My
spouse and I ate brunch at Woodward Table in late May 2013. We dined on
a Saturday, and from their website at the time, we could not
definitively determine whether they would be serving brunch or lunch on a
Saturday. It was clear that brunch is served on Sundays, but we were
hoping for the regular weekday lunch menu to be available on Saturday.
We are not big eggs and pancakes eaters, preferring lunchtime food
instead; however, there were plenty of non-breakfast items on the menu.
(The website now clearly states that they serve brunch on both weekend
days.) The restaurant participates in the Open Table reservation system,
and that is how we made our reservation (although it was not very busy
at the time that we dined, and reservations did not seem necessary).
The
restaurant location is just a block from the White House, and the space
is large, with outdoor seating and indoor seating in several different
areas, as well as some more private areas for quieter dining. The
kitchen area, which is open so that you can watch the chefs go work,
features a large wood-burning oven. A portion of the building is
dedicated to take-out food, if you are looking for something much more
casual to take away.
We shared a few menu items: a house-made
charcuterie board (with various sliced meats, pates, and terrines), and a
wild mushroom and spinach flatbread pizza as appetizers, followed by
shrimp (and cheesy grits) and fried chicken (accompanied by mashed
potatoes, chicken gravy, and collard greens) as our entrees, followed by
a pear tart with blue cheese ice cream for dessert. Some items were
hits (like the delicious and varied house-made pates and terrines and
the unusual blue cheese ice cream), and others were just good. We
ordered the fried chicken primarily because we had received an email
from the restaurant. Prior to dining, we signed up for their mailing
list) telling us that the fried chicken was now available at lunchtime
and that it often sells out. It was a tasty dish (especially the sides),
but not particularly unique. At brunch time, the restaurant offers
“bottomless” bloody marys and mimosas for $15 per person, although the
bloody marys were somewhat weak (but nicely garnished with a pearl onion
and a large olive). The cuisine features comfort food, some of which
has a Southern twist.
We read about Woodward Table in Food
& Wine magazine. It is part of a group of restaurants owned by
Jeffrey Buben, including Bistro Bis and Vidalia. We were pleased enough
with our meal that we would like to try another restaurant from their
group of three the next time that we are in town.