B. Smith's

Last date I was here: 12/14/2010

Restaurant: B. Smith’s (http://www.bsmith.com/restaurant_dc_home.php/)

Location: Union Station

Total Rating: 4
Food: 4, Price: 3, Service: 5, Ambience: 5, Accessibility: 4


Summary: B. Smith's features a combination of Cajun, Creole and Southern cuisine. Located in Washington, DC's Historic Union Station, B. Smith's grand Beaux Arts style dining room with its 30-foot ceilings, period chandeliers and turn of the century elegance, has been called one of the most beautiful dining rooms in America. Specialties of the house include Swamp Thing - a mixed seafood dish over southern style greens in a mustard based seafood sauce; Grilled Lamb Chops with mint-flavored au jus; Fried Green Tomatoes and Spicy Cajun Jambalaya. In it's own separate space, the bar at B. Smith's serves as a gathering place for Washington's political movers and shakers, celebrities and people who just want to have a good time. Closest Metro Station is Union Station.

August 2007: Another trial for Restaurant Week, and the southern charm and hospitality thicken the air of B. Smith’s despite its location within the bustling train station. My entire meal was great and I would love to try this spot for brunch someday.


UPDATE: I finally went back to B. Smith's for an office luncheon. The service was pretty good for our large party of 8 and they accommodated the special requests for a black napkin for those that wanted to avoid any white lint on their pants. We enjoyed the complimentary mini corn muffins and biscuits while waiting for our orders to be taken. The lunch menu had a nice selection for everyone to choose from. We ordered a few appetizers for the table to share and they were pretty good. I enjoyed my main entree very much, although there was a mix of feelings amongst my colleagues. The portions were generous and those that ordered catfish or the famous Swamp Thang raved and devoured their meals, while others that ordered soup or the meatloaf were unsatisfied. To quote Julio, "the meat was very thready" and lacked flavor. Due to these notes, I lowered my rating overall. Regardless, the atmosphere of the restaurant within the historic train station lends to a pleasurable dining experience and there are some unique flavor profiles that B.Smith's nails on the head.

What I ate:

Fried Green Tomatoes

with goat cheese and red pepper sauce

Catfish Fingers

served with a lemon pepper tartar sauce

♥Shrimp and Crawfish Ettoufee♥

a spicy and delicious Cajun stew served over saffron rice

Smothered Fried Chicken

with corn bread dressing, baby vegetables, kale, and pearl onion gravy


♥Bourbon St. Bread Pudding♥

brioche with cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, warm caramel crème sauce,
sugar dust, fresh crème and mint