Thursday, October 22, 2009

The Long Awaited Birch & Barley and ChurchKey Open Today in Logan Circle

ChurchKeyNeighborhood Restaurant Group announced today the opening of the beer-centric destinations, Birch & Barley and ChurchKey, both located at 1337 14th Street, NW in the Logan Circle neighborhood of Washington, DC. These two openings mark the first foray into the District for the Virginia-based NRG, which operates Buzz, EatBar, Evening Star Café, Planet Wine, Rustico, Star Catering, Tallula, Vermilion and Columbia Firehouse, all located in Northern Virginia.

The ground floor of this two-story building houses Birch & Barley, an 80-seat, beer forward and wine friendly restaurant headed by Executive Chef Kyle Bailey. The pastry program is headed by Tiffany MacIsaac, who also came to Birch & Barley from Allen & Delancey, where she created imaginative desserts and was responsible for the in-house bread program at the award-winning restaurant.

Upstairs, thirsty city dwellers can enjoy a new kind of beer haven at the 3,250 square-foot ChurchKey. Governed by Beer Director Greg Engert, who serves in the same position at NRG’s other beer-centric restaurant, Rustico, the bar serves 555 different beers, including 500 bottles representing 100 styles and 30 countries. 50 drafts are available, all of which are unique, many of which are rare and exclusive, and half of which will rotate weekly.

15 different types of beer vessels have been purchased in order to utilize the appropriate glassware for each style of beer. Engert is careful to note that all beer is stored and served according to brewers’ specifications, thanks to a five-zone temperature control system employed at ChurchKey.

With 130 seats, ChurchKey also offers its own menu, featuring artisanal pizzas and flatbreads, fresh from the wood-burning pizza oven, along with Foie tots and Panini filled with prawns, housemade soft chorizo and Manchego-paprika aioli – foods that highlight and accentuate the extensive beer program.

Birch & Barley and ChurchKey are located at 1337 14th St, NW, near the McPherson Square metro stop on the Red line. For reservations and more information please call 202-567-2576 or visit the websites at www.birchandbarley.com and www.churchkeydc.com.

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