Iron Barley Eating Estblshmnt

New Favorite Restaurant!. I also tried Iron Barley after seeing it on the Food Network and it was fully deserving of the praise it received. I've been twice. The first time I went, my party of 3 had to wait nearly an hour to be seated. This was longer than the hostess quoted us, but we had a couple Bare Knuckle Stouts at the bar and enjoyed some good conversation with the bartender.

The mussels in cream sauce appetizer is fantastic. The second time I had it, it was a tad undercooked and some of the mussels hadn't opened from the steaming yet, but it was still good.

My first time there, I had the schnitzel & spatzle with mashed potatoes and string beans. Everything on the plate was perfect. My Austrian grandmother would approve of the schnitzel.

I've also had the oak roasted prime rib (large cut for a low price) and the 1/2 oak roasted chicken ($8.95). Both were cooked perfectly and had a ton of flavor. Both, but especially the chicken, had a VERY SMOKY FLAVOR. I think that could have been toned down a bit, but that's the chef's style.

The menu is online at ironbarley. com…

I really wanted to like this place. After seeing this place showcased on Food Network's "Diner's, Drive-thru's, and Dives" I was exicted to try it out on my recent trip to St. Louis. It had all the makings of a great dinner, but I left feeling unfulfilled. I ordered the barley salad and the schnitzel and spatzele.

The barley salad didn't seem to have much to it; barley, tomato, roasted vegetables, and a really light vinegarette. It didn't seem to have much depth of flavor, a dash of salt woke the whole thing up. I think a slice of lemon would have been nice too.

The schnitzel and spatzele was pretty dissappointing. It seemed like the schnitzel was boiled in oil instead of fried, the breading was really greasy, most of the oil used to cook the schnitzel was on my plate (as in about a quater of a cup), and the spatzele was a little on the bland side. A side of blanched string beans accompanied the entree.

Maybe it was a just an off night, maybe it had to do with the fact that the proprieter was not cooking at the time, or maybe it was the big takeout order that preceeded me that lead to lack luster meal. Either way, I really wanted to like this place but it was mediocre at best. I'd like to give it another try but that's for a different visit.…