"Birch feels fine-tuned for restaurant lists like this one, but chef Kyle Knall has come up with something singular and personal, building on his roots in Alabama, time spent cutting his teeth on the line at Gramercy Tavern in New York, and experience starting a spot in New Orleans. Since opening in 2021, Birch has felt rustic, focused, and tight, with a menu heavy on charring, smoking, and wood-firing. Charred beef tartare, chicken under a brick, and Contramar-inspired fish with smoked carrot salsa and house-made tortillas are all apt showstoppers. But the restaurant really asserts its own story and soul through down-home items like garlic focaccia or scorched flatbread with bacon and buttermilk dressing." - Todd Lazarski
