Rose's Luxury, Chef Aaron Silverman's Modern-American Phenomenon on 8th and G Street in Barracks Row

[Kev29]

The only other thing I'll note (in case anyone from Rose's is reading this) is my that work computer won't let me access the menu.  I can get to the site, but when I click the "menu" tab, a new window opens up and I get this message:

Your request http://rosesluxury.com/the-menu/ was denied because of its content categorization: "Restaurants/Dining/Food;Suspicious"

That's to do with your firewall/network settings, not necessarily the RL site.

[Bart]

The "no reservations" question came up on the Washingtonian chat yesterday.  It sounds like it was initiated by the same grumpy person who posted on chowhound last week about Rose's "lack of respect for the customer"

[Bart]

That's to do with your firewall/network settings, not necessarily the RL site.

Yeah I know, but let's just say I work for a "company" that employs A LOT of people in this town.  If all of them can't see the menu, it may be bad for business.  Not yet obviously!

[Kev29]

Don't think the buzz will be dying down anytime soon.

The 2014 Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalists
Best New Restaurant
...
Rose's Luxury, Washington, D.C.

[ad.mich]

From Kilman's most recent chat:

Reservations also give a restaurant an idea of what to expect that night. Making we wait for 1 to 3 hours for a table is not taking care of me since I know a Benjamin will resolve this issue within 20 minutes or less. My bro was out with clients and the clients wanted to hit Rose's. They went and my bro paid the toll to move to the head of the line. Lets see how long the buzz last for Rose's when they are no longer the talk of twitter and folks arent willing to wait any longer for a seat. This happens all the time.

(takes a deep breath...)

Apologies to the people who don't live in the area, or have kids/jobs/dogs/lives that will make it tough for them to get to RL, but asshats like this are exactly why I'm more than happy RL, Toki, Serow, etc. don't take reservations.  Sorry, maybe I'm naive, but I would say there is absolutely zero chance this guy's 'bro' actually tried this or was successful.  He probably tried to front like he did to his buddy the next day when he was in a huff about having to wait like some commoner, but no. And if he did?  Then I hope it's because the hostess knew there were seats at the bar, took their money, and walked their dumb asses there.

That being said, this is a perfect encapsulation of the mindset of the people most up in arms about no reservations in this town.  A very special bullshit gumbo of equal parts entitlement, arrogance, and a demand to be VIP sight unseen ("take care of *ME* I am an important special lobbyist snowflake with *CLIENTS* who told me an hour ago they'd like to come here").  Basically you want all of the credit of going to a place with some shine without actually having to put in the effort it takes to make it happen.  There are plenty of buzzy places taking reservations.  Plenty.  But even those tend to have some kind of limit/catch to them (like Estadio's model).  It's no one's birthright to get to eat somewhere.  I think I love the predictions of doom and gloom most of all though.  I bet they agree 100% up at Two Amy's.  

You should probably just take your clients to Milano next time, Bro.  It's not the restaurant you want, but it's absolutely the restaurant you deserve.

[DonRocks]

(takes a deep breath...)

Apologies to the people who don't live in the area, or have kids/jobs/dogs/lives that will make it tough for them to get to RL, but asshats like this are exactly why I'm more than happy RL, Toki, Serow, etc. don't take reservations.  Sorry, maybe I'm naive, but I would say there is absolutely zero chance this guy's 'bro' actually tried this or was successful.  He probably tried to front like he did to his buddy the next day when he was in a huff about having to wait like some commoner, but no. And if he did?  Then I hope it's because the hostess knew there were seats at the bar, took their money, and walked their dumb asses there.

That being said, this is a perfect encapsulation of the mindset of the people most up in arms about no reservations in this town.  A very special bullshit gumbo of equal parts entitlement, arrogance, and a demand to be VIP sight unseen ("take care of *ME* I am an important special lobbyist snowflake with *CLIENTS* who told me an hour ago they'd like to come here").

Take your clients to Milano next time, Bro.  It's not the restaurant you want, but it's absolutely the restaurant you deserve.

This person is almost surely lying. I went to Rose's Luxury last night, and can say with a pretty high degree of confidence that it would be nearly impossible to make that bribe - at least at the host stand - without 3-4 employees and an equal number of customers seeing it happen. My guess is that this note was written by a malevolent person who wants to take Rose's down a couple of notches.

For those concerned about waits: I got there at 5:28, and there were about 20 people in front of me. I walked right in, was the first person at the bar (by choice - I could have easily gotten a table downstairs), and noticed that the lounge area, by the front window, was empty even a good while after that. (Note that this was a Tuesday.)

Anyone heard any updates on when they'll be rolling out the family-style option?

It's already happened - the menu on their website is current and correct (see two posts below):

[Kev29]

My bro was out with clients and the clients wanted to hit Rose's.

[ad.mich]

The original talk of 'family style' was not just large plates like what is on the menu now.  From this preview...

A month or two down the line, Silverman plans to use that nook table for family-style dinners where guests will pay a fixed price and the kitchen will continue sending out food and wine until the table says stop. A similar $56 prix-fixe food menu will also eventually roll out for the rest of the dining room. "You can say if you want all fish, all meat, you want a three-courser, you want a 10-courser, whatever you want," Silverman says. "Basically, we're going to create a menu and cook for you, and we're going to say, 'Hey, if there's anything you really want, let us know, we'll incorporate it in the menu.'"

[Tujague]

This person is almost surely lying. I went to Rose's Luxury last night, and can say with a pretty high degree of confidence that it would be nearly impossible to make that bribe - at least at the host stand - without 3-4 employees and an equal number of customers seeing it happen. My guess is that this note was written by a malevolent person who wants to take Rose's down a couple of notches.

Or, to paraphrase Bryce Harper, "That's a clown claim, 'bro.'"

[ktmoomau]

I too probably won't get to dine here for a long time for many reasons above, I wish I could, but cést la vie.  I still haven't been to Little Serow either.  I do wish places would take a limited amount of reservations, at least, but it's their choice. And it's obviously fine for them at the moment.  But I would like to be counted as someone who isn't an asshat (that I know of) who finds it prohibitively difficult to eat here without being able to reserve.  

[porcupine]

That being said, this is a perfect encapsulation of the mindset of the people most up in arms about no reservations in this town.  A very special bullshit gumbo of equal parts entitlement, arrogance, and a demand to be VIP sight unseen...

That is one hell of a stretch.  At least you qualified it with the word "most"; otherwise this puts you at about the same as the op, but in the opposite camp.

[bettyjoan]

I too probably won't get to dine here for a long time for many reasons above, I wish I could, but cést la vie.  I still haven't been to Little Serow either.  I do wish places would take a limited amount of reservations, at least, but it's their choice. And it's obviously fine for them at the moment.  But I would like to be counted as someone who isn't an asshat (that I know of) who finds it prohibitively difficult to eat here without being able to reserve.  

ktmoomau, you are most certainly NOT an asshat of any kind. 

I totally understand that some folks have limitations that make it challenging to get into Rose's.  I guess I just see it as a simple issue of managing expectations and balancing preferences.  My desire to go to Rose's is greater than my annoyance with/irritation by/dislike of waiting.  So, I go early (last Saturday, we got in line at 4:45).  That's not feasible for everyone, I suppose, but then again, it's not feasible for me to deal with Little Serow's no substitutions policy (I am allergic to peanuts), so I choose not to go, despite the fact that I wish I could.

I don't think Rose's disrespects their customers by having a no reservations policy - it works for them, and you either accept it or you don't.  Disrespect would be the last word I'd use to describe anything about the restaurant.  And, just FYI, our second meal at Rose's was as lovely as our first, and I plan on going back with another friend this coming Saturday.  We are so looking forward to breaking bread together and catching up that I doubt we'll even notice the wait.

[bettyjoan]

Another lovely meal at Rose's on Saturday night.  We got in line at about 4:50-4:55, and we easily got two bar seats right away (though we were farther back in line than I have been previously).  Service was great, as always, and we LOVED almost everything we ate.  The bread and butter, burnt romaine, carbonara, and fried chicken were all superlative, as usual.  The only dish we weren't head-over-heels about was one of the specials, an "eggs and eggs" dish with sea urchin roe and eggs, whipped with potatoes and served inside the prickly shell.  It was very rich and very tasty, and the texture was excellent, but there was not enough uni flavor for me.  The bartender was very interested in our feedback, and he said he would pass it along to the chef.

If you want a little something sweet after your meal but don't want to splurge on dessert, try their house-made Irish cream liqueur.  Delicious.  They should bottle it and sell it and give Bailey's a run for its money.

[Joe H]

It bothers me that this restaurant was not nominated for a RAMMY award as one of D. C.'s best new restaurants. Nor is it a finalist for one of Beard's five best new restaurants in the U. S. Three of the five finalists are from New York and, for me, this speaks volumes about the organization. I must also note that I believe that Aaron Silverman, at a minimum, should have been considered as one of the 20 semifinalists for the Mid Atlantic award. Rose's Luxury is much too good of a restaurant not to have been recognized in the press more. Of course I have mentioned this elsewhere but Washington, D. C. having a grand total of TWO finalists for every Beard award there is, is a travesty. It's as if the New York centric organization wants to ensure that D. C. remain on the second tier. At least the RAMMY's justifiably acknowledged Red Hen and GQ's Alan Richman credited Casa Luca as one of America's best but Rose's Luxury and Aaron Silverman deserved far better than they received in the national press. Perhaps a few journalists feared standing in line...in D. C.

[DonRocks]

It bothers me that this restaurant was not nominated for a RAMMY award as one of D. C.'s best new restaurants. Nor is it a finalist for one of Beard's five best new restaurants in the U. S. Three of the five finalists are from New York and, for me, this speaks volumes about the organization. I must also note that I believe that Aaron Silverman, at a minimum, should have been considered as one of the 20 semifinalists for the Mid Atlantic award. Rose's Luxury is much too good of a restaurant not to have been recognized in the press more. Of course I have mentioned this elsewhere but Washington, D. C. having a grand total of TWO finalists for every Beard award there is, is a travesty. It's as if the New York centric organization wants to ensure that D. C. remain on the second tier. At least the RAMMY's justifiably acknowledged Red Hen and GQ's Alan Richman credited Casa Luca as one of America's best but Rose's Luxury and Aaron Silverman deserved far better than they received in the national press. Perhaps a few journalists feared standing in line...in D. C.

Well, it's *much* more egregious that it wasn't nominated for a RAMMY than a National Beard Award - was there some disqualifying thing that prevented it from being nominated as such?

Until people here speak up, and I mean, stand up and scream - LOUDLY - ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS ...

For example, this (acknowledged here) vs. this ... then ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c80ErUAIaVs&list=RDc80ErUAIaVs#t=3

[Justin Bittner]

You have to be a member of the rammy in order to be put up for nominations and awards

[Mark Slater]

If they don't belong to the restaurant association they can't be nominated for a RAMMY. I think they are too new for a Beard award.

[Deac]

If they don't belong to the restaurant association they can't be nominated for a RAMMY. I think they are too new for a Beard award.

It was a semifinalist this year

[Pat]

On my own for dinner last night and on a whim, I waked into Rose's at about 6 o'clock and asked if there was anything available for one person.  They had nothing available (for, I think they said, 45 minutes).  Someone also checked on the upstairs bar, where there were no seats but I could wait for something to open up.  I stood in a kind of awkward spot at the end of the bar for a while, trying to stay out of the way, and noticing that, really, there was just enough space to fit another stool right at the very corner.   As I stood there, drinking a beer (Founder's All Day IPA, $6) and making myself as small as possible, a server glided by and placed a bar stool in that inviting empty spot so I could sit down.  The service here continues to impress, in spades.

By this time, I had gone from thinking about getting dinner to being completely famished, so I was happy to order right away.  A creature of habit, I started with the burnt romaine ($12) I had loved so much the last time and more of the chicken-fried oysters with raw oyster tzatziki ($12 for 4).  The server mentioned that the romaine was leaving the menu soon and would be replaced with a similar preparation of asparagus.     Creatures of habit don't like this kind of thing, but I'm sure the asparagus will be equally delicious.

For my main-ish dish I ordered the Rigatoni Amatriciana with smoked Pecorino ($14).  One of the bartenders suggested I should drink a certain red wine with the pasta rather than the (second) beer I was working on, and he poured me a generous sampling of it, gratis.  He was right, and I forgot to get the name of the wine...

At this point I'd gone from famished to sated (did I mention how quickly I ate the bread?) and couldn't even finish the second beer.  I was having trouble reading the bill in dim light (thanks nice person sitting next to me!) and do math and probably overtipped  On the other hand, it's not really possible to overtip with service this good.  I had two (and sometimes three) people taking very good care of me.  Nah, I didn't overtip.

[mdt]

Decided to drop into Rose's a little before 9p last Saturday night, after a walk around the tidal basin, to see what things looked like. Ordered a cocktail and luckily for us two seats opened up a few minutes after that. Pretty damn lucky, huh? Anyway the food lived up to the hype. Highlights form the various dished we had were the Vietnamese Pate (think pho), Pickle-brined fried chicken (served with a bottle of hot sauce, which was a nice touch), and the Bone marrow hash.

Excellent service and I look forward to getting back and trying more of the dishes.

[turbogrrl]

spring has sprung. new to the menu was an asparagus dish that I wouldn't have thought to order (nick studiously avoids all greens) but came out complements of the kitchen. we ate all of it; I might have run my finger around the bowl a few times. grilled asparagus, fried jalapenos, pineapple, and chive oil all added up to awesome.

also awesome was a pasta so completely garlicy and spring oniony that I think I can still smell the garlic. the uni eggs were intense. And then we ran smack into a wall in the middle of our ribs, and couldn't even contemplate dessert, which was tragic. But I might have let slip that we were there for a birthday, and so out came a little tiny dessert with magically-reigniting sparkler candles. All around, a lovely evening.

[DonRocks]

spring has sprung. new to the menu was an asparagus dish that I wouldn't have thought to order (nick studiously avoids all greens) but came out complements of the kitchen. we ate all of it; I might have run my finger around the bowl a few times. grilled asparagus, fried jalapenos, pineapple, and chive oil all added up to awesome.

also awesome was a pasta so completely garlicy and spring oniony that I think I can still smell the garlic. the uni eggs were intense. And then we ran smack into a wall in the middle of our ribs, and couldn't even contemplate dessert, which was tragic. But I might have let slip that we were there for a birthday, and so out came a little tiny dessert with magically-reigniting sparkler candles. All around, a lovely evening.

Nick might have Asparagus Syndrome.

I'm almost afraid to ask, but what are uni eggs?!

[Pat]

For those (like myself) who love the burnt romaine salad at Rose's, The Washington Post has a recipe for a close adaptation of it here. 

[DonRocks]

For those (like myself) who love the burnt romaine salad at Rose's, The Washington Post has a recipe for a close adaptation of it here. 

My version at Rose's was served with about five times that much cotija - it was the execution that executed a promising recipe. "Festooned with a blizzard of cotija," I believe Tom Sietsema would say.

[RWBooneJr]

Just go. Make it be a night when you have nothing else to do. Week nights are better. Wait at a nearby bar. When you finally get a table order a bottle. Then order too much food. Talk to the staff, who are cool a sh*t. Why not another bottle? Don't analyze. Don't worry - for a change. Only then can you appreciate this place.

[ad.mich]

Walked in with no wait (table for 2) at 6:15 last Tuesday.  Hostess said on any Monday or Tuesday that's almost always the case.  Ordered a ton of things that have been covered in depth up above so I'll note on the newer items.  The asparagus dish feature good chunks of giant asparagus that get a nice char on them.  Definitely taste the grill.  The chive oil seemed like the same stuff in the chicken fried oysters (not that I'm complaining), and there were nice chunks of pineapple that somehow tied the veg and dressing all together.  Only thing that seemed odd was the fried crispy jalapeno.  Delicious on their own but not really sure they were needed with everything else on the plate.  Kind of a one ingredient too many sort of thing.  Easily rectified by eating them solo though!

Rhubarb shortcake with ramp and mint cream was wild.  Very spring-y, with the ramps surprisingly balanced when you made a composed bite of everything.  A straight scoop of sweet-then-funky filling probably wouldn't be for everyone, but the rhubarb made it work and the shortcake is as great as all the other breads in the house.  You can add this to the growing list of dishes here that seem straight up weird when you read it on the menu, but absolutely nail it when you try it.

The only (only) thing that was off last time was that every table around us received gratis dishes and desserts that the servers were to happy to announce were "compliments from the kitchen".  Like, all of them.  Maybe we didn't get them because we over ordered (No Ragrets) but after you see and loudly hear it happen 3 times in a row and you just get the check, you start to wonder if you're the asshole (probably).

[turbogrrl]

The only (only) thing that was off last time was that every table around us received gratis dishes and desserts that the servers were to happy to announce were "compliments from the kitchen".  Like, all of them.  Maybe we didn't get them because we over ordered (No Ragrets) but after you see and loudly hear it happen 3 times in a row and you just get the check, you start to wonder if you're the asshole (probably).  

I think it depends on a combination of factors. 1) if someone is a regular 2) if it's a special occasion 3) if they have a new dish that people aren't ordering enough of because it's new. I know that the asparagus dish was brand-new new last week, which is what we got  'compliments of the kitchen.' And we hit all three factors last when we went last week; we've been a lot, it was a birthday, and we never would have ordered that dish otherwise.

Clearly you need to go again to test my theory. ;-p

[DonRocks]

Maybe we didn't get them because we over ordered (No Ragrets) but after you see and loudly hear it happen 3 times in a row and you just get the check, you start to wonder if you're the asshole (probably).  

Rose's wouldn't do this to a table - I'm certain it was either coincidence or oversight. It's good that you mentioned this though - I'm certain they'll see it and correct any inefficiencies.

[Pat]

Rose's wouldn't do this to a table - I'm certain it was either coincidence or oversight. It's good that you mentioned this though - I'm certain they'll see it and correct any inefficiencies.

I'm pretty sure they're encouraged to give stuff away.  I've noticed a code on the receipt that seems to indicate that.  I wouldn't read too much into not getting it, though seeing free stuff go to everyone around you would be weird.

[Pat]

My husband had the afternoon off from work yesterday, so we walked over Rose's and got in line at 5:20.  There were about 15 people in front of us and then another half dozen quickly behind us.  After we were seated and the rest of the immediate line was, there were still empty seats at 6PM.  (We were at a two-top in the downstairs indoor patio area.)

None of the dishes I'd had before were the same this time, and this was also the first time I ordered a family style dish (the baby back ribs with wedge salad and French fries, $33, which hasn't appeared on the online menu yet).  It seems that they've pretty recently updated the menu for spring.  As I expected, the romaine salad was gone.  While I liked the grilled asparagus pieces that replaced it, it was not a very similar dish at all.  The asparagus ($13) came with with pineapple bits, pineapple aioli, breaded fried jalapenos, chives, and chive oil. I loved the jalapenos and we fought over the last one. The aioli and the chive oil left a beautiful green and yellow swirly design on the plate, but it seemed like too much oil.

That might also be because the crispy fried oysters (4, still @$3 each) had a layer of vivid bright green dill oil between oyster and tzatziki.  There was also a tiny bit of honey on the top and a garnish of ultra-finely minced onion (I think it was onion, but it was so fine as to be unidentifiable).  My memory isn't what it once was, but I'm pretty sure this used to be just a breaded oyster on top of the tzatziki.  I don't recall oil before, or am I wrong?  While this was an absolutely beautiful presentation that screamed "spring!," I think I prefer simpler on this.

We ordered two pasta dishes:  Rigatoni Amatriciana ($14), which I also had last time, and Marco's gnocchi ($12) in butter with grated cheese (probably Parmesan, but it's not on the online menu).  I'd had a gnocchi dish on my first visit which was delicious, but that had maiitake mushrooms.  These new gnocchi, basic essential gnocchi, are without a doubt the softest pillows of pasta either of us had ever eaten.  We were amazed that they could get them so soft.  My husband liked them slightly more than I did, but this was the sleeper hit of the meal.  I let him finish them, because I'm nice like that...and was getting full.  The rigatoni was much spicier than the last version I'd had.  The sauce tasted as though it had a lot of chiles in it or something that added a lot of spice.  My husband liked this more than I did, but I think that's because I was expecting it to taste like what I had before.

By the end of the meal, I was really thinking about expectations and how they color people's experience.  Rose's excels at upending expectations.  Just when you get used to something, bam!, something new.  Maybe just a twist or maybe a complete overhaul.  It's exciting to watch a chef in his prime work his magic and keep thinking and refining what he does.  But I don't like surprises.  Too bad for me, huh?

I don't go into restaurants expecting anything free, yet had been given free food and drink items on my first two visits.  This time, we got nothing free and I noticed it.  Psychologically, I found that interesting, as I would not have had the expectation in the first place if they weren't so very generous with comps.  It didn't seem that the tables nearest us got anything free either, so it wasn't as odd as the experience ad.mich describes above.  The notes I saw on the receipts mean something to the staff, but I was incorrect in thinking it denoted a comp.  I still think the staff are encouraged to give things away, though.  When the server asked my husband how he liked his beer (a Belgian style ale from Japan) and he said that it was okay, the server immediately offered to take it off the check.  My husband explained that okay was fine; there was nothing awful about it, but he didn't love it either  The server was clearly ready to take it off the check, though.

The expectation that has grown up around the no reservations policy and the wait is interesting as well.  It works to the restaurant's benefit, since it gives them buzz, but it also keeps some people away.  The two tables seated next to us came in not too long after we did, so had little or no wait.  One party included our dentist (that was kind of funny), who lives in the neighborhood but had not been in before because of stories about the wait.  Upon realizing that there were seats still left after their arrival time, they were excited to come back and to tell other people that the lines weren't so bad, at least on weekdays.  The next table over was a couple of ladies from Bethesda (Potomac?) who had trekked in from the suburbs, bringing a copy of The Washingonian review, which was published three months ago.  That trip clearly required planning.   On the way home, we ran into a friend who lives closer to the restaurant than we (or our mutual dentist)  do.  She loves to eat out but had not yet been there, because she'd heard about the waits.

It could always change, but right now, weeknight waits aren't bad.  For some people, Thursday is like part of the weekend, so I was kind of surprised.  I know it's still a gamble for anybody who has to get a babysitter, but the odds are more in the diner's favor than they were.

(Oh, the family meal.  It was good, but we liked the small plates better.  I thought the sauce on the ribs was a little too sweet.  The dentist's party got some of the same small plates and the same large one that we did and felt the same.  Somehow, we managed to eat all but two ribs and maybe a dozen fries.  They're the really crispy thin potato stick-type fries, which I love.  The wedge salad comes dressed with blue cheese and bacon.  My husband hates blue cheese and I love it, so I got virtually all of the salad.  )

[Joe H]

We've been to Rose's Luxury twice since the Post article appeared.  The good news is that this restaurant does not accept reservations-you can get in.  And you don't have to call fifty times one month or one year to the date.  The bad news is that IF you want to get in you're either going to have a long wait or, if you're really serious, you'll be waiting at the door when they open.  Our last visit was on a Friday and at 5:20PM every single seat on the first floor was filled including the kitchen counter.  Remarkable that they may actually have three seatings over the course of the night.  Even more remarkable is that the # of covers and the Barracks Row location allow prices that would be substantially higher elsewhere and with one seating.

Rose's Luxury has been open more than six months now.  Its reservations policy is going to have to change-probably something similar to Red Hen which accepts early reservations.  There have been several times that we would have gone on a weeknight but I didn't want to drive into D. C. (from Reston) knowing that unless I got there at 4:30 or 5:00 I might not get in.  And I love this restaurant.  I also posted above that it was a travesty that it didn't receive more recognition from the Rammy's as well as Beard.

At some point the reservations policy is going to work against the restaurant.  I think we are very close to that.

Rose's is also no longer the must go to restaurant in D. C.  That is Fiola Mare now which has an extraordinary location and is in a spectacular room.  Factor in Washington Harbor and the boat docks a few feet away from outdoor tables and Barracks Row just doesn't have the appeal that it might have had over the winter.

As for difficult reservations that must be Roberto's Eight which is its own extraordinary experience.

I am surprised at the several mentions of a free course.  Whether one is given or not it is just not a good strategy for a restaurant that has now been open for six+ months to give away food (excepting the occasional "taste" in a special situation).  I believe it IS a good strategy for a new restaurant attempting to build a following, especially willing to share dishes they are proud of which might otherwise not have been ordered.  But in a situation where there may no longer be three turnovers and a "foundation" has been firmly established it's just not an enduring policy-at least not on a widespread basis.

Rose's is one of the best new restaurants to open in D. C. over the past several years.  It has built its following and is now moving into a new phase.  Now it needs to be a little bit more user friendly even if only a handful of tables are set aside for an early turnover.

[Pat]

I am surprised at the several mentions of a free course.  Whether one is given or not it is just not a good strategy for a restaurant that has now been open for six+ months to give away food (excepting the occasional "taste" in a special situation).  I believe it IS a good strategy for a new restaurant attempting to build a following, especially willing to share dishes they are proud of which might otherwise not have been ordered.  But in a situation where there may no longer be three turnovers and a "foundation" has been firmly established it's just not an enduring policy-at least not on a widespread basis.   

I think you might have hit on it, Joe.  They may now not be giving out complimentary dishes and drinks as much as they once were, but then that leaves people who got them before wondering what's happened.

[Bart]

Rose's Luxury has been open more than six months now.  Its reservations policy is going to have to change-probably something similar to Red Hen which accepts early reservations.

At some point the reservations policy is going to work against the restaurant.  I think we are very close to that.

I'm not sure why you think this.  Little Serow has been open for a few years now and they haven't changed their "no reservations" policy.  I'm looking at it from the restaurant's point of view:  it's easier and cheaper not to have someone work the phones and the reservation book and the door.  Not to mention dealing with cancelations.  All stuff costs money and takes time that they presumably want to spend elsewhere.  Even if they have some empty tables from time to time it may not be worth it for them to take reservations.

Rose's is also no longer the must go to restaurant in D. C.  That is Fiola Mare now which has an extraordinary location and is in a spectacular room.   

This strikes me as a little funny and very much inside baseball.  It maybe true for cutting edge food junkies like the inhabitants of this assylum   but I think for most "normal" people a place like Rose's is still brand spankin' new, if they've even heard of it at all.  I haven't been to Fiola Mare but from looking at the menu it seems to be a much more expensive place with perhaps little overlap in clientele except the aforementioned food junkies.

I get your point about the waterfront location and the time of year in Fiola Mare's favor, but when I look at the menu it seems very standard and normal where Rose's has exciting and bizarre combos like "asparagus, jalapeno and pineapple".  If I had to go to one or the other tonight I'd probably pick Rose's just because it seems so different

[Kev29]

Rose's is also no longer the must go to restaurant in D. C.  That is Fiola Mare now which has an extraordinary location and is in a spectacular room.  Factor in Washington Harbor and the boat docks a few feet away from outdoor tables and Barracks Row just doesn't have the appeal that it might have had over the winter.  

I don't think Fiola Mare is a must go restaurant for anyone in DC under the age of 35 -- who don't even know what the Washington Harbor is (they probably think it's in Oxon Hill).

[B.A.R.]

I don't understand the kerfluffle over the no-reservations policy. IIRC Zaytinya didn't take reservations for the first couple of years and then modified it slowly, to fit their business needs. Rose's may or may not do this, but their business model needs to work for THEM, and sometimes that might exclude ME. Oh well.

[Joe H]

There has to be someone answering a phone.  There are going to be questions that need a human voice on the other end of the line.

As for "very standard and normal" Fabio is doing some of the most exciting food in the United States right now.  Several of his dishes (i.e. "Fiola Mare Oysters and Caviar," Gragnano spaghetti, "Marchesi," among others) along with extraordinarily fresh seafood are worthy of any table anywhere.  I wrote elsewhere on here that this is the Maestro of the Waterfront and it is.

[TSchaad]

Rose's Luxury has been open more than six months now.  Its reservations policy is going to have to change-probably something similar to Red Hen which accepts early reservations.  There have been several times that we would have gone on a weeknight but I didn't want to drive into D. C. (from Reston) knowing that unless I got there at 4:30 or 5:00 I might not get in.  And I love this restaurant.  I also posted above that it was a travesty that it didn't receive more recognition from the Rammy's as well as Beard.

At some point the reservations policy is going to work against the restaurant.  I think we are very close to that.

Rose's is also no longer the must go to restaurant in D. C.  That is Fiola Mare now which has an extraordinary location and is in a spectacular room.  Factor in Washington Harbor and the boat docks a few feet away from outdoor tables and Barracks Row just doesn't have the appeal that it might have had over the winter.

I'm sorry, but I disagree with your comment on the reservations policy. Even with the available tables early in the evening on weeknights, the place still fills up every night. Rose's doesn't have to be the go to restaurant in D.C - that changes several times every year. It only has to be what the owner wants it to be, a place where you "Eat, go home, come back tomorrow". That is why the price point of the menu is where it is.

Fiola Mare may be the current hotspot, but it is not somewhere I am particularly interested in going. Based on the menu prices, I can have two great (and completely different meals) at Rose's Luxury surrounded by other diners and a staff who are all having a great time for the price of one carefully curated ( ie. affordable ) meal there. Each has its place. Each will draw its own crowd. Each will be a success on its own terms.

TSchaad

[lion]

Last Saturday night after going to the Kennedy Center to hear the NSO, we could have tried to snag a last minute table at Fiola Mare which was on Opentable. However we ended up trying Osteria Morini which was the perfect choice for us. Quite intimate cosy and very good quality Italian food and probably the opposite of what the night would have been at Fiola Mare.

Maybe Rose's will change their reservation policy but hopefully they will do what's best to maintain the integrity of their approach to food. I'm extremely happy there are many restaurants experimenting with food in DC and willing to take risks and there doesn't have to be a one 'best' restaurant rather many restaurants doing the best in their pursuit of cuisine.

[Bart]

There has to be someone answering a phone.  There are going to be questions that need a human voice on the other end of the line.

As for "very standard and normal" Fabio is doing some of the most exciting food in the United States right now.  Several of his dishes (i.e. "Fiola Mare Oysters and Caviar," Gragnano spaghetti, "Marchesi," among others) along with extraordinarily fresh seafood are worthy of any table anywhere.  I wrote elsewhere on here that this is the Maestro of the Waterfront and it is.

Again I'll draw a comparison to Little Serow...............they don't even have a phone!!!  At least not one on the website for public use.  They have an email address but no phone.

And I have no doubt that the dishes you describe are fantastic, but when I read them, I think to myself, "hummmm, I can get oysters and caviar at 10 other places and I can get spaghetti at 100 other places" (obviously of varying degrees of quality and perhaps none equaling Fiola Mare) but when I look at the weird mashups at Rose's it seems more interesting to me.  More different.  More unique (yes I know something can't be "more unique" since unique means one of a kind!!))

Aside:  How do you catch a unique rabbit?            >                 You 'neek up on him.

            How do you catch a tame rabbit?               >                 Tame way

[turbogrrl]

I don't understand why people are insisting that Rose's has to change what they are doing. It's like suddenly finding yourself dating the girl you thought was too cool to even notice you, and then wanting to immediately change everything about them.

Rose's fits me. I like the space, the light fixtures, the china, the energy, the playfulness, the happiness, the bustle at the bar. I love the food. I was stalking Silverman the moment the pork and lychee hit my tastebuds at Hogo. I like that I have just as much chance as anyone else to get in, and I don't have to plan a month/week in advance. I hear Red Hen is awesome, but you know what? I still haven't gone because I can't plan two weeks ahead and the few times I've had a chance to go on a whim the wait for a walk-in was three+ hours.

Maybe things will change. Maybe not. For now, I'm enjoying the awesome.

[ad.mich]

Of course, if and when Rose's they start taking reservations, that will begin the chorus of "it ain't what it used to be" (regardless of accuracy).  I'd happily wager a drink that a year from now the only reservation you can get at RL will be for the large table family meal option they are about to roll out.  Chasing the crown of 'hottest restaurant in DC' is a fool's errand.  

[plarkins]

Rose's fits me. I like the space, the light fixtures, the china, the energy, the playfulness, the happiness, the bustle at the bar. I love the food.

For now, I'm enjoying the awesome.

Sums up my thoughts on Rose's, especially after my visit this evening.

I first went back in November with my wife and MIL and loved it. Since then I've been anxious to return and have the pork/lychee salad all to myself. My wife is OOT this week so I made the trek into DC to treat myself. When I arrived at 430pm, the line was about 15 deep but was only about 20 at opening. I sat at the kitchen bar and the stool next to mine remained empty my entire time there. When I left just after 7pm there were 4 open spots at the bar and a few open tables outside. Maybe a few other tables were open but I don't remember. Just a FYI, for those anxious about wait times and no reservations blah blah. On to the foood

So I got all I could eat and drink (and still drive home) for less than $125! No rooftop setting, but the kitchen bar was pretty cool. My wonderfully pleasant server, Elizabeth, and/or combination of staff added two gratis dishes, so I had to waddle out the door at the end of the meal.

2011 Gard Riesling (Lawrence Valley)

pork/lychee salad -> as good as I remembered. went well with the riesling

grilled asparagus -> I'm usually a "if its yellow, let it mellow" kind of guy, but not after this dish

2007 Cupertinum Negro Amaro

gnocchi -> gooey parmacheesy goodness. went well with the Negro Amaro

strawberry-tomato pasta (gratis) -> Back and better than ever! now with in-season berries and more spice. If I recollect accurately, the expediter nearest me mentioned they'll keep this dish around longer but swap out strawberries with cherries...

honey glazed carrots -> I ordered this only out of gratitude since I was getting full but I actually really enjoyed this dish. the carrots were a little firmer than expected. heirloom carrots with honey, dill mascarpone, and matzo crumbs for texture. the unheralded menu item? Or maybe I just really like carrots.

stracciatella gelato w/ strawberries and baked meringue -> was told there was red (or cayenne?) pepper in the meringue but couldn't discern it. great dessert, loved the macerated berries

fois gras french toast w/cinnamon ice cream (gratis) -> they must have wanted my liver 'cause I was stuffed. I love sweet and savory and Rose's does it so well.

thank you to a gracious staff. it was a pleasure to watch you all work with excellence.

[New Foodie]

FINALLY made it to Rose's last night as we had grandparents in town to babysit. Arrived around 5:25pm on a Wednesday and there were perhaps 30 people in front of us in line. We got the last 2 kitchen view seats (yay!), but there were still some tables left after the opening rush, and the downstairs bar seats remained open until at least 6-6:15pm. Not sure what upstairs was like at that point.

I heartily agree with all of the people who have heralded the kitchen counter as the place to sit. The hostess was actually talking it up to the pair in front of us, and I'm glad we were able to sit there. Not that a table wouldn't be nice, but it was fun to watch the chefs all night. Our waitress, Elizabeth, was awesome. Super friendly and bubbly with just the right amount of chattiness and interaction. Pacing was mostly good. Only once did we have a dish delivered before we were done with the one before, and we had to wait a little longer than I would've liked for the check, but overall it was smooth.

Bread service is no longer the potato bread, but rather freshly baked biscuits served with whipped butter topped with an "ash" made from onion and garlic. I didn't care for the ash, but the biscuits and butter were divine. As good or better than many places I've had them in the south. And they smelled so good coming out of the oven all night.

We ended up splitting 5 small plates plus dessert:

PORK SAUSAGE, HABANERO & LYCHEE SALAD  13 - Yes, it's as delicious as everyone says, and you shouldn't be scared off by "habanero." It wasn't super hot, but had some awesome Thai flavors. This might have been my favorite dish because of how interesting it was.

GRILLED ASPARAGUS W/ PINEAPPLE AIOLI, FRIED JALAPENOS, CHIVE OIL  12 - A big ole pile of asparagus, perfectly grilled, with some heat and some sweet.

MARCO'S GNOCCHI, BLACK PEPPER & PARMESAN  13 - Literally parm in a pan with some pasta water, toss in the pillowy, melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi, and crack pepper on top. It couldn't be much simpler, but the preparation was spot on. This was my +1's favorite dish. I feel like I might've liked a little added seasoning or herb or some spice of some sort to cut through the richness, but it was still pretty great.

STRAWBERRY-TOMATO PASTA W/ RICOTTA, BLACK PEPPER & RED ONION (SPICY)  13 - I am not a strawberry lover, but I did like this pasta. I had to try it after hearing so many raves (it just sounds so odd!). You mostly get the tomato flavor and some heat with the strawberry sweetness following up. Yet another interesting dish that works very well.

CRISPY SQUID SALAD, AVOCADO, CREMA, LIME & RADISH  13 - I described this as calamari nachos. Perfectly fried, masa-breaded squid, topped with basically guac and sour cream, onion, and radish.

FRENCH TOAST, CINNAMON TOAST CRUNCH ICE CREAM 7 - We passed on the foie in this dessert and instead had two slices of French toast topped with ice cream and cinnamon toast crumbles. It was delicious. Neither of us love foie, so we didn't miss it in the dish, and it was a perfectly sweet way to end the meal. Buttery and rich.

5 dishes plus dessert was plenty of food for 2 people. We may have been able to squeeze in one more (our waitress says she recommends 5-6 small plates for 2), but we would've been overly full at that point (especially with dessert). I think our bill ended up being just under $150, including tax and tip, for 5 small plates, 1 dessert, 2 glasses of wine, and 2 cocktails.

My only (very unfair) critique of the night is that we didn't get any dishes for free. I never ever expect that at a restaurant, but after reading about SO MANY PEOPLE receiving gratis dishes (on DR and elsewhere), it was slightly disappointing not to receive a random gift from the kitchen (especially after having such a good rapport with our server and the staff). I was perfectly satisfied with everything we had, but thought I'd mention that not every gets (extra) special treatment.

And my final tips that we learned throughout the meal and weren't able to take advantage of, but which I would try to remember on a subsequent visit:

1. You can order half sizes of the small plates. I don't know what the cost is, but we frequently heard/saw them firing "baby" versions of a lot of the plates. This would be a great way to try more things between two people.
2. The brisket is only listed on the menu as a $28 family plate to share, but we saw it come out of the kitchen once as sliders and a few times as an already made sandwich. When we asked our waitress she said you could get the brisket sandwich for $11 if you don't want the whole plate (I'm not sure if the fish stew, which was the other entree option, could be done in a smaller portion)
3. Ask if there are any specials. Our waitress didn't mention this to us (perhaps because we mostly knew what we wanted to order and didn't ask her opinion of the menu), but there was a crispy cauliflower special last night that our neighbors got that looked really good. Make sure you're not missing anything special off menu.

[turbogrrl]

I think they're slowing down on the extra plates in general. I also went last night, and we lucked out and got the three seats at the corner of the upstairs bar, and I sat on a stool at the point. Good thing, as the wait for 4 at 7pm was 2.5 hours.

Tried the strawberry pasta for the first time, and all my tastebuds could hear was strawberry. I didn't get any significant tomato notes *or* heat. We all thought it was very very sweet.

Determined that it is in fact true"” the pork and lychee salad tastes MUCH better if shared. (and by shared I mean squabbled over). It was still great when I had a whole bowl of it on the rooftop, but there's just an added *something* when you have to plunge a spoon in and get a mound of it before someone snatches the bowl out of your hand.

(I will be so happy when dill falls out of fashion. I couldn't have the carrots, the chicken, or the crab claw dip.)

Loved the gnocchi and the rigatoni. And all of us loved the stracciatella.

[hillvalley]

Elizabeth is indeed a fantastic server; I don't understand sitting anywhere but the kitchen.

It's interesting that New Foodie mentioned that they served one dish before she was finished with a previous dish because I had the same problem tonight.  For me it's hard to look past since we were mere feet from the guy who was calling out orders and the level of service they hold themselves to.

The crispy cauliflower is back on the regular menu.  This dish is classic Rose's and a must try if you like cauliflower.  I'm not going to describe the dish because it should be tasted without knowing what to expect.

I don't get the strawberry pasta.  It's bizarre. We agreed this was the best adjective to describe the dish. Strawberries and tomatoes don't do it for me.  I found it spicy but I have a low heat tolerance.  The rigatoni with squash blossoms was much better.

The crispy squid is a great version of fried calamari, although again spicy.  The avocado and radish add a nice texture and flavor.

The jonah crab claws are fine, nothing special.  It could make for disastrous or excellent date food depending on how the night is going. The honey glazed carrots are a spiffier version of the honey carrots that my mother makes for the Jewish holidays.  Her's will have dill in them this fall.

I'm fairly certain that they aren't giving out free "extras" anymore.  New Foodies understandable disappointment reminds me of the Palena caramel sadness of a decade ago.

One last note: there is not a hint of bacon on the menu.  This has to be one of the only menus in the city without it and it wasn't really missed.

PS: Shouldn't it be 'On' Barracks Row instead of 'In' BR since  Barracks Row is only 8th street?

[Chris Cunningham]

One last note: there is not a hint of bacon on the menu.  This has to be one of the only menus in the city without it and it wasn't really missed.

 

thats  because bacon is way overrated...just like cupcakes

[eatruneat]

My boyfriend and I also (FINALLY) made our way to Rose's Luxury last week. We went on Thursday and the wait was around two hours at 5:50pm, which worked out well for us since we tend to be late eaters anyway. New Foodie, Turbogrrl, and Hillvalley did a great job of describing many of the dishes we ordered (jonah crab claw, crispy cauliflower, crispy squid, strawberry pasta, pork lychee salad, and so I don't have much to add except to echo opinions above that the pork lychee salad is phenomenal, the strawberry pasta was more interesting than great (I too only tasted strawberry and there wasn't even a hint of spice in the sauce much to our dismay), and the cauliflower was very tasty.

Two other dishes we tried were very very good: the rigatoni with squash blossoms and the jerk chicken (gratis because (we think) my boyfriend and our server knew each other in a previous life). Whereas the strawberry pasta was disappointing, the rigatoni exceeded expectations. As we had more bites, the complexity of the dish became more apparent to us and we savored it to the last bite. The jerk chicken was another winner. It provided a lot of the spice and diversity of flavor and temperatures similar to the pork and lychee salad.

[Deac]

wife is out of town next week, so thinking about treating myself.

what time would a solo diner need to be in line to get in at the opening? alternatively, if I showed up at, say, 6:30 by myself how would I stand for getting a seat. if it's before 5 or something like that I might just stick with Little Serow, which is practically across the street from my office.

[plarkins]

My wife is OOT this week so I made the trek into DC to treat myself. When I arrived at 430pm, the line was about 15 deep but was only about 20 at opening. I sat at the kitchen bar and the stool next to mine remained empty my entire time there. When I left just after 7pm there were 4 open spots at the bar and a few open tables outside. Maybe a few other tables were open but I don't remember. 

wife is out of town next week, so thinking about treating myself.

what time would a solo diner need to be in line to get in at the opening? alternatively, if I showed up at, say, 6:30 by myself how would I stand for getting a seat. if it's before 5 or something like that I might just stick with Little Serow, which is practically across the street from my office.

Based on other reports/posts, my visit on Friday, June 27 may have been an aberration as far as wait times. If you showed up at 630pm on the 27th you would have gotten a seat, however I don't think its the norm. I would expect there to be a wait, however going solo increases your chances enough so that its worth the shot. If you show up at 5 or earlier, you'll likely have your pick of seats. Obviously, I'd recommend the kitchen bar.

[Pat]

There was a long line (between 20 and 30 people, I'd estimate) when I arrived at 5:18 yesterday.  I got one of the last two seats at the kitchen counter but had to wait while a couple in front of me looked them over and rejected them.   My meal was mostly good, but I've now had my first objectionable food here.  The ash on the butter that went with the buttermilk biscuits was just not appealing.  It was made from onions, garlic, and thyme, but tasted of none of them.  All I could think of as I attempted to give this a shot was that I was eating pure carcinogenic matter.  The biscuits were good, and I ate the second one sans butter, as I could not manage to scrape butter from the ramekin without getting the ash.  The next time I dine here, I will inquire as to what the butter is with the bread and ask for none if it's going to come covered in ash.

While I missed seeing oysters on the menu, the bigeye tuna with fresh wasabi was wonderful.  The fish tasted clean and fresh and had a great texture. I hadn't had raw tuna in a while, and this made me happy. I might have liked an even bigger dollop of wasabi to accompany the fish, though.

My favorite dish of the night was their take on street corn: Mexican grilled corn salad with guajillo pepper, lime, and cilantro.  This also had cotija cheese and I think something else I forgot to note.  The cheese and pepper reminded me of the burnt romaine preparation I used to like so much.  It was served in  a big white dish with a reservoir in the center and looked like an inverted Mexican hat.  This was moist and delicious, and I plowed through it even though it was fairly salty.  As with the popcorn soup, the salt belongs here, but I just don't care for a lot of salt.

In contrast, the saltiness of the deconstructed BLT (fried green tomatoes, summer lettuces, baconnaise, and toast) was not as pleasant.  (At this point, I would rewind if it were possible and order the bucatini with sungold tomato sauce.  I love bucatini and it looked really good, but I just did not want pasta last night.)  I expected some salt with the fried green tomatoes because of the baconnaise, but this was too harsh for me, overpowering.  It was served in the same kind of vessel as the corn, and the toast formed itself nicely against the bottom of the dish.  Unfortunately, I couldn't cut the toast or get it out of its spot, so I finally abandoned it, uneaten.  Perhaps being able to use the toast as a buffer against the salt would have helped..

My very nice server had sent me a free plate of gnocchi right before the BLT experience.  It was maybe 6 or 8 pieces.  I didn't really know what to do since I was filling up fast and didn't want pasta.  I managed to eat all but a couple of pieces.  It was much better than the version we had on the rooftop and almost as ethereal as the first time I had it.  So...they are still on occasion giving out freebies.

Service was as hospitable and friendly as always.  I felt bad I couldn't finish the free food, but oof.