The Scene

Sesame-crusted ahi tuna spring rolls? I don't think so. Flash-fried Italian leek garnish? Nowhere in sight. Lavender red pepper reduction? Yeah, right.

In place of all the razzle dazzle of most prominent restaurants, the Angus Barn offers up the one thing that matters most: terrific, hearty food.

While famous for perfectly cooked steaks fresh off the farm, it is the Angus Barn's wide selection of sides and table accompaniments that really sets it apart. Before a menu is even cracked open, cheery waitstaff deliver plates of house pickles, celery sticks and olives to the table, along with heaping baskets of fresh crackers and mini tureens of cheese spread. Each entrée comes with a starch and either soup or salad, justifying the hefty price.

In fact, the spinach salad that can be selected with your main dish is one of the most notable items on the menu. Crisp bacon, fresh mushrooms, red onions and crumbled egg come piled on top of baby spinach, accompanied by a pitcher of warm poppy-seed dressing.

That spinach salad might have the most ingredients of anything on the menu. Steaks, fish and pasta mains are served simply with salt and pepper and the occasional splash of spice. With meat as fresh as the Barn offers, fancy glazes and rubs would be superfluous.

The most complex thing about the Barn is probably its wine list, one of the most extensive in the Triangle. Even that, though, is expendable with the Barn's house wine reliably pairing with any entrée for only $18 a bottle.

In a culinary landscape where chefs are increasingly experimenting with enzymes and fixatives to alter the properties of their ingredients, real food made out of basic, delicious ingredients is a welcome change of pace.

The Angus Barn

Picks: Filet with spinach salad and sweet potato; chocolate chess pie for dessert.

Perks: Salad and starch are included in entrée price; country store, wine cellar and cigar shop in same building.