and the inability to accommodate dietary...

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Barton House took advantage of the Covid shutdown to remodel and change menus, any review prior to July 2020 is for a different restaurant. The atmosphere is now light and airy with a feel of the French renaissance. Not the same old building, nor the same menu. Service was slow, we were the first ones to be seated in our dining area and the last to leave, 3 hours late. Good company at our table of 4 made it bearable but still slow. We were offered bread when we were seated; it was good but only 3 pieces for a party of four and bread plates never arrived. (We discovered at the end of the meal that we were charged for this privilege.) We ordered wine and reviewed the menu. It was well designed, taking on the appearance of the table of contents of a book. It included a wide variety including fish, braised pork belly and duck (old Barton House standbys like candied bacon were gone). We all settled on Angus steaks (Wagyu is an option) with ceviche and sea urchin for appetizers and salads . The sea urchin was very good and ceviche was outstanding, I could have had that as my meal (little did I know). The salads arrived, both the green salad and beet salad were superb. We enjoyed the company and we awaited our entrees, and waited, and waited. When the steaks arrived it was disappointing to say the least. First, they remove the cap from the ribeye to make their tartare, the cap makes the ribeye what it is. All for steaks were severely overcooked. My wife’s “ribeye” was well done instead of medium and my medium rare filet has almost no color. They went back to the kitchen. As we killed time waiting for the return of our steaks we snacked on the pomme frites which were crispy and tasty. The steaks return and there was confusion of who ordered which (front of house and back of house not communicating). The “ribeye” was still over cooked and the filet was black and blue. A steak is the easiest thing in the world to cook correctly, if they cannot do that, I don’t want to imagine what they would do to a duck. My steak went back for good. We were not offered dessert. The bill arrived and we were surprised to find a Waygu ribeye on the bill instead of Angus (and bread). When I took the bill up to question it, the manager, in front of me, said to our waitress ‘do you see what you did wrong?’ I understand teaching moments, but not in front of guests. Overall I was disappointed, had it not been for the company the night would have been a loss.

They are also creating a 'speakeasy' in the basement. As near as I could tell, you pay them $600/yr for the opportunity to purchase their wine at a 30% and drink it in a private area. That would make the wine prices almost as good as a good wine merchant and...

The Barton House is in a unique historic home in the downtown area of Salado, serving what I would consider “high-end” dishes that they advertise as using local farm to table ingredients. We made reservations and went for dinner on a Saturday at 5:30 pm. This place is popular and busy, so definitely make reservations. The eclectic interior has multiple rooms of the house for dining, each one with its own personality, and it can get loud when the small rooms are full of people. Our server, Drew, was awesome. He was friendly and attentive, checking on us multiple times and making sure our drinks were topped off. Although the dishes might be high-end, as far as I can tell there is no dress code for dinner. A few people, like us, dressed up but most people wore casual clothes, like jeans and tennis shoes. Very laid-back and casual.

We got the Calamari Fritti for an appetizer. It was a generous portion, and the calamari was very good. It was served with House Aioli and Marinara Sauce, both of which were good. For my main course, I got the 13 oz Ribeye Steak. I ordered the steak medium rare and some of it was a little undercooked (not enough to send it back), but overall, it was tender and had great flavor. It came with Pommes Puree and Sautéed Vegetables, which were also very good and went perfectly with the steak. My wife got the Texas Pork Chop. The pork chop was large and thick and cooked with slight pink in the middle. Although she didn’t care for the Bacon Jam, it was a nicely put together dish that she liked but wouldn’t order again. For dessert, we got the Crème Brule and Limoncello. This might have been the best Crème Brule that we have ever had! Our server recommended the Limoncello, and he was right, it was also delicious!

Of course, “high-end” also means high prices. With tip, we spent $180 on an appetizer, two entrees, and two desserts (we only drank water). If you want bread with your meal, you must pay extra for it, which in our experience is unusual even for high-end restaurants. Plus, as we are seeing more and more, they will add 3% to your bill if you pay by credit card. Doesn’t everyone pay by credit card? I realize that credit card companies charge business for each transaction, and this can be challenging for restaurants operating on thin margins. But, when serving higher-end food at premium prices, that seems like a cost of doing business and should be reflected in the food prices already. Because of this, the Barton House is not a place we will come often, but maybe a couple times a year for a special meal. Our meal at Barton House was very good, and the service is well above average. I recommend that you...