BLACKBARN | Review by Alana Robin

Last weekend, my boyfriend and I had some career milestones to celebrate. As I am sure you can assume, our favorite way to celebrate is with a great meal at a new place in the city! This time, we tried BLACKBARN - a contemporary american restaurant in Nomad.

I cannot say enough times how much I loved it! The atmosphere and food were both exactly what we were looking for that night.

Reasons to Love BLACKBARN

• They are farm-to-table, aka super fresh and in support of local farmers

• The menu changes with seasonal items, which I am all about

The Details

Find the menu here!

Find the restaurant at...

• Nomad - 19 E 26th Street, New York, NY

• Chelsea - 448 W 16th Street, New York, NY

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What I Ordered

Butternut Squash Ravioli with swiss chard, toasted pumpkin seeds, bacon lardons

This ravioli was the best ever. We saw about 15 orders going by they looked like huge soup dumplings. The butternut squash was soft, flavorful, and unique. I would highly recommend trying them! I may have had trouble giving up the second half of the dish to my boyfriend...

BBQ Beef Ribs with chipotle-orange rub, shoestring fries, cucumber salad

The beef fell right off the bone for these ribs and the spices were strong and zesty! I loved the spicy flavors, but they were a little much for my boyfriend. If you like spicy, I would definitely add these to your order. Also, who doesn't love some shoestring fries?

Things that also sounded realllly good and were hard to resist:

• Appetizer: Wild Mushroom Toast with robiola, taleggio, parmesan, and watercress

• Appetizer: Steamed Long Island Mussels with thai curry coconut milk, lemongrass, toasted sourdough

• Side Dish: Truffle Ricotta Gnocci

• Entree: Sweet Potato Gnocci with maitake mushrooms, turnips, brussels leaves, and parmesan

The Atmosphere

The atmosphere is a casual, elevated barn and this midwest gal is all about it! When we went, it was decked out for the holidays with greenery and lights. I love being able to find these charming vibes in the middle of Manhattan.

Who I'd Recommend Going With

I think this is a great place for a date night or a dinner with the girls! There is a chefs table option, which could be really fun for an intimate birthday dinner or celebration with one or two friends.

If you are looking to have a private event, there were some larger tables and private rooms which were all booked out for holiday parties this time of year.

XOXO,

Alana Robin