We Run For Brunch! (St. Patrick’s Day 8K and Birch & Barley)
Today was race day… and much more importantly brunch day! Ksen made us these fabulous t-shirts so we are feeling like a pretty legit running squad these days:
Despite not having run a whole lot lately (first race since my marathon in October, 2010!) and a possibly less than ideal pre-race dinner (I have to told my tongue on that one until Tuesday, since it was this month’s Daring Cooks challenge), I was pleased with my time. My only goal was to beat my 2009 time in this race, which was 44:22, and I did… by over 4 minutes! Apparently I’m getting faster in my old age: I finished in 40:20, an 8:07 mile.
Now on to the much more anticipated portion of the day: brunch at Birch & Barley. I’ve been wanting to try their brunch for quite some time, but getting a reservation can be a challenge (particularly if you’re like me and prefer to make your brunch plans the morning of). I went with the Boozy Brunch Special: three gourmet donut holes, 2 brunch cocktails, an entree and coffee or tea for $30.
For an entree, Courtney and I split their famous chicken and waffles and the sausage, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. I will assure you that the fried chicken lives up to the hype… it also got the thumbs up from Emilie and Courtney, the two bonafide Southerners at our table! Fried chicken is all about the breading method and they hit the nail on the head: it’s crispy but not dried out, with bits of batter laced between the crevices of very tender chicken breast (if you aren’t drooling, you might not be human). Top it with pure maple syrup and you have a winner. 
As good as as the chicken was, I can honestly say that the sausage, egg and cheese sandwich gave it a run for it’s money for my favorite item on the table. The biscuit made it. Moist, buttery and the crumbly kind, which I much prefer to the flakey kind. All topped with a burger-sized spicy sausage patty, an omelette, and slathered with cheese. 
Mark and Ksen both got the brat burger, which they were not overly impressed by. I had a bite and would have to agree, but not being a sauerkraut lover, it probably wasn’t going to be my style. I did enjoy finishing the fries.
Looking for an economical option or a normal breakfast portion? For $4 you can get this “side”: 2 large duck eggs, 2 delicious hash browns and a mixed green salad.
Take away: Skip the boozy brunch special. The donut holes were just OK, the cocktails were quite underwhelming, and if you look at the prices, you really aren’t getting much of a deal. Next time I’ll skip the special and just stick to their very impressive draught beer menu! Food wise, if I had my way, I’d make a hybrid entree: Maple fried chicken with biscuits! Mmm…
