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We were looking to hit a bit of nostalgia after finding ourselves in Wooster and pulled into the parking lot to find our long standing treat had been replaced with another restaurant. Well, hey what have we got to loose? So we took our first journey into the Barn Stone Café which appeared to be full of locals a couple of hours after the typical lunch rush. We were served by a slightly harried but entirely competent waitress that was holding down the small but busy floor all on her own. She greeted us warmly and was quick to offer suggestions when asked.
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The place is sort of comfy, homey feeling which seems to fit the menu well. The menu is rangy and promises to offer local and fresh ingredients simply and well. Isn’t it odd how what used to be Midwestern thinking, which moved out to big city chefs, is now creeping back? We started with a simple side salad that was perfectly chilled and fresh with the typical crop of accoutrement. The make several of their own dressings in house, as well as many of the other dishes. We couldn’t decide between the choices of fried vegetable apps, so we ended up getting a large and satisfying platter. It included cauliflower, green beans, shrooms, and sweet potato. Three sauces accompanied, a dill ranch, a sweeter sauce for the potatoes, and a spicier sauce. I was looking forward to the spicy version but I failed to detect a hint of any spice…I have had spicier whipped cream. The dill ranch was passable and the sweeter brown sauce turned out to be a pleasant surprise with the sweet potato. The veggies were not overly greasy and were very well prepared as the green beans kept a little crunch while the others were more cooked through, giving us exactly what we were looking for.
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 Fresh and Crisp |
 Surprisingly Good Loaf |
 Odd, but Okay Cheesey Spaghetti Pie |
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Our server had highly recommended something called the cheesey spaghetti pie. The what? She described it to us and I still had no idea what to expect. When it arrived it was, well, there is no other way to say it, a cheesey spaghetti pie. Spaghetti noodles likely baked with some ricotta and other cheese in a pie pan, cut in slices and covered with their red sauce. I have to say it wasn’t my favorite, the sauce was more sweet than I prefer and the “pie” was sort of monotone in flavor but there was nothing bad about it and it was whimsical. We also tried the meatloaf, just seems like a place you would get meatloaf and I felt rewarded. The meatloaf was busy without being pretentious. There was a lot varying and building flavors going on but the meat stayed the predominant taste. The mash alongside was well seasoned, but something had gone awry with how they held it over as the skins inside were mealy and chewy…I did eat them all however. Everything was topped with a hearty and flavorful gravy which held everything together. Served alongside were some beautiful vegetables which were simply overcooked, a strainer away from baby food. We are sad to lose our little sandwich place in Orrville but next time we are close I would’t be surprised to find ourselves back at Barn Stone for what appears to be a solid homey joint.
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| Ratings | |||||||
 Food |
 Service |
 Ambiance |
 What's Best |
 What's Worst |
 Overall |
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| C | B | C | A- | D | C- | ||
| Good with Some Misses |
Veggies and Loaf | Chewy Tater Skins and Overdone Veggies |
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