happy hour review: barrel & bushel;
Tonight ended up being a somewhat impromptu date night! I wanted to round out my gamecube controller selection–I’ve only ever had two controllers. I always had game-geek friends that had extra controllers, so I never needed the full four. So since we were headed out to the mall to grab extra controllers, and we decided to stop by Barrel & Bushel for dinner.
Now T had called about an hour earlier, inquiring as to whether we would need a reservation if we came in around 7, and whoever he spoke to said sure, no problem. When we got there, they informed us it would be a half hour wait, and I was all geared up to be annoyed and just go somewhere else. But we explained what happened and they checked availability and were able to seat us at a communal table, separated by seats from the people next to us. It worked out fine, and was still a very pleasant experience. I was quite happy that the staff took the extra effort to seat us after we told them of our phone call. Our waitress was just as nice, appearing when needed, but not hovering over us, and we had an interesting conversation when she mistook T’s sweatshirt (referencing Community) for an Avenged Sevenfold sweatshirt that she’d had basically forever. It was sweet, and made the experience all the more enjoyable.
I ordered the salmon, specifically the Kuterra salmon, which came atop a bed of winter cabbage and was seasoned with BBQ spices, with pine nuts tossed throughout! It was flaky, moist, and a good portion size, enough for me to take half home. T went straight for the hot fried chicken, which was basically stacked two tall: french toast, maple syrup lathered chicken, more french toast, and more chicken! He got the hot sauce on the side, and while we tasted a few bites with it, both of us agreed that the dish stood by itself, and unless you wanted to add hotness for another layer of flavor, it wasn’t really necessary. The dish was enormous, and he actually managed to work his way through it (with a little help from me, I’m not ashamed to admit).
We also ordered beers: T went for the 9.5% doppelbock, whereas I opted for the Northern VA flight, which included four beers, one each from: Old Ox, Lost Rhino, Port City, and Mad Fox Brewery. I’ve had Port City and Mad Fox beers before–both are local hang out spots for us, but it was nice to try some other Northern VA beers in an easy local setting.
With artisan burger Mondays, and various “Meet-the-Local-Brewer” evenings, this might become another fun, local hang out! I would give them 4.5 chips out of 5 (read: stars)!
Barrel & Bushel
Barrel & Bushel Website
7901 Tysons One Place
Tysons Corner, VA 22102
