Maine Magazine

We enjoy magazine photoshoots. We just wrapped one up with Maine Magazine. Perhaps better than the shoot was the visit from Joe Ricchio, the Maine Magazine food editor. Bang up job.

I am looking forward to the April issue.

Thanks.

Cheers,
Ben

The D Word, or Diacetyl Beers

Many of our guests detest Diacetyl beers, or as some affectionately term them "butter beers". Some brewers and breweries seem unable to produce anything but such beers. They know who they are, and one such brewery does well in its Maine home. However, we are less a fan of butter flavors in our beers. It isn't a creaminess, it is that distinct melted butter that has separated and sat stove top for far too long. When it finds its home in an appropriate style, diacetyl qualities can be masked by other aspects of the beer. It can even make a pleasant appearance, in much the same way that forgotten pot of drawn butter can be a perfect compliment to steamers or boiled lobster. Hell, I'd probably pour some on my baked potato. But, on that potato I would probably regret it. The drawn butter would be thin, an oily mess in the making. I will stare at it and wonder why I hadn't just used a pat of creamy butter instead.

This week I tasted through several IPAs. And as I did the underlying Diacetyl qualities of several shone through.

Brooklyn, Blast.
A beautifully constructed double IPA, balanced at 8% with a rich mouthfeel and great set of hops. But, as it lingers on the palate there is a distinct diacetyl flavor. I assume that the Brewmaster knew this was present, that he wanted the butteriness to bridge the malt and hops. I like it, and while I wouldn't session these, I will admit it would probably work great with a steak topped with gorgonzola.

Smuttynose, The Big A
I can remember being a hop head and sessioning this beer. I have changed. I would like to think matured. I still love this brutal double IPA. Massive hops, a maltiness that warms you immediately (or is that the alcohol?). No butter to speak of, this beer is all about an assertion of citric acid. Dark chocolate or grapefruits (pink, ruby even) would be a fine snack. But really, I choose this beer to chew on hops.

Southern Tier, Gemini
Southern Tier Produces another fantastic high abv IPA. This double IPA delivers a lot of hops as well as an easy drinking beer with a staggering 10.5 abv. My experience with The Southern Tier lineup is just that, high gravity beers that drink like much lower alcohol beers. You have to look for the alcohol here, and while looking, you may find a slight butteriness that creeps in behind the malt and immediately before the smack of hops. That said, no complaints. A little butter on this beast does it no disservice.

Cheers,
Ben

Radishes. Pickles.

So the kitchen pickled radishes, and radishes have an intense smell when pickled. Keep in mind the taste is sublime-- but getting them to your mouth triggers the olfactory. Actually, just having pickled radishes in the same room triggers the olfactory reaction. Gavin had some concerns, and rightfully so. The odor is not dissimilar to a diaper. It means that every time we served the pickle, it should be prefaced with an explanation that the reaction between vinegars and the radish create the intense aroma. That conversation doesn't always take place in a busy restaurant. As we were serving them, we didn't think about using analogy; that the daikon pickle is similar to a washed rind cheese. That the off-putting smell belies the sweet, complex deliciousness. It would probably have helped to make sense of the item. That too may have been lost in the busy dining room. The radishes are gone, for now... the weekend cleared them out. But they will fondly be remembered.
Cheers,
Ben

The Black Birch-- Think of us as a speakeasy

A lot of people ask us about signage. We don't have one hung yet. We are in a nondescript, one story government building (it was built in the 60's as a Post Office). We would love to hang our sign, we love the sign we commissioned Spotlight Woodworks to craft for us. We are having The Green Foundry build a pedestal and frame for the massive piece of red oak. And we are working to ensure that we get approval from the town of Kittery for the sign.


In the interim, I have come to accept that we are a hole-in-the-wall, a hard to find gem in Kittery, ME. At some point Gavin and I had joked about the resurgence of speakeasy-style bars in metropolitan areas. We certainly haven't been trying to be trendy... we just didn't exercise the best planning with regard to our business' facade. We will get the sign hung, and we are confident it will be a beautiful marriage of some very talented local artists and laborers. For now, we are poorly marked, have terrible visibility, but believe that for the people fortunate and patient enough to have found us, we offer something unique, wonderful, and comfortable. Thank you,

Ben

The Black Birch & Buoy Gallery

 An opening at Buoy is scheduled for Friday, February 3rd from 7-10pm. The exhibit is as others see you by Suzanne Schireson, a talented artist and lecturer from nearby University of New Hampshire. The paintings and drawings will be hung through the end of the month, and have transformed the space. We hope that everyone we know will take the opportunity to stop by, to see Buoy, to see Suzy's work, and to poke in to the restaurant for a bit of refreshment.

On this exhibits heels will be the ArtPM challenge... a fun, annual event that helps support art and conversation in our community.

Cheers,
Ben

When she sees the princess bed she will just understand that we have to have an open relationship...

It's a long title, to be sure. The sentiment isn't mine. But it is just one of those things that gets said in a restaurant, around a bar, that seems completely without justification. Someone will try. Someone will try to bring rational thought, will attempt to apply it to the thinking that magically conjured that sentence. It is a moment where I truly love my job. And it happens almost daily.

Cheers,

Ben

Menu Changes

We have been talking about menu changes since soon after we opened. That is the nature of The Black Birch. Jake and Skye are always talking about refining each dish, and when they feel they have zeroed in on the plate... well it becomes time to start something new. After the conversations and the speculation, the new menu is taking shape. There is a menu and the new foods are jostling for position in our already crammed walk-in. We've decided on the roll-out date and are quickly approaching the day.

There is always a sense of apprehension. We are novitiates; although we have all been around restaurants we are just learning to crawl at The Black Birch. We have in effect, created a menu to immediately follow up what seems to be a very successful opening menu. Our kitchen is talented, ambitious determined team. They subordinate their egos to our food-- and it shows. The food benefits, our guests benefit. We appreciate it, and we appreciate the kitchen. But it is a new menu. Things change. Some things we love go away. We treasure the memory and patiently await their next visit. Like a loved one who has traveled, moved away and returned, the items may not be the same. They will come back somehow foreign, but still recognizable. Down the road it will be a regular thing, people will come in and see something somewhat familiar, something once loved and never quite forgotten. For now, it is a process of taking away as much as presenting the new. We firmly believe in our kitchen, in the new. We hope that our guests will share in that belief. They will be rewarded, the experience will stay fresh, new. And that faith will keep things feeling familiar. Enjoyable.

Cheers,
Ben