A look at what's going on in Trinidad, on H Street, and in the larger area north of Capitol Hill.
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Smith Commons Opens Tonight
Doors open at 5pm for dinner service and drinks. Smith Commons is located at 1245 H Street.
11 comments:
Area Man
said...
This place is sweet. Went for NYE for drinks and loved it. The giant window on the second floor was a great vantage point for watching all the festivities going down on H Street.
I was there last night for the opening. Food was outer space. Beer was from another planet. Service was well above what you would expect on opening day. Great addition to H St. I hope people show the place some love. -Mo
I tend to avoid places right when they first open simply because I expect the new staff will be still working their kinks out under wall-to-wall packed conditions. But we ended up going to the Atlas Room at their opening and the experience was great; so maybe that's not a fair assumption. Were they really crowded last night?
I don't get raves for this place. The food is pretty much on the same plane as Liberty Tree. The beer comes from a bottle or barrel. It is a nice space but expect a big tab and lots of pressure to buy drinks.
We went last night. It was packed. We had to wait 45 minutes for a table in the dining room but were able to grab a bar stool on the 3rd level to wait. The staff were all super friendly.
They are definitely working out some kinks. The lighting isn't quite right on the 1st and 3rd floors-- it felt too bright to me on the 1st floor especially. The space is great but rather bland-- it's just bare brick upon bare brick. Maybe they plan to do something about that? The second floor window is spectacular.
My burger was awesome, but the downfall of this place is that there is no real vegetarian option. My vegetarian fiancee had to settle for a lackluster appetizer. I mean, what sort of restaurant doesn't have a vegetarian option these days? We won't be back for dinner until they address this.
I also rang in the New Year at Smith Commons with my wife and a group of friends from NOVA. We started at Atlas Room for dinner (which, BTW is terrific!) and followed it up with drinks….too many drinks…at Smith Commons. Great atmosphere, great service, and great drink selection. We didn’t get a chance to try any food, but we’re planning a return visit tomorrow night to check out the rest of what SC has to offer. I also love Liberty Tree, so if it's on the same plane I'll be happy. If it costs a bit more, that's also understandable considering the difference in venue.
Ate there on Thursday night on business with a group of seven. Got reservations easily. Very nice atmosphere. The food was good--endive salad was really nice. A bunch of us had ribeye steaks which were great and the pasta carbon was good as well. Good beer and wine selection. Service was very friendly. Our waitress forgot about our drinks, but overall would go back again.
11 comments:
This place is sweet. Went for NYE for drinks and loved it. The giant window on the second floor was a great vantage point for watching all the festivities going down on H Street.
I was there last night for the opening. Food was outer space. Beer was from another planet. Service was well above what you would expect on opening day. Great addition to H St. I hope people show the place some love. -Mo
I tend to avoid places right when they first open simply because I expect the new staff will be still working their kinks out under wall-to-wall packed conditions. But we ended up going to the Atlas Room at their opening and the experience was great; so maybe that's not a fair assumption. Were they really crowded last night?
@curmudgeon it wasn't packed, but the space was certainly full. I'm sure they are working out the kinks internally, but we couldn't tell. -Mo
I don't get raves for this place. The food is pretty much on the same plane as Liberty Tree. The beer comes from a bottle or barrel. It is a nice space but expect a big tab and lots of pressure to buy drinks.
@ Anon 8:47
I like the food at the Liberty Tree. By "same plane", are you implying something about the food at Liberty Tree that I'm not getting?
We went last night. It was packed. We had to wait 45 minutes for a table in the dining room but were able to grab a bar stool on the 3rd level to wait. The staff were all super friendly.
They are definitely working out some kinks. The lighting isn't quite right on the 1st and 3rd floors-- it felt too bright to me on the 1st floor especially. The space is great but rather bland-- it's just bare brick upon bare brick. Maybe they plan to do something about that? The second floor window is spectacular.
My burger was awesome, but the downfall of this place is that there is no real vegetarian option. My vegetarian fiancee had to settle for a lackluster appetizer. I mean, what sort of restaurant doesn't have a vegetarian option these days? We won't be back for dinner until they address this.
Alan-
I think they meant same plane as Liberty Tree but more expensive.
I had a decent meal there, but the french fries are better at Liberty Tree. The food is good but not great like the Atlas Room.
I also rang in the New Year at Smith Commons with my wife and a group of friends from NOVA. We started at Atlas Room for dinner (which, BTW is terrific!) and followed it up with drinks….too many drinks…at Smith Commons. Great atmosphere, great service, and great drink selection. We didn’t get a chance to try any food, but we’re planning a return visit tomorrow night to check out the rest of what SC has to offer. I also love Liberty Tree, so if it's on the same plane I'll be happy. If it costs a bit more, that's also understandable considering the difference in venue.
Ate there on Thursday night on business with a group of seven. Got reservations easily. Very nice atmosphere. The food was good--endive salad was really nice. A bunch of us had ribeye steaks which were great and the pasta carbon was good as well. Good beer and wine selection. Service was very friendly. Our waitress forgot about our drinks, but overall would go back again.
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