The Weekly Feed: Gobs of Sunshine Edition
Crispy duck egg with pork belly at Birch & Barley. Courtesy Neighborhood Restaurant Group
Where: Birch & Barley
If newly opened 14th Street haunt Birch & Barley were a reality show, its beers would be the attention-craving divas — stars that are unique and dramatic, even a little demanding, with their myriad optimal temperatures and specialty glassware. The food on Executive Chef Kyle Bailey’s menu, however, would be those quirky, likable characters on the show just nipping at the stars’ heels, flying under the radar, but obviously determined to go big or go home.
At Birch & Barley, Bailey designed a menu comprised of his own takes on classic flavors that would pair well with beer, including the crispy duck egg with pork belly. Although this new addition to the menu is an appetizer, when you bite into it, it’s hard not to fantasize about having this perfectly-cooked, intensely textural concoction for breakfast. (Note: for a morning order you might want to skip the suggested beer pairing.)
The deep fried, soft-boiled egg breaks open with a springy crunch when you dig in, the golden crust giving way to yolky goodness spilling out onto the waiting bed of frisée dressed in the slightest bit of apple cider reduction. Fork a bite of the egg together with a piece of the pork belly, dunk the whole thing in the mix of yolk and sweetly acidic reduction on the plate, and it’s obvious Bailey’s menu isn’t going to play second fiddle to the restaurant’s beer list.
Right after the restaurant opened in October, Bailey was worried that everyone's focus would be on the beer, he told DCist after a media tasting this week. His Birch & Barley menu pulled on his experience cooking in five-star resorts and New York restaurants like Cru and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, but at first, he says, people weren’t interested. “The first couple of weeks, everyone came in and ordered burgers. I was thinking I made a big mistake,” the chef said. He even took a foie gras appetizer off the menu because it wasn’t selling. But things have changed now, he said, and “more of the diners are coming in” with big appetites and high expectations. Meaning the duck is here to stay? Most definitely, Bailey said. Don’t count out that foie gras either. “I keep getting requests to bring it back,” he added.
Small Bites
Pete's Apizza Pizza?
From the looks of it, Pete's New Haven Style Apizza will be opening a second location. They mentioned on their Twitter feed last night that the lease and financing are in place, and an announcement will be coming soon. So stay tuned!
Cork Market Opens Today
Cork Market opens today with offerings including sandwiches, wines, sauces from Copper Pot, as well as charcuterie. Wine tastings will be help throughout the weekend to commemorate the occasion. The times for these events are Friday 5-7 p.m., Saturday 3-5 p.m., and Sunday noon-6 p.m.
Elements of the Middle East in Dupont
Two new restaurants have opened in the Dupont area. Kabab-ji, a Middle Eastern chain from Lebanon, featuring, duh, kebabs, as well as other Middle Eastern fare. Offerings worth noting are their raw meat kebabs, which aren't on many local menus.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is Maoz, a vegetarian falafel chain from the Netherlands. The set up is fairly similar to Amsterdam Falafel, though the toppings bar is less extensive. The double-fried fries are fantastic; try them with the garlic sauce, and skip the limp sweet potato fries.
Cereal killer
WBJ brings us news of another addition to Cleveland Park, The Cereal Bowl. They offer the opportunity to creatively mix your cereals along with a variety of toppings. It's a pretty clever scheme by a bunch of college kids, but it does seem like an excuse to charge you a lot of money for something you can do for a buck at home.