RosemaryAnn T.
Yelp
Really struggled with rating this place. It's truly a 2.5 star execution but we loved the concept and suspect it's the best in the area so don't want to discourage others from checking out the establishment.
We loved the ideas on the menu, both food and drinks. We skipped the beverages because they didn't have the specific flavors we wanted in stock to make the cocktails advertised. We had three appetizers and a ramen. The global inspiration seems to be solely Asian and heavy on the Japanese influence, actually. In theory, anyway. In practice it was beautifully presented in a potentially great atmosphere but the flavor just didn't deliver. Nothing was bad (except finding a thumb-sized piece of egg shell in the ramen!) but nothing stood out either.
Before I describe any more detail, please know that I eat a lot of Asian food. And Asian fusion. A lot. So I'm comparing this place to a real standard and not "for the area". For the area, they were definitely top of class in the Asian-inspired selection.
The tempura mushroom was more like a tempura funnel cake. It looked great with a nice garnish but was one big clump and largely devoid of mushrooms. I dissected it and searched for them, so I promise I didn't just miss them.
The crispy cauliflower wasn't crispy, it was mealy and oily. The tahini (sesame seed paste) dip that accompanied it was great, though. Generous amount and fresh flavor. That's the expensive part of that dish so I was surprised at just how generous the portion was for a bit of dipping sauce.
The duck sliders were the highlight of the appetizers and the meal overall. The buns are bao, a fluffy sweet bread that is typically steamed which gives it a nice shiny exterior. These buns were topped with black and white sesame seeds, well done, the absolute best execution of any aspect of the evening. Inside the buns were a slice of cucumber (fresh but nothing special-and I discarded it as it is not the right texture for a slider, too thick), plenty of fresh cilantro, crispy duck with plum sauce (a bit burned at the edges but the flavor was decent-it's hard to go wrong with duck breast), and a tiny bit of julienned pickled carrots. That was the right concept, but the carrots weren't additive. Not sure if the flavor was too mild and just didn't stand out or if there weren't enough, but it was a shame, could have pushed the dish over the edge to actually excellent. Without the pickled flavor, it was a tad too sweet, even with the cilantro. Still pretty good and with a few tweaks could be great.
The mushroom miso ramen was a disappointment. It looked nice. It had a variety of appropriate ingredients and was super well presented. But it didn't have any miso flavor at all. And did I mention the huge piece of egg shell? Not a small bit, it was literally the size of my thumb to the first knuckle joint. When it came out, you could see a dark colored broth, enoki mushrooms and even three slices of a shiitake mushroom (not quite half of a mushroom), maybe five or six small tofu cubes, a poached egg, and finely shredded Napa cabbage (sometimes called Chinese cabbage, the head is the shape of an endive but large like a football with crinkled leaves and a yellow-green color to contrast the white veins, but the actual taste is the same, just a lot more crunch). There was an 'X' on the cabbage in sriracha sauce, which I think was supposed to be a substitute for sweet chili sauce. We realized later that the sauce was actually drizzled all over in wavy cross-cross pattern, but had sunk into the broth everywhere else except for over the cabbage. The cabbage itself wasn't cooked. That's a no-no for Napa. It should be lightly steamed so that it still has texture but not so that it feels like fresh kale grating the inside of your mouth. The rest of the ingredients were fine for what they were, but it didn't come together. And I blame that largely on the complete lack of miso in the ramen. No miso flavor, no miso paste, nothing. It was just a vegetable broth. Disappointing. Again, it wasn't bad. Except for the eggshell. (Yes, I am obviously stuck on this!) It just wasn't the globally-inspired flavors advertised.
Miso isn't for everyone. It is fermented bean curd. It is slightly sour and tangy. So if you don't actually like miso, or if you've never had it, this would probably be a great noodle soup. This might be perfect for Vermont! And it was well presented. It just wasn't actually miso ramen.
Love the Zenbarn concept. And the cuteness of the actual barn. Service was so-so and the music prep was only mildly disruptive. Execution of the food fine for the area but not truly up to par on a realistic scale. I'd be ok to return if I was back here but would not specifically seek it out if I was in a nearby township.