Woodberry Kitchen Menu

Woodberry Kitchen Restaurant Review:

Sustainable cuisine --- American food prepared using seasonal, local, preferably organic ingredients --- is the most influential restaurant trend of the early 21st century. Woodberry Kitchen, the creation of chef Spike Gjerde, has an especially intriguing take on the farm-to-table vision, combining equal parts urban moxie and country sweetness. The brick building is the epitome of architectural recycling: a former foundry warehouse, it has been fitted out with a stylish mezzanine and an open kitchen with a brick oven. The clientele are equally chic. Dishes, though, are simplicity itself. The distinction of such seasonal choices as Springfield Farm chicken-and-biscuit or Cape May, New Jersey, dayboat scallops derives from quality products and skillful preparation rather than from creative saucing or spicing. Brunch offerings might range from a cast-iron buttermilk pancake with apples and maple syrup to wood-roasted Shenandoah lamb sausage with fish pepper sauerkraut, wood-roasted beets, peanuts and yogurt. Desserts have included hot milk cake and buttered black walnut tart. Wines are available by the glass and in categories like “Vintage Wines” and “Best of the Season…Chilled Reds.” The restaurant is family-friendly, too, with special selections for kids. Reservations are a must; these are the hottest tables in town.