Birdsall House
970 Main Street
Peekskill, NY 10566(Map it!)
Attendees: Shelley, Claudine & Jason, Pat, Jeffrey, Syliva
Of all my years in Westchester, I have been to the city of Peekskill only once before. I was 16 and I failed my first driver’s test. So, I had some bad associations with Peekskill.
Would Birdsall house change my opinion of the city? Let’s find out.
Sylvia and I arrived around 12:30 following a relaxing yoga class at YogaWorks in Irvington. It was a good way to prep for what would hopefully be a great meal to come. Our group of six was fortunate enough to get a couple of tables pushed together right next to the front window, so we were able to soak up some sunlight from what was a beautiful spring day. Soon after our arrival we were presented with menus. The menu at Birdsall House is adorable. It’s two sheets of paper attached to a clipboard. Definite points for creative menu presentation.
Points also for the fact that brunch came with a complimentary bloody mary, mimosa, or draft beer. I had some sort of IPA, I don’t remember what, I just asked the waiter what he would recommend and picked the first thing he said. It was on the stronger side. A beer connoisseur I am not.
The brunch menu is divided into a savory side and a sweet side. My eye was drawn to, and I selected, the house-made sausage and egg sandwich, which would come with a variety of yummy ingredients: scrambled egg, breakfast sausage patty, malt vinegar mayo, baby arugula, Adirondack Black Wax cheddar cheese, all served on a whole wheat bun and with a side of French fries. Jeffrey said he was going to order last, and then he had to go and be a copycat and order the same thing as I did. Copycat.
After a wait that was almost a half hour (see Jeff or Pat’s reviews, I’m sure one of them will mention the exact wait time), our food arrived. Birdsall House garners more points for their clean presentation, with the breakfast sandwich placed in one corner of a large white rectangle plate and a generous portion of fries occupying another corner. However, upon closer inspection, I noticed that my crisp white rectangle plate was in fact chipped in not one but two spots. And some of my companion’s plates were chipped also. Hmm, maybe these plates were used in a bar brawl or two? (Don’t let the lazy Sunday afternoon fool you, Birdsall House strikes me as first and foremost a bar.)
But I digress.
My breakfast sandwich looked very appetizing and very hearty. The star of the sandwich was the sausage patty. This was no fast-food sausage patty. Instead, this was a thick, well-spiced, juicy sausage patty that was almost like a small hamburger. The eggs were well cooked (see our recent article in The Journal News and you’ll know all about my love of a well-cooked egg), and that malt vinegar mayo gave the sandwich a nice, creamy extra flavor kick. The cheddar cheese was kind of nonexistent in my opinion; I think most of it melted away. The arugula was arugula. The fries were well cut and well cooked, not to salty. They were more neutral, which allowed them to serve as a canvas for the accompanying dipping sauce.
Now, I have to talk about the dipping sauce. Jeff and I debated a bit about whether it was ketchup or something else. Since I’m usually quick to shoot other people (like Jeff) down, I immediately said it was just ketchup. But a further sampling made me see the error of my ways. It was a bit thinner than ketchup and had a definite undertone of some other flavor. Could have been honey, could have been bbq sauce, could have been tobasco sauce. It wasn’t spicy, but there was some other flavor. Yes, we could have just asked our waiter what it was, but that would have been too simple. We at the WBC like to keep some things a mystery and guess forever.
After breakfast it was time for dessert. I asked the waiter if the only desserts available were the two we had seen on the menu, namely maple bacon ice cream and a sorbet trio. He said yes, and so we all agreed that we had to share some maple bacon ice cream. After placing that request, our waiter returned and informed us that there was one other dessert available this afternoon, and that was a five spice angel food cake. “And what is that?” I asked. Our waiter helpfully informed me that the five spice angel food cake was an angel food cake with…five spices. He wasn’t sure which five spices, maybe there was some cardamom. He was sure that the cake would be served with orange slices and a citrus cream. Sounded good (and you already know that we love a good mystery), so I asked for a slice of that for the table as well, since I wasn’t confident that the bacon ice cream would be enough dessert to sustain the 6 of us.
The bacon ice cream was…well, it was honestly kind of eh. I’m glad I now have bragging rights for trying bacon ice cream (or as much bragging rights as that may give me), but it wasn’t as spectacular as I thought it might be. The ice cream was a maple base, which had a bit of a caramel flavor as well. And the bacon seemed sparse. I only took one spoonful. I did, however, very much enjoy the small waffle that the ice cream was served on top of. I enjoyed the angel food cake with its array of mystery spices. The citrus cream was refreshing and the slices of mandarin oranges made me think I was having something somewhat healthy. But, as Sylvia mentioned, the cake was not worth its steep price. See, since it wasn’t listed on the menu, I didn’t know how much it was going to cost when I ordered it. Had I known, I probably would have passed. It’s not like I can’t just get an angel food cake and some oranges from my local Stop N Shop.
Due to the distance to Peekskill (and the slight emotional sting that still remains), I’m not sure I’ll be returning to Birdsall House in the near future, but it’s not because of the food. My breakfast sandwich was indeed quite enjoyable, as was the complimentary beverage with brunch. For those in upper Westchester, Birdsall House provides a laid-back, more creative brunch experience. Go for the main brunch food, but I’d say it’s not necessary for you to save room for dessert.
At a first glance, Birdsall House didn’t strike me as too special since it has a bar atmosphere.
But then the fun started: Complimentary Bloody Mary, Mimosa, or beer, can’t beat that. Jason had a virgin Bloody Mary, which was garnished nicely and tasted even better. I ordered orange juice but it never came; but to be fair, I never reminded the waiter of it. Waters all round were served in big pint glasses, which was nice so we didn’t have to ask all the time for water. However, our water glasses were neglected by the waitstaff toward the end of the meal when they were getting empty. Jason also had a French press coffee and refills were not included, not even on regular coffee.
I ordered the pecan pancakes, which were absolutely wonderful. Slight crunch on the outside and fluffy in the middle. They were served with two eggs on top, which I had over hard. That was my mistake, since I thought they would have been on
the side not on top of the pancakes. Two slices of bacon were also draped over this mound of food. Jason had the bacon and attested that the bacon was cooked well, with a nice crisp.
Jason ordered the mushroom and goat cheese omelet, which came with potatoes. Most notably the ingredients in the omelet were chunky and the eggs were cooked perfectly, not dried out and not too runny. The potatoes were cooked with onions and had a good spice.
Overall we both liked our breakfast choices and would recommend Birdsall House to a friend. Would be interesting to see how often they change their menu.
What I Had: Corned Beef Hash with Fingerling potatoes, cast-iron fried egg, wilted spinach, crispy bacon, country toast, apple butter, coffee
What It Cost: ~$25
Worth It: Yes for food, no for coffee
The Rating: Food 4.5/5, Value 3/5
The Details: Birdsall House is a bar in Peekskill that offers foodies a free beer with every brunch. And yeah, the food was as good as the description above sounds. I could offer a few minor complaints about the food, namely that there was too much spinach and not enough beef in the hash, and that a poached egg would have been much better than the fried egg they served atop the hash. But those are minor complaints. The problem was the service (the waiter was fine, the food took forever) and more so the outrageously priced coffee, which was two dollars for six ounces of subpar coffee, or $3.50 for a French press coffee that tasted to me like water with coffee grounds in it.
The Bottom Line: Try it. The food’s worth the trip. But bring your own coffee.
Birdsall House is new in a town that is starting to blossom on its own. Located in a small stand alone building, inside there is a nice long bar and blackboards along the tops of the walls that list the 20 or so local and craft beer selections available. An impressive list, with many I recognize from my samplings at craft beer events and tutorials from my beer connoisseur friends.
But we were here for breakfast. Much to my delight, brunch items also come with a complimentary bloody mary, mimosa, or beer. I don’t usually partake in the complimentary mediocre alcoholic accompaniments, but free beer that isn’t the watered down cheap stuff? Sold! I chose the Ommegang Witte, a Belgian White, which was flavorful, but light and refreshing. It was perfect for brunch on a sunny spring day.
The menu consisted of a few traditional items, and a few more contemporary twists. I chose the maple glazed pork belly which was served with bulgur wheat and butternut squash pancakes, apple syrup, peanut brittle, and maple gastrique. I was excited. It all sounded really delicious.
It wasn’t how I imagined it. In short, my dentist is now included in the medical professionals who would not approve of this meal. The pork belly was overcooked with a burned bottom, which made it tough and chewy. (Note: Later that day, I braised my own pork belly for some Pork Buns a la Momofuku, and the same thing happened to me to a lesser extent. Something must have been going around today!). The maple gastrique was very generously poured all over the contents of the plate, which brought the sweetness factor to instant diabetic. The apple syrup seemed pleasantly tame in comparison, but by itself after tasting the maple gastrique, I couldn’t taste it very well. The pancakes were small and mushy, and disappointing. It may have been because of the sensory overload from the maple, but it just didn’t taste like anything, and left an odd aftertaste. The peanut brittle was not even necessary on that dish unless you wanted more sugar to coat your teeth.
I wanted to like this dish, I really did. But the maple mess that was poured onto the plate made it hard to eat. What made it worse was that as the meal started cooling down, that maple stuff hardened, and eating the rest of the meal became super sticky and difficult.
For dessert, I was intrigued by the Maple Bacon Ice Cream. Sweet and savory, my favorite! But I was again disappointed. The ice cream itself was good. Nice and creamy, and not overly sweet. However, every once in a while (for me, after 5 spoonfuls) you get a bit of bacon. It just didn’t work. It just seemed like the bacon accidentally fell in the ice cream while scooping. I would have liked it if the ice cream itself had a bacon flavor to it as opposed to some sparsely sprinkled bits.
The other dessert we had was a 5 Spice Angel Food Cake with a citrus cream and mandarin oranges. That was pretty good. The spices were present, but not overpowering. The cake was light and airy and the cream was too. It was a nice spring time dessert. However, at a whopping $13, it was not worth the steep price tag. Some of the most amazing desserts I’ve ever had didn’t cost $13. This cake was definitely not $13 amazing.
The czar says: Despite the maple mess I tried, I can’t say I won’t ever be back to Birdsall House. There seems to be potential. The chef here seems to do the traditional dishes very well, and this may have just been an experiment gone too far. Maybe he or she just loves maple syrup that much. Also, if you’re going to bill yourself as a purveyor of delicious local pork, don’t mess up the pork belly. It’s hard to rationalize $17 for a meal centered around ruined pork belly. On the other hand, the beer offerings are too hard to pass up. Who says you can’t have a beer with your pancakes?