Wait — did Paris move to Lancaster? If you can’t jet to France this month, just throw some extra gas in the tank and cross the border into Lancaster. Park downtown near the Demuth Museum and look for the wonderfully rehabbed, sturdy building at 26 E. King St. (true urban aesthetic), where your eyes will be met with a stunning array of baked goods that look like they’ve been airlifted from an art studio within a fantasy world.
That’s the Bakery created by master pastry chef Cedric Barberet, beyond which lies a gorgeously inviting, upscale-yet-affordable bistro with France invisibly written all over it in huge, happy letters. You’ve arrived at a dining location named one of the top 10 restaurants in Pennsylvania, with Chef Christopher Cosentino crafting the food. Patrons know in their hearts (and stomachs) that Barberet is on the cusp of landing major international laurels. Don’t even ask why. Just reserve a table and go. Romance is in the air here; it’s Valentine’s Day year-round.
Sip, Treat, Eat
Treat yourself to a glass of unforgettable wine, enjoying perhaps the refreshingly just-dry bouquet of Sauvignon Blanc (recommended: Domaine de la Campanette, Loire Valley). Each sip fills the nostrils with open-grapes aroma and hints of black currants. The only risk there is realizing afterwards that you’ve been spoiled forever: ordinary white wine will never, ever satisfy your tastebuds again. Ah well. Much like falling in love, good wine is a risk worth taking.
Every bit as memorable are the signature drinks, concoctions that include a Blueberry Whiskey Sour, the Bramble made with blackberry puree and gin, a Cucumber Champagne Martini, and the Barberet French Martini that zings with life via raspberry and pineapple juices and vodka, preferably Grey Goose.
Do order an appetizer the likes of which you cannot easily find anywhere close to home: perhaps Escargot, made with hazelnut-garlic butter, or Paté en croute Royale — duck breast, pork, and foie gras in a crust embellished with red onion marmalade, pickled mustard seed and vegetables. Rich, but balanced by gourmet hands.
Freshly baked breads from the master’s bakery come straight to your table as fresh and crust-a-li-cious as can be imagined. Perfect, perfect breads. You can practically taste the oven, swooning over such a simple thing as a baguette slice.
More culinary danger lies ahead for lovers of French onion soup. Whatever you’ve had so far in life cannot compare or even be mentioned in the same sentence as Barberet’s Soupe a L’Oignon, made with beef broth, Gruyere cheese and croutons. The secret’s in the broth. No, actually, that’s not correct. The secret is the broth. And no wonder: good things take time, and this bistro won’t serve it unless it is given the full Monty. A kind and thoroughly knowledgeable server explains that the stock is made in house and that it takes two to three days to create, using mostly beef jus but also “touches” of veal and chicken stock. The onions are sautéed for six to seven hours in that, plus Madeira wine sauce. Hence, amazing flavor. And isn’t it truly odd how clearly a fantastic flavor adheres to the mind’s taste memory? It will call you back for more…
Salade Lyonnaise, Bouillabaise and Veal Schnitzel
Offering select salads — such as Crispy Confit Chicken Leg Salad — will please lunch partners as well as evening diners. It’s hard to argue, though, with the very traditional Salade Lyonnaise, which is marvelously built with croutons and lean bacon chunks (lardons) surrounding a curly light bed of frisée and (placed gently in the center) a poached egg, whose deep yellow yolk pours gently out onto the surrounding greens. Like breakfast in a salad, made lightly tart with white Balsamic vinaigrette.
Speaking of traditional favorites: “Impossibly delicious!” is how diners describe Barberet’s signature Bouillabaisse, the traditional fish stew found so rarely in this neck of the Pennsylvania woods. Call ahead to see if it’s on the menu on a given evening.
Elegant Veal Schnitzel presents a warm embrace of all the ingredients: lemon, capers, parsley, beurre blanc, peppery arugula and freshly-shaved Parmesan. So savory, so texturally simmering, delicate veal — it’s flavor paradise. You’ll want to drink the sauce and lick the platter. Since there’s no polite way to do it in such a lovely setting, request a box to take it home for private indulgence.
The chicken entrée, Poulet au Jus, is presented bone-in and sliced in slabs, the meat so supremely tender it needs no knife. Sweet pearl onions and the softest mashed potatoes on the planet are cuddled under the chicken like a down quilt. Grilled root vegetables — jauntily cut turnips on a recent night — lounge in a divine sauce.
Barberet Bistro & Bakery
26 E. King St., Lancaster
717.690.2354
Hours:
Lunch Tues-Fri: 11:30am-2:30pm
Dinner Tues-Th: 5-9pm
Dinner Fri-Sat: 5-10pm
Brunch Sat: 11am-3pm
