My blogger brunch at Birch and Barley was love at first bite. The first dish that landed on our table was a pecan roll stuffed with cream cheese and exploding with cinnamon, surrounded by a buttery, sticky cake. I'm not one for sweets, but this was more interesting than typical sugary, sweet pecan rolls. Next came a trio of donuts: lemon poppy seed, chocolate, and cinnamon. The lemon poppy seed donut was sublime and there is no doubt in my mind that the buzz about this particular pastry will become deafening. Mark my words, it will be next year's palak chat or salty oat cookie. It's an original.
Lucky for me my brunch didn't end there. I was attending a blogger tasting and got to taste a handful of complimentary dishes in the company of some lovely blogger friends. Here're a few of my favorites.
The brunch punch was by far the best drink at the table. Tart, but sweet without being sugary, it was the stuff punch bowls are made for. The bloody mary was tasty, but could have used a bit more kick. For my taste buds there is never enough horseradish in the glass.
I only tried a bite of the croque madam, just enough to add it to my future ordering wish list. It was creamy, salty--delicious. Look at that stack.
The sausage on the biscuit sandwich was thick and flavorful, but I wanted the whole thing to be a bit greasier. This is brunch after all. A bit more grease, please.
Olga from Mango and Tomato spoke highly of her corned beef hash with duck eggs.
My dish, a delicate omelet, was filled with gruyere, caramelized onions, and topped with wild mushrooms. I wouldn't change a thing about it, except to add more shrooms. But don't change anything about the hash browns; these crunchy and salty potato cakes are like McDonald's hash browns on steroids. Even better, they actually taste like potatoes. Also worth a nod, but not pictured, the cheesy grits and steel cut oats. Oatmeal? Grits? Yes, please!
Brunch at Birch and Barley just started, and, so far, it's an amazing showing--a real bright spot in a tired brunch scene. The next time I have an entire Sunday free, I'm going to gather up some friends, head over to Birch and Barley, drink copious amounts of punch and feast on lemon poppy seed donuts, then take a long nap.
