This Week's Chef Features at Barrels & Boards
There's a moment in the fall when the air turns crisp, the light goes golden, and you start craving food that feels like a warm blanket with a little swagger. This week's chef features are built for exactly that moment: bourbon, smoke, apples, and a whole lot of comfort, all dressed up the way only our kitchen knows how.
The Philly Volcano: Steak & Smoked Provolone
Start with the crackle. A golden puff pastry, flaky and buttery, gives way to a molten center of shaved steak, sweet caramelized onions, roasted mushrooms, and peppers, all bound together in a smoked provolone-cheddar fondue that stretches with every pull. Crispy onions and fresh scallions crown the top for crunch and a bright finish. Alongside come two dips worth fighting over: a roasted garlic beef jus, deep and savory, and a cool, sharp horseradish cream that cuts through the richness. It's a Philly classic reimagined, and it erupts in the best possible way.
Bourbon Hot Honey Chicken Tenders & Belgian Waffle
Sweet, spicy, crunchy, and fluffy, all on one plate. Our house-made chicken tenders are fried until shatteringly crisp, then laid over a warm Belgian waffle and glazed in a bourbon hot honey-maple butter sauce that clings to every ridge. Bourbon-candied bacon adds a smoky, caramelized snap, while a swirl of whipped maple butter melts into the waffle's pockets. Pickled jalapeños bring a tangy kick and scallions add a fresh, green lift. A small pitcher of extra warm bourbon hot honey-maple butter sauce comes alongside for pouring, because you'll want more. You will.
Duroc Tomahawk Pork Chop: Bourbon Apple Butter
This is the showstopper. A thick-cut Duroc tomahawk pork chop, juicy and beautifully seared, rests on a hearty hash of sweet potato and smoked bacon with caramelized onions and roasted rainbow cauliflower. The chop is finished with a luscious bourbon-apple butter and a glossy apple-cider reduction that taste like autumn in an orchard. Cider-pickled red onions add a bright, tangy contrast, and crispy sage and shallots bring a fragrant, golden crunch. It's rustic and refined at once, and the kind of dish that makes the whole table go quiet.
Blackened Halibut: Bourbon Bacon Corn Pudding
Here the kitchen turns up the heat and the elegance. Halibut is blackened until the spiced crust is deeply flavorful and the flaky white flesh stays tender and sweet. It rests on a velvety smoked-cheddar corn pudding, topped with bourbon bacon jam that's smoky, sticky, and just sweet enough. Charred sweet corn and blistered shishito peppers add smoke and a touch of char, while pickled Fresno peppers bring a bright, spicy pop. A drizzle of Cajun brown butter ties it together, and crispy onions and scallions add the finishing crunch. It's Southern comfort with a fine-dining polish.
From the Bar
No feature is complete without the right glass alongside it.
The Apple Pie Martini tastes like dessert in a chilled glass: vanilla vodka and Liquor 43 with butterscotch, lemon, apple cider, and cinnamon bitters. It's sweet, tart, and warmly spiced, and a great match for the Bourbon Apple Butter pork chop.
For bourbon lovers, the Pecan Brown Sugar Old Fashioned pairs Woodford Reserve Private Select with house-made pecan syrup and walnut bitters, for a nutty, rich, slow-sipping classic with depth.
Prefer wine? Our Butter Chardonnay is smooth and creamy, and it plays beautifully with the halibut and corn pudding. And if a cold beer is more your speed, the Whalers Rise APA is crisp, hoppy, and refreshing, a good foil for the richness of the Philly Volcano and the spicy-sweet tenders.
Come Hungry
These features are here for a limited time, so gather your people, grab a seat, and come taste what the kitchen has been cooking up. Bring your appetite. We'll bring the bourbon.
Barrels & Boards: where great food and great company come together.
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