Birches Restaurant

Birches is a dual-purpose neighborhood restaurant. On weekday evenings, it's a drop-by destination for treats from the wood-burning grill--hamburgers and pizza, available with foodie-pleasing toppings like chipotle aioli, roasted shallots, applewood-smoked bacon, and Gruyère. On Friday and Saturday nights, it's a retreat for savvy, grown-up comfort food--wood-grilled steaks and seafood, chicken Benedict, and a dream-come-true steak sandwich. Meal-spanning musts: the cobb salad and the all-fired-up chocolate cake. The space is cozy and the staff is superfriendly, but one caveat: The bill quietly creeps up.