“Balance” is a word that comes up often when talking to Peter Smith, chef-owner of PS 7’s, a two-year-old modern American restaurant in the District’s Penn Quarter.
Mr. Smith is not referring to work-life balance or an acrobatic effort, but is speaking in a symbolic, culinary way.
“You have to play the balance,” the 38-year-old chef says. “You have to bring out, enhance and complement flavors. But you can’t overpower.”
Take his red Thai curry mussels: One ingredient is complex and strong; the other is slightly salty but mostly very mild. “Red Thai curry is the coolest flavor. It’s sweet, salty and spicy all at once,” Mr. Smith says. “If you inject just enough coconut milk, it doesn’t overpower the mussels.”
He’s right. The flavor of the broth heats - and completes - the mussels.
Another nicely balanced dish is the wild-mushroom gnocchi. It may not sound like much, but it’s a perfect flavor and texture fusion. “This dish is a nod to Vidalia,” he says, crediting the restaurant where he formerly worked. “You’ve got the earthy part - the chanterelles, the lobster mushroom, the maitake - and the salty prosciutto, the light gnocchi and the watercress.” The cress adds tang and pepper to this not-to-be-missed fall dish.
Both dishes are part of the small-plates portion of the menu. When Mr. Smith opened two years ago, he offered mostly smaller portions, but the reviews were mixed, and he has moved toward more normal-sized entrees.
The menu lists just eight entrees. “The bigger the menu,” Mr. Smith says, “the more convoluted things get. And it gets harder to execute consistently.”
The menu offers a range of cooking traditions and origins, as evidenced by the red Thai curry and the wild-mushroom gnocchi. It still falls under the umbrella of modern American food, which Mr. Smith describes as “an amalgamation of food from different cultures.”
Mr. Smith’s inspiration and early training revolved around Italian food. He says his maternal grandfather, Peter Masi - who is 99 and still loves to cook - is a great cook, and many Sundays while he was growing up were spent cooking and eating.
“You’d cook until you passed out, and then you’d eat until you’d pass out and then you’d cook some more,” says Mr. Smith, who trained at L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg and began his culinary career at age 14.
One of his grandparents’ favored dishes was arancini (fried risotto balls), to which Mr. Smith has added his personal touch. His version, offered in the bar, is made with salami and aged Gouda and is served with roasted garlic and rosemary aioli.
The bar, thankfully, is separated from the delightfully quiet dining room. “We were going for a space that’s not like every other dining room,” Mr. Smith says. “The idea is to leave the day behind you.”
It works. You step into the brown-and-white dining room, and it’s quiet, peaceful and uncluttered, almost spalike. At the bar, the music and conversation are lively, and the best-seller is homemade hot dogs - smoked with cherry wood and served on home-baked buns.
Mr. Smith plans to add to the dining options in the near future by offering a tasting room in the back where up to 16 guests can try five to nine courses and be catered to by Mr. Smith himself.
“I’ll cook ’til you say when, and then I’ll do two more dishes,” he says, sounding as if he wants to replicate the Sunday dinners of his childhood.
The fall menu includes venison and other game offerings, he says. No matter what changes take place, Mr. Smith intends to keep the food preparation as uncluttered as the dining room.
“Food should speak for itself. If there’s too much happening, you lose its essence,” he says. “You never want to overcomplicate.”
Or you might just lose your balance.
RESTAURANT: PS 7’s Restaurant, 777 I St. NW; 202/742-8550
HOURS: Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; dinner 5:30 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday
PRICES: Starters and small plates $9 to $12; entrees $12 to $18 (lunch), $19 to $26 entrees (dinner); desserts $7 to $12
CREDIT CARDS: All major credit cards
PARKING: Limited street parking; $10 valet parking
ACCESS: Wheelchair accessible
METRO: Gallery Place
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