You know the saying, “you can’t judge a book by its cover”?  Well I’ve never been too good at that.  If the cover of a book is pretty, I am 100% more likely to pick it up and leaf through it.  The same goes for restaurants:  if I like the look of the outside, I’ll probably walk on in.  Now, that’s not to say I don’t love a good hole in the wall, but there is just a certain feel I look for in a bar or restaurant and it usually (at least so far) has worked out for me.

 

All that being said, I found Smith by judging it by its cover.  Smith, with its rustic pub fare, has been around for a while, tucked away on Capitol Hill on 15th Ave E, but I first saw it, driving down 15th with my boyfriend on our way to visit a friend.   It took me almost 6 months to get in there, even though it immediately caught my eye.  When I finally decided to look it up, I was sold —  I had to go.  I knew my mom would be in (we have scarily similar tastes) and once I showed her a picture of their Manhattan there was no question that we had to go.

When we finally made it to Smith, we happened to catch the tail end of their happy hour.  We ordered the radishes, with house-made butter and baguette, and their marinated mixed olives.  Whoa, the butter for the radishes was seriously amazing and crazy good.  Also, we were so impressed with the olives.  Usually, whenever we order olives out, there will be maybe 2 olives per person.  Now, if you love olives as much as I do, that is just not acceptable, but Smith’s $4 happy hour olives came in a bowl, yes a bowl, that we cold not even finish!  Great deal and great variety; perfect to snack on with a with a cocktail in hand.

We passed on the happy hour drinks, opting to try one of their craft cocktails instead.  I started out the Boo Radley; I had to.  First because To Kill a Mockingbird really is one of my favorite books, and second I’m a sucker for interesting bourbon drinks.  I was not disappointed.  The Boo Radley is a blend of bourbon, averna, St. Elizabeth allspice dram (basically an allspice, liqueur, I asked), and orange bitters.  Very similar to a manhattan, but the allspice gives it another dimension: slightly sweeter, and oh so smooth.  It’s hard not to think about the holiday season that’s right around the corner when you catch a whiff of the spicy dram!

 

I next tried their Corpse Reviver, which is a somewhat intimidating name and a good drink that was made with gin, but it pales in comparison to what I got next.  Now, I am a bit of a g&t snob, for no other reason than I love them.  There is nothing quite like a great gin and tonic.  They are so refreshingly smooth, it’s hard to beat.  Since I do love them so much, I rarely ordered them out, opting to make my own (recipe to come soon), because I have so often been disappointed.  But that was not the case at Smith.  At the top of the drink menu, they boost their Housemade tonic on tap, and it is not something to miss!  I even stuck with the Counter gin that is the gin in their basic gin and tonic, and I’m not joking when I say, it was the best gin and tonic I have had out in a very long time.  I don’t know what they put in their tonic water, which makes it slightly pink, but it is addicting!  There was a perfect balance between the tonic and gin, so the gin was not over powering.  I had to order another one, because once I tasted it, there was no turning back!

For dinner, I ordered their Chicken Pot Pie with roasted seasonal vegetables, which I have to say was really good, again being totally spoiled when it comes to chicken pot pies and preferring my mom’s homemade ones.  The presentation was awesome too:  it was served in a small cast iron skillet, which it was baked in.  My parents both ordered the burger, sweet potato fries and regular fries, which was really good too.  We had no complaints and would definitely go back.  Smith’s rustic pub fare is a great twist on classic, homey favorites!

For as good as the food was, I have to say the best surprise of the night was the cocktails.  They were above and beyond what I was expecting.  Smith nailed it; from the drinks to the treats and right down to the detail of their menus.  It was warm, cozy and inviting, and I can’t wait to go back!