In the last few years, the West Valley has been experiencing a bit of a culinary revolution. It’s garnered the attention of long-standing local restaurant groups and chains are expanding into the area for the first time.
But some businesses have long placed their bets on the West Valley. Peoria Artisan Brewing has made craft beer and chef-driven pub fare in Peoria since 2015. Now, owners Matt and Kristina Frosch and chef Michael Mahalick have pushed their chips in further with Barley & Smoke, a chef’s table speakeasy that opened in April.
Barley & Smoke is a contrast to its sibling gastropub in many ways. Where Peoria Artisan is a casual, everyday spot with industrial charm, the speakeasy is reservation-based and comes with a business casual dress code. The interiors are sophisticated. Decadent ingredients abound on the menu and you can watch the chefs and bartenders at work from nearly any seat in the 30-person bar.
Guests heading to the speakeasy enter through the brewery. There can be a logjam if multiple parties check in at once, leaving guests to linger among the brewpub’s tables for a few minutes. But after walking through the kitchen and into the speakeasy, the awkwardness is easily forgotten.
The open kitchen, bar and lounge are stunning and filled with elements that catch the eye, from brass details to chefs tending the roaring wood-fired oven and the detailed veining of the bartop and accent wall.
Barley & Smoke is undeniably stylish, but would the food and drinks pack substance?
Shareable options at Barley & Smoke include a playful tallow candle with grilled bread and the stellar pork belly with adobo, cured watermelon, radish and roasted peanuts.
Sara Crocker
Among the sharable plates, the pork belly stands out. The dish balances the salty richness of the cubes of meat with adobo, cured watermelon, peppery radish and roasted peanuts. Although the kitchen was out of its smoked pork belly bao on our recent visit, the success of this dish makes us excited to try it next time.
The tallow candle and bread is a playful starter that thoughtfully uses brisket trimmings that would otherwise be discarded. The fat is rendered and solidified into a candle that is lit tableside. Diners are invited to dip the housemade bread into the fat that drips and pools around the candle. The beef fat is fairly neutral in flavor, so much of the taste is imparted by the char on the grilled bread and flaky fleur de sel. It was simple and delicious, but spices would be welcome to amplify the dish's complexity.
At Barley & Smoke. the 6-ounce ribeye is tender and thoughtfully cooked. The charred vegetables are served with housemade flatbread, tzatziki and hummus.
Sara Crocker
Ribeye and charred vegetables arrived for the next course. The steak was tender and thoughtfully cooked. It’s served atop a potato mash that’s kicked up with horseradish, along with mushrooms and a lightly smoky demi-glace.
The charred vegetables, which passed in and out of the woodfired oven in a cast iron skillet, were nicely cooked to a still-crisp tenderness but didn’t get the full char from the oven that was implied. Nevertheless, the accompanying garlicky, za'atar-spiked tzatziki, hummus and flatbread proved perfect foils for this large shareable plate of zucchini, carrots and asparagus.
Barley & Smoke offers an ample cocktail menu along with a deep spirits list that favors whiskeys and tequilas. There are hits and misses along the way, with some cocktails leaning too sweet or bitter, but two satisfying sips were the Blackberry Thyme-Out and El Hefe Grande.
The former finds a way to bring out the flavor of its two namesake ingredients in this gin-based drink. Elderflower liqueur adds another touch of sweet botanicals, while lime and lemon juice amp up the blackberry and offer some brightness.
The Blackberry Thyme-Out celebrates its namesake ingredients in this gin-based cocktail.
Sara Crocker
Barley & Smoke is living up to its promise of creating an elevated West Valley spot that's worth dressing up for. It has all the makings of a speakeasy, plus more, serving not only curated drinks in an equally charming, transportive space but also splurgy New American dishes to match.
