Washington, D.C.
When Garrett Oliver, brewmaster of the Brooklyn Brewery and author of “The Brewmaster’s Table,” claims a restaurant is the most exciting one he knows of, you tend to remember the name. Oliver’s endorsement, however, is just one reason Birch & Barley, the dining space below legendary beer bar ChurchKey, isn’t likely to remain under the radar. Dishes like truffled fingerling potatoes, a brat burger topped with Emmentaler and beer-braised sauerkraut, and homemade oatmeal cream pies aren’t the type to remain secrets for long. And aside from the food, there are few places on either coast that reliably (and simultaneously) have beers on tap from Denmark, France, Italy, Canada, Japan, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.