Birch — Restaurant in Milwaukee

Edit: 072624 It was a very happy return visit to Birch after a year of remembering our two amazing meals there last July. Has such an unassuming exterior housed such an extraordinary experience? Service was warm and friendly as soon as we walked in. They didn’t blink when we detoured to the bar for cocktails, running past our reservation time for about ten minutes. Once seated at the counter, it was like slipping on comfortable shoes. Friendly but correct service with a degree of formality that never got in the way of the food…and the food! We opted for the tasting menu with the addition of the grilled shrimp that we couldn’t resist after we saw it passing in front of us several times, and it was a wise decision. Don’t miss it! There wasn’t a dud in the entire tasting menu! One thing I must mention. Last year, at our first meal there, I happened to mention how much I loved the focaccia. The next night, they had a large slab of focaccia wrapped up for me to take back on the flight home. This year, as we sat down at the counter, Kyle casually mentioned that, again, they have some focaccia for us to take home! Amazing experience at an amazing restaurant! We can’t wait to return!

072123 & 072223_My wife and I extended our stay in Wisconsin with two nights in Milwaukee after a week in Madison in July 2023. Looking for a place to have dinner, I typed in best restaurant in Milwaukee, and Birch was on the list. I managed to get a very early seating that evening. I didn’t know much about Birch or Kyle before that day, but what we tasted that evening made me get up from our food and hustle over to make another reservation for the next dinner service because we had to eat there again before heading home. The location is pretty unassuming. The service was friendly, but there was a certain amount of tableside formality to it. I must mention this one experience we had as we were leaving after the first meal. The cooks were grilling on the sidewalk because their indoor grill broke down days previous. When I mentioned that I loved the grilled focaccia and I’d love to take some home the next day, they asked when I’d be there, and promised that they’d have some for me to take home. The next evening, sure enough, at the end of the dinner, they had a large focaccia wrapped and tied with string for me to take on the plane. That’s service taken beyond the ordinary. The food…the food was extraordinary. The much overused phrase, “farm to table”, suddenly made sense! Every single component shined through cleanly and precisely. There were many standouts, but if I could have just a couple of dishes again, they would be, Lynn's Cherries | Beets | Cucumber Radishes | Matt's Holy Basil Goat Cheese Dressing and Ricotta Cavatelli | Spring Onion | Apple Mint | Wisconsin Parmesan Cured Pork | Black Pepper maybe one more, Spaghetti Bower's Tomatoes | Candy Cane Peppers | Jerry's Garlic Basil

Simple sounding dishes, but the most amazing ingredients and straightforward cooking made for a great meal. We’ve already made travel plans for the summer, and...

Celebrating our 10th anniversary, we chose a restaurant highly praised by the New York Times, an establishment that's been lauded among the best in the country. While the decor to me veered more towards upscale pizza joint than fine dining, the casual atmosphere surprised me. Adorned for the occasion, I felt somewhat out of place.

Opting for the seasonal tasting menu for two, the wine selection shone, offering extraordinary choices that introduced us to some amazing new wines. Kudos to the person curating that list. However, the food experience left us with mixed feelings. Despite numerous courses, the portions seemed insufficient, leaving my husband surprisingly hungry. "Starving" was his comment and we had to stop for a burger for him on the way home.

As a pescatarian, my tasting menu leaned heavily toward fish, which, though enjoyable, became repetitive very quickly. I got to try a delicious trout that the server so graciously educated me about. I found that very enjoyable because I enjoy learning about new foods or new preparations. That's one of the things I get excited about visiting new restaurants. As an artist, I deeply appreciate food artistry. I find the creativity of chefs amazing.

A variety that included vegetables or a hearty salad or cooked vegetables would have been a welcome addition. While the flavors were undeniably rich and intense, there was a point where it almost felt over the top - like feeling disappointed when the server brought another plate of fish. The half spoonful of potatoes had the most amazing flavor but the onion/leek flavor was strong. Certainly in larger dollop may be overwhelming. Maybe that's the point of a tasting menu is that the flavors are supposed to be strong. Perhaps I'm naive.

In summary, an evening with highlights in wine and flavor but lacking in satisfying portions and variety.

Given that the entire dinner cost us $350, a sum we don't just casually spend every day, the experience took on greater significance as a special occasion we saved for. While we appreciated the intense flavors and excellent wine choices, the lack of generous portions left us desiring more. For such a notable price point, we expected more; we hoped for a balance of quantity and palate-pleasing elements, making the celebration truly...

Tl;Dr food was great, table was too small for a sharing plates deal, and the service from our server was not good. We would not try again.

Starting it needs to be said that the food was really good. All of the dishes ordered were very satisfying and great examples of what Midwest food can be. If this were on food alone it would be at least a 4. But the overall experience was a 2.

The wait for our table was very reasonable they were busy but not wall to wall packed. We were seated by a hostess, after we grabbed a drink at the bar, whom was very nice. We had 4 people in our group total. We started off by letting them know we were splitting everything in groups of two. We got the bread and butter right away it was great, then the Bibb salad which was also great. When it came time to the main dishes we ordered the half chicken and the trout. The half chicken came out first on a massive platter that took up about 65% of the table. We were told that the trout was not far behind. Two of us started eating and clearing the food off of the platter so when the trout came they would have space. There was at least 25min in between when the chicken came and when the trout came. During that time our server came once to tell is the trout was coming soon, we got it about 15min after we were told that. Our server was seemingly barely there. The hostess was more attentive while she was seating other tables. The other two persons that were waiting on the trout were offered a free desert. When it came time to desert they were asked what type of desert they were looking for but not initially given a menu. We (the other two) were not even offered a desert menu initially. It came off as while the other two in our party were going to get a desert the weren't going to be able to pick it. Until we asked for a menu. The entire service by our actual server was handled very poorly. The hostess, busser, and bar staff were great.

Overall our experience was very soured by our server. I do not think we will try this...