Barrel and Ashes

Barrel and Ashes is one of my favorite places to eat.  I love how simple the menu is so the chefs (and there's a lot of 'em) can focus on the quality of the food.  I try to eat something new every time I go there (which is a lot when I'm not detoxing).  Today I had the Hot Fish Sandwich with a side of Tater Tots and one of the chefs gave me a Beet Salad.  I will start with the Fish Sandwich:  I wasn't expecting much.  I mean, what more can you do with fried fish?  No! This sandwich had a spicy sauce that pretty much kicked you in the teeth and you wanted more!  No joke!  Then the creamy-ness from the cole slaw calmed down the heat and then you got the tang from the pickles.  The fish was so light, it was like a cloud was battered and fried to perfection.  If you are in the mood for something different but yet similar to the Best Damn Chicken Sandwich (another of my favorites) get this.  It was amazing!

Now on to the Beet Salad.  I was NEVER a fan of beets.  I mean, they stain everything, they taste funky, not something that I want to associate myself with.  Eew.  But then one of the chefs gave me an order of THESE beets.  Holy smokes!  No really, they're smoked!  The cream that they are served on top of cuts the sweetness of the beets and it all makes such a lovely collaboration of sweet, salty, creamy with a little bit of crunch.  I have made this salad before with beets that I roasted in an aluminum foil packet with salt and olive oil, then I cut the beets up and served them over Creme Fresh with a sprinkling of salt and pepper and it was Divine!