CommonWealth Gastropub

The thing I liked best about this pub was the cask ale that is actually a departure from their Commonwealth theme because it comes from Baltimore. But there's a lot of other things I liked, too.

The ale was Oliver Breweries Best Bitter, brewed by the Pratt Ale House in Baltimore and making a guest appearance at the pub in DC. It was flavorful, just the right temperature, fresh and not too gassy because it's a hand-pumped cask ale. I had two British pints (20 oz.) and it took me back to some happy hours pub-crawling in London.

The conceit of the place is to have beers from the UK and original Commonwealth countries as well as the four states in the U.S. that style themselves commonwealths -- Virginia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Kentucky (so you see why a Maryland ale doesn't really fit in, but so what). Gastropub is a new concept in the UK to designate efforts to serve relatively healthy, good-quality pub grub. The UK is a good 10 to 20 years ahead of the U.S. in food awareness, but they don't have the massive industrialization of food production that we have.

The food and atmosphere here were both great. It's a light, high-quality version of very heavy pub food (translation: it's still pretty heavy) and we may have ordered too many fried things. But the Scotch eggs -- hardboiled eggs wrapped in sausage and bread crumbs, deep-fried, and served cut in half with three sauces -- were a great starter with beer. And the frog in a puff -- merguez in pastry puff like pigs in a blanket, served with pickles and mustard -- were equally good. The fish and chips were equal to anything I've had in England, and great with the tartar sauce and ketchup.

The atmosphere was deconstructed pub. Some dark paneling, some cinderblocks, some tufted leather upholstery, but big windows looking out on the crowd going to and from the Columbia Heights Metro station.

Another great thing about this pub are the prices, which are considerably moderate, even the beer, keeping in mind that $8 gets you a 20-oz. portion of a real cask ale.

Lots of other food to try, and rotating cask ales -- so we'll definitely go back.

Weygandt Wines

Todd Ross, one of the proprietors of a new wine store in Cleveland Park, Weygandt Wines, believes that most New World wines are striving to achieve the quality of Old World wines. So why not just buy the Old World wines to begin with?

So his store carries mostly French wines, with a smattering of Italian, German and Austrian. It doesn't have nearly the stock, say, of an Addie Bassin's, but it has a great selection of largely handcrafted wines. It's a fun store, with the wines not displayed on shelves but resting in their cartons below "road" signs designating the region.

I took part yesterday in a private tasting arranged for a small group (try it, it's fun!). We tasted six wines destined to be paired with the courses in a French meal. Todd selected the wines, all French, most in the $20-$30 price range, and talked about them while he poured the samples (we paid for the sample bottles and for the wines we finally chose to go with the meal).

For the first course, a fish dish, Todd offered us a Pascal and Nicolas Reverdy Sancerre Les Coutes 2008 ($23), which had the crisp, flinty taste that this terroir lends to sauvignon blanc grapes. Aged in stainless steel vats, this wine offers a clean taste to cut through the fish, Todd suggested.

As an alternative, he suggested a 2007 Domaine de la Chapelle Pouilly-Fussé Vieilles Vignes 2007 ($34). This white burgundy chardonnay reminded you how silky and fruity the varietal can taste when it's not overshadowed by oak. This wine was aged in barrels with new and seasoned oak but this only served to round out the flavor. The Pouilly-Fussé would complement the fish flavor, Todd said. We thought both were terrific but opted for the Sancerre for the meal.

For the main course, a beef dish, Todd offered a Domaine Collotte Marsannay Clos de Jeu 2007 ($26). This Burgundy pinot noir, while still a bit young, had a beautiful ruby color and a light, refreshing taste. Todd suggested that a light wine could set off a heavy dish better.

As an alternative, he suggested a Domaine Alary Cotes du Rhone-Villages Cairanne La Font d'Estévenas 2007 ($28). This inky, fruity Cotes du Rhone -- 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah -- was outstanding and a great value. However, we opted for the Burgundy to keep the tone light.

For the cheese course, Todd suggested two fortified wines. My notion of what wines to drink with cheese, I'll admit, has undergone considerable revision in the past few months as all of a sudden, it seems, everyone is suggesting sweet wines with cheese rather than the red wines I have habitually had. Todd, for instance, said that red wine with blue cheese is not a good match, and on reflection, I have to agree.

First choice was Vial-Magneres Banyuls Rivage 2006 ($39), a white Banyuls that Todd said would pair well with most cheeses -- our selection includes a blue and a goat cheese, as well as a triple cream and a semi-soft, washed rind cheese. This dessert wine had yellowish-golden color and a honey taste that coated your throat and left you wanting more.

The alternative choice was a Domaine des Soulanes Maury Vin Doux Naturel 2007 ($25). A real contrast to the Banyuls, this inky red dessert wine truly had a soft, velvety mouth-feel from the rich Grenache and Carignan grapes grown in Roussillon in the shadow of a Cathar fortress. We found the choice too hard this time, so took one bottle of each for our meal.

The store has a great Web site, with a searchable database and information about each of the selections and vintners. Most of them are personally known to Peter Weygandt, the epynomous co-proprietor, and Todd. You can order online. The crew is also preparing to offer wine tours in Europe next fall.

Disclaimer: As always, I received no compensation or consideration of any kind from the store for writing this blog.

Clay pot cooking

I've been fascinated by clay pot cooking since I got my first Roemertopf in Germany many years ago. I still have a Roemertopf (my second), though I haven't used it much in recent years. A year ago or so, La Tienda lured me into buying a 12-inch Spanish cazuela, a round, relatively shallow earthenware casserole. A few months ago, I got a Pirmal beanpot at La Cuisine in Alexandria.

So I was happy to see Paula Wolfert's new book, "Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking." I think she is a great cookbook writer; several of her books are already on my shelf. Happily, she said most recipes in the new book could be done in four types of clay pots -- a Roemertopf (!), a cazuela (!), a beanpot (!), and a tagine -- the only one I don't have (yet).

She also has some recipes that call for being baked in a clay environment and suggests lining your stove with fire bricks to achieve this. It occurs to me, though, that my Big Green Egg provides a ceramic environment, so I will experiment with using it for those recipes.

The trick of cooking with clay pots is to avoid sudden shifts in temperature. They must warm up gradually and should not be set while hot onto a cold surface, even just granite at room temperature. Recipes with baking always call for a start in a cold oven, so the pot heats up as the oven does. A Roemertopf must be soaked in water before each use. The cazuela and beanpot both required "curing" before use by soaking in water.

I used Wolfert's new cookbook for the first time over the weekend, cooking a "tiella" of pork, wild mushrooms and potatoes. A tiella is an Italian version of a cazuela, which Wolfert says is quite serviceable for this recipe, which comes from Calabria in southern Italy.

I increased the amount of pork in the recipe because 1 lb. seemed too skimpy for four people, but I left other quantities as written. You start by sauteeing 3 crushed garlic cloves and 3 oz. of thinly sliced, shredded pancetta in 2 Tbl. of olive oil for a few minutes. Then you add the boneless pork shoulder cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes (I used just shy of 2 lbs.) and brown them on all sides. Then you add 1 lb. of red potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced; 1 lb. of brown mushrooms, quartered; 3/4 oz. of dried porcini, soaked and coarsely chopped; the strained soaking liquid from the porcini; 1 tsp. salt; 1/2 tsp. pepper; 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper, and a sprig of rosemary. You cover (my cazuela doesn't have a cover, so I borrowed the cover from a 12-in. braising pan) and simmer 45 min. It can be done ahead of time to this point.

Before putting into the oven to finish, you scrape off any congealed fat from the top, and pick out the potato slices and put them to one side. You mush the meat and mushrooms into a single layer and then arrange a layer of potatoes on top. You "press gently" to compact the casserole, then top the potatoes with 4 oz. of shredded cheese. First choice is a Calabrian cheese called caciocavallo, which Vace didn't have, so I used the second choice, aged provolone. You drizzle 1 Tbl. of olive oil over this, set in a cold oven, and turn it on, set at 400 F. After half an hour, you turn off the oven and let the casserole continue to cook in the receding heat for 45 minutes. Sprinkle 1 Tbl. chopped parsley on top and serve. I served it with a simple green salad and ciabatta.

I was very happy with the result. It was, obviously, very rich. It's hard to say just what the earthenware pot contributes, but Wolfert says these recipes are better cooked in earthenware than in conventional pots, and I'm willing to take her word for it.