art and soul

i don't live indcbut have introduced several locals to art and 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 benefitingdccentral kitchen, a collage of local chefs coalesced in the newly opened art and 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 of art and soul’s mixologist, lee bonds. all participants were allowed to exhibit their inner food critic, voting for the best biscuit rendition of the evening.

come for the fried chicken. the "fried chicken for two" (essentially a whole fried chicken, so it easily feeds 3 or more if you order other things too) actually lives up to the hype. i'm not so sure the rest of the menu contains much worth bragging about. the food is pretty good, but nothing we ordered blew us away. also, it's in that unfortunate part ofdcwhere everything feels like a tourist trap, even when it is just a decent restaurant in a nice hotel.

for starters, art and 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 livelydccouple, 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.