Jamie Leeds, the chef behind one of my favorite places to eat in Washington, Hank's Oyster Bar, has ventured into something entirely different: a British-style gastropub in Columbia Heights named CommonWealth. I tried it out a couple of weeks ago, and it was a big success, even though we had two British customers among our group eager to pounce on anything inauthentic (see, e.g., tofu shepherd's pie) (I didn't make that up).
One advantage to going to a new place with a big group is the ability to try lots of things. Among the hits were the Scotch eggs (hard-cooked eggs coated in sausage and bread crumbs and fried (I didn't make that up either), a staple of Contessa's brunch repertoire), bangers and mash (sausages and potatoes), fish and chips, frog in a puff (which turned out to be lamb (I think) sausage in a roll, pigs-in-a-blanket-like, which my Brit friends had never heard of, unless it's just another name for toad in the hole), and the sticky toffee pudding. I liked the Yorkshire pudding, essentially pastry covered with gravy, because it reminded me of when we'd have pot roast leftovers and my mother would serve it over toast with gravy, and I'd skip the pot roast. Though most of the food is, as you can see, quite artery-clogging, some lighter menu options are also available, including several salads and a starter of crab salad on toast that was very good, as you'd expect from a chef known for her seafood.
CommonWealth is located on Irving Street just off 14th, near the Columbia Heights Metro station and the new Target store. Although it includes a couple of communal tables, leather banquettes, and Coleman's mustard, malt vinegar, and piccalilly on the tables, the atmosphere is less pub-like than I'd expected. One side is all windows, and the decor includes cinder block walls, a beautiful copper-topped bar, and black and white renditions of the Union Jack. Outside is a spacious patio with picnic tables. The beer menu includes both "U.K." offerings (including Guinness, Smithwick's, and Harp -- discuss among yourselves), and U.S. offerings from the states that call themselves commonwealths (though counting Michelob as a Virginia beer seems to be pushing it, even if they have a brewery in that commonwealth).
CommonWealth's website is still a work in progress, but includes a PDF of its full menu and a link to opentable for reservations. The Washingtonian offers an early look (with menus, in case you can't read the blurry writing above or on the website).
CommonWealth
1400 Irving Street, NW
Washington, DC 20010
(202) 265-1400
I'd just like to point out that my scotch eggs are baked, not fried. Cut in quarters lengthwise, they're pretty and only a moderate indulgence, if you pace yourself.
Posted by: contessa | August 22, 2008 at 03:49 PM