Smith Commons update (1245 H St)

H Street Festival patrons enjoyed Smith Commons (1245 H St) Angus Burger (Grilled Portabella Mushrooms, Scallions, Miso Mayonnaise), Grilled Tiger Prawns (Watermelon Virgin Dressing), and Tequenos of Queso Blanco (Avocado Dip).  Jerome Bailey, Sheldon Robinson, and Miles Gray now hope to open Smith Commons (1245 H St) in October (or soon thereafter).

The trio have planned a modern bistro grill with Chef Frederik De Pue (of Belgium descent) at the helm. De Pue is currently running a local catering company 42 degrees and was previously chef at the Reserve (1426 L St NW).   Alex Odent, also from Belgium, recently came stateside to serve as Chef de Cuisine.

The menu is varied with plans to serve some higher-end items such as porterhouse, dry-aged ribeye, tiger prawns, scallops, and lobster, but also a variety of more casual items such as Roast Chicken, Fish and Chips, and Penne Carbonara. 

The kitchen will open at 5:00 pm daily. The wine and beer programs are serious with a menu of 70 domestic and international wines and bottled beers, with 12 craft beers, including offerings from Ommegang and Flying Dog on tap.  Talented sommelier Andrew Stover from Oya and SEI is responsible this impressive wine list, which is characteristic of Stover in that it includes a wide swath of various region's wines, including several from Virginia. 

They are now shooting to open within the next two months. In the meantime you can follow Smith Commons on Facebook and http://twitter.com/SmithCommonsDC. They've posted a few photos of the ongoing buildout on their facebook.