art and soul

considering thatartand soul was a more-or-less random destination for us picked for convenience, i was pleasantly surprised at how good the cocktails and food were, and i’d be happy to come back and give them a try for dinner, or to sit outside on their pleasant patio. it’s definitely one of the gems for the union station area.

this place does not scream hamburger. it’s a fancier looking place attached to the lobby of the liaison capital hill hotel. but it does show up on a thrillist list of underrated burgers in d.c., and is co-owned by chefartsmith  (who can be seen frequently on the food network)! it is located very close to the capital building and is apparently known for its fried chicken, which is what we’d expect fromartsmith. the burger normally comes with onions, pimento cheese, aioli, and bbq sauce. but bec

i don't live in dc but have introduced several locals toartand soul, they are now dedicated diners there. everything is exquisite down to the french fries. i revel in introducing people to this restaurant and watching their eyes roll back and groan from happiness about everything from the burger to the chicken thighs or the fried chicken.

in an event benefiting dc central kitchen, a collage of local chefs coalesced in the newly openedartand soul on new jersey avenue for a bread battle of buttery proportions. being the resident southerner at dcfüd, a purveyor of carbohydrates and a vapid believer in healthy competition, biscuit bash 2016 called to myself and many district dwellers for an array of biscuit-based noshes alongside local brews and craft cocktails courtesy ofartand soul’s mixologist, lee bonds. all participants were allowed to exhibit their inner food critic, voting for the best biscuit rendition of the evening.

those who know me well know i love a dinner party. i truly enjoy having a table full of strangers exchanging stories and experiences. last saturday, my friend k and i had the opportunity to attend a saturday supper atartand soul restaurant. for starters,artand soul is one of my favorite restaurants in dc. it has a special place in my heart as it was the place the dutchman and i dined the night we got engaged. it also has a special place in my heart due to the amazing can baked cornbread served.

for starters,artand soul is one of my favorite restaurants in dc. it has a special place in my heart as it was the place the dutchman and i dined the night we got engaged. it also has a special place in my heart due to the amazing can baked cornbread served. hush puppies  we sat on a long table at the patio of the restaurant as we prepared to share our meal. the patio lights give it a whimsical feel, in the distance you can see the rotunda of the us capitol building. as the smoke of the bbq infused the warm air, we got to know our neighbors at the table: a family from northern virginia, a lively dc couple, a real estate developer, and a usaid veteran. we enjoyed the diversity of age, race, and professions.  we sampled the first course of pork rinds, deviled eggs with crispy ham and ground mustard, and hush puppies as we traded stories of food and travel.  

on the ground floor of the swanky liaison hotel sitsartand soul.  the restaurant is owned by fsu alumnus, and hamilton county nativeartsmith.  from our perch on the 7 th floor the location was perfect and we invited our friends, and recent transplants to dc, michael and tanya to join us for dinner. after making us presentable we made the short elevator ride down to the lobby. artand soul flows into the bar and entryway of the liaison and allowed people to move freely between all three areas.  upon giving our name to the friendly hostess we were seated.  the restaurant was sleek and modern with touches of southern shabby sheik.  polished metal, clean lines, and modern lighting were mixed with chalk boards, touille printed drapery, and my favorite element, a wall covered entirely in dry beans. our waitress appeared with menus and immediately noticed our fidgeting kids.  crayons were produced and she offered to put their meals in right away to give them something to occupy their tim

art and soul resturant in dc. very nice looking restaurant but the food was not my wife had the fried chicken that was under cooked pink on the inside the greens taste like lemon juice and the mac and cheese was a mess not good at all i've only been there one time and i'm telling you i wont be going back a second time!!! i was so disappointed with my self for choosing to go there on our date night there was noartand that is by no means soul food........

arriving early toartand soul restaurant’s (http://www.artandsouldc.com) pig and oyster roast tasting, my evening began at their bar with a generously poured glass of merlot (only 7 dollars during their happy hour). the interior ofartand soul was decorated with an aesthetically delectable assortment of taupe and gray with accents of chocolate brown.

art and soul-less. i triedartand soul for the first time. service was bare bones, the table was a cheap laminate, the food, well, how can you mess up a blt? we placed our order and we were served in under five minutes. so how long was the bacon on the back burner? fries, luke warm. close to work but i think i'll travel outside the box for my next blt.

doesn't feel like a hotel restaurant. we were staying at a different hotel in the area, and decided to tryartand soul for dinner. entering the restaurant from the street, i would never have known that it was attached to a hotel. the decor is upscale, comfortable casual. the staff were friendly, courteous and attentive to our needs. the food was absolutely delicious, and deceptively filling. i highly recommend this restaurant.

recently we visitedartand soul to catch up with our fellow food bloggers and instantly fell in love with the outdoor patio. complete with a bar and fire pit, the outdoor space offers plenty of room to rub elbows or to just lounge. the patio and the new "5:01 session" inspired our happy monday posts this week. the 5:01 session is an after-work happy hour that features the restaurants newest small bites and the 7:10 pairing menu with seven options for $10 each. the 7:10 pairing menu is a collaboration of f

great restaurant on capitol hill. we were staying at the hyatt on capitol hill and looking for somewhere local to grab dinner. we sawartand soul the night before on our way to somoma, and thought it looked like a place worth a try. we walked in the following evening (no reservations) and had a couple of excellent drinks at the bar before being seated. the menu was very approachable - everything looked amazing - and we were not disappointed. though full, we could not turn away desert. we frequently travel to chicago and were pleased to find chef smith's other restaurant, table fifty-two - which did not disappoint! this is a great place for dinner if you are anywhere near the capitol.

chefartsmith , former personal chef to oprah and proprietor of table fifty-two in chicago, has been wowing dcers left and right sinceart& soul opened about two years ago. i had no idea how close it was to union station--it's a little hidden, connected

delightful soul food.artsmith has clearly missed out on the minimalist deconstruction trend in food today. instead,artand soul focuses on hearty but haute soul food.

the shrimp and grits appetizer is simply better than other renditions around the area that serve as full meals. i include georgia brown's and the carlyle in this statement. the grits are extra creamy with a dollop of cheddar. the shrimp themselves are enormous and impaled on a long piece of sugarcane. amazingly, the shrimp were perfectly cooked, something that is extraordinarily difficult when they are as large as these. on top of it all was a lovely oilve oil and basil aoili and the "chow-chow" which was a warm salad of sorts. an amazing starter.

i ordered the blackened scallops for a main course as my wife went for the salmon. the scallops again came perfectly cooked, not rubbery in the least. 4 of them perched nicely upon a magical concoction of mashed potatoes and blanched collard greens, all covered in a tangy and wonderful red eye gravy. little pieces of bacon hid throughout the dish as well, provide nice little surprises.

while i'm not a huge fan of salmon, i was a huge fan of the fennel peppercorn sauce that came with it, one of the best sauces i've tasted this year. the salad of fruit and vegetables in a ratatouille form provided a bed for a well cooked piece of fish.

dessert was decadent, not always in a good way. the bread pudding with blackberry compote was a perfect bite to end with. on the other hand, the caramel brownie bar was terrifying. made of pure dark chocolate, it was topped with dark chocolate fudge and layered with gooey caramel. almost like a cruel joke, a delicate scoop of vanilla ice cream was laying next to it. it was far too rich. it should have been half the size with twice the ice cream. after one bite they could have sold me coffee for 40 bucks and i wouldn't have blinked.

service was iffy in places, but the restaurant was busy and the servers seemed overworked.

overall though, the food was really quite spectacular.