Tucson Weekly: Downtown Double-Take (November 13

Downtown Double-Take

Barrio's Back, And Better Than Ever.
By Rebecca Cook
WHEN A GOOD restaurant closes its doors, it's always an occasion for sorrow. When that same restaurant miraculously reopens, serving even better food than before, it's cause for serious celebration.
The Barrio Grill originally set up shop just over a year ago. Affable and charming in all its particulars, the restaurant soon garnered a reputation as a great place to grab a drink and a bite to eat after work or before a show.
Chow Sadly, rumors of financial woes and a dwindling clientele began to swirl about, a buzz confirmed when the place closed down late last spring. Another good restaurant bites the dust--end of story, right?
Not this time.
Sometime around Labor Day, the "Open" sign at 135 S. Sixth Ave. was turned back on, although it was hardly business as usual. Six new owners, with collective culinary wisdom to rival the ages, now run the operation under the revised name Barrio Food & Drink. Reading through the résumés of any one of these folks would be impressive enough; but combined, the implications for Epicurean nirvana are staggering. Tess O'Shea, Kathleen Gorman and Ted Parks come from the Presidio Grill, as does Barrio's master chef, Jeffrey Glomski, who also worked at the Painted Desert and the Stage Door Grill. Matthew Burke hails from Boccata and Pronto; and Joey Casertano from Kingfisher. When you dine at Barrio Food & Drink, you're in very capable hands.
The restaurant's interior space, always impressive for its sleek, contemporary lines and urban ambiance, has been altered subtly but significantly. Improved lighting shows the place to even greater advantage, and the bright copper and teal-green colors lend a rich, sophisticated air to the dining room. Plush booths line the wall, and iron tables and chairs, softened with comfortable, colorful seat cushions, dot the central area. Small floral arrangements and decorative artwork add graceful and poetic elegance.
An evening meal began promisingly with a bruschetta topped with chopped spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto and feta cheese. Set atop a modest bed of mixed greens and drizzled with a semi-sweet balsamic glaze, this was a perfect dish to whet the appetite, simultaneously sweet and tangy flavor sharpening the palate for the flavors to come.
Fish, fowl and meat, most with a decidedly Southwestern treatment, are represented on the menu. A vegetable pasta combination is one of a few options for vegetarians.
Glomski says his rack of lamb is one of the dishes of which he's most proud, and I can see why. This was the finest spring lamb I've tasted in quite a while--three petite collections of medium-rare ribs circle the plate amid a gentle wash of blackberry and cabernet sauvignon demi-glaze. Tender, juicy and without a hint of the gaminess that can sometimes mar a meal of lamb, the meat and flavorful reduction sauce made an ideal pairing. Sautéed green and yellow squash spears and an intriguing pear-shaped centerpiece of crusted mashed potatoes rounded out the platter.
Glomski's love of regional cooking was evident in the pasta dish my companion ordered--a large bowl of cappellini with medium-sized shrimp, seared Anaheim chiles, chopped tomatoes and wild mushrooms tossed in a light, Chardonnay cream sauce. A chop of fresh tarragon sprinkled on top insinuated an unexpected trace of anise flavor to the dish, an inspired and interesting addition.
Dessert is another of Glomski's signatures. You do yourself a great disservice if you don't allow ample time and capacity to sample the dulcet specialties of the day.
A pumpkin crème brulee, the consistency of a delicate mousse, celebrated the fall season admirably. It was, however, the chocolate that stole the show: Three handmade chocolate-Kahlua truffles, made with dark, bittersweet chocolate and ethereally laced with a rumor of cinnamon, were served in a vanilla-flavored crème anglaise. Extremely rich, it's true, but so unbelievably delicious you can't help but clean the plate.
Lunch includes many of the same items as the dinner menu, with a heightened emphasis on sandwich and salad specialties.
A "little plate" of quesadilla, made with grilled chicken, whole cloves of roasted garlic, white cheddar and roasted red bell peppers, complemented with both a side of a grilled pineapple relish and a habañero tomatillo salsa, is a worthy midday meal or shared appetizer. But be forewarned: The garlic quotient of this dish could be considered daunting.
The Caesar salad is generous, with fresh, crunchy romaine lettuce, cornbread croutons and freshly grated parmesan cheese tossed in a light, creamy dressing which deftly imbues the greens with that familiar two-one punch of garlic and anchovies.
A sandwich of grilled chicken, red bell peppers and melted white cheddar on baguette is gilded with a garlic aioli. Though quite good, it failed to elicit the rave response of the other items sampled.
One caution: When it's busy, this place is loud. If intimate conversation is your heart's desire, better make an alternate plan for dinner. But if you're in the mood for something chic and energetic, you're in the right spot.
It's not very often that the sequel surpasses the original production, but in the case of Barrio Food & Drink, the exception proves the rule. This restaurant has all the makings of a blockbuster.
Barrio Food & Drink. 135 S. Sixth Ave. 629-0191. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, and 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday. Full bar. V, MC, AMEX, checks. Menu items: lunch $4.25-$8.75; dinner $4.25-$17.50.

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