An old mill property sits along the Jones Falls River and railroad tracks; a gravel parking lot surrounds the establishment. Down the street, Taharka Brothers scoops out ice cream and Union Craft Brewing unites water, barley, hops, and yeast. But inside this stone building, diners enjoy octopus carpaccio, artisan pizzas topped with house made cheeses and duck confit, and a beer list that speaks to the restaurant’s name, Birroteca.
A play on the Italian word for a wine repository (enoteca) Birroteca opened in the Fall of 2012 by owner Robbin Haas, named one of Food & Wine’s 10 Best New Chefs in 1994, and chef Cyrus Keefer. In 2013, David Rossi, a former chef at Mount Vernon’s Sotto Sopra, took over Cyrus’ executive chef position. Birroteca is an easy drive from Hopkins and just a 10 minute walk from the Blue Jay Shuttle’s Hampden stop. The restaurant’s menu focuses on good, unpretentious Italian food, but the beer list and artisan pizzas are what have defined its success. The sitting room lends to a more formal atmosphere, but the bar’s seating area is casual and neighborly, aptly reflecting Birroteca’s attitude about food – friendly people making simple, good, and conscientious meals.
At 5 p.m. on a Friday night the place was packed, without a single unreserved or open table for the rest of the night. My friend and I squeezed into the last two seats at the bar. We ordered the Steak Tartar ($12) as an appetizer and the Duck Duck Goose ($17), a wood-fired pizza topped with duck confit, fig-onion jam, balsamic, fontina and asiago cheese, and a duck egg. One of the happy hour draft beers that night was Evolution Craft’s Rise Up Stout, a beer cold steeped with Rise Up Coffee. It was fun to see an Easton coffee company make its way to the tap of one of Baltimore’s best new restaurants. There were also 24 beers on tap and over 20 bottled beers (they even sell growlers!).
The Steak Tartar wasn’t as finely minced as it usually is, but I appreciated how Birroteca’s approach felt heartier and, well, beefier. There was a spoonful too many capers in the tartar, and although the bread served with it was warm, I wanted a crispy crostini to accompany it. Still, what set the plate apart from a normal steak tartar was its salsa verde. Pureed, smooth, and herbaceous, the sauce had an exotic element to it (maybe galangal?) that I couldn’t discern but that gave the dish depth.
The pizza came out topped with a generous amount of duck confit and a sunny side up egg. The crust had just the right amount of chew and the bottom was crisp from the wood-fired oven; however, the egg on top was cooked too long and overall, the pizza leaned on the sweet side. The pizza could benefit from a saltier, stronger cheese. or perhaps a runny yolk would have made it more savory. Although these changes would have put it over the top, we still ate and savored every last crumb.
Haas and Rossie are making simple, classic food with a respectful and innovative approach toward ingredients. I’ll definitely be back (with a reservation this time), if not to try more of their pizzas, to explore the rest of their trattoria style menu.
