The Barred Owl Butcher & Table, Columbia
February 2019
Inspired by Missouri’s bounty and changing seasons, the Barred Owl is equally butcher shop and restaurant.
On a Friday night, every table was filled in the warehouse-style space embellished with stained concrete flooring, Edison lights and an open kitchen. A centerpiece bar ramped up the bustling vibe. Through a side door, the cozy butcher shop, with its long display case, felt like stepping into an Old World purveyor.
Owners Ben Parks and Joshua Smith define their cuisine as Southern-Midwestern American. Southern influences originate from Joshua, who owned a restaurant in New Orleans. Ben describes his Midwestern charcuterie as leaning toward Spanish and Italian influences.
“Joshua and I both believe in farm-to-table sourcing and base our menu, as much as possible, on what’s coming in season with our farmers, who are primarily 50 miles or less from Columbia and exclusively in Missouri.” says Ben, who grew up in Columbia and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. “Our menu is a constant evolution, and even successful dishes are on for only a month before rotating off.”
Meats, cut from the whole animal, are matched with fresh produce and not overpowered by heavy sauces or seasonings. Missouri’s Goatsbeard Farm, Hemme Brothers Creamery and Green Dirt Farm supply cheeses. From-scratch breads and desserts are deliciously straight-forward. And their innovative cocktail program, according to Ben, offers the largest selection of spirits in Columbia and features hand-made bitters, mixers and freshly squeezed juices.
At dinner, my husband and I started with sweet potato hummus slathered on house-made flatbread, garnished with fried black-eyed peas. Warm milk and honey rolls incorporated a Dark Matter porter beer from local Logboat Brewing Company. The butcher board showcased the variety of charcuterie.
“First-timers are encouraged to try our board because we rotate five different items on it each night from our pâtés, 20 different salamis and up to ten different sausages using pork, lamb, goat, rabbit and duck,” says Ben.
The praise-worthy lamb lasagna layered béchamel and parmigiano-reggiano cheese. Fork-tender “butcher’s style” oxtail ragu was served on bowtie pasta smothered in a rich tomato-based gravy. For those who love sweets, desserts change regularly so there’s always something new to try.