Background: Rose's Luxury opened in October, 2013 in the Capitol Hill district of Washington, D.C. by owner and chef Aaron Silverman, who previously worked with David Chang of Momofuku fame. Almost immediately after opening, Rose's became one of the hottest restaurants in DC. In 2014 it was listed by Bon Appetit as the hottest new restaurant in the country. The restaurant is so hot right now that side businesses that have been set up just to hold your place in the waiting line! There is a bar down the street that has a cocktail on the menu called 'Waiting for Rose's."
Eat This: Here's the deal: there are only about 12 items on the menu at a time. You want to try everything on the menu, especially after you just waited 2 hours to have the privilege of eating here. In order to do that you need to either be super hungry or get a reservation for at least 6 people. So make sure before you go that you have a) 5 friends who like to eat good food and b) get there at least an hour and a half before they open to ensure you can get a table. PSA: If you don't have 5 friends you can pay Javon to come with you. You're welcome.
The menu changes regularly but slowly. Our waiter Patrick said that they rotate out a dish once or twice a month. It won't be uncommon for a returning customer to see familiar dishes for a few months. That being said, here's what we ate:
Bread: If Jesus knew that you could make bread this good he probably would have turned all the fish into these magical loaves. The loaf is a spin on a loaded baked potato: warm potato bread served with a bacon and chive butter. When you eat the bread it gives you confirmation that waiting in line for two hours was probably, no, definitely a good idea.
"Cold" Small Plates: We started with Beef Ribeye Tartare with pickled ramps and crispy potatoes. We then had Fall Vegetable Panzanella salad.
"Warm & Grill" Small Plates: Charred Carrots served with harissa, housemade yogurt, & pearl onions; Pork Sausage served with habanero, peanuts, & lychee salad; and Grilled Quail with Brussels Sprouts, Caesar & apples.
"Other Goods": Crispy Pig's Ear Salad with mango & cabbage; Vadouvan Curry with sweet potato & caramelized banana; and Confit Goat with BBQ Sea Island red peas, rice ,& garlic breadcrumbs. These dishes really divided the table, what with 1.5 vegetarians and two culinary curmudgeons. Our server Patrick said the Pig's Ear Salad was his favorite thing on the menu, and Javon super enjoyed it--the mango brightened up the dish, and the overall effect was surprisingly light. The curry, though, was our favorite dish of the night.
Pasta: Hand-Cut Chitarra with caramelized cauliflower & white wine soffritto; Penne "alla vodka" with squid & basil; and an off-menu bonus dish for our resident vegetarian: Truffle Pasta from the heavens.
Larger Dishes: They had two larger dishes, which were family style portions. The Smoked Brisket with white bread, horseradish & slaw was like your grandma's brisket, only 100x better. What really stole the show here was the Peruvian-Style Chicken with fried yuca, sweet potato ceviche, & plantains. The chicken might have been the best chicken we've ever had - extremely juicy with a perfect seasoning. It also came with three sauces, one of which was a spicy red mole sauce which was to die for. Jason almost made Yvonne stick the rest of that in her purse.
Dessert: The desserts were the only part of the menu that didn't completely floor us. We ordered all of the ones on the menu, and the standout was the Eggplant Tarte Tartin--we had never had an eggplant dessert!
Drink: They have a selection of cocktails which looked good, but ultimately didn't tempt us. We knew were in for a long food night so we stayed with water and unsweet tea.
Atmosphere: Rose's Luxury is located on 8th street near Capitol Hill, which is quickly becoming a hot food community. The interior was Southern Modern and extremely homey and welcoming. It felt from the moment you walked inside like you were eating somewhere special.
District Hospitality: The staff is overwhelmingly gracious. Any question or concern was handled with swift and upmost care. We mentioned to Patrick that we really liked Charleston for food, and he came back to us a few minutes later with a list from all the chefs, including Mr. Silverman, of the best places to go in Charleston and what to eat at each place.
Frankie's Notes: Sometimes, you love food so much that it confuses your loved ones and almost makes them miss the Florida State game; Javon ate truffles twice in one month: #winning; Standing in line for food brings people together; Confession: we came here directly from standing in a line to eat at Milk Bar.
Rating: 5 out of 5 + 2 Michigan Pugs
Et Cetera:
717 8th St. SE
Washington, DC
Monday - Saturday: 5:00pm - 10:00pm
http://www.rosesluxury.com/