Burch Restaurant
Almond Croissant
Buttermilk Biscuit, Grapefruit-Orange Marmalade, Apple Butter, Local Butter
Baba Bread French Toast, Black Pepper Sabayon, Roasted Strawberries, Pure Maple Syrup
Veal and Pork Kinkhali Dumpling, Chili Threads, Butter
Opened in Uptown around the beginning of 2013 Burch Steak and Pizza Bar seems to suffer from an identity crisis at first glance, the upstairs menu offering Prime Meats, Shellfish and Salads while downstairs take on Wood-fired Pies and Brunch trends more traditional American Fare rooted in French technique.
Owned by 112 Eatery’s Isaac Becker and currently toqued by Executive Chef Ben Pichler, a back entrance off Colfax Avenue at first deceiving as tall windows look out towards Hennepin, it is immediately upon entry to what appears like a former warehouse that guests are greeted by two hostesses, confirmed reservations led to tables in one of two rooms with the first kitchen-facing and second bathed in light.
Popular amongst locals and apparently celebrities as well, Musician Sting arriving but barely recognized around an hour in, it is from a brief menu including no Pizzas and three styles of “Steak and Eggs” that diners are left to choose on Sunday at ten, the fact that Pastries are made on-site a nice touch though the lack of the Dessert table featured at night is unfortunate.
High ceilinged with volume to match, the combination of music and table-talk both notable even with the sizable space less than 1/8 full, it was after perusing choices thrice that an order was crafted, an Almond Croissant and Griddled Biscuit arriving nearly twenty minutes later most certainly worth waiting for as the first was immensely flaky and loaded with unsweetened Almond Butter instead of Frangipane while the golden round featured buttery layers that separated as though laminated and paired well to house Jam and Butter from a nearby farm.
Passing on hot Coffee as the sun had already warmed the room thoroughly, a roomy seat along the window magnifying this effect, it was shortly after Pastry plates were collected that Brunch marched on to Entrees and “a la carte” additions, the Meat Dumpling offered alongside several others at dinner unfortunately compromised by doughy Pasta and only really noteworthy for the Saffron while French Toast made from Custard-wetted Baba fared far better thanks to both the texture and top quality Syrup plus stewed Strawberries and Cream lightly tinged in Black Pepper.
www.burchrestaurant.com
