Went here for RW and was pretty disappointed. We had 7:30 reservations and weren't seated until 8:15. We were expecting great things from the food, but were disappointed. The wife's pork was really dry and tough (it required a steak knife to cut), despite the fact that it was wrapped (encassed, really) in bacon. My tempura fish was good, but not great. On a bright note, the wine selection was great and our choice turned out pretty good. I'll chalk up our recent less-than-stellar visit to the craziness of restaurant week, but I was hoping for more from what I always beleived to be one of the city's best restaurants.

Birches to me is the quintessential neighborhood restaurant. They remember you when you go in there, even if it has been a few weeks since your last visit, and they do fun things like having recipe contests that customers can participate in (props to my wife for winning their latest comfort food contest). Also, the food is great; ambitious but not so crazy that you don't want to make it a regular spot. The baby spinach salad is great (topped with a wierd but good Haloumi cheese) as is the wood grilled filet (kind of like a buffalo-wing flavored steak). Can't wait to go back on a Thursday to try burrito night!