Barnwood Grill — Restaurant in Town of Somers

We've gone to Barnwood about 3 times now, first visit was pre-covid and food was good, second time was really good - which is why the extra star - this last time was what I'd call a 2 star - a fail. Friday night, early dinner about 6pm, and we sat outside. The place looks great even amidst covid protocols, and they've done a great job utilizing the parking lot for outdoor seating. We were happy to have what is now a rare occasion, date night! Drinks were great, and our server was a very pleasant guy as he took our order. Great start so far. I don't know if there was an issue in the kitchen or new staff, but our meal was extremely bland, "meh" at best. I ordered the tuna tacos and hubby ordered the rib eye special. The rib eye was surprisingly fatty, boneless and under-cooked (he ordered medium rare and it was rare). It was also served with a brisket mac & cheese, no veg and no offer for a different side option. Hubby definitely would have chosen a veggie. I ordered tuna tacos and our server didn't let me know of side options either, so it was served with fries. Tacos with fries is a weird combo, but the fries were really good. The tuna was not seasoned at all, barely seared so super rare - like cold inside - there was shredded plain cabbage thrown on it to cover the tuna which was not a slaw nor seasoned at all, and a tiny drizzle of a soy glaze or something. There was no wasabi crema as indicated on the menu. Worst was that it was served in a dry, floppy corn tortilla - which I expected would be crunchy. This was floppy, served with soft, served with limp and no seasoning on any layer - sooo disappointing. I ate one of the three tacos, knowing it wouldn't take much to fix these! At home, I added some mango, avocado, a crunchy taco shell and a touch of sweet chili sauce - perfect! We honestly don't typically send back food unless it is inedible, so in fairness there was nothing they needed to do to "fix it" but they do need to know - season the food, take a minute to be sure it matches the menu, ask the guest what they want for a side instead of assuming, and take that extra moment of attention to detail. The expediter should be doing this - and it was missed. Whoever delivers the food should recheck. We'll try again another time, I'm sure, but wanted to give this info for sharing with staff. Thanks...

Tuesday night my wife and I met another couple for early dinner at the restaurant. It was our first experience at Barnwood but not theirs, they had a good experience there once before. I usually refrain from offering an opinion based on only one experience, but here it goes. I've already explained that it was early and a Tuesday night so we weren't competing with crowds of hungry people which means we more or less had our choice of table and the complete attention of the wait staff. The waiter, Alti, and support staff were all dressed nicely and exhibited good manners which today can be an afterthought. The dinning room was clean, comfortable and offered sufficient ambiance for a pleasant dinning experience. But the way, as many restaurants have had to do this past year and a half Barnwood has created an extended out door dinning area. They utilized part of the parking area to create it like many other restaurants were forced to do. I'm sure it would have been fine for lunch or if it was a bit warmer. I ordered a Martini while we were discussing which bottle of red wine we would like. We ordered a bottle of Penner-Ash Pinot Noir from their wine list. It was excellent. In fact, after we finished that one we ordered another. We ordered two special appetizers, fried Avocado and Plum Burrata, both were a first for us, paired very well with the wine, were excellent and just enough for the table. A nice bread and soft butter were served as was ample water. The menu offered enough choices for everyone. The ladies order shrimp and grits, and the gentleman ordered Mahi Mahi and Pappardelle. The serving size was good and everyone expressed their approval. Two deserts were shared with smiles. Then Alti surprised us with four fluted glass of a complementary chocolate desert wine. I like when a restaurant offers a token of its' appreciation for your patronage. All in all, the evening was a great success. We spent close to three hours eating, drinking, and catching up with our good friends. We hadn't seen them in almost two years due to Covid. My first impression of Barnwood is that it is a 5 star restaurant. That may or may not hold up. But I intend to go back to find...

Our experience here was kind of a mixed bag. We arrived at our reservation time, and were led to our table by the hostess. We had specified in our rez that we needed a high chair, and reiterated this to the hostess, but she left abruptly once we got to the table, leaving us to wait for the server to arrive, to ask him for a high chair. Once he brought the high chair, he disappeared, never to be seen again. After over fifteen minutes without a visit from a server, we flagged someone down and asked if they could check and make sure our table was assigned. I try to be understanding in cases like this, but this really put a damper on our evening- when dining with a baby, you're always operating on a time limit. Our first twenty minutes in the restaurant left us feeling a little unwelcome, which I'm sure was unintentional, but nevertheless is obviously the last thing you want to feel in a restaurant.

To their credit, the server we flagged down to ask what was up promptly took out his pad and took our orders. This is good customer service- he could have just as easily said he'd go to figure it out, but he solved the problem for us on the spot. He was fairly attentive to us for the rest of the night, and I appreciated him. Owners, if you are reading this, his name was Alti, and he has excellent sensibilities when it comes to service.

The food was very good, and the drinks were lovely. We had initially planned to stay for dessert, but the baby decided he had had enough by that point.

Overall, it wasn't the best experience, but I am reluctant to completely write off a place if all the negative aspects stem from a single, probably honest mistake. I would give them another chance, though my wife may need some convincing. I'll update this review if...