Barrio’s dishes impress, even if the bill runs high

For those that have enjoyed the Peruvian cuisine at Raphaël, it’ll come as no surprise that chef/owner Lizardo Becerra has once again delivered the goods at Barrio.

In Spanish barrio simply means “neighbourhood” but it’s the ugly legacy of racism that leaves in some people’s imaginations the meaning as ‘poor and crime-ridden’. Under the true definition of the word, that’s just never been the case. 

With this choice of name, Becerra is clearly interested in building a communal eatery that brings people from far and wide together for good food and drink. What better location than the Byward that serves both locals and tourists alike?

I arrived one afternoon to find Barrio sparsely populated and in fact the staff had a five to two advantage over the customers. As a result, the volume was bearable. 

It was already more than a little spicy outside and so I treated myself to a Margarita de Barrio. This was served in a short tapered water glass and was a mix of tequila, Aperol, raspberry compote and lime. Honestly, I’ve never had such a small Margarita.

With an excess of bitterness and astringency, it was obvious there was not enough balance of the elements. If the raspberry compote had been sweetened a little more, this would have fixed it.

I’d decided to give the beer a miss after I was informed that the beer at $8.50 was only a 12-ounce pour. That’s tourist pricing, and Barrio is not doing itself any favours.

The cooking at Barrio is from across Latin America and the Paisa empanadas were described as a Colombian recipe.

Empanadas can have different casings and these were done in a cornmeal dough. I’ll spare the drama and just say that these were the tastiest empanadas I’ve had. They were truly enjoyable but gone in just four bites. Literally. 

The filling was a mix of beef, pork and beans and what a delicious treat it was. It was also $12 for two and while enjoyable, you will feel that you’ve been stung. There’s just not enough there to make it satisfying for the price. 

Despite its name the Cubano sandwich was made famous in places like Tampa and Miami, Florida. Apparently in Tampa there’s an addition of salami and in Miami it’s omitted. 

The version at Barrio is in the Miami lane and once again, Becerra’s recipe convinces making this a standout, umami-packed sandwich. It’s not as if there’s an abundance of sandwich purveyors making Cubano sandwiches in Ottawa but I’ll wager there’s not a better example in the capital.

The construction involved ham, dijonaise sauce, swiss cheese, pickles on a grilled panini bun and served with a side of spicy lime garlic dipping sauce.

Finally we got to the shrimp salad which reminded me an awful lot of Becerra's masterful ceviche at Raphaël.

This was a highlight and was composed of Matane shrimp, pineapple, cucumber, plantains and tigre de leche.

The dish had the effect of exciting the appetite with every bite. The lime juice in the tigre de leche was perfectly salted making you crave the next spoon even more and the plantain discs were sweet and soft with an appealing crisp outer shell. For an informal neighbourhood spot, this is some serious cooking and worth exploring.

In the world of food journalism, there’s natural speculation about why some pricing is the way it is at certain restaurants. Location will often play a role but it’s always a challenge to be as accurate as one would like. 

The food at Barrio is certainly very good but the portions and the effort at presentation makes you wonder about the value for money.

My worry is that they may be pricing themselves, quite literally, out of the Market.