photo courtesy of Senart's Oyster & Chop House
I have to be honest: when I first heard about Senart’s Oyster & Chop House, I was a bit skeptical. Since Molly Malone’s, Lola’s and Chesapeake Room all look so similar, I was expecting the identical look and menu at Xavier Cervera’s newest restaurant. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in and even more so when my food came.
The inside, while it is narrow and accented with plenty of dark wood, feels bright and classic. The very long bar is topped with a beautiful slab of marble, and the walls are covered in old photographs of DC, which is appropriate for a restaurant resurrected after more than 70 years. This same building was an oyster house from 1913 to 1939, run by the Senart family, who lived in a one-bedroom apartment on the 2nd floor. Yes, the lovely restored mural on the side of the building was there from the days of the original restaurant. Cervera used the old restaurant as inspiration for his newest venture and secured Brian Klein, formerly of Brasserie Beck, to be the head chef.
I’ve been to Senart’s twice now — once for dinner and once for lunch. As expected on a Wednesday night, there was a long wait for a table at dinner time. Thankfully, we quickly lucked out and into two seats at the bar, which worked out quite well since it gave us a great view of the shucking of the oysters. At lunchtime on a Friday, we had better luck getting one of the few tables in the dining area, which is tucked behind the long and narrow bar.
On my first visit, I ordered the baked oysters with paddlefish caviar, gruyère, spinach and bacon. Yes, that sounds like a lot of strong flavors but they were some of the tastiest bits of goodness I could ever imagine: I have been craving them ever since that night. I also ordered the Maine lobster roll sliders, which didn’t wow me as much as the oysters; but I know several other people who have had them and gave them good reviews. My friend ordered the braised boneless beef ribs with haricots verts and wild mushrooms, and carrot purée. It was definitely tasty– I almost didn’t get a taste before he finished it.
When I returned for lunch, I was devastated to discover that the tasty baked oysters are only offered on the dinner menu. I reluctantly agree that it was for the better, as I wouldn’t have thought to try some new items on my return visit. Without my favorite dish as an option, I ordered the Cayman snapping turtle soup with aged sherry wine as an appetizer and the sliced blackened prime rib sandwich with caramelized onions, cheddar cheese, tomato and dijon mayonnaise for my main course. Both were excellent. So excellent, in fact, that I had no interest in trying my friend’s burger, which he said was very good. Sometimes you just get too wrapped up in a delicious dish to remember to taste anything else.
A few of the other items on the menu I am eager to go back and try include just about anything from the raw bar and butcher’s block, the seafood lasagna, and the wild mushroom and goat cheese tart.
If you really like oysters and want to eat them by the dozens, the best times for you to go are 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm and 11:00 pm to 1:00 am. That’s when you can get a half dozen for $9 or a full dozen for $16. During those times you can also get poached lobster for $12, a “seafood feast” for $42, or cherry stone clams for $10 a dozen.
And since I know a number of you enjoy an adult beverage during your evening out, let’s cover their cocktail menu. While you’re waiting for a table you can enjoy one of my favorites — the Dark and Stormy — or opt for a classic Old Fashioned, a Moscow Mule or a Pimms Cup. Or you can get adventurous and go with one of the specialty cocktails. The Hill Hurricane is light rum, dark rum, cranberry juice, orange juice, lime juice, simple syrup and grenadine, garnished with an orange and cherry. Sweet, for sure, but pretty tasty! Or how about a Hair of the Dog Oyster Shooter with house-infused horseradish vodka, a dash Bloody Mary mix and a seasonal oyster? The Phil on the Hill consists of a muddled cucumber and lemon, simple syrup, Bombay Sapphire and splash of soda. The Blushing Oyster is champagne, house-infused vanilla vodka, Chambord, and a dash fresh lime juice with a lemon twist.
And let’s not forget brunch! Senart’s will be serving the brunch crowds on Saturday and Sundays, offering various omelets, lemon ricotta pancakes, a surf and turf breakfast, smoked salmon, grits, several sandwiches, and much more.
Senart’s Oyster & Chop House is located at 520 Eighth Street. SE.
I wish I could rave about this place, but the table we were given wasn’t the best. It ended up taking away from our meal.
We were seated at the table right next to the host stand. No problem, I don’t mind being close to the action, and I really didn’t notice the activity at the host stand during dinner because of our lively conversation. What wasn’t pleasant was that there is an AC vent right above the table that blows directly down on the table. Translation: Our food was essentially being force cooled while we ate. To Senart’s credit, a manager came over and looked up at the vent, must’ve noticed the not-so-happy looks on our faces, and had it shut off. Alas, a few minutes of extreme AC blowing on our food, and the food was less than room temperature before we were 1/3 of the way into our entrees.
As for the food, it’s lacking a little. My short rib wasn’t that flavorful, but it was tender. The carrot puree seemed watered down and other vegetables that came with it were lacking any real depth in flavor. It’s like they forgot the salt and pepper in the cooking process, and the use of salt is really the main gripe here. My girlfriend’s fish had too much salt, and my dish didn’t have enough. The classic turtle soup is amazing, however, and pouring the soup into a bowl full of garnish tableside is a nice touch.
All in all, we will give them another chance, so we can try other things on the menu. We just won’t accept the same table as long as that vent is right above it. 🙂
The AC was a bit too cold the day I was there for lunch. Definitely give it another try though! Did you mention anything to the staff about your food being too cold? I get the impression that they are eager to get feedback such as that.
I must have tried them on an off day because the turtle soup didn’t taste like anything. Zero flavor with tiny bits of gristle at the bottom that I assume was turtle.
The steak tartare, however, was excellent. Properly diced and not pureed into a paste, with a nice poached quails egg on top. And a generous portion, too. The oysters can be hit or miss; the bluepoints were nice and briny, the Virginias were really small. And the shuckers need to work on their game; LOTS of bits of shattered shell and grit in the oysters.
Ah, so this is why there are no more comments…too much effort required now 🙁
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Whoops I’ve been meaning to post here. I was an initial skeptic, but I have to say my recent steak meal was excellent. I still don’t get why all his places look the same..but the food was A-OK the time I visited.
My cat has pooped, bled, and spat in that building more times than you will ever eat there.
The first time I went there, we were joking that the cat would have liked visiting the current version of the locale a lot more than its previous incarnation.
The first time I went there, we were joking that the cat would have liked visiting the current version of the locale a lot more than its previous incarnation.
This post has made me ravenous. I love the history of the place and how it connects with the neighborhood. I recently found a treasure trove oyster shells buried in my back yard. That baked oyster dish sounds amazing — I can’t wait to try it!