The Barrow House

1296 Van Houten Ave., Clifton

862-336-7070, thebarrowhouse.com

* How it started: Brothers Thomas and Dean Maroulakos opened Cowan's Public, a craft cocktail and microbrew bar with an art deco vibe, last year in Nutley. After "tremendous success there," according to Tom, the Maroulakoses and their business partner, Patrick LePore, were looking to expand. The brothers, who grew up in Wayne, were charmed by the history of the Van Houten Avenue building that now houses The Barrow House, which was formerly a 19th-century farmhouse. They began construction last fall, completely redesigning and expanding the space, which formerly housed Grimaldi's. Both brothers have experience in the restaurant and bar industry: Dean managed and designed bars Ninth Ward and Kingston Hall in Manhattan's East Village; Tom was a brewer at High Point Brewing Co. in Butler.

* The concept: Dean, who designed the space, says the décor is meant to evoke an 1880s American farmhouse. "It's paying homage," said Dean. "We want you to forget where you are for a few hours." The bar is shaped like the hull of a canal boat, a nod to the former Morris Canal, Dean explained. There are two main dining rooms, plus a "study" and "parlor," which are meant to be more of a cocktail lounge and seat around 15 people each, plus a root cellar/wine room that seats 16 to 18 people. The renovation also included building a dine-in barn, a standalone structure with a retractable roof, where they hope to host private events and utilize for summertime al fresco dining. The Barrow House has 225 to 250 seats, including the barn, which seats about 60 people.

* The menu: While Cowan's Public is primarily a bar that serves food, the Maroulakos brothers wanted to create a more expansive food menu at The Barrow House. Tom calls the menu "American farm fare," which strives to be "as seasonal and local as possible." Tom said executive chef Frank DeGruttalo is making as much of the food as possible from scratch; the brothers hope to eventually make all the butter and cheeses in-house. The menu was designed mostly for sharing (there are 14 sharing plates ranging in price from $7 to $18), though there are currently seven full-sized entrées as well ($12 to $24). Drink offerings are extensive – there are currently more than 20 beers available, most of which are made by small breweries, some local, like the special lager made in collaboration with High Point Brewing. The owners say cocktails are prepared with syrups made in-house and juices squeezed daily; there are also two cocktails on draft. According to Dean, many of the wine offerings are from small family wineries. For dessert, The Barrow House is currently only offering milk and cookies ($7) and drip coffee, but will soon roll out more options as well as an expanded coffee program with espresso drinks.

* More info: The Barrow House is open from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. daily. A light bar menu is available from 3 to 5 p.m. daily; dinner service is from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday and 5 to 11 p.m. Thursday to Saturday. There is a late-night bar menu 10 p.m. to midnight Sunday to Wednesday and until 1 a.m. Thursday to Saturday. Brunch will be launched in the next few months; lunch service will start after the New Year.

— Sophia F. Gottfried