While students from all over the country and world attend Binghamton University, it’s pretty clear that Vestal, NY doesn’t have the same variety of farm to table stores or restaurants available as in NYC, or even in Westchester or Long Island for that matter. But, just because you aren’t home doesn’t mean you can’t have the same fresh food you feast on with your family. As of last semester, downtown now has an unrivaled gem: Old Barn Hollow. This bakery and farm store has recently moved to State Street from its previous location off of Vestal Parkway. They have everything from farm fresh veggies to homemade sauces and gluten-free cakes.
For my gluten-free, sweet-toothed friends, get ready for what Old Barn Hollow calls “mounds.” These gluten-free and dairy-free chocolate covered cupcakes are absolutely mind-blowing. The flavors offered are always changing, but the day I visited, the cupcake was raspberry-filled. The mini cake was topped with smooth frosting and was perfectly fluffy. Dipped and rich, they are the perfect dessert or gift for any GF or DF friend!
By Jason Cruz
Also featured on the plate above with the “mound,” were three of Old Barn Hollow’s homemade truffles: almond white truffle, peanut butter truffle, and cherry pink truffle. The almond was very dense, sweet, and full of the nutty flavor. The peanut butter truffle was definitely my favorite; the peanut butter and chocolate combo was rich and flavorful. Lastly I sampled the cherry pink. I was skeptical at first because I don’t usually love cherries, but the hints of coconut made it smooth and not too sweet and I was very pleasantly surprised. All four Old Barn Hollow desserts were definitely good enough to return for.
Before I left their beautiful new storefront, I purchased a few ingredients for what I hoped would be an amazing dinner. I returned to the kitchen with my quail eggs, artisanal hand-made pasta, homemade pasta sauce, and made-from-scratch garlic and spinach ravioli.
By Jason Cruz
The quail eggs were beautiful and delicate. Prepared hard-boiled, I thought they tasted delicious, but ultimately very similar to any organic chicken egg. For having guests over for a beautiful meal, these definitely added spunk to the plate, but not so much to your wallet.
By Jason Cruz
We brought two pots of water to a boil, one for the fettuccine and one for the ravioli because they had different suggested cooking times. Both artisanal pastas cooked very quickly, so we kept a close eye on the ravioli to prevent bursting. Once strained, we plated them with “Mama’s Marinara” and took our first bite. The full flavors from the ravioli and the sauce combined to form a meal that was out of this world. I would definitely recommend food shopping at Old Barn Hollow, as I now do.