RAYNHAM — One family-owned restaurant has been sharing the joys of handcrafted cocktails, flights, and unique entrees with a kiss of flavors from all over the globe.
Barrels & Boards, located at 1285 Broadway, Raynham, has a different feel when it comes to dining. Inside the restaurant and bar is a warm ambiance with dark wood panels and barrels of whiskey used as decorations.
The eatery offers meals with lots of character through the chefs’ unique seasonings and spices.
Co-owners Dean Saxonis and his wife Irene Saxonis hired chefs with rich and diverse backgrounds that can add an exciting flare to the food.
Their executive chef, Manuel Hernandez, draws on his own Puerto Rican culture to give the dishes a pizzazz, which he said no other restaurant has.
The menu is comprised of traditional American but made in their “own way.”
“We take famous New England style dishes and take some flavors from the Caribbean and other places and infuse it into the food. Our food has a lot of seasoning and flavor you can’t find anywhere else,” Hernandez said.
A great example is the deep-fried calamari with charred corn, pickled onions and a light bed of greens.
Or even the buffalo chicken dip paired with tortilla chips drizzled with golden honey.
The sweetness of the honey elevates the spiciness of the dip and completely changes the flavor profile from savory to sweet.
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What’s on the Barrels & Boards menu?
Another hot commodity on the menu is the Delmonico steak, a 16-ounce ribeye seasoned with garlic compound butter, whipped potatoes and grilled asparagus.
Whether you enjoy seafood, steak, salad or soup, the restaurant has it all, from loaded pub chicken to braised short rib with butternut squash, margarita pizza, chicken marsala and the New Bedford stuffy.
Seafood owns a big part of the menu, with items ranging from torched tuna tartare, a raw oyster bar, lobster mac and cheese, whole belly fried clams and a fried seafood trio.
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Memorable cocktails
Let’s not forget the seasonal holiday cocktails and flights of your choice. The most popular cocktails are the espresso martini, smoked old fashioned, strawberry lemon drop, sangria flight and salted caramel toffee martini.
“When I envisioned this restaurant, I envisioned a family atmosphere with amazing steak, seafood, delightful drinks and a full bar for an elegant experience. We’ve been here for 40 years, but the new generation is here,” Dean said.
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Restaurant with rich history
The restaurant has a lot of rich history when it comes to the community.
Dean’s uncles Theodore and Christopher Kesaris, both retired, started the business 40 years ago as Christopher’s Seafood and Steakhouse. The business was then sold and rebranded to Christopher’s Lounge and then later sold back to Dean’s family and turned into Barrels & Boards in 2019.
Now the new generation of the family is filling big shoes while adding more value to Raynham.
Customers can expect a second location opening by spring 2024 at 1736 Broadway in Raynham, just down the road from the original Barrels & Boards.
Dean’s only hope is to keep the traditions of fun family dining and a relaxed atmosphere alive as he multiplies the business and expands it to other locations.
