Jack Rose Dining Saloon, Adams Morgan - Owner Bill Thomas's Mammoth Bourbon Selection on 18th Street

[DonRocks]

Prince of Petworth sleuthed out this sign a couple months ago, wondering what was to become of it. Yesterday, I ran into Bill Thomas (the owner of Bourbon) at Bourbon, and he informed me that Jack Rose will be opening up next Spring at 2007 18th St. NW (May 1st is currently the target date). This is around the intersection with Florida Ave., and is the former home of Third Power Fitness. This a large space, 6,300 square feet, and the restaurant will feature, needless to say, plenty to drink, with a strong focus on Scotch. Construction delays will be mitigated by the fact that they own the entire building. Congratulations in advance, Bill!

Cheers,
Rocks.

[jparrott]

More here.

[RWBooneJr]

More here.

It sounds like someone is trying to graft a fine dining concept onto Old Glory (which certainly isn't any crazier than trying to graft a fine dining concept onto a night club). Unfortunately, I predict only one of these potentially-conflicting concepts will survive, if either. In that neighborhood, my money is on the latter.

[SeanMike]

Having just had more of the food that'll be at Jack Rose thanks to a Heaven Hill tasting at Bourbon, and talking to the folks involved, I'm so excited about this place I could...

errr...

Well, I'm very excited about it.

[synaesthesia]

It sounds like someone is trying to graft a fine dining concept onto Old Glory (which certainly isn't any crazier than trying to graft a fine dining concept onto a night club). Unfortunately, I predict only one of these potentially-conflicting concepts will survive, if either. In that neighborhood, my money is on the latter.

That's why if we like it we should say so with our money, which is totally feasible if you eat there prior to 9:30 on weekends, and even later on weekdays. Some potential menu items I tasted a few months ago were fantastic.

[SeanMike]

So...I hit Jack Rose last Friday night.

Only the rooftop is open right now but it's a pretty cool space.

Bill invited me into the Alaskan Brewing Company beer pairing. The food was all quite good. The "private" area can be a bit noisy, and a couple of times you had folks leaning up against the windows to see inside at what we were doing - can't say that was cool. Some curtains or something when there is a private event going on would help that a ton. (And I want to rent that room some time, I just gotta think of an event...)

The rooftop got pretty crowded but was a fun vibe. I had a ton of fun just watching JP work the crowd.

I can't wait to try it again...and to check out the downstairs.

[ol_ironstomach]

I popped in about ten days ago with a few friends from the board. The rooftop bar is a great-looking space, with a generous roof overhang, and situated on the leeward side of the building. Try the whole fish, while you're waiting for whatever Rachel or Chris are slinging.

On the main floor, the contents of the wall storage are OMG-worthy. Or will be, when it opens. It'll be interesting to see what Bill does with the basement bar.

On a peripheral note, their namesake Willett bourbon is an outstanding dram. Selected by an bourbon-loving acquaintance in NoVa (no, not jparrott), it's quite rich and reveals its considerable sweetness in waves. This is a big, contemplative, sipping whisky.

[Pat]

I've heard that the "official" opening date is the 13th, but I'm not sure if that's changed.

[jparrott]

I've heard that the "official" opening date is the 13th, but I'm not sure if that's changed.

From what I hear very recently, this is likely to be delayed. But the roofdeck is better and better stocked each day, and the food I've had off that grill has been awesome.

[Barbara]

I guess I'm just out of the loop. This building has, over the years, housed several different gyms. (I'm happy I didn't sign up for the "lifetime" regime when it touted itself as a "women's only" gym.) It was completely gutted and gradually has taken shape. I wonder what took so long. I just hope it is worthy of my patronage. If not, it will join a very long list of neighborhood joints that didn't work out. For Michael Hartzer's sake, I hope the spell has been broken.

[Joe Riley]

Okay - after several unfortunate delays, Jack Rose is finally open, but right now it's mainly just the rooftop, as most of you know, which has a good but necessarily limited menu at the moment, but those three lovely bars are doing quite well.

If you've been to the rooftop, but not lately, you might not be aware that they've tented-over the open area, which of course really helps when the weather isn't ideal, and they have several large fans going to keep the air-flow pleasant during the brutally hot and humid times.

The main floor is, for the moment, really just open as needed, but should be open regularly in another week or so. The new General Manager will be running things then, and smooth sailing lies just ahead.

Up until now, Jack Rose has been a victim of its own success. They've had lines out the door on weekends, and have been doing very well, but they've rather had the "bull by the horns", so to speak. Just initial growing pains.

A little patience will be greatly rewarded in short order when the main kitchen opens for good and the whisky program gets going 100%.

Much to look forward to here.

[weinoo]

We stopped in last night for a quick drink. Nice space, as shared above...and nice stock, as well.

My Manhattan could've been colder (a lot); SE's julep was fine. Looking forward to the downstairs opening.

[DonRocks]

Jack Rose's website has a little banner up that says, "Starting Tonight Join Us For Cocktails On The First Floor," but when I went last night, the first floor was closed. Our bartender was a bit vague, but seemed to imply that it's open on weekends now (I'm still not sure if that includes this past weekend or not).

The bar on the roof is well-stocked and well-staffed, and is a really fun place to drink (in a Surfside-meets-serious-bar kind of way), but the cooking right now is confined to a little cubicle of a kitchen off to the side of the bar. Until the full kitchen gets up and running, don't bother eating here. Ignore the "Pit BBQ" spiel - the one Pit BBQ item is essentially grilled steak-ums on a store-bought ciabatta; you're much, much better off with the delicious grilled vegetable sandwich with soft cheddar (which lends itself much better to this type of short-order cooking).

And if you do get a Mint Julep, have them use half the simple syrup, and upgrade from Maker's Mark to Bulleit (trust me on this one - this was the best Mint Julep I've ever had by far).

Cheers,

Rocks

[ad.mich]

I'm visiting on Friday - anyone else have any food recs here? No offense Don, but I fear the amount of brown liquor that's going to be consumed is past the pay grade of a grilled veg sandwich.

[jparrott]

Downstairs should be open Friday with its limited menu. The steak is excellent, as is the chicken. Not sure what fish'll be on offer. Sweetbread starter was fabulous when I had it a couple of weeks ago.

Upstairs, there's usually a grilled scallop thing that's good, in addition to the sandwiches.

[SeanMike]

I went to the Irish whiskey dinner at Jack Rose last night. They mentioned they're open all week now, but still getting the kinks out of Sunday through Tuesday or so.

Given that it was a pairing dinner, I don't believe most (or any) of the items were off the menu. Still, they were delicious.

(I'm leaving the drinks for the blog. We had a cocktail, then a taste of 12 year old Knappogue Castle, an Australian grenache, then tastes of the 16 year old Knappogue and a 36 year old Knappogue distilled in 1951.)

(I don't have the menu with me, so please bear with the descriptions.) The opening salad, a riff of a Ceasar IIRC, was salmon on grilled bread plus grilled romaine lettuce with dressing. Quite tasty.

That was followed up by "scallops and chips" - two large deep fried scallops and chips that were small squares of potato, lightly friend, extremely delicious.

Next up were braised beef ribs over something (mashed potatoes? They were called something else on the menu) and with salted radishes. You didn't need a knife for them, they just fell apart.

Finally, we had a chocolate pastry (uhhh I think) with ice cream and Brady's Irish cream whipped cream and cherries.

A fantastic dinner for the price ($75) and a very good time. I took my friend on a quick visit to the roof (which was open but empty as everyone was in the room with the fireplace) and then we retired to the first floor bar for a bit more whiskey and a Dogfish Head Punkin Ale.

Other folks were in there eating and their food looked delicious, too - so I need to start getting back down there more often, especially now that they also have a cigar menu. Man, I love fall weather...

[Barbara]

Siestema's First Bite:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/bars-clubs/jack-rose-dining-saloon,1209257/critic-review.html

I'll be surprised if he does a full review in the Magazine, judging from this. Dame Edna and I went there for dinner last week and had some of the same things. I love me some Caesar Salad, but who in his right mind thinks it's a good idea to grill lettuce??? I didn't even finish it. Bizarre, and not in a good way. However, the skate I had was better than the skate I had at the Oval Room back in May. Really good. Dame Edna's sweetbreads were too salty and I thought had a strange texture, given the little bite that I got. He got the steak "Diane", which in no way resembled the classic dish, and ate every bite of a rather large steak. Thought it was pretty good.

Jack Rose is somewhat less expensive than Cashion's, our go to place for fine dining in AM, but the noise factor is just appalling. Given the inconsistencies in the kitchen, coupled with the noise, it won't likely be a place we frequent. I'll be interested to see how their basement "speakeasy" works out, whenever it opens.

[chiefdc]

Siestema's First Bite:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/bars-clubs/jack-rose-dining-saloon,1209257/critic-review.html

I'll be surprised if he does a full review in the Magazine, judging from this. Dame Edna and I went there for dinner last week and had some of the same things. I love me some Caesar Salad, but who in his right mind thinks it's a good idea to grill lettuce??? I didn't even finish it. Bizarre, and not in a good way. However, the skate I had was better than the skate I had at the Oval Room back in May. Really good. Dame Edna's sweetbreads were too salty and I thought had a strange texture, given the little bite that I got. He got the steak "Diane", which in no way resembled the classic dish, and ate every bite of a rather large steak. Thought it was pretty good.

Jack Rose is somewhat less expensive than Cashion's, our go to place for fine dining in AM, but the noise factor is just appalling. Given the inconsistencies in the kitchen, coupled with the noise, it won't likely be a place we frequent. I'll be interested to see how their basement "speakeasy" works out, whenever it opens.

I trust what you have to say, Barbara, but but I sure as heck don't trust what Sietsema has to say anymore. His reviews are all over the place- very inconsistent and often out of touch. I have said it before, but I think it's time for new blood at the Post. I think Carman is superior in just about every way, so let's hope he's the heir apparent. I normally don't like speaking ill of people, but when you're a critic, you open yourself up to it IMO.

Incidentally, I have not eaten in the dining room of Jack Rose. The food upstairs (on the grill) is fairly good, and decently priced. I usually get the "pit beef" sandwich. The scallops were tasty as well, though priced more like a formal entree. The cocktails are really, really good. They take their time and measure out the proper proportions.

[xcanuck]

Went here with another couple, hoping that the magic Hartzer worked at RtC when it first opened would be replicated here.

First and foremost - holy fuck, but it's impossible to have a conversation in this place. We were virtually yelling at each other and could barely be heard. Comparable to a Dinosaur Jr show without earplugs. On top of it, sure, it was Nigel Tufnel Day but that's no excuse to crank up the sound system to 11.

We started with a round or two of cocktails. There was a good sampling of "classic" cocktails on the menu, along with their own creations. I thought the use of black beer in The Saint (Hayman's Old Tom Gin, St Germain, Black Beer, Doulin Earl Gray, Lemon Juice) was brilliant. Their take on a Pimm's Cup (Brother's Grimm Cup) was also outstanding. Less impressive were the classics. My Manhattan was a little too sweet and lacked boozy body (I make mine at home with Rittenhouse 100 Rye). The eponymous Jack Rose tasted like they were using supermarket grenadine, which seems unforgivable if it's going to your namesake cocktail.

Not sure why Sietsema poo-poo'd the biscuits. While the ham flavour was understated, overall I thought the biscuits were light and tasty. OK - 3 tiny biscuits for $8 seemed a little chintzy but we enjoyed them. The stuffed sweet peppers were about the quality of what you get at the olive bar at Whole Foods. 4 peppers for $8 - again, chintzy as well as underwhelming. The braised pork belly was much better. The anise flavoured broth was a little predictable, however the overall taste was good enough on a cool fall night for me to overlook it.

My bison short ribs were pretty much what you'd expect, though there's a fine line between sear and burned, and my dish was walking that line. Lisa got the cod (a replacement for the char), which came with on a bed of underspiced lentils. The cod itself was delicious, but the lentils were bland. Maybe a hit of herbs would have woken them up a little. The winner of the night was the roast chicken. Nice crispy skin, moist meat, and well seasoned throughout. I was a little surprised that this dish would be the winner, but it seemed to be better executed than anything else on the menu.

Overall, we got a good food and above average drinks but the price paid wasn't what I would consider a decent value. But maybe that's what you get when you dine out in Adam's Morgan. I'd come back for the booze if not for the overwhelming volume level. As always, your mileage may vary.

[petercarrjones]

Any new news on their updated bar menu/food after about 6 months? I was fairly turned off on their food initially (esp grill upstairs) and want it to be better due to the awesome cocktails/whiskey/beer/outdoor deck.

Might have to try their Kopstootje event tonight.

[DonRocks]

Any new news on their updated bar menu/food after about 6 months? I was fairly turned off on their food initially (esp grill upstairs) and want it to be better due to the awesome cocktails/whiskey/beer/outdoor deck.

Might have to try their Kopstootje event tonight.

Let us know, huh? I've heard they're now serving their downstairs menu, upstairs which would be a pretty big deal.

[DonRocks]

There's Willett "Orange Blossom Special" Bourbon on tap.

Yes.

I did my first-ever tap dance last night.

There's Willett "Orange Blossom Special" Bourbon on tap.

My oh my.

Jake Parrott is the one who "names" all the Willett bottlings and he is spot-on with this one - it really, really does have an orange blossom, almost a tangerine component in the nose.

And it's on tap. On tap!

If there's any bar in the entire world with more bottles standing on display, I'd like to know what it is.

I'm not an expert in Scotch, but if you're looking to dip your toes in the pool without spending a lot of money, try one ounce of this 1993 Clynelish. I don't know if a hardcore enthusiast would take this seriously, but it was really a pleasure to sip, and it's not dominated by peat - it is a wonderful starter Scotch, and I'll be looking for it at retail.

[goodeats]

^ In the world, I think there is a place in London that has more bottles on display. Whiskey Advocate (fma Malt Advocate and got scooped up by the Wine Spectator folks) just featured a London Whiskey hop.

Other than that, I feel quite blessed by the wall-o-whiskey.

Boy, I wish I could have that library ladder.

ETA: Oops - forgot to add that the bar food was pretty good for the two or three plates my friend and I ordered. The only miss was the duck egg rolls, which contained minced duck, a shape I wouldn't ever want to manipulate my duck meat into...

[SeanMike]

There's Willett "Orange Blossom Special" Bourbon on tap.

And honestly, I was surprised at how inexpensive it was!

Worked my way through most of the beer list last night, plus some Orange Blossom, plus tried some mixed drinks. I split a plate of wings with our friend Laren ($8 normally for five wings, but half price at happy hour - worth it at happy hour but I thought they were kind of small and not as many as expected for the full price), which was all I ate last night, which might be why I was passed out at 10 PM.

[weinoo]

Finally got to try some of the food upstairs, al fresco, since for some reason our cable subscription doesn't include the channel that's carrying the Rangers/Caps game (and no, I'm not a Caps fan) and we figured it might be a good a place to watch and to catch a bite.

They have a nice happy hour, with 1/2 price for all the starters and $2 off draft beers...so for starters, we ordered all the starters. My favorite was the grilled caesar, a half-head of romaine lettuce, dressed nicely, and accompanied with a "crouton" topped with a roasted tomato and vinegar marinated anchovy...

The Spicy Shrimp were cooked properly (maybe 30 seconds less on the grill) and true to their name, very spicy...

We both thought the jerk chicken wings were overcooked and dry, but liked the rub/marinade. And we felt the same, unfortunately, about our 1/2 slab of ribs. Too much grill time - they are braised first, which I'm pretty sure cooks them all the way through; then, a couple of minutes a side, brushed with a little bit of the braising liquid, would be all they'd need to make 'em right.

Drinks are always good, and the view is fine looking up (down?) 18th Street...

I'll head back to try more of the menu, and simply because where else can you enjoy this?

[DPop]

So it sounds like this place is still one where you come for some really good drinks either before or after eating somewhere else. That right?

[weinoo]

So it sounds like this place is still one where you come for some really good drinks either before or after eating somewhere else. That right?

For the stuff I tried upstairs, I can recommend the Caesar and the shrimp. Downstairs, at the bar, we had an excellent burger.

If I want to drink and smoke a cigar, upstairs is fine.

It's confusing.

[Barbara]

So it sounds like this place is still one where you come for some really good drinks either before or after eating somewhere else. That right?

The skate is truly worthy. Much better than the version at Mintwood Place, IMHO.

[DonRocks]

So it sounds like this place is still one where you come for some really good drinks either before or after eating somewhere else. That right?

For the stuff I tried upstairs, I can recommend the Caesar and the shrimp. Downstairs, at the bar, we had an excellent burger.

If I want to drink and smoke a cigar, upstairs is fine.

It's confusing.

The skate is truly worthy. Much better than the version at Mintwood Place, IMHO.

DPop, I read weinoo's post differently than you did - when I saw his post a couple days ago, I was left with a mostly favorable impression (both from the pictures and the writing). weinoo, you largely liked it, right? Your pictures were so nice that I glossed over the middle paragraph about dry meats.

[weinoo]

DPop, I read weinoo's post differently than you did - when I saw his post a couple days ago, I was left with a mostly favorable impression (both from the pictures and the writing). weinoo, you largely liked it, right? Your pictures were so nice that I glossed over the middle paragraph about dry meats.

I like it as it's fine for what it is - a term which I dislike immensely, by the way. I mean, if you're heading upstairs, to me it's more for the party-like atmosphere. Lots of beer, smoking, outside, etc. There aren't many places where you can do that...and there are practically none of them in NYC.

That said, with a little more dexterity at the grill, I think they could be turning out better food - no need to cook everything to shit.

[DPop]

I wound up giving it a try and maybe my expectations were too high. I loved the Bison Tartare, which was expensive as all get out for a smaller-than-a-hockey-puck little round of meat topped with a duck egg yolk, but goddamn it was good. Call me crazy but I think I prefer a leaner cut of meat in my tartare with an egg yolk to give it some fat. Everything else was not up to the Michael Hartzer from a few years ago standards, unfortunately.

The Jerk Cuban was a really unfortunate mixture of flavors, the very dry sandwich did not have enough pork in it to give it much flavor so all I got was pickle with melted cheese. Now combine that with a very spicy jerk sauce given on the side and imagine what that would taste like. Yes, it was that bad. I think the sandwich on its own with more pork on the inside might be fine but definitely not with this sauce.

My wife got the Soft Shell Crab special which was fine but a bit underwhelming. Maybe it was just me, I do not tend to get the fascination with soft shells but I can tell a good one from a bad one and these were somewhere in the middle.

The thing that got me were the prices on the food. I looked across the regular menu and the numbers I saw for the most part ($26, $28, $24 on the entrees and $10, $12, $16 on the apps) are what I would expect out of a Proof, Corduroy, Central, or other such establishment. Not a saloon and not with the cooking I experienced the other night.

All that said, I will be back as this is place is heaven for a whiskey enthusiast. The cocktails and drinks are a bit pricey as well, but they should be, as they are rare and fantastic.

[SeanMike]

They're doing a ton of events for Beer Week at Jack Rose (and at Bourbon, too), but since I haven't had a cigar since around early April (at the latest) I decided to drag my butt down to 18th and Florida and attend the W. Curtis Draper cigar pairing with Victory beers.

There was also a "trio of chops" event for Friends of the Saloon, but I hadn't figured on doing that.

The cigar pairing was quite cool. $25 got you one cigar and three full size Victory beers to pair with it - but $35 got you ALL THREE CIGARS plus tasters of 10 beers. Not one for doing things by half measures, I did that.

I'll get into the pairings more on my blog (OMGWTF SEANMIKE YOU'RE GOING TO POST LOL) but they worked together well, and I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed Victory beers.

After the cigars and beer I needed food. I got an order of the jerk wings again ($8), and really, for six small wings...sigh. I can't recommend it. They're not bad, but they're small, which makes them drier than they should be. Also for $8 was the grilled cheese with slaw, which was a fantastic amount of buttery THICK grilled cheese sandwiches (two, cut in half) and some tasty slaw. *That* was worth the $8.

Then I wandered downstairs to meet Jake and Jason, and the allure of the trio of chops was too much for me. For $20, you started with one deviled egg (rather, half an egg) that was good, then a salad with "ham and cheese" dressing (not too big, tasty), and three chops - venison, lamb, pork - matched up with potatoes and asparagus. Delicious.

$20?! A steal.

[jparrott]

Note that the (quite tasty) chops menu was a one-night-only thing...Jack Rose does something at ludicrously high food cost on the first Monday of most months. Info available via their Facebook page, IIRC.

[DonRocks]

Breaking news: Michael Hartzer, former sous chef at Citronelle, is no longer at Jack Rose Dining Saloon.

[sheldman]

For whatever reason I had never eaten here, until tonight. I guess I had read the iffy reviews above.

But after one meal, I am happy to say this about it, which I intend as a meaningfully positive statement:

If somebody says to me, "I want to eat at this price range (which is, you can get a nice appetizer in the 10-12 range, and an entree in the 16-24 range)," and imagine that the stipulated geographic range is limited to NW DC, north of N St and west of 16th St, and imagine that I don't want to go to 2 Amys or New Heights (two very different places, I know)," then: I can't currently think of any place that I would recommend over this.

Meaning, the place is pretty, the whiskey list is astounding, the service was pleasant, and the food was better than adequate. Smoked trout salad was notably good.

You may all say, "You fool, you are forgetting about Restaurants X, Y and Z." If so, please advise (but do not suggest Mintwood please, and allow me my feelings about that, because in my experience it failed on the pretty place, whiskey, and pleasant service fronts). For the amount of disposable income in DC west of Rock Creek, the neighborhood restaurant situation is mindblowingly limited. If I had a jetpack it would be ok, but I have no jetpack.

[Barbara]

Dame Edna and I went to a "Meet and Greet" event for City Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (who is on the backside of the ballot for all you DC voters) tonight. The Ham Biscuits turned out to be cheese biscuits with Proscuitto and wound up being dinner--to the great relief of Dame Edna, who's turn it was to provide dinner for us tonight. There were several other platters of goodies, which I wasn't able to exactly identify that were equally yummy. I mean, who finds nicely sliced French Breakfast radishes on the crudite platter at these things? There also was a red wine, a white wine, AND a DC Brau (the appropriately named "The Corruption") available. The beer was a little more bitter than I generally like, but was certainly NOT in the catergory of the cheap beers which advertize on TV. The event was held in the Banquet Room, which fortunately opened up to a balcony facing 18th Street, providing a lovely setting for a temperate night like tonight. I write this to suggest that this venue isn't hardly the worst place to gather people to drink and eat and mingle for a cause. Just sayin'.

[Barbara]

The "controversial" review of Minibar has prompted this review (which might be a bit unfair):

The Jack Rose has a "Friends and Family" program on the first Monday of every month. Some kind soul put us on the email list. At first, I thought it was Jake Parrott, but it turned out to be Bryan Weaver. More name-dropping to come. Whatever. This month was the "Repeal Day Dinner." I looked at the menu and signed us up immediately.

The first course was an amuse bouche which consisted of a peeled, stuffed Italian cherry pepper, surrounded by pea shoots. Lovely.

The second course was one large scallop that was seared and halved horizontally and served on a cole slaw-like concoction. Divine.

The third course was "Pasta Carbonara" with Duck Confit in place of bacon. Oh, Puleeze. I was starting to get a wee bit worried, because I was already quite full and the main course was still to come.

This was the only choice we had: Roast Chicken, Cod, or Prime Rib. Since the menu said the chicken was free-range from Pennsylvania, I went with that. Dame Edna got the Prime Rib and he will have to tell you about that, since I didn't get a taste. The chicken was a half breast with wing attached. Moist meat and crispy skin, served with roasted Brussels Sprouts and potato puree and and light "gravy," I couldn't begin to finish it all and there is a box in the fridge, which I'm guessing Craig will finish off tomorrow.

All this, people, for $20 (Yes, you read that correctly, TWENTY DOLLARS) a person.

The cocktail menu actually listed a Jack Rose (for the first time since I've gone there), so I ordered that--not noticing at the bottom of the page the "Bottomless Bubbles" ( $10), which I later ordered, being a sucker for any bubbly not labeled "Cook's" and got quite a surprise: a wrist band, which entitled me to endless glasses of this stuff at the bar upstairs, but also came with some tickets to the new "speakeasy" downstairs, which just opened today. The waitstaff was actually walking around pouring this stuff and I had to put a stop to that, after a while. I still had to walk home up the hill and Dame Edna told me that he wasn't about to carry me.

After we paid the ridiculously small check, we went downstairs (which requires an escort) and discovered the kind of Man Cave both Jake and Ferment Everything would design. There were sample glasses by a nice selection of libations, and my eye immediately fell on the Laphroaig. We chatted happily with the person in charge (whose name I failed to get--fifty lashes with a wet noodle for me) and discovered he was good friends with Jake, Derek Brown, and Eric Denman. Do you know how much cred the "Geezer Contingent" got with that??? Particularly when I told him that going to New Orleans with Jake and Eric is on my bucket list (Dame Edna can come along if he wants to ). HAHAHAHA!

All this to say: You can charge all the money for precious, molecular gastronomic food you want and turn everything into a foam, but you will be hard pressed to do better than what we ate tonight at any price. Since we measure every meal by "Corduroy" standards; i.e., how many meals at the bar could we have eaten for this?--the odds of us ever eating at Minibar (unless somebody else is paying) is exactly ZERO. We would eat more often at Jack Rose save for one enormous problem: it is too LOUD. You really cannot hold a conversation in the main room. Plus, they exacerbate the problem by piping in music. Other than that . . .

[Choirgirl21]

Going here with some friends on a Saturday in February. We are thinking about eating as well. Is it worth eating here, or should we look for something else in the area? Has anyone been recently who can advise?

Also, is this the sort of place where you should/can get reservations just to have drinks if we eat elsewhere? There will be 4 of us so not a large party, but this is a gathering with friends I haven't seen in ages that has been in the works for some time so I don't want to get there to find there's no room if possible. Thanks!

[Mark Dedrick]

I think the food is good, but you'd be better served eating at Cashion's Eat Place or Mintwood Place. As for a reservation for drinks only, I'm not sure if that's possible.  

[Barbara]

Going here with some friends on a Saturday in February. We are thinking about eating as well. Is it worth eating here, or should we look for something else in the area? Has anyone been recently who can advise?

Also, is this the sort of place where you should/can get reservations just to have drinks if we eat elsewhere? There will be 4 of us so not a large party, but this is a gathering with friends I haven't seen in ages that has been in the works for some time so I don't want to get there to find there's no room if possible. Thanks!

I have to agree with DCDuck (above). It is simply too noisy for a gathering of old friends--if the weather was warmer, I would suggest the roof bar. I also can't speak to the food anymore since Michael Hartzer is no longer affiliated with the place.  Those $20 monthly dinners seem to have disappeared. Cashion's or Mintwood are much better alternatives for you--certainly for the food and the ability to hold a conversation that doesn't involve screaming and they both have bars with congenial barkeeps.

[Gadarene]

Is the speakeasy still there?

[Choirgirl21]

I think the food is good, but you'd be better served eating at Cashion's Eat Place or Mintwood Place. As for a reservation for drinks only, I'm not sure if that's possible.  

Oh, I've never been to Mintwood Place, that sounds like a great option, thanks!

[SeanMike]

I have to agree with DCDuck (above). It is simply too noisy for a gathering of old friends--if the weather was warmer, I would suggest the roof bar. I also can't speak to the food anymore since Michael Hartzer is no longer affiliated with the place.  Those $20 monthly dinners seem to have disappeared. Cashion's or Mintwood are much better alternatives for you--certainly for the food and the ability to hold a conversation that doesn't involve screaming and they both have bars with congenial barkeeps.

As for the roof bar, they've had the fireplace going and heaters on every time I've been up there and it's been cold.

[Choirgirl21]

Well my friends of their own accord decided to abandon the Mintwood plan and make dinner rez at Jack Rose. So you're welcome in advance for being your guinea pig. I will report back on how the food is these days.

[MarkS]

My son and I ate donwstairs last night after consuming some of the best old fashioneds we have ever had.  The bartenders know their craft and it is obvious from the drinks they deliver and watching them work.

We both had the burgers for dinner along with Pork Belly as a starter.  All were well prepared and went down well with an IPA which I can't remember, it was foggy after a few drinks.

I welcome the oppurtunity to go back and will visit this place ofter as it is walking distance from where my son now lives.

[seanvtaylor]

We had bourbons, ryes, and dinner here last night, and it was very good.

It was our first time here, and we started with 5 2 oz pours between the three of us. Presentation of the bourbons was nice--always a pleasure to hold the bottle in hand, read the label, etc. The selection is impeccable and overwhelming, with so, so many bottles lining the walls. It's a library feeling, exemplified by the fact that the dining room doesn't have any TVs over the bar (yay!)

Chicken skins, shishito peppers, and shrimp hushpuppies were all good, simple and salty (a nice plus, in my view, to complement the bourbons). The porkbelly appetizer was bold and worthwhile, with a nice blend of sweet and hot. The Big burger was really nicely done, but too big for me (they warned me, with the name, right?).

Service was smooth and accommodating. I'd seen that it was loud--we didn't find it that bad at all, and had conversation at what was likely just above a normal speaking volume all evening. We skipped dessert in favor of one more round of bourbons.