CommonWealth gastropub set for mid-summer

The DC foodie community and Top Chef home-game players have been anticipating Jamie Leeds' Columbia Heights gastropub for months, and we now finally have a name and approximate opening. CommonWealth should open on Irving Street in mid-summer.

Amanda at Metrocurean has more details:

Located in the Highland Park building at 1400 Irving St. NW, CommonWealth will have a serious case of Anglophilia. Young Brit bands will play on the sound system, and British football will air when available. Checkers, backgammon and chess will be set up in the pub area, which will stay open between lunch and dinner and for late-night snacks....

The regular menu will offer a lighter version of traditional British fare using local ingredients and modern techniques. Yanks may need a translation for dishes like potted shrimp, toad in a hole and pork pastie. Also on the menu: fish and chips, bangers and mash, Welsh rarebit, steak and Guinness pie and sticky toffee pudding.

I am happy to hear the menu will feature lighter British fare since I don't think 90-degree days are the best time to enjoy a heavy meal. But fish and chips (R.I.P. Temperance's fish sandwich) and a good beer are welcome anytime.