Chicago: Birchwood Kitchen

I've been back in the Bay for a day and it still hasn't sunk in yet.  It still feels like I'll be returning to the Chicago in a few weeks.  Maybe this feeling of temporariness won't fade until after I've finished all of my backlogged Chicago posts.  We'll see.

One Sunday after church, EK and I swung by Birchwood for brunch:

It wasn't particularly busy when we arrived, but people started streaming in after we placed our order at the counter and sat down at our table to wait:

EK and I both got a glass of lemonade:

The most disappointing lemonade I've had in a long while.  It tasted like water flavored with lemon.

EK and I split the baked french toast:

And the breakfast sandwich:

The sandwich was made of veggie frittata, cheddar, and bacon between grilled focaccia and came with a side of salad and roasted potatoes.

I really wanted to like Birchwood.  I'd heard so many good things about it and the service was super friendly.  Instead, I was far from impressed.  The sandwich was good, but I was DEFINITELY not a fan of the french toast.  Not only was it rather bland and soggy, the layer of spongy egg really turned me off.  It looked really pretty on the plate though...

Given my experience at Birchwood, it's not high on my breakfast recommendation list.


2211 W North Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 276-2100
http://www.birchwoodkitchen.com/