August 7, 2008
First Look: CommonWealth
CommonWealth, the new British gastropub from Chef Jamie Leeds, officially opened last night. DCist got a sneak peek on Friends and Family Night on Monday.
The menu covers a lot of ground, from traditional bar snacks like Scotch eggs to workmen's pastries and pies to fish 'n' chips, Welsh rarebit and mushy peas. Feel free to apply gratuitous amounts of the piccalilli - a relish of pickled cauliflower and carrots - to cut through the richness of the cuisine; a bottle is available on every table.
Piccalilli along with malt vinegar is available on every table. There are also house-made pickled beets and cucumber. (Jamie R. Liu)
Charcuterie goes head to tail with house-made headcheese and black pudding, pigs' trotters and sweetbreads. The desserts are the British treats of dentists' nightmares - sticky toffee pudding and treacle tarts. Also worth noting is the beer list that includes two cask-conditioned ales - one Victory and a rotating international brew, drafts available in half-pints, and flights. The bar manager, John, mentioned there are still a number of different beers trickling in from abroad, as well as both casks.
According to Leeds, CommonWealth will be starting brunch service in a few weeks. There is already an English breakfast on the menu, so you can expect to see more of the same at brunch.
CommonWealth is open for limited hours on weekdays for about one month. It will be closed on Mondays, and open Tuesday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to midnight. When the restaurant is up and running at full speed later in September, the hours should switch to 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. every weekday.
CommonWealth
1400 Irving St. NW
202-265-1400
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Scotch eggs! I've been dying to try those ever since I saw the UK Office!
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uh, the english breakfast link is a bit troublesome..
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I'd like to try the food and the bottled beer list is really intriguing. But the draft list is uninspiring and expensive + they mistyped Newcastle (NewCastle). You ask for the wrath of the Anglo-snob and you shall receive!
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You had me at "headcheese" or "brawn" as the English call it. I'm all over that like brown on dookie. They can guarantee an onslaught of suburban Anglophiles at this joint.
Any chance they'd cook up some Lancashire hotpot?
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Yeah, html error there, should be fixed now.
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It sounds intriguing and I'm excited to finally have a region-wide destination restaurant in Columbia Heights. That said, considering the heavy, meat-laden cuisine, I wouldn't be surprised if diners don't regularly keel over with heart attacks on the spot. They should have portable defibrillators in the dining room!
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Filtered water? Jebus Cripes people? How authentic is that. In London we drink straight out of the Thames. Filtered water my pasty white ass.
Next thing you'll tell me that they actually CLEAN the utensils.
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Ewww... is there any odd part of the animal their not serving? It's like they got to the roadkill site too late to grab anything but internal organs.
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sorry, but this place looks nothing like an English pub. This really seems like a poor attempt to make people think they are getting an authentic experience when they are very far from it. Something a little cozier and a little less diner like would do a lot better. Do I even need to point out that their only cider is Strongbow?
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I'd suggest losing the Guinness (which you can practically get anywhere outside an AA meeting) and go with Beamish, a much tastier stout IMHO.
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Intriguing.
I just wonder how much the Guiness corporation would like having its beer categorized under "U.K. Drafts".
And if the restaurant is lucky enough to still be around in a few years, then perhaps Belhaven will have a chance to be similarly offended.
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Checked it out last night. Wasn't sure what to expect, but really enjoyed myself. The place was a mob scene, but I was able to sit at the bar for a couple of hours and try out a few things. Had the fish and chips and all the cheese offerings along with a couple of beers. I'm a sucker for stinky cheese--yum!
The one bartender suggested that the Welsh Rarebit would be the perfect hangover food once they started serving brunch, so the two dudes sitting next to me ordered it and generously shared it with me. Very good. Really, melted cheese is the perfect food.
Overall, the performance was good despite being slammed on the first day. Service was quick and the bartenders were cool. My only problem is that I will have to temper my urges to go there, otherwise I'll go broke.
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Anybody know if they'll show English football/soccer matches?
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meh, no Brains
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Re: Football. The bartenders said yes, once they get the tv's installed.
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Re: Football. The bartenders said yes, once they get the tv's installed.
If they're opening at 11 on weekends, they won't be showing too much. Sunday roast with the 11am Sunday match would be nice. Die-hards will have to stick with Fado, Summers, etc.
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Went last night - good crowd, predictable delays in service, and the food was...well, OK. Without getting too much into the food itself, I have a hard time with the entire concept of "gastropubs", especially when this establishment seems to not know whether it is a bar or a restaurant. I know, I know...it's supposed to be a bit of both, but my main impression was of a extremely noisy and crowded restaurant, populated by too-casually-dressed people eating things better consumed in more genteel settings. Call me old-fashioned.
As to the beverages, they were short about 30-40% of their beers, I suppose because they were still working out the kinks. We ordered two Newcastle drafts and got bottles, which would have been fine if the waiter had told us about it beforehand. And, kev29, as to the "Newcastle" spelling, please see the following: http://www.newcastlebrownale.co.uk/. City name is spelled without the capital C, as well - sorry!
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gylippus- It's not an attempt on an English pub, since it is a gastropub. They tend to be on the cleaner, less dank side with more focus on food than on boozing with bar snackage.
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And, kev29, as to the "Newcastle" spelling, please see the following: http://www.newcastlebrownale.co.uk/. City name is spelled without the capital C, as well - sorry!
Indeed - was pointing out that the menu in the CommonWealth window uses the incorrect capital "C". All UK references to Newcastle - no space or capital C. All references to the Delaware town, capital and space away! Sorry, just a nerdy pet peeve, usually misspelled in the US.
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yobigc: I think that is what kev was saying.
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Scotch Eggs are the dog's bollocks.
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Also, Michelob Light and Bud were listed on their menu as being from VA. Maybe a snarky "Commonwealth of VA" thing, but Anheuser-Busch (makers of both beers) doesn't have a brewery in VA. I HATE menu typos...what gives?
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Looks good but...a little heavy for 90 degrees with 110% humidity, don't you think? I'll check it out in September...
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My bad, kev29 et al - see my later post about Michelob and Bud...
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My bad, kev29 et al - see my later post about Michelob and Bud...
Shirley they should now be listed as being from Belgium/Brazil!
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Anheuser-Busch (makers of both beers) doesn't have a brewery in VA. I HATE menu typos...what gives?
Umm, the folks in Williamsburg will be surprised to hear that the giant Anheuser-Busch brewery right next to Busch Gardens isn't in Virginia.
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I was just going to comment on that, whitman22. You're batting a thousand here, yobigc. (although I would probably still agree with you that I wouldn't classify Bud as a "virginia" beer, despite the williamsburg brewery.)
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$16 for fish and chips? WTF over?
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Wow - tough to type with my foot in my mouth. Again, my apologies for my over-eager postings.
Still, I will never associate A/B with anything outside of St. Louis, just like I'll never think of Miller Lite coming from anywhere other than Milwaukee (even though they have a brewery in the Shenandoah Valley). I can understand identifying foods and their origins - part of the 'locally grown' idea Commonwealth is trying to promote - but does that same principle apply to domestic macrobrews? I say no.
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Thanks for the support, TimmyTucker
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It's like they got to the roadkill site too late to grab anything but internal organs.
I measure the decline of civilization beginning when people stopped eating organs, offal, and "junk" cuts of meat and started eating boneless chicken tenders.
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...(he says rather sheepishly)
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If they're using cod for the fish and chips, I can almost understand the price. It's really expensive to buy wholesale. Chips look really good, but kind of a small portion.
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MUSHY peas in mint?
wow, that sounds totally not delicious.
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See mushy peas
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$16 for fish and chips?
I blame the $15 burger at Marvin for raising the pricepoint on slabs of grease.
This is exactly what happens when Arthur Treachers gets priced out of the neighborhood. Speaking of which, what is that guy's problem? That's one f***ed up loking muthaf***er. Dude looks like Fu Manchu and Mr. Moto on a bad day.
MUSHY peas in mint?
Don't knock it til you've tried it. Suprisingly light, sweet, and refreshing when done right. A perfect foil for the oil from the fish and chips. Think of it as a kind of a palate cleanser, like pickled relish after sushi.
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Chips were large, fish (cod I think) was in 2-3 small fillets...meh. Served on a plate, but between plate and chips was a REALLY dorky piece of faux newsprint, to make it look "authentic". The title of the fake paper was something like, "The London World Herald" and just looked like a bunch of random words with a couple of SuDoKu thrown in for good measure. Tacky!
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Sodium bicarbonate is often added to soften the peas to enhance the colour and to inhibit fermentation during soaking, which reduces later flatulence.
well then, i stand corrected.
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Remember, an elevator is called a "lift", a mile is called a "kilometer" and botulism is called "steak and kidney pie".
-Marj Simpson
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Monkey - I don't think Beamish is available in this country at the moment.
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Mint is the most underappreciated herb! I wonder, though, if they're just using mint on their mushy peas so they can justify calling themselves a "gastropub" and charging out the wazoo. Then again, it's hard not to charge fifteen bucks for pub grub when you're next to a building that's seemingly lit exclusively by ambient neon.
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They had me at cask Prima Pils.
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Unless something has changed, you can get Beamish.
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They had me at cask Prima Pils.
Did they really have this? And did anyone try it? Cask pilsner - I've never seen this before and don't understand how it's even possible. Love Prima Pils though - always get it at Comet.
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As for the Prima, it's listed on the beer menu above under "Cask Conditioned Drafts". I haven't been to Commonwealth yet, so I can't tell you whether they actually are offering it right now, though.
I've had Prima on cask somewhere else in town before (Paradiso, maybe Rustico?); it's excellent. If you like cask ales and have never had a cask lager (rarer, admittedly, but not unheard of), you should definitely try it.
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Hmm - thanks Spill. I'll check it out, thanks.
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Kev29
The bar manager, John, mentioned there are still a number of different beers trickling in from abroad, as well as both casks.
The casks aren't in yet.
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sfw - Beamish's original distributor dropped it last year. Carlsberg picked it up in February, much to the chagrin of Guinness who would rather have the fake-ass Irish pub market all to itself. You can pick it up by the case at Total Beverage.
The Beamish must flow!
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What be this "Total Beverage?" Is this an online booze seller? Why i never...
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The price of fish and chips and beer is absolutely disgusting. This is the antithesis of what a British pub always has been -- food and drink for the masses.
And don't get me started on a TOFU shep pie. Fucking hell. That is just wrong on so many levels. Disgusting.
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The masses eat at McDonalds. It's all the masses can afford. Eight years of President Monkey will do that to your bank account.
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The scotch eggs are super tastey, and should be sold by the dozen. Not all the taps are up and running, unfortunately, but the Golden Monkey was my fave. ( I know, not UK, but I'll wait for the cream ale...)
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I give them a month before they're serving baked organic fish, tapas, and free-range pizza. If there's one thing customers love to do, it's totally f**k up a good thing by DEMANDING they serve what the customer WANTS regardless of whether it tastes like WIDE OPEN ASS or not. Just slap a big goddamned pricetag on it, thereby proving it's the best and the buyer is of impeccable taste.
I can hear the chorus of complaints even now. "Don't you have any SUSHI?" "This selection of armanacs is NOT UNINSPIRED." "Those scotch eggs make my PERINEUM ITCH." "Someone FORGOT TO FLUSH." "WHERE THE HELL ARE MY PANTS?"
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Now if we could just get some decent Cornish pasty shops around here!
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The price of fish and chips and beer is absolutely disgusting. This is the antithesis of what a British pub always has been -- food and drink for the masses.
Totally, totally agree. In fact, beer is about the only thing you can get in the London without sticker shock (Northerners might disagree. Went to one of Gordon Ramsay's pub last month. Very nice place, super posh neighborhood (Maida Vale), so you'd think the beer would be expensive. Not really. Pints were around £3 - which (even considering the ludicrous exchange rate) is still cheaper than a pint of Harp at CommonWealth. $8 for a pint of "NewCastle" - you're 'aving a giraffe.
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What on earth is going on in ceekling's avatar?
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Forget Junkpunchers and the International House of Twatwaffles. I'm opening up a trendy gastropub called "The Toilets of Hell" with an authetic Dantean motif. Concentric tasting rooms each have their own uniquely hellish theme. Enjoy a succulent plate of unbaptised and virtuous pagan charcuterie! Relax with a chilled plate of Sloth in Styxian coulis. How about some bbq'd heretic skewers with a honey mustard dippin sauce? You'll be begging for death once you taste our Ring of Suicides chicken caesar salad! And why not top your meal off at centrally located Bar Satan featuring Lucifer himself frozen in a sea of ice up to his armpits and serving our signature bubblegum daiquiris! Stop by soon because our chef is changing the menu to heart-smart salads and moulles frites. Remember: that's The Toilets of Hell, conveniently located at Florida and Vermont in the vibrant NoPee district. Just turn left at the "Do Not Urinate Here" sign then follow your nose.
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I'm happy to see any new restaurant/bar in the MtP and CH neighborhood... you can only go to Tonic so many nights a week, and The Heights just isn't very good.
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If you like this kind of food, check out Royal Mile Pub in Wheaton. Outstanding fish & chips, haggis, scotch egg, welsh rarebit, etc. at much better prices.
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Meh, the rarebit at CW is much better. Can't speak to the other stuff.
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@yobig: Didn't mean to be too snarky; I get what you're saying. I'm guessing the "Commonwealth" appellation for the A-B products is at least a little tongue-in-cheek... just a way to work a beer that costs less than $6-$8 into the theme.
Now calling Guinness a "UK" beer might be a bridge too far...
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The $16 fish and chips isn't that much more than the $13-14 they charge at most suburban joints that peddle the stuff. I thought $8 was pretty steep for Eamonn's, then I had them. WAY better than the Mrs. Pauls crap you get at Murphy's, Pat Troy's, et al. And their fries are properly cooked. They also deep fry a mean burger. But I'm willing to dodge rock-throwing teens for sweetbreads and scotch eggs.
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The fish at the Royal Mile is the best I've ever had - including the many chippies I've been to in England. Chips are OK, really they're fries.
I've never been to Eamonn's but I'm dying to go. Need to drive to the other side of the universe from MoCo though. Battered sausage and chips is worth the bypass you'll need minutes later.
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i'll check it out but even though it claims to be "food for masses" or something i don't see marx or mao chucking out more than 30 bucks for fish & chips and a couple of beers. i looked at the menu of this place when i was passing by the other day and the prices are expensive as hell.
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Check out the book Food Politics. Restaurants, food manufactures all of them, they don't provide you what you should eat. Think for yourself.
Then drink good beer.
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Even Horace & Dickies raised the prices on their fish sammitch $1.75, so it's not like seafood's getting cheaper. It's called "being toally dependent on long-haul trucking for all your food needs." You wouldn't have these ridiculous prices if you had a robust rail network like the UK or Japan that wasn't completely at the whim of the petroleum market.
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there is another photo floating out there for the full menu at CW, one of the pages at the bottom has the many local farms and vendors they patronize. so if it's all supposedly from local suppliers, i don't think you can say that fuel from long haul trucking is the reason their fish and chippies is so pricey. i think it's more "ooh we are in a building that has an art deco neon lobby... let's cash in!" nevermind the fact that the highland park has about 250 units and only about 40 are occupied. i won't ever be setting foot into this place.
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Cool. More sweetbreads for me.
Anybody know how much they have to pay for rent in that place? I can't imagine it's that cheap. This aint' Columbia Heights circa 1982. Combine that with DC's confiscatory business taxes and penchant for "losing" money, and I'll be surprised if the fish and chips stays below $20 for another 6 months.
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i actually looked at units in the HP. it's $1880 for a 1br 1ba unit. parking was $190/mo. they also want to tag you with a $600/yr "amenities usage" fee for all the public space stuff like the neon lit lobby, the unfinished gathering/party rooms, pool table room and exercise room. sounds like condo fees to me but they were "willing" to waive that fee for move in. when i looked at it may, i was told they had 250 total expected units and only had 20 tenants at the time. figured they'd have about 40 by now.
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Since that place is in a brand new building, right on top of the Metro, I can't imagine that the rent there is at all cheap.
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It looks tasty, but I can't afford to eat at places like this all that often. I suppose if I spent all money on restaurants and not saving to actually one day buy in my neighborhood I live in, I could go there on a regular basis.
There's something to be said about being able to go and eat somewhere and get a burger or fish and chips for 7 or 8 bucks. If I'm paying 15-20 for an entree, that's a date night my friend, and I want white tablecloths and no folks in t-shirts and flip flops. Call me old-fashioned too. I like to eat Food several times a day, and I don't like to get raped to have some of it. (Probably why I don't shop at Whole Foods either.)
One day, i'm going to run for city council, and I think my entire platform will be that no bars/restaurants will be allowed to sell a bottle or a pint of beer for anything over 60% of the cost of a six-pack of said beer at Giant.
Newcastle six pack = 8.99 at Giant.
Maximum Bar price for bottle = 5.50
I went to happy hour at Poste the other day, and their "special" was $4 bottles of Yuengling. Yay! A Drink Special!
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Harp and Guinness are "U.K. Drafts"? Thems fightin' words!
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Keep in mind that business rental units are exponentially higher than residential, and you have the reason behind their prices.
They need to sell a LOT of those $16 fish and chips if they want to be around a year from now, around the time where a quarter of restaurants have failed.
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Amen "No user Name." You can add Smithwicks to that list Irish NOT/NOT UK beers too!
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"Still, I will never associate A/B with anything outside of St. Louis, just like I'll never think of Miller Lite coming from anywhere other than Milwaukee (even though they have a brewery in the Shenandoah Valley)."
A few real local breweries wouldn't hurt. I've got an old A/B bottle from about 1890-1910 with the eagle logo embossed, and "Washington DC" embossed under it.
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Just fyi, sweetbreads, trotters and pork belly are not charcuterie (traditionally processed meats like salumi, sausages, confit, etc., that have been salted, dried, smoked or cured).
Also: I suggest all you $7 burger lovers take a close look at the gross abuses of worker rights and animal husbandry that were required to produce meat that cheap, then take another look at what went into the animal it came from, because that's essentially what you'll be eating. It won't look so tasty anymore.
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Did the sweetbreads, fries (more like skinless potato wedges), fish and chips, Scotch eggs, all washed down with Bombadier Ale. My highest rating ever: nine shrieks. Eating a burger here would be a waste of fine organs and fat. Can't wait to try the black pudding, trotters, and toad-in-the-hole (which they call frog-in-a-puff, which conjures up images of Kermit dressed up to dance in Petroushka). Also, if you're on the cheap, you can still cobble together a respectable and filling meal from the $5 "trimmings" like Yorkshire pudding, bubble and squeak, and welsh rarebit.