Well Fed On the Town

B. Smith’s is the brainchild of former model cum lifestyle guru and businesswoman Barbara Smith, who formed The B. Smith Restaurant Group in May 1998. The restaurant has outposts in Sag Harbor and Times Square as well, and has garnered acclaim for Chef Rahman Harper’s skillful mix of Cajun, Creole and Southern cooking. In the face of the recent trans fat ban in New York City, Harper (also known as “Chef Rock”) switched to canola oil and the menu, which includes grits, fried chicken and other Southern comfort foods, is now largely trans fat free.

Located in DC’s historic Union Station, B. Smith’s dining room (a favored haunt of local “movers and shakers” according to her website) is large, airy and full of light- the website describes it as “grand Beaux Arts” but what simply comes to mind is the Palace at Versailles without the mirrors.There are subdued celebrations going on around us- birthdays, graduations, etc. We sit with our backs to the front of the station, where cabs and Duck Tour buses go by soundlessly, and feel like we’re in another world.

If you’re visiting, B. Smith’s is a great place to have a meal before hopping on Amtrak or a Duck Boat. Weekends at B. Smith’s are a good indicator of what you can find on the menu the rest of the week- a melange of the aforementioned Southern fusion and typical Sunday fare- Saturday is a la cart and Sunday is a buffet ($30).

A word of advice- Just because the menu offers “typical” brunch fare, don’t waste your time, or tastebuds, on “typical” at B. Smith’s. Skip the “Belgium” waffle and the steak and eggs, and indulge in something a little spicier. And if prices for entrees seem intimidating at $17 to $28, be assured you can make a good meal out of one or two appetizers- three if you’re feeling generous enough to share. We weren’t. Also, while there is a preponderance of meat (specifically anything on a pig) and seafood, there are some vegetarian dishes that are worth trying.

The gumbo ($10), lumped in with soups and salads, is an easy meal. I won’t pretend that every Louisiana native will love the taste, but the generous mix of scallops, crawfish and scallops swim in a spicy roux that embodies the zing most of us expect from Cajun cooking. The menu says the dish is based around “an Asian broth” but I didn’t taste “Asian”, so maybe that ambition to be all things falls through here. All in all it’s a successful dish- on its own it’s tasty and enough for a meal, especially when paired with the bread basket of mini corn muffins that come to the table as soon as you sit down. If you can restrain yourself they are a perfect addition to all dishes.

The appetizer section of the menu also boasts decent portions and reasonable prices. We passed on the Catfish Fingers ($9) because they made us think of the kiddie menu at Long John Silver’s, and went right for the Fried Green Tomatoes ($9) - ignoring the mental image of Kathy Bates wrapped in Saran wrap. The tomatoes were baked with creamy ricotta and garnished with red pepper coulis and served right from the pan. They were firm and tasty with a crunchy breaded coating that clung to each bite rather than sliding off in a soggy mess.

The Jambalaya ($11) came next- the combo of tasso, “country ham”, Andouille sausage, bacon, chicken and shrimp served over rice is rich and meaty. The salty tasso serves as a complement to the mild flavor of the chicken and shrimp and the roux had enough spice to make us reach for our water glass before it evaporated off the tongue. The Cajun Red Beans and Rice ($9) with ham hocks, tasso, pulled pork, sausage and bacon, was a little too much pig for even our heartiest taster (funny, but the menu description says nothing about beans, or rice). The Shrimp, Sausage and Cheese Grits ($15) served with a tasso ham gravy is a dish worthy of a repeat visit.

The entrees are a bit of a snooze aside from Chef Rock’s specialty. Dubbed “Swamp Thang” ($25), the dish includes shrimp, scallops and crawfish cooked in Dijon cream and served with “southern style greens.” Personally I can’t get my head around the idea of “a mustard-based seafood sauce,” but it was quite tasty all the same. The scallops were fork tender (a surprising number of establishments like to cook them until they are rubbery) and the greens were slightly crisp and very flavorful. The other entrees are ribs, vegetarian ribs (unfortunately we didn’t have a vegetarian among us to render a verdict), catfish, and a Maryland surf ‘n turf- fried chicken and a crab cake.

The desserts are nondescript aside from the Bourbon Street Bread Pudding ($6?) served with bourbon cream and ice cream on request. The person who ordered it warned us he would not be sharing, however he was betrayed by our server, who plunked down extra spoons for sharing.

Saturday is a la carte, while Sunday’s buffet brunch includes a grit and oatmeal bar and a plethora of Southern treats as well as made to order waffles and omelets and unlimited orange juice, champagne or mimosas for $30 for adults and $15 for kids. B. Smith’s is a great way to start a morning of site seeing or wrap up a business trip.

B. Smith’s
50 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 289-6188
Fax: (202) 289-6199

Reservations recommended.