Tag Archives: Birch and Barley

Birch and Barley Brunch: Freshly Fried Donuts

Posted on by

Birch & Barley Donuts

Despite the brunch mammoth Le Diplomate setting up shop two blocks over, you still have to bang down the doors to brunch at Birch & Barley, and for good reason! If you score a scrumptious table, immediately look to the menu’s sidebar under “sweets.” It’s there that you will find the Best Thing on the Menu: Freshly Fried Donuts. You get three per order (two biggies and a donut hole). The flavors?  Toffee-Bacon, Lemon-Poppy Glazed and Bittersweet Chocolate.

Making Donuts

Let’s hone in on the toffee-bacon delight. It’s savory/sweet and sticky enough that your fingers will feel like you were doing arts and crafts with toddlers all day. But you weren’t, you were indulging on a serious donut that will change the way you feel about this humble pastry forever.

Other brunch menu standouts at Birch & Barley include the corned beef hash, whiskey French toast and a side of PA-style scrapple (mmmmm pork mush).

If you really dig the donuts at Birch & Barley, there’s no excuse for failing to try GBD. There, you’ll find donuts from the same mastermind, Pastry Chef Tiffany MacIsaac, AND fried chicken. They have a maple bourbon glazed donut also topped with bacon, plus a PB&J donut that revolutionizes the elementary school lunch original.

Freshly fried donuts not your BTM? Post your favorites in the comments section.

Birch and Barley: Fig and Prosciutto Flatbread

Posted on by

Birch and Barley Flatbread

There is much to be said about a perfect pair – bubbly and caviar, peanut butter and jelly (or bacon!), truffles and risotto…. But, there is even more to say about a triumphant trio that unites three flavors that cover every square inch of taste bud.

Birch & Barley’s Best Thing on the Menu: Fig & Prosciutto Flatbread Gorgonzola Cremificato & Caramelized Onions is just that. Figs, prosciutto and blue cheese of any breed go hand-in-hand-in-hand. The figs are sweet and caramelized, the prosciutto savory and salty and the Gorgonzola tart and funky. The onions are a nice addition to this threesome.

The Best Thing on the Menu isn’t the only reason to eat at Logan Circle’s Birch & Barley. In fact, here are five more:

1. Casual Meal or Fancy Dinner, It’s Your Choice

Your meal at Birch & Barley is what you make it. Go for pizza, Brät Burgers and beer or opt for a fine dining experience with menu items like grilled octopus and striped bass. They even offer a tasting menu, so you can put your meal in the hands of the chef and leave the task of decision-making in the dust.

2. Beer. Beer, Beer, Beer

Great news! Downstairs at Birch & Barley you are still privy to ChurchKey’s beer bible and daunting draft list. They boast having an arsenal of 555 varieties of artisanal beers. Wine pairings are a thing of the past when you enter these doors.

3. Two Words, Bread Board

You know you’re in for a good meal when the bread arrives. The steaming pretzel rolls get a special shout out. It’s hard to pass by sidewalk diners in the summer and not swipe one.

4. Built-in After Dinner Drink Plans

You’re done eating dessert and the question arises, where to now? How about just heading upstairs for a more boisterous atmosphere, where you’re sure to bump into friends, literally.

5. Reservations, Finally

With 14th Street becoming a lollapalooza of new restaurants, reservations are finally opening up at this highly coveted locale.

Fig & Prosciutto Flatbread not your BTM? Post your favorites in the comments section. More reasons to love Birch & Barley, share those too!