By Kelly Cacciolfi | Observer Contributor
Picasso Restaurant & Bar has been dedicated to bringing you farm to table cuisine and amazing in-house infusions from the bar for 9 years. Located at 2 Common Street in Barre, Massachusetts Picasso’s is a casual fine dining restaurant that sits right on the Barre common. There is plenty of parking located in the back of the restaurant and on Common Street.
The Restaurant is open Wednesday through Saturday 4:00 – 9:00 pm and Sunday 4:00 – 8:00 pm. It is wheelchair accessible, accepts credit cards, take out, and has live music. They do not have Wi-Fi, TV, delivery service and no dancing. Even though kids are welcome, I would recommend saving your visit for a nice evening out with your significant other or a group of friends.
Once a post office the restaurant still has the same exterior and is not overly decorated on the outside. In the summer, they have a patio for outside dining and drinks. The ambiance of the restaurant on the inside is cozy, stylish with contemporary art work. You are welcomed by a chalkboard describing appetizer, dinner and drink specials when you walk through the door. Upon entering there is a small half-moon full bar with stool seating. Greeted immediately by a personable hostess we gave our names and we were escorted to a comfortable booth. Reservations are highly recommended.
Our waitperson Jen came to greet us and reviewed the specials with us for the evening noting what had been sold out. We started with a drink, I chose Grapefruit Awakened for $10 that was made with Hendrick’s gin, strawberry infused St. Germain, grapefruit cordial and served up. My friend ordered Coconut Pineapple Daiquiri for $9 made with pineapple infused croc coconut vodka, fresh lime, sugar and served up. We both agreed that the infused drinks flavorful and not overpowering with alcohol. The drinks were both delightful.
The appetizers on the menu range in price from $10 – $13 and the salads from $10 – $12 in price. I ordered the Bacon Gorgonzola Bread for $11 which is a toasted house focaccia, onion jam, gorgonzola, balsamic reduction and bacon. My friend ordered the Spinach salad for $12 and had spinach, orange Supremes, goat cheese, candied almonds, red onion, dried cranberries and honey poppy seed vinaigrette. The appetizer and salad arrived in less than 10 minutes. We shared and both the appetizer and salad were outstanding, the Bacon Gorgonzola Bread was amazing from start to finish. Just the right amount of topping in each bit of the crispy bread. The salad was light and refreshing with amazing taste with each bit.
Entrees start from $15 to $28. I chose the Thai Scallops for $28.00 made with green curry aioli, coconut rice noodles, carrots, scallions, red peppers and celery. My dining guest ordered Bistro Filet for $26 made with char-grilled, mushroom demi-glace, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus and added gorgonzola cheese for $2 extra. We ordered at the same time as the appetizer and the dinner came perfectly timed where we had enough time to enjoy the appetizers and rest a bit. My meal was outstanding with each flavor hitting each taste bud differently. The Scallops were cooked to perfection and the veggies were crisp and tender at the same time. The Bistro Filet melted in my mouth, the potatoes were creamy and tasted great with the garlic, and the asparagus was crunchy with the right amount of seasoning.
Dessert priced from $5 – $8 was wonderful to look at but we were so full. We decided on sharing the mini cannoli for $5 fresh hand dipped ricotta with white chocolate and liqueurs. Wow, we both wished we ordered our own. The cannoli were crisp and full of amazing tastes.
Each place came out of the kitchen beautifully presented and with the perfect temperature. Overall our experience from the moment we drove up through the dessert was amazing and was five-star dining. We would highly recommend trying Picasso Restaurant and Bar the next time you are looking for an outstanding dining experience.
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