Most people know Smucker Farms as a go-to stop on 14th Street for fresh meats, dairy, produce, and foodstuffs from
owner
Eric Smucker’s home of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The shop still specializes in Amish and artisanal
producers, but has also expanded its inventory to include local Washington brands
such as Gordy’s Pickles, Capital Kombucha, Soupergirl,
and others. The next step: an impressive selection of wines and beers, and eventually
quick-grab trays of sushi and sashimi from Kushi.
Stop in most any day of the week, and you’ll find a gratis wine-tasting underway in
the back room, often accompanied by samples of Pennsylvania cheeses or local charcuterie.
(Cured DC offers samples of duck prosciutto and salami this Saturday.) Smucker broadened
his sourcing territory for vino, focusing on French varietals from Ansonia wines,
a number of old-world producers from Italy, Spain, and Portugal, as well as a few
California vineyards. There’s also a Pennsylvania representative: J. Maki Winery,
an award-winning sustainable producer most known for exceptional sparkling wine.
While
the selection is fairly large, prices run moderate, with most bottles clocking in
around $13 and few above $30. Beers are still on hold until as early as Friday or
late as Monday, when refrigeration cases arrive; those will eventually be stocked
with 40-some mid-Atlantic brews. The usual local suspects will be available (think
Port City, DuClaw, DC Brau) as well as beers from craft breweries further north. Possibly
the most interesting aspect for beer nerds: brews that aren’t distributed in the District,
but that Smucker picks up in a truck and drives down to the store under DC’s loophole
law that (legally) allows self-importing. Harder-to-find varieties include those from
Roy Pitz Brewing Company, Saint Boniface Craft Brewing Company, and Allentown Brew
Works, all out of Pennsylvania.
While you’ll currently find items like Lost Dog Cafe sandwiches and plenty of cook-at-home ingredients to pair with your booze, Smucker
is teaming up with Kushi—the owners are also behind Black Whiskey down 14th Street—for a selection of quick-grab meals. While the menu isn’t finalized,
look for sushi, sashimi, and rolls in the coming month.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
