Birch + Butcher
Birch + Butcher
Birch + Butcher has managed to perfectly marry contemporary and primitive styles in both décor and food. The modern clean lines using natural elements and minimal décor work perfectly with the open kitchen and star of the restaurant, the wood-fired open hearth that almost every dish passes through before it reaches you at the table.
It is “live fire” cooking at its finest: bringing classic dishes to the forefront with modern translation, using many techniques combined with the wood-fire cooking.
The fresh farm-to-table ingredients support our local farmers and artisans and are showcased to preserve their natural qualities and maintain respect for sustainability. No, you won’t find fancy foams, smoke and mirrors (thank goodness), but an ever-changing, hyper-seasonal menu.
The tiny butcher shop has a variety of offerings, including homemade sausage, dry-aged beef, pork, lamb and veal, but also a delectable house-made pancetta and lardo. When thinly cut, the lardo ($12 per pound) melts perfectly on crusty bread when heated and is a real treat. The butcher shop also carries primarily domestic local cheeses and charcuterie items from Underground Meats. The amazing bread and bagels are all made in house. They are open from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. for breakfast and lunch with counter service in the butcher shop. The avocado toast ($8) was filling with its small diced picked beets and watermelon radish served with watercress. The French Exit ($6), a lovely half sandwich perfect for a grab-and-go meal, has salami, cheese and mustard between their signature bread. If you need a pick-me-up espresso, stop for the “1 and 1,” a single shot of espresso, with crème (mini macchiato) and a small glass of seltzer water served on a wooden plate.
Dinner service starts at 5 p.m. The dinner menu has many shareable items and is designed for family style dining and tasting. One would expect Birch + Butcher to be heavy on the meat, but we found so many items under the side dish category with vegetables, grains and seeds that Birch + Butcher could be considered a destination where vegetarians can enjoy a hearty and creative meal. Two of my favorite dishes on the menu are vegetarian: the sunflower seed risotto with king trumpet mushrooms ($14) and the barbecue parsnips ($10) with a chili yogurt sauce for dipping. When it comes to risotto, I’m a purist and would not normally order this dish, but my guest insisted and I found myself not only eating my words, but every last bite. It was perfection—a creamy, flavorful and earthy bowl of comforting goodness. The parsnips came out charred from the wood fire, which brought out the essence of their flavor and was only enhanced by the balance of heat and coolness from the sauce.
I would be remiss not to encourage you to order the bread plate to start ($4), which includes corn bread and a multigrain with cultured butter. The lamb tartare starter was another delicate dish balanced with flavors of truffle and anchovy ($14). Under the heading of “Main Dishes,” serving up to three, there were quite a few options. Among them, the pork cutlet with grilled lemon ($16); herb ash spaghetti with a pork ragu ($15), perfect for a cold winter night; and a lovely butter poached trout with smoked lardo and salsa verde ($22). There are also three platters to choose from that serve two-four: whole chicken with barbecue carrots ($35), grilled rib-eye with roasted potatoes ($37) and New York strip steak with roasted broccoli, bacon jam and anchovy vinaigrette ($28).
The cast iron baked caramel apples with cinnamon toast crunch ice cream ($8) and Meyer lemon mousse with rosemary shortbread ($7) were the perfect ending to this casual comfort meal.
