With a bright orange sign and matching umbrellas on the sidewalk, Barbaro in Millbrook is hard to miss. If the jolly signage wasn’t enough, it’s also right in the heart of the small village, at the corner of Franklin Avenue and Church Street, appropriate placement for what has rapidly become the go-to gathering spot and date night destination for locals.
Opened in November 2018 by Luciano Valdivia and chef Gianni Scappin, Barbaro is the latest restaurant by the duo, whose other joint projects include Cucina in Woodstock, Market St. in Rhinebeck, and Armadillo in Kingston’s Rondout District. Like its sibling eateries (with the exception of Armadillo, which serves Mexican food), Barbaro dishes up contemporary Italian cuisine in a clean, chic environment.
“It’s very much like Market St., but more of a jewel box,” Valdivia says. “We wanted to move away from the modern farmhouse we did in Rhinebeck. It has sort of the same neutral, breezy color palette, but I punched the design up a little bit.” He incorporated ornate, antique, gold-leaf frames, smoked glass mirrors, and a marble bar.
Millbrook’s reputation as well-to-do, horse-and-wine country precedes it, and Valdivia wanted to make a playful nod to this heritage—polo helmets incorporated into a shelf of clay pots, oil portraits in gilt frames with actual earrings dangling from the subjects’ lobes—while not taking it too seriously. “Millbrook has this sort of Old World, more New England, tweedy, grand estate-feel,” he says. “I wanted to take a tongue-and-cheek approach to that.”
Barbaro also recognizes another facet of Millbrook’s history: its Italian roots. When a train station was built there in 1869, the village as we know it today sprang up around it. Italian immigrants followed, living there while working as stone masons on the railroad and on the great estates of Dutchess County. The village’s Italian roots run deep: The many historic landmark plaques throughout the town are written in both English and Italian.
So it’s fitting that Barbaro serves up classics from the Old Country. (Valdivia, Scappin, and Barbaro's onsite partner chef Nick Brower are all Italian-American as well.) “Most of the dishes are from Veneto, where Gianni’s family is from. Risotto is the classic dish of his region. We also have Genovese pasta dishes like trofie with potato, pesto, and string beans. Classic northern Italian dishes, as well as some things borrowed from Tuscany, Genoa, and Veneto.”
For appetizers, be sure to order the grilled octopus, a lightly charred delicacy served over smoky gigante beans tossed in lemon, parsley, celery, and dusted with chili flakes ($18). The penne puttanesca is perfectly executed, served al dente (of course) with spicy tomato, capers, halved olives, and basil. It packs a flavorful punch (and a bit of kick)—a great option for vegans and carnivores alike.
Or order from the list of 10-inch wood-fired pizzas. If you have a sweet tooth, try the Caprina with its fig-rosemary spread, goat cheese, arugula, and thinly sliced pear ($19). If meat is more your game the salsiccia pizza comes with crumbled sausage, jalapeño, red onion, tomato, and mozzarella ($19).
The menu also serves up some classic Italian-American classics like chicken parm, which comes over a bed of linguine with tomato and basil ($27). Another nod? The meatball appetizer served with parmesan polenta and tomato sauce ($14). “Especially during COVID, we found those were things that a) travelled well and b) were what people were looking for.”
The ingredients, when not sourced locally from places like Locust Hill Farm down the road, are imported from Italy. “Until they start making parmesan cheese outside of Parma in the right way, we’ll continue to use that,” Valdivia says, matter-of-factly. “But a lot of our proteins we source locally. We used a Connecticut-based fish company, we use local pork purveyors. This time of year, we’re starting to get into the ramps and the fiddlehead ferns. We’re always getting local mushrooms if we can and greens.”
Barbaro’s small wine list features predominantly European picks, though there are several wines from nearby Millbrook Vineyards and Wineries on tap. The cocktail list, while small, is excellent, designed by Jessica Gonzales, formerly of Death & Co in the city. For a magical nightcap, try the Witchcraft, a bourbon drink with strega, ginger syrup, and lemon juice. Or go classic Italian and order a Negroni.
Though curbside pick-up is still available with an online pre-order, the restaurant is back open to the public for both indoor and outdoor dining. With reduced capacity, a reservation is recommended.
Barbaro is open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday, 5-9pm.
3279 Franklin Avenue. Millbrook, NY
(845) 677-4440
http://barbaromillbrook.com/
