Spring Break DC: Birch and Barley

Birch and Barley is my roommate Irene's favorite restaurant in DC. She's been here several times and says it's fantastic, so I made it a point to book a reservation. For me, what really set Birch and Barley apart from the pack is the decor. It's dimly lit and very intimate, with orbs of candlelight hanging from the ceiling and perched on the walls. I really wish that I had taken photos of the restaurant.

Amuse of delicious risotto fritters, with an assorted bread plate in the back. The bread plate came with three varieties (dinner roll, pretzel, and biscuit) and some spreads, and is the type of thing you would have to pay for at other restaurants to get such quality. 

The appetizer: proscuitto and fig flatbread. It was served with brie cheese and balsamic drizzle. We expected flatbread to mean thin crust so we got the full size portion, but the crust was actually thick and fluffy like a personal pizza. We asked the waiter to pack half of it up so that it wouldn't ruin our appetite for our main courses. I brought it to work for lunch on the following Monday and mmm it was still delicious.

David's honey roasted duck, with wild rice cherries plus some other veggies. This was the best duck dish that I've ever had in my life, and that's quite the compliment coming from a huge duck fan like me.

Hand cut pappardelle with yogurt and goat ragu. I really liked it, although the noodles were thicker and tougher than what I like from pappardelle. They didn't get the texture right.

Lemon chantilly dessert. We heard the pastry chef is a seminfinalist for a James Beard award so we had to try this. It was fantastic, much better than the dessert we ordered at Mindy's Hot Chocolate (restaurant of last year's pastry chef winner). I really hope B&B succeeds in the award this year as I think that they deserve it.

Birch and Barley

1337 14th St NW

Washington, DC 20005

(202) 567-2576