Review: Birch & Barley

Last Saturday we went to dinner at Birch & Barley with our friend B*.  All of us were excited to try this new place.  It opened up in the fall of 2009, and it’s been on our list to check out.  I wish we had tried it sooner!  I think it might be one of my top restaurants in DC.

So the next time you’re around Logan Circle, definitely check this place out!

To start out our dinner we began with a Butcher’s Board:

It consisted of fresh and cured charcuterie, fresh bread, mustard and butter.  The start was not only delicious, but it was so beautifully presented.

Next, came the entrees.  The waiter asked if we would like tasting plates so we could share the food amongst ourselves- it was a great idea!

Sam had the roasted loin of lamb with braised lamb belly, fava beans, bulgur wheat and garlic scapes.

I noticed there was a prosciutto wrapped veal strip loin, and I had to have it!  With it there was barley, peas, artichokes and cippolini onions.

Lastly, B* had the honey glazed duck breast leg confit with the gorgeous wild rice, brandied cherries and radishes.

After such a delicious dinner, we just had to try the desserts- they had to be just as good, right?  (and they were!)

Sam got the house-spun sorbets, which included the following flavors: buttermilk, banana, creamsicle, rhubarb and a mix of exotic flavors.

I have a weak spot when it comes to hazelnut, so the ganache had to be mine.  It was topped with the homemade sorbet and shaved chocolate.

Lastly, B* ordered the strawberry shortcake.  It was an olive oil cake, with strawberries, balsamic and whipped mascarpone.

Wasn’t this delicious?!?  I hope you all make a reservation as soon as possible.  And if you’re visiting DC, definitely add this restaurant as part of your visit.

Corn & Zucchini Burritos

I apologize for the lack of posts this weekend.  Sam and I went to Virginia Beach for a short weekend getaway.  Both of us needed a break from the city, and a little beach time!  I used to live in VA Beach, so it also gave us an opportunity to hang out with my friend P* (and her fiancé- J*, and her sister- S*).  We had a fantastic time hanging out with them at a fun new place I  never knew about.

Pacifica is not a big tourist destination, since it’s a little north of the majority of the hotels.  We had a great time, and I’ll keep this tapas restaurant in mind when we go back.  Mainly, what we did over our weekend is lay on the beach.  Both of our bodies needed some sun, and our minds needed some good reading on the beach.  To top off the weekend, traffic between DC and VA Beach wasn’t bad at all- so life is good!

But it’s back to the grind today.  Lucky for us, Independence Day weekend is right around the corner, so I’m sure this week will fly by.  We’re looking forward to trying a new place for dinner this weekend.  It’s been around for way over a year, the Logan Circle place of Birch & Barley, but we haven’t tried  it yet.  And of course, I’m looking forward to some 4th of July fireworks!

I’m not going to lie, we haven’t been doing much cooking lately.  Or rather, the stuff that we have made hasn’t necessarily been looking stellar enough for the blog, or it just didn’t have a taste that we’d want to someone else to replicate.  But we’ll get back into the groove once again, so hopefully I’ll have more frequent posts.

I am leaving you with this great burrito recipe I got from the June issue of Vegetarian Times.  The recipe recommended chayotes, but the grocery store didn’t have any, so a zucchini was the substitution.  In addition, I added a little * next to cilantro.  Please add that to the burritos, they’ll taste significantly better.

Why did I not add cilantro to ours?  Well, apparently someone from Peapod mixed up the cilantro with a parsley variety.  So we got two different kinds of parsley in the last grocery delivery, and I didn’t realize it until I was ready to chop up my “cilantro” to add to the burritos.  Ooops!  I ended up using very little parsley, but it didn’t have the same great taste that the cilantro would have given it.

Corn & Zucchini Burritos
Adapted from: Vegetarian Times  (June 2011)

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 zucchini, cubed
1-2 jalapeños, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup of black beans
1 red pepper, sliced into cubes
juice of 1 lime
2/3 cup Mexican cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3-4 tortillas
*2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Then add the onion, zucchini, jalapeños and garlic; cook them until the onion begins to brown.  Then stir in the corn, black beans and red pepper, cook for another 5 minutes.  Finally, stir in 1/3 of the Mexican cheese, salt and pepper.  Lastly, add the lime juice to the mixture.

Divide the vegetable mixture between the 3-4 tortillas.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the mixture, before rolling the tortilla.

* Cilantro can (should be) sprinkled onto the top of this mixture to bring out the excellent flavors.