Sneak Preview: Birch & Barley and ChurchKey

Update: Both the Birch and Barley and ChurchKey websites are up and running. Not much info on either of them at the moment. Also, the ChurchKey team is maintaining a blog, where you can learn all sorts of useful information about how to properly serve beer. Mmmmm...beer.

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This evening, 14thandyou got a sneak peek at the new beer-centric establishments Birch & Barley and ChurchKey--which we learned will be having a soft opening tomorrow evening.


















So, what's the former Dakota Cowgirl space (located near the interseciton of 14th and Rhode Island) looking like? Well, you're looking at the dining room of first floor bistro "Birch and Barley", whose cuisine is being dubbed "rustic Americana." Hey, whatever--so long as it doesn't involve small plates, it's all good.


















Chef Kyle Bailey, a New York transplant, will be manning the kitchen, while another ex-New Yorker, Tiffany Macisaac, will be serving as pastry chef. One of her creations--Roasted Apple Beignet served with cinnamon chantilly, golden raisin purée and mulled cider sorbet--sounds just about good enough to eat.

Upstairs at ChurchKey, the focus is on the beer. We got to chat for a bit with beer director Greg Engert, who told us in a very excited fashion about the three chilled coolers where the establishment's 50 (!) on-tap brews will reside. There is the super-chilled 42 degree cooler, for lighter beers, a 48 degree cooler for medium-bodied brews, and a 54 degree cooler for the beers Mrs. 14thandyou might describe as "chewy"--a method that is not used by any other DC beer-serving establishments, Engert told us.


















They will offer a pub-style menu as well, but the focus is clearly going to be on the booze--in addition to the aforementioned 50 on-tap beers, ChurchKey will also offer over 500 bottled beers, 5 casks, 60 wines and 40 ciders. Which is good, because there is a very long 55 75' bar from which one can enjoy the libations.


















As if further proof were needed, the beer selection is currently residing in the space that will become the lounge--and as you can see, it took up a lot of it.


















Curious to find out more for yourself? Stop over tomorrow evening for the un-grand opening. The 14thandyous will be unable to make it, but if you get a chance to go please post comments and let us know what you thought.

Birch & Barley, ChurchKey Headed to Logan

Before we head off on a week-long excursion across the pond to the great Roman colony of Londinium, we thought we'd leave with a bit of restaurant news to chew on during our absence.

Remember the new restaurants/bars that were to take the place of the not-yet-forgotten Dakota Cowgirl? Well, although beer-centric establishments "Birch & Barley" and "ChurchKey" are a bit behind on their anticipated openings, we caught up with Neighborhood Restaurant Group (NRG) publicist Amber Pfau last week, who gave us a sneak peek of what's to come at the new beer-themed establishments.














That's executive chef Frank Morales pictured above (left right), alongside beer director Greg Engert (you know a place is serious about their beer when they employ a "beer director"). Morales will head up the kitchen at "beer and wine friendly" Birch & Barley on the ground floor of the former Cowgirl building. According to Pfau, B&B will feature a "modern American menu [that] will pay homage to beer in every way." Morales, who will stay on as executive chef at Alexandria's Rustico, is planning a menu that will feature wood-fired artisanal pizzas, as well as more unique dishes such as "duck confit and Kabocha squash crepes with grilled Mandarin orange and roasted red pepper." Altogether now: Mmmmmmm.

Upstairs, Engert will oversee the selection for beer-heavy "ChurchKey", which will serve over 550 beers representing over 100 styles and 30 countries. 50 beers will be on tap, half of which will be American, and 30 of which will rotate out weekly. ChurchKey will also feature something "five authentic hand pumped cask conditioned ales representing rare English and other international styles." With Engert, who serves in the same capacity at Rustico, beer connoisseurs are clearly in good hands.

NRG owner Michael Babin is also pursuing a rooftop deck for ChurchKey, although details about it--or renderings for the establishments--weren't available at this time.

Oh, as to that all-important opening date? While spring was once a "best case" opening scenario, NRG is now gunning for a summer opening, but are prepared for a fall opening as well--presumably if things don't all proceed according to plan. Regardless, the opening of these two establishments further pushes Logan as a culinary destination in the city.

With that, we're signing off for a week to wander about the streets of London and, hopefully, sample some good English ale. Cheers!