Haulin’ Oats breakfast nook? P.B. Jeebies sandwich shop?

We must face that wordplay and restaurants do not mix.

Except in the case of the newly opened Art and Soul.

The restaurant literally pairs Art (Smith), a James Beard Award winner and former chef to Oprah, with serious soul — Southern-inspired Chesapeake fare.

Hoecakes may sound basic, but not when they’re topped with horseradish and cured salmon or blue crab, braised beef, and Brie. Comfort foods with a twist include pecan-crusted chicken with wassail sauce. Or you can soul search at the bar with scrumptious boiled peanuts.

In the dining room, artwork depicts visionaries like Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, and Churchill.

Folks whose souls, you might say, were works of art in themselves.

Art and Soul, 415 New Jersey Avenue NW, between D and E Streets (202-393-7777 or artandsouldc.com).