Comments
I think you people are nuts -- have you all just looked at the menu and the photos? You sound bitter, prejudiced, and completely uninformed.
Posted by: Anonymous, Sep 17, 2008 09:22:01 AM
i was going to comment that i can’t believe people read the blurb, but i did too. i am sure someone probably got well-paid to write those few sentences, but as a resident of the area, i am going to stay hopeful that they stick to it and turn it into an neighborhood place rather than the destination spot it currently is.
Posted by: , Aug 12, 2008 08:39:31 PM
ah yes, the blurb. it is nice. that mission statement seems very different from how they are selling the place in the press. i take it the blurb was not written by their publicist. they should definitely stick with the ’concept’ as it is on the blurb. the blurb makes me hopeful that this will become a neighborhood place. i would have liked to see a bit more explanation as well, seeing as many of us are not familiar with british food. i am not suggesting that i want to see, under bangers and mash, that it is sausage and mashed potatoes. i mean, a little more in-depth explanation of where the name comes from, who is supplying, etc etc...i think it would make a good monthly sort of thing...introduce something new... but please, please, do not have the chefs or the publicist write it...
i know some of you probably think it is corny, but i think whoever on their team came up with the phrase ’british-inspired, american-bred’ is right on. it makes sense. they should have been saying that all along rather than saying it was a british gastropub.
Posted by: ah yes..., Aug 12, 2008 02:36:21 PM
from reading the reviews, it seems like one of those places that you either love or hate. i am not too into the scene. more interested in the food. it was not what i was hoping for yet, but i see the potential. i will give it another shot after the kitchen has settled in and the hip crowd has gotten bored of it. i do have one issue though...the noise level makes it really hard to enjoy a conversation. perhaps lunch will be a more mellow? i too like the mission blurb. did chef leeds write that? well, whoever did, seeing as they have someone on the team that can write for them, they should get that person to write more for them...perhaps about the farmers and some of the history of the food they are serving...something for us to read and think about...that changes every so often? hint, hint. i like being given the chance to learn something new and put a face to my food....
Posted by: aspiring foodie, Aug 12, 2008 11:53:33 AM
after reading all the bad reviews here, i expected the same at yelp. not quite: http://www.yelp.com/biz/commonwealth-gastro-pub-washington
didn’t get to go this past weekend, so no comment from me yet. maybe one night this week, or weekend.
Posted by: justin k., Aug 12, 2008 10:40:55 AM
wanted to try the blood sausage but was told that it would not be ready until later in service. grrr... that really made me mad. went there specifically to try things like that.
Posted by: , Aug 12, 2008 08:31:14 AM
the food was actually decent, but visually...it all seemed a brown mess...just brown. brown everything...not visually enticing. just a brown mess with the occasional white mash and watercress plopped down...all served in a very sloppy manner...
and WTF is all i have to say about the vegetable tikka? everything else was a mess on the plate...why do i want such a constructed vegetable tikka? just give me a plate of rice and a bowl of tikka.
they really need to work on their plating.
Posted by: , Aug 11, 2008 05:59:19 PM
i’m almost afraid to ask, but anyone know what the roast chicken for two comes with? cuz if it is just for the chicken and no sides, $38 is expensive. i did not order it because i wanted to try other things...
I don’t care so much about the authenticity...or hell, even the originality, if it is good and not a copy of something someone is doing just a door down, but my observation was that these are not modern interpretations...no, they are not at all interpretations of british food...it is just straight british-ish food. so where is the inspired bit of ’british-inspired’? i would like to know what aspects of each dish represent this so-called vision of chef leeds because it just seems like a rather straight forward pub menu executed in the usual way. why was this place getting so much hype as some great culinary epiphany and a great addition to the dc culinary scene? it is a thumbs-down.
Posted by: , Aug 11, 2008 05:44:28 PM
Commonwealth isn’t completely lacking in appeal. It’s clean and everything matches so nicely. My table tried alot of things. No one food particularly stands out as good or bad. It was not spectacular food and the entire experience was not memorable. The noise in the place was at times unbearable - it is the perfect place to have dinner with a boring conversationalist. It certainly looked like the place to be this weekend, but it is not a culinary destination by any means. It does not feel like the sort of place that was designed by a chef. It felt like the design of the space was the most important aspect to the owners and the food was more of an afterthought. Go now before the crowd gets bored with it in a month and it becomes just another perfectly designed place with so-so food...because unspectacular food in a not-so-hip-anymore-restaurant is a big waste of money.
Posted by: , Aug 11, 2008 04:07:49 PM
my friends and i went to commonwealth on sunday to catch up while sharing plates of sunday roast. just one thing to say...it was overcooked. sunday roasts are supposed to be one of the highlights of commonwealth...like the idea, but we will not be going again. paid too much money to get an overcooked roast. the rest of the meal was okay. nothing to get us to come back repeatedly.
i know it is yorkshire pudding and not a popover, but the ones you get at the table for free at blt are much, much tastier...
Posted by: oh, Aug 11, 2008 11:25:53 AM
not sure what the actual owner of that comment intended, but...
sushi as people in this country know it, is not real sushi. just like it is so cliche that asked of japanese food, what most people can come up with is sushi and tempura...and that overly sweet teriyaki that american’s call japanese...
the british food being served at commonwealth is the equivalent.
Posted by: add, Aug 11, 2008 07:14:46 AM
how do you know that the chefs at ford’s filling station didn’t rip it off of someone? i agree that many of the menu items seem awfully similar to menu items from other established and successful gastropubs. personally , i would take points off for creativity, especially coming from a chef as well respected as jamie leeds is in dc, but damn, i would not mind being able to eat food from the spotted pig, cochon, or st. john here in dc. unfortunately for us and more unfortunately for leeds since she is the chef and will be judged for it, the food was not up to par to any of the places she names in her audio. not even close. if she was not going to be able to pull of those imitations, she would have been better off not putting them on the menu.
Posted by: , Aug 09, 2008 11:13:29 PM
i wish i did not have things to complain about because i wanted something in my neighborhood to like but...
the decor is tacky. trying way too hard to create an atmosphere and that makes it really pathetic of a place because the sort of atmosphere they are trying to create...like that of spottted pig, cochon, st. john...you cannot overly construct that. you either have it or you don’t. and they clearly don’t.
the food is bland and unexciting. i am not one to complain about prices. i have been known to get in airplanes just to eat good food. but this place, considering they are serving tasteless, unappetizing imitation versions of foods from better gastropubs, alongside some predictable brews, is insanely overpriced.
i hope they go out of business and make room for something better.
Posted by: i wish..., Aug 09, 2008 06:02:21 PM
that’s pickled carrots and fried green beans, not picked carrots and fried green beens...
Posted by: , Aug 09, 2008 12:22:26 PM
really liked the mission blurb on the bottom of the menu. but that was the only thing i liked. at least they had someone good write that. so kudos to the person who wrote that for them. they should have had someone check their spelling though.
Posted by: , Aug 09, 2008 11:35:37 AM
i love the first hank’s. i like the second hank’s a lot less. i don’t like commonwealth at all. do you see where i am going? i am not speaking blindly. i went for myself with all optimism, but alas, my experience fell short. the food was just okay. the scene was atrocious. the service lacking. again, willing to forgive the scene since it is opening week...and the service...but the food...ugh.
i was a big fan of jamie leeds. i liked hank’s because it really was a neighborhood sort of place and the food was great. i supported the second hank’s because she was at least trying to give a different neighborhood the same sort of gathering place. but with commonwealth, she has turned into another nightmare chef/restaurateur with ambitions of opening huge destination restaurants. now i see why the food and service at my favorite hank’s has been going down the drain. maybe her priorities have shifted? i will try my favorite hank’s one more time, but if it does not return to its former glory, i am writing that one off as well. i must find a new neighborhood hangout. anyone have ideas?
i am not sure whether it is the influence of her new business partner and crew, in which case, dump them, but i hope she finds herself again. if she can do that, i will return to being a fan.
Posted by: tried it, Aug 09, 2008 09:09:53 AM
in response to the commenter with no name, last time i checked sushi is very much japanese, can’t you tell just by the name? it can’t be american or chinese, otherwise the name won’t sound japanese.
Posted by: food scientist, Aug 09, 2008 08:58:39 AM
tried it last night. i know most of you on reading this will need to try it yourselves to judge, but the food is awful. the pies are dry, the fish and chips portion is small, the scotch eggs are tasteless which is why they give you three very un-british sauces to go with it, etc etc.
you have to head over to the dcist sight and look at the photos of the food. it looks completely disgusting. and it tastes not much better.
for those of you upset that leeds is ripping people off...what is more upsetting is that she is ripping people off and not doing any justice to the food. if you are going to copy, at least do as good a job or better! and for more fuel, the fish and chips came with picked carrots and fried green beens, which is exactly what ford’s filling station, a gastropub in culver city, does. and trust me, they do it much better.
Posted by: what the, Aug 08, 2008 11:18:58 PM
went, ate there, and caught myself thinking -- this place would not make it in nyc. leeds would know this seeing as she tried to make it in nyc herself before landing in dc. actually, this place would not fly in alot of cities with a well-established restaurant scene. i immediately felt bad for thinking such mean things, but after dinner, that was still how i was feeling...a shame since i was paying nyc prices.
Posted by: thots, Aug 08, 2008 02:52:18 PM
justin, i did not mean to irritate you with my ’it is what it is" comment. my apologies. but that was exactly what i was feeling after trying it. you know the sort of place that is not bad, but it is not good either. not even worth talking about. go because it is the newest place around, but as far as i am concerned, one visit is all i am planning. all i meant by the comment was that if what they wanted was to put together a british-themed gastropub, it is there. and if that is what you are looking for, then it is there. but there really is nothing phenomenal about it.
i have been to cochon and love it. that is an example of someone taking a similar idea and doing something original. they have more original dishes there...the deep fried ribs are insane. that is what this place is lacking. originality. and passion. when you visit a place like cochon, you really get the feeling that the chefs love the place and the food they are putting out. and with commonwealth, i did not feel it. when you listen to her audio, leeds does not even sound very excited.
Posted by: ch, Aug 08, 2008 02:27:02 PM
"it is what it is." blah, that doesn’t mean anything to me. i get so frustrated with people saying this all the time...
i just remembered a notable restaurant that’s in the same vein as CW but really nails it on all levels without feeling self-conscious or being a direct imitation of anything else -- Cochon in New Orleans. http://www.cochonrestaurant.com/
Posted by: justin k., Aug 08, 2008 01:23:02 PM
i want to add that i tried it. it is what it is. nothing spectacular about the food. no real complaints, but nothing that wowed me. same with the beer. it is nice to see a neighborhood business, but this is not a culinary destination.
i do think leeds has put herself in an awkward spot, when say, six months down the line, she wants to change the menu, but realizes that she cannot put something on it because it is not "british." if she had just stuck to saying that it is a gastropub, then all she would have had to do was put things on the menu that go with beer. but now, because she has pushed that the concept is british, she has to stick to it. it will be interesting to see what happens to this place.
i have to add that the crowd is very much ’white’ and not reflective of the community. i hope that that changes.
Posted by: ch, Aug 08, 2008 10:59:21 AM
my bad -- hank’s burger is on brunch menu. sorry.
Posted by: justin k., Aug 08, 2008 10:35:01 AM
hank’s has a burger. i have had it several times. i can’t remember if it is on their lunch, dinner, or brunch menu though. but they definitely have one and it is pretty good.
i just have to agree that it is a bit...disappointing...to see a chef as well respected as jamie leeds is in dc producing an imitation, everything from the menu to the pig drawings. i think we all assumed she would be putting her twist on things. as it is, her twist, her input on this, was simply to decide which ideas to knock off. the restaurants she name-drops are all great places...but a chef with her experience should take inspiration from those places...not rip them off. was she thinking that most of us in dc would not notice? and the thing is, the restaurants she name-drops...they are evolving beyond what she is imitating. her imitation is already dated.
please do not get me wrong, i would still rather support a local business than not. i just think it should not be hailed as some great culinary achievement on the part of leeds.
Posted by: anon, Aug 08, 2008 09:25:31 AM
7:59 -- since when does hank’s do a burger? i’ve never seen it on the menu at the 17th street location. never been to the one in old town, though. their new fried chicken on sunday is pretty good, btw.
7:54 -- don’t be sad to see a local restaurant doing well/"filled", regardless of your opinion of it. and don’t knock Leeds for having "dated" cuisine -- it’s quite the opposite, as all the restaurants she name-drops in the audio are current and/or newish restaurants that are in fact very well respected. the difference may be that they’re breathing new life into an old-style cuisine while she may be simply imitating. i haven’t eaten there yet so i can’t really comment just yet. to be honest, i think the menu looks awesome, regardless of its alleged duplication.
Posted by: justin k., Aug 08, 2008 08:46:15 AM
it makes me wonder...if they don’t put that the burgers at hank’s is free-range and they do here, does it mean that hank’s burgers are made from factory-farmed beef? probably because they would advertise that at hank’s and charge more...
and are the fish and chips here better than at hank’s because they use smithwick’s?
i had the same trout dish at hank’s and it wasn’t good...
is leeds telling us to stop going to hank’s and come here?
perhaps time to redo that hank’s menu?
Posted by: , Aug 08, 2008 07:59:52 AM
oh, food scientist, you should save money and travel to be more worldly. you will quickly find that the food cultures in all of these countries is far richer than what chefs and restaurant owners bring back. you are probably one of those people who thinks sushi is so japanese.
if you go to england, you will quickly find that british food has moved beyond what leeds is offering. i recall seeing in the audio that she wrote "no kitsch." well, if that was her goal, i am sorry to say, she has failed that. and do not tell me to go before i make judgments. i did just that. i went with an open mind and i can tell you, this place is a blatant selling of a concept and dumbing down of british food.
it saddens me to see this place filled. this is why dc’s restaurant scene is still inferior. this is why as much as dc seems to like leeds, she will have trouble getting recognized nationally.
Posted by: , Aug 08, 2008 07:54:41 AM
food scientist -- can you please define Antarctic cuisine for me? Baby seal carpaccio and penguin fin soup? i kid.
hmmm -- i plan to try the joint of this weekend and will post my thoughts here afterwards. i was mainly concerned about folks who bitch and complain about restaurant prices as a knee-jerk reaction when they see a menu that has entrees priced over $10. most of the time these people have no clue what goes into making an indepent restaurant and all the costs involved. if you want "value", maybe you should stick to Ruby Tuesday and TGIF’s.
i think Washingtonian may share some blame in inadvertantly "outing" Leeds by letting/making her do the audio commentary. i think this is a prime example of giving away too much information... thank god she didn’t go with the "spotted frog" name (as seen on the "napkin of ideas"). jesus christ!
Posted by: justin k., Aug 08, 2008 07:52:01 AM
Isn’t it great where food from all over the world will be showcased in Wash DC? Asian restaurants, Middle Eastern, African, Latino, etc.. now comes the fish and chips and beers from England. Isn’t it great when we get to try foreign cusine right where we are, coz some of us may not get the chance to travel. Maybe, we can be the first State to have 7 continental (as in 7 continents) restaurants right in the heart of the district. Nobody forces us to embrace something that we don’t like, including food, but all these different restaurants we have around, will help us get acquainted with other people’s native cuisine. So why can’t be more receptive? Let us welcome businesses who bring other nations food to us and get educated on something "new". Time is change, so maybe its time to change our views. This is my quote for today... may be dear, but maybe worth the quote.Cheers!!! for the beers!!!
Posted by: food scientist, Aug 07, 2008 06:17:48 PM
Scott, does it not bother you that they advertise as a restaurant committed to farm fare, but decide to import much of their beers and wines (and cheese) from abroad? There are certainly craft and artisan beers made State-side that are just as good and perhaps a tad cheaper. And as someone below asked, what happened to representing the Commonwealth of Kentucky?
Posted by: , Aug 07, 2008 02:51:15 PM
Justin, I appreciate your point that Hank’s can be just as pricey. I checked this place out last night. It just does not seem as honest and real...and certainly does not have the neighborhood feel that Hank’s does. I feel like Leeds is misrepresenting the place when she calls it a pub and when she calls it a neighborhood place. It is a restaurant first and foremost. And it is trying to be a "scene," not a neighborhood pub. Being "in" a new neighborhood development does not make it a neighborhood joint. As a person who has liked her work since she was at 15 Ria, this place just does not seem to have the atmosphere that she had fun with it. Like some others have said, much of it is imitation of what others have done which is a real disappointment coming from a chef who is considered one of the big chefs in DC. I see St. John, the Spotted Pig, etc, but I do not see her, as the audio suggests. I have been to both places and both St. John and Spotted Pig manage to stay authentic...this place just seems...well, it feels like someone who is not passionate about food dressed up the concept to sell to the masses. I am just disappointed and I hate to say it, but it makes me not want to go to Hank’s as often. Chef Leeds, what happened?
Posted by: hmm.., Aug 07, 2008 02:48:00 PM
In response to the pasty better send me to heaven, yes it’s $8 for a pint here, which is a tad pricey, but in London it’s not $3, its usually between 2-4 pounds depending on the pub/restaurant, which at current exchange rates is about $4-8. The markup isn’t that ridiculous considering all these beers are imported.
Posted by: Scott, Aug 07, 2008 08:29:44 AM
those folks who are saying "I love Hanks, but this looks overpriced" -- how are these prices any different than Hank’s? I live right down the street from Hanks and eat there often. My girlfriend and I can go and easily blow $100 on a weeknight meal (if we get drinks, oysters, and entrees and leave a decent tip). I don’t see how this place is any different. And whoever said that Strongbow is $3 in the UK -- do you mean £3? That’s $6. Every pub I’ve been to in London charged bt £3-5 for a beer.
i do agree that Leeds is copying -- perhaps a little too closely in spots -- many of the restaurants and chefs she mentions in the "audio commentary". several of the menu items appear to come right from the "nose to tail" cookbook. that’s kinda sad for an established restauranteur/chef.
Posted by: justin k., Aug 07, 2008 08:14:26 AM
Here’s a smart way to look at it: If you like what you have read & are interested in going, please do so. If you don’t like what you’ve read & are not willing to try the place, then please don’t. There was nothing there before, except for some empty buildings & crappy graffiti. Someone has decided to open a different type of restaurant (at least from the neighborhood’s current offerings), so try to support them so we can keep them around. I’m willing to bet if they are successful, then we can get more places that are probably more to the liking of others that don’t fancy this type of place. Just a thought.
Posted by: Columbia Hizzle, Aug 07, 2008 07:06:47 AM
Check it out before you call it a stuffy place with stuffy servers... the uniform is a t-shirt and jeans, and there’s nothing stuck-up about it. I promise, you don’t have to dress up to go. I was there tonight...
Posted by: Anon, Aug 06, 2008 09:08:09 PM
okay, i just called to ask if there is a wait for a table for two and two different people who did not sound like they knew what was going on, hung up on me five times. and when they picked up the phone, they did not even say it was commonwealth. just hello, as if i was calling them at home. what is going on?
Posted by: anon, Aug 06, 2008 05:25:23 PM
Painfully overpriced for a neighborhood place. as a 14th street resident, I’ll probably stick with Bar Pilar and The Saloon.
Posted by: , Aug 06, 2008 03:04:57 PM
it’s a pub, but none of the reviews mentions what bar snacks are being given...anyone know?
Posted by: , Aug 06, 2008 02:39:42 PM
food scientist, i guess you easily get lured by restaurant concepts...even ones this dull. i know the beer. i have tried most of it already. and unfortunately for them, you can get most of it at whole foods. and i have tried most of the things on the menu in other establishments. i am one of those people that will try anything...but this offering is nothing new. it has been done. obviously, no one is saying the food there tastes bad yet. it just opened today. we are merely discussing the concept and the menu and in our disappointment of what has come into the ch community.
and at 92 degrees outside, i am not interested in such heavy food.
Posted by: , Aug 06, 2008 02:33:33 PM
kentucky is a commonwealth. what happened to beer from kentucky?
Posted by: history, Aug 06, 2008 02:05:05 PM
i think the question is whether it is fair that they are calling it a neighborhood pub. and i have to disagree that this is creative food because it is all standard pub fare in london. and i do not mean gastropubs in london because they have more creative menus than this...
and is it fair to call it nose-to-tail when i see roast chicken on the menu, but no chicken livers. burgers and london broil...what happened to the rest of the cow?
and is it really seasonal for them to have mushy peas on the menu this late in the summer? i took a lot at the farms they thank...i would like to know why they are not thanking the fishermen? is it not local?
and you can charge $16 for fish and chips if it is not just beer battered, it is smithwick’s beer battered, which they are selling for $8 a pint...english pint, that is...which makes me wonder why they bother with a us pint and an english pint...if it is british themed, just put an english pint and be done with it so we don’t have confused people at the bar taking extra time to order.
i have a quick question for sara...what is that unappetizing looking brown stuff next to the cheese?
Posted by: ch, Aug 06, 2008 02:03:16 PM
do you mean manufactured when you write authentically worn-in due to the handiwork of some artists? I cannot see anything worn-in from the pictures. the place is gleaming it is so new.
Posted by: anon, Aug 06, 2008 01:01:50 PM
LolaDC - I share your feelings. Do you think they would really care about what 20 somethings in the neighborhood feel if they can get the critics to like it and get enough people with money to come and make it a destination spot rather than a neighborhood joint?
I hope that if enough of us who live in the neighborhood demand something slightly different, then Leeds and crew will listen. Though I am wondering why, if she lives in the neighborhood, she did not talk to us or she did not notice that many of us in the neighborhood, though we are not poor, cannot afford that sort of place and are not looking for a stuffy restaurant to spend our evenings. I hate to say, but it looks like it wants to be a high-end restaurant with stars and ratings, unlike Hank’s which is really a neighborhood place. I really would have liked for this place to have been a great alternative for my friends and I in the area to pop into on a Wednesday night after work for a casual and affordable night out. It all just looks too put together and forced and I hope that people in the neighborhood do not just swallow it all in without thought.
Posted by: what?, Aug 06, 2008 12:51:56 PM
hey guys, try the food, sample the beer before i hear you make any comments. it’s crazy when people say something they know nothing about. the restaurant is open for business today, check it out, satisfy your curiosity. people who love food will try anything edible, aren’t afraid to try something new, doesn’t care much about cost as long as its good food. after your visit, for all its worth, make a comment.
Posted by: food scientist, Aug 06, 2008 12:43:22 PM
I have to admit I’m quite saddened by Leeds odd choice for Columbia Heights. Our neighborhood simply doesn’t have enough 26 year olds who make too much money and have no taste for this concept to be pulled off. I love Hanks and was looking forward to a nice neighborhood spot to be brought into CH but I have to say there are only 2 dishes I would consider ordering on that menu and one of them is too expensive for me to "hangout at the local joint". I truly hope they reconsider - perhaps by asking some of the residents what they are interested in having to offset Target and Marshalls and The Heights (equally dull but more likely to get my business from e menu standpoint). *sigh* Leeds you were so far off on this one.....
Posted by: LolaDC, Aug 06, 2008 11:44:13 AM
Wait...does Jamie Leeds say that pubs in London use frozen foods and jarred piccalilli? I thought they went to research gastropubs? Certainly gastropubs do not do that. She must know. She ripped the roast marrow bone dish right off of St. John’s menu. I doubt they use frozen foods and jarred piccalilli.
Posted by: correction, Aug 06, 2008 10:39:34 AM
I wanted to like this place. I like Hank’s. But the concept is outdated, too obvious, and too themed. What is the difference between this and other places serving the usual meat, burger, charcuterie...and wine. I could have sworn I had a plate of charcuterie that looked very similar at Proof and Central. And to tell you the truth, they have better beer,better wine, and better food at Proof and definitely a better and more creative menu at Central. I don’t know if anyone checked, but Central has Old Speckled Hen for a dollar less. And yes, their food is a tad more expensive, but if you are a pub...shouldn’t the beer at the very least be the same price as elsewhere? They are simply using the name gastropub and saying they are "British-inspired" for marketing purposes, especially because other places calling themselves gastropubs already exist in DC. So much for being a pub with great beer because the beer list is seriously lacking. Who wants to go to a pub with stuffy servers...this looks like the sort of place you will end up having to get dressed up to go to.
I understand that food prices are going up. I understand that good, fresh foods cost money, but I have to agree that fish and chips for $16 is a bit much. Fish and chips are historically a working class food and it should be kept more affordable. I watched the slideshow. Jamie Leeds says that she wanted to make a blue collar sort of place...uh...right...with these prices? Really? She also says she wanted to create a neighborhood hangout. I appreciate that. I really do. I want someplace other than Starbucks and Target to hang out in, but again, with these prices, it is hard to afford regularly and if I am paying that much money to go out, there are plenty of other places in DC that I can go to for the same amount of money that have far more interesting food. This seems like an imitation and simply a compiling of a lot of different ideas from other places. It almost seems like they plan on seeing what works and then completely changing the menu in a month.
And one more thing about the beer...why is it not more local...and why are they supporting some large companies when they are trying to go local and small with the food?
Posted by: what?, Aug 06, 2008 10:27:54 AM
Louis…
Head cheese is lightly put. In the "true" South this delicacy is named Head-hog Cheese and newcomers and transplants [to D.C.] will not understand. But follow the English and Irish from Europe to America [Jamestown, Va] this staple is from the olde country.
However, since your name is Louis to assist easy digestion keep echoing in your head the French word “pâté”.
By all accounts D.C. is a Southern City below Philadelphia - Mason/Dixon Line. D.C. is still governed by the Dixie-Crats in Congress - Virginia Stan Parris was the longest and the strongest and now Va. 11th Dist. Rep. Tom Davis.
I applaud the owner’s menu selection which was not intended to offend anyone but to "not" leave off [disrespect ] a major and happily enjoyed food item commonly found in England and in the Southern United States.
I welcome a creative and from across the Atlantic food fare that will fill everyone’s taste for hardy foods and also gives me a break from the 15 piece table setting.
Posted by: Gurley, Aug 06, 2008 09:23:43 AM
atrocious pricing all-round, gastro-extravagant-fare or not. and i’m a fan of fine food, and not afraid to pay for it. but this fare, gastro or not, is just ridiculous.
$8 for a pint of strongbow? sheer madness. in uk, it is around $3; in Bailey’s at Ballston mall it is still fair pricing.
a $14 pasty? get real.
and $7 for a jacket potato... they better be laced with somethin fine.
the breakfast is $17... incredibly costly.
Posted by: this pasty better send me to heaven., Aug 06, 2008 07:58:08 AM
The menu looks great, as a Columbia Heights resident, I’m looking forward to being a patron.
Posted by: louis, Aug 05, 2008 11:22:46 AM
I like the concept. I love having new restaurants in my ’hood. But, seriously, does anyone eat this stuff? Crispy ears? Head cheese? Stuffed pig feet? I am all for expanding one’s palate, I am just skeptical that anyone will order those things. Either there are a lot more Brits in DC than I realized or this place will be changing the menu real soon. Nonetheless, can’t wait to grab a beer and watch some football there!
Posted by: JJ, Aug 05, 2008 10:05:26 AM
anon, you haven’t even tasted the fish and chips yet, so what do you know? it could well be worth the $16. and, no, i don’t think it’s "highway robbery" to charge that much anyways. why is that dc’ers always have to complain about high restaurant prices? it’s not like these people are making a fortune off you by charging a reasonable mark-up. eamonn’s is a completely different restaurant concept, don’t you see? their overhead is probably way less than commonwealth’s because they don’t have servers, silverware, plates, etc. etc. think about it!
Posted by: justin k., Aug 05, 2008 06:24:36 AM
If they are going to have a "commonwealth" beers section, they ought to start serving Starr Hill.
Does anyone else think that $16 for fish and chips is highway robbery? If Cathal Armstrong can make phenomenal fish and chips for half that, give or take a little, I don’t know where ms. leeds gets that price from.
Posted by: anon, Aug 04, 2008 08:44:55 PM
the headcheese looks like it’s sliced way too thickly. it’s best if served, as most other charcuteries are, in paper-thin slices with some dried orange zest and a little oil.
also, when does this place officially open? by the pictures, it’s not open just yet...
Posted by: justin k., Aug 04, 2008 04:45:18 PM
This looks like a cool spot, and I’m happy to see vegetarian options - do you know if the meat is organically and ethically raised (e.g. free range, etc - not factory farmed)?
Posted by: Amanda, Aug 04, 2008 02:18:28 PM
i’d like to give them style points for only serving beers from states that are actually commonwealths.
Posted by: wadzuk, Aug 04, 2008 01:15:57 PM
| 
Share
| Print |
Posted at
03:40 PM/ET, 08/04/2008 in
First Looks | Permalink
| Comments (56)
| TrackBacks(0)
| Washingtonian.com Blogs
