What a treat!?You know Sean Ludwig, he of NYCBBQ and The Smoke Sheet (definitely see it’s new Substack platform).?Sean and Stephanie, his much better half, were in town for an event, and Nancy and I were able to meet...
What a treat!?You know Sean Ludwig, he of NYCBBQ and The Smoke Sheet (definitely see it’s new Substack platform).?Sean and Stephanie, his much better half, were in town for an event, and Nancy and I were able to meet them for brunch at my favorite brunch place in the area, Ruthie’s All Day at 3411 5th Street South in Arlington. Regular readers will recall that Sean and I had eaten there right after overeating at Smokecraft. Ruthie’s also happens to be the only brunch place in the area that serves real, wood-cooked barbecue.?Indeed, on my very first visit, I had to deconstruct a brisket Benedict to get a taste of the brisket without distractions.?Ruthie’s offers an unusual combination of fine dining and down home barbecue.
We all met at Ruthie’s on a Saturday afternoon, and Sean was able to reserve an indoor table where I had failed.?As it turned out, it was a not-too-cold sunny day and the outdoor seating was packed,
as was the indoor seating.
We were greeted promptly and ordered.?We started with some appetizers, their excellent deviled eggs,
their top notch cast iron-cooked cornbread, featured in an earlier post, Harry’s Hushpuppies — the very best I’ve had in the Washington area — with tastes of shrimp and roasted jalapeńos,
and apple doughnuts — or doughnut holes, I suppose, with raspberry jam — that were delicious.
The latter two came unbidden, after we had ordered entrees.?Sean, with the Smoke Sheet’s national Instagram and Substack presence, faces the great danger of being recognized as a blogger.?People often thrust food upon him and those he is with.?I’m more than happy to be able to fly under the radar.?
Stephanie had a virgin Bloody Mary, which she pronounced very good, and the Fried Chicken Cobb Salad, featuring avocado, hard boiled egg, green beans, romaine, cherry tomatoes, smoky blue cheese that even holding on the bacon, was more than she could eat, despite wanting it all.
Nancy ordered a Hearty Grain Salad, a mixture of quinoa, roasted corn, avocado, sunflower seeds, crispy black-eyed peas, lemon, watercress, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes, plus a schmear of hummus. It offered a remarkably coherent range of flavors and textures that pleased Nancy mightily.
Sean went with the brisket Benedict, the same thing I’d ordered on my first visit.?It came with a nice little arugula salad.
Now that’s some pretty brisket.?More important, it’s tender, moist, and has a good smoke/beef flavor and a fine crust.
As I mentioned, my first visit to Ruthie’s was at brunch, when they’d graciously agreed to deconstruct my brisket Benedict, as detailed here.?On subsequent visits I’d focused narrowly on their pork and brisket, so I decided it was time to try one of the dishes from their non-barbecue menu, the fine dining part.?But when push came to order, I went with a bowl of Brunswick Stew and a pork sandwich.
I chose the Brunswick stew because it’s delicious.?Sean and I had some on our earlier visit, and I loved it.?It’s non-traditional in that it leans a bit toward a soup in terms of thickness, and it includes a fine smoked sausage that gives the broth a sensational flavor.?Try it.
I ordered the pork sandwich because I wanted to re-check their pork.?
I named Ruthie’s among the Best Barbecue Places in the Washington Area as well as the 10 Best Barbecue Places in Virginia on the strength of their brisket. On previous visits, the pork also had been very good, but it lacked that touch of tartness that balances the richness of the pork and brings out the full flavor of the smoky meat. This time, a vinegar sauce was available (you have to ask for it) and it not only helped, but knocked the pork clean into the area’s top tier. It was a great sandwich.
We all were full, but there was more.
Let the record reflect that we did share the ice cream and the top cookie.?It would have been impolite not to try it, and besides, it was delicious.?Let the record also reflect that we did not, however, eat the two additional cookies.?Not right away.?
It was joy to see Sean again and to meet Stephanie, and it was a fine, delicious, excessive meal. I now feel freed up to try Ruthie’s wider menu, the fine dining part.?I may get the duck or the branzino or the wood grilled shrimp, perhaps with some grilled oysters or octopus to start.?And I’d like to stop by for breakfast to check out their biscuit sandwiches.? If you haven’t been to Ruthie’s, you really should go.?If you have been, let me know what I should order.
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