Rose's Luxury Rooftop, For 8-10 People, All You Can Eat, All Evening Long - $125 for Food Only

[Joe H]

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.  

 

Rose's Luxury is accepting reservations.  For a larger party.  Well, actually, you're going to need to get a small group of people together since it is designed for 8-10 people.  This is for their  "private luxury roof garden" tables @ $125 for "all you can eat" per person and as much time as you want to spend.  Plus, "booze", tax and tip.  And they "have an awning."  This is a private dining "rooftop" which is designed for eight to ten people.  (You can reserve for two but you'll pay for eight.)

They accept reservations on Monday mornings @ 11:00AM through their website (no phone calls). They are also already booked through May.

[Bart]

I was just going to post this.

If anyone wants to organize a group dinner on the roof, I'm in for two people (weekday only though)

[turbogrrl]

Unfortunately, the vendor they used doesn't seem to have adequate experience in handling load or record locking. (I'm not making light of this, it's a very difficult problem.) The first round of reservations sold out in a minute, and double-bookings weren't identified until at least a day later.

And thus we come to a very real problem for an exceedingly popular restaurant. To move to a reservation model means that 1) they have to pay, and pay top dollar, for serious engineering"” as enough people want to go that any average reservation software is going to fail, and going to fail in ways that will make their devoted customers howlingly upset. 2) the only people that will be able to get in are the ones who have the time to sit by the computer and race with all the other privileged folks who can clear their schedule for an arbitrary date that happens to be available when they click on the site at exactly 11:00:00. And, of course, race against the bots that will opportunistically try to grab all available.

While I can appreciate what Alinea and Next are doing, I would really hate to see Rose's turn into a ticket-only once-a-decade dinner that has a painful secondary market of scalpers, ebay, and shady craigslist deals. And of course I'm sure we will try again, and just be part of the problem. In the mean time, I'm going to just keep going on random weeknights, and enjoy what I love while it exists and I can get to it.

[DonRocks]

While I can appreciate what Alinea and Next are doing, I would really hate to see Rose's turn into a ticket-only once-a-decade dinner that has a painful secondary market of scalpers, ebay, and shady craigslist deals. And of course I'm sure we will try again, and just be part of the problem. In the mean time, I'm going to just keep going on random weeknights, and enjoy what I love while it exists and I can get to it.

Interesting. I envision the exact opposite for Rose's: I see it settling in to be a rock-solid, extremely popular neighborhood restaurant, not unlike The Red Hen.

However, the rooftop may be a different story. Based on current pricing in the restaurant, you're definitely paying a lot for the party atmosphere - it would be very difficult to eat $125 of food at Rose's. Then again, Minibar used to be $65. This is a sweet deal for Rose's because it's $1,000 in revenue a night, guaranteed (and I assume that alcohol is expected to be purchased in-house). For the consumer, it's not at all outlandish in terms of paying for private-party space enlavished by great food.

(I don't think "enlavish" is a word, but I just made it one.)

[Joe H]

I think some of this will be companies who will take the reservations and end up inviting clients and employees to total the 8 to 10 people.  Almost like a kind of private box.  I'm not sure why they decided to do this for only a single group rather than individual tables but I'm glad to see it as an option.

Sooner or later there will be a couple who show up and pay the $1,000 for just themselves.  One will then propose to the other, waitstaff will photograph it and, frankly, for $1,000 they'll have a helluva memory of the proposal.  And a meal to match!

[Mark Dedrick]

Well, I have the reservation for the first night they're doing the rooftop thing. I'll report back. 

[jandres374]

Well, I have the reservation for the first night they're doing the rooftop thing. I'll report back. 

Any details on your experience.  We just booked this morning for June.

[Mark Dedrick]

We went last night for my birthday. It was, in short, epic. And I'm still stuffed, and, due to my advancing age, was a little rough around the edges this morning. But it was a fantastic experience all around.

The space is very cool, and secluded, and you feel as if you're having an awesome dinner party on a friend's deck. Totally separate from the rest of the restaurant. You have your own dedicated server, and ours last night was awesome. You basically just have that space for the evening, they great you with a gin martini and they'll start bringing you food when you tell them to, and keep bringing it until you have to be rolled out (or the clock hits eleven, which I believe is part of their agreement with the ANC).

And the food was incredible, which is what you would expect from Rose's. And it just keeps coming. I believe we had at least nine savory courses, followed by either two or three dessert courses? It's a mix of things on the current menu, greatest hits from the past that are no longer on the menu (popcorn soup and fried chicken), and things just for the roof. The highlights were the asparagus with pineapple and pineapple mayo, the fried chicken, and the pork and lychee salad. Both pastas were predictably great.

Anyhow, I loved my meal, and had a great time. It's a wonderful experience.

[jandres374]

We were at the Rooftop this past Saturday and it was incredible.  We were a party of 8 and it seemed to me that it would be a bit tight for 10 people.  It truly feels like you are at a dinner party with friends.  Service was spectacular and we all agreed the food was some of the best we have ever had.  We even ended up taking some leftovers home.  For example we could not finish the ribs so they turned them into sandwiches with cole slaw, perfect lunch the next day.  The menu must have been at least 12 courses, I lost count.  It was a mix of current items on the menu and some of their past hits including the popcorn soup and fried chicken.  We started out the night with some homemade challah bread - holy crap was it good.  Some other items on the menu that we were served oysters, crab claws, lychee salad, grilled asparagus, gnocchi, ribs and so on.

Wish I had taken better notes but we were celebrating a few different things and the wine was flowing.  Not an inexpensive night especially with the wine but a night we all agreed we would not soon forget.

[Mark Dedrick]

When we were there it was not crowded at 10 people. Also, we were told going in that the number ten was a hard number, they couldn't seat more than that. 

[ktmoomau]

I had a really nice experience on the roof last evening.  Thanks to Pat for arranging and inviting such lovely people.  I got to meet some wonderful people she knows (husbands, neighbors, work colleagues, etc).  The rooftop has lots of boxes of herbs and hanging planters which just make it very fresh and refreshing.  There is a canopy that apparently can keep most rain off the table.  Lucky for us it held out.  We had Kir Royals to start which were very well balanced.  I can't remember what wines we drank exactly.  I think we had their mid-priced rose, an Italian white and then a pinot noir, but don't know which ones.

I will post my pictures as soon as I upload them and figure out how to do it.  For food we had:

Pretzel bread with sesame butter and honey.  This was very good- but I probably hungrily ate too much of it.

Oysters with ramp mignonette sauce and Jonah crab claws with a ramp dipping sauce.  Both of these were great, the oysters I thought were particularly fresh and really benefited from a pickled ramp mignonette.

Sourdough with ricotta, tarragon and a salad that I can't remember completely.  Good, not the most memorable apparently.  AND popcorn soup with lobster.  For me this was the winning dish of the night, but I LOVE popcorn and I LOVE lobster.  It was like butter popcorn in liquid format with perfectly poached lobster.  The flavors really did it for me, although I know Pat thought it was a little salty.

Asparagus with (I think) chive oil, fresh and fried jalapenos and pineapple.  This was refreshing and wonderful.  It is one of the few dishes I could even try to recreate, and I might try it, the flavor combo was great.  Pork and lychee soup with red onion and peanuts.  This was another great dish with really interesting flavor combinations that went really well together.

Gnocchi.  This was darned good gnocchi (although Palena Back Room RIP once made better that I recall), soft and pillowy just as it should be.  I would have eaten more of this if I had room at that point.  Pasta I think maybe a linguine with garlic butter, brown butter crumbs and snails (the green had to come from somewhere.... maybe ramps?).  This wasn't my favorite dish, but I know others liked it.  I liked the snails, I think maybe it was the crumbs with the pasta or being right with the gnocchi that I really liked, it just wasn't my favorite.

Sesame honey fried chicken with hot sauce.  This was darned good fried chicken, a little sweet so you needed the hot sauce, but perfectly juicy and awesome.  Glad I have some of this leftover.  Steak with fries and a wine sauce.  This was a huge piece of meat, not sure the cut but it was excellent, the sauce was there but didn't mask any beef flavor and the fries with all that juice were so crisp, but awesome.  This was really stunning.  Wedge salad- it was there.  I am enjoying it more as leftovers.  It did have blue cheese, but it needed it.

Stratichella Gelato with macerated strawberries and chocolate crisp (gf) I think the crisps were made with almond flour they seemed macaron like to me.  The strawberries were perfection.  The dish was almost too much.  The strawberries were so good I would have been happy with a very plain fresh taste with them.  They really stole the dish.  There was also a marscapone dish with crumbs and a component I am forgetting.  It was ok, but not my favorite.  Also I was pretty full at this point.  I almost think the marscapone and strawberries would have been a really good combo.

Lastly chocolate spoons and oranges.

This was a huge amount of food, AND we got a bunch to go with a brisket sandwich.  One could eat until they felt not great at this sort of thing, but I left full, but not overwhelmingly so, although my stomach did hate me a bit today. I want to go back and convince MK he needs to go.  Although I would really like them to sub the cacio e pepe for the snail pasta next time.

[Pat]

I had a really nice experience on the roof last evening.  Thanks to Pat for arranging and inviting such lovely people.  I got to meet some wonderful people she knows (husbands, neighbors, work colleagues, etc).  The rooftop has lots of boxes of herbs and hanging planters which just make it very fresh and refreshing.  There is a canopy that apparently can keep most rain off the table.  Lucky for us it held out.  We had Kir Royals to start which were very well balanced.  I can't remember what wines we drank exactly.  I think we had their mid-priced rose, an Italian white and then a pinot noir, but don't know which ones.

[i'm going to annotate Katelin's post in red instead of trying to break it down into individual quote boxes.]  Looking at the bill, we had two bottles of Dragonette Rose, a bottle of Versi Bianco, and a bottle of Ampelos Pinot Noir.  There were also a couple of wines by the glass for some people and a cocktail.  This is in addition to the  complimentary drinks we were greeted with upon arrival:  Kir Royale with a twist.  The bottomless water was flavored with lime and cucumber, I believe.  I drank a lot of that water.

It was a good mix of people.  It was great you were able to make it, Katelin. I'm glad your conflicting plans fell through.  Good luck with the mission to drag your husband there  .  We so lucked out that the rain stopped before our reservation time and held off through the whole night.  I recall several people at the table claiming credit for that good fortune  .

Organizing this taught me how hard it is to try to plan an event with the type of parameters involved here.  We had a last minute cancellation due to someone having a family emergency.  The person we found to fill that spot (I'd already given a final count and didn't want to have to change it) turned out to have a wheat allergy, which they dealt with incredibly well basically on the fly.  They got their first warning only a few hours ahead of time, and then the server went over his condition with him at the table when he arrived.  The whole process appeared seamless, but I'm sure it was a hassle for them.  You'd never know it, though.

The person with the allergy, who is used to dealing with restaurants over this, was quite impressed with their handling of it.  Except for the pasta course and the breads, there weren't many things he couldn't eat.  When the rest of the table got pasta, they served him a dish with rainbow carrots and other things I can't recall that sounded really good.  He felt that his money was well-spent, and at this price, that's really saying something.

I will post my pictures as soon as I upload them and figure out how to do it.  For food we had:

Pretzel bread with sesame butter and honey.  This was very good- but I probably hungrily ate too much of it. I have it recorded as challah, so maybe a challah pretzel bread?  I tried not to eat too much and fill up, but this was wonderful.  The whipped butter had sesame seeds on top instead of the flaked bits of baked potato skin on the butter that comes with the potato bread, in addition to the seeds on top of the bread.  I swear there was some kind of spicing to the honey for this, like maybe cinnamon?  Or maybe it was just the type of honey.

 

Oysters with ramp mignonette sauce and Jonah crab claws with a ramp dipping sauce.  The sauce for the crab craws was super creamy, a ramp-chive mayo. Both of these were great, the oysters I thought were particularly fresh and really benefited from a pickled ramp mignonette. Yes, and I loved the gigantic oyster shell they served them in.

 

Sourdough with ricotta, tarragon and a salad that I can't remember completely.  Good, not the most memorable apparently.  I only remember the tarragon too, but that's probably because I tasted that in the salad and asked if they grew it on the roof.  Maybe micro greens also?  Our wheat-free guest got the salad just in a bowl, and while I love bread and it was fine sourdough, having this in a bowl would probably be just as good.

 

AND popcorn soup with lobster.  For me this was the winning dish of the night, but I LOVE popcorn and I LOVE lobster.  It was like butter popcorn in liquid format with perfectly poached lobster.  The flavors really did it for me, although I know Pat thought it was a little salty. I've been trying to watch sodium, so anything with any significant salt tastes salty to me.  The saltiness seems like an essential component with popcorn, so not out of place.  The lobster was like butter, quite appropriately.

 

Asparagus with (I think) chive oil, fresh and fried jalapenos and pineapple.  This was refreshing and wonderful.  It is one of the few dishes I could even try to recreate, and I might try it, the flavor combo was great.  This is the grilled dish that replaced the burnt romaine on the regular menu a little while back.  I loved the char on the asparagus, and this combination just works really well.

 

Pork and lychee soup with red onion and peanuts.  This is a typo, no?  It was in a soup bowl but was salad.  The server mentioned that this is the only dish that's been on the menu since the beginning, and it's the first time I've had it.  It is a pretty appropriate signature dish for this kind of cooking, and, fittingly, is one that they will make vegetarian.  There is something about the style of cooking here that seems to make them able to pivot on a dime to accommodate dietary needs.   This was another great dish with really interesting flavor combinations that went really well together.

 

Gnocchi.  This was darned good gnocchi (although Palena Back Room RIP once made better that I recall), soft and pillowy just as it should be.  I would have eaten more of this if I had room at that point.  While these were good, the last time my husband I had them they were more ethereal.  I think they don't hold well, so getting them out to the table in this kind of format might have been part of the difference. 

 

Pasta I think maybe a linguine with garlic butter, brown butter crumbs and snails (the green had to come from somewhere.... maybe ramps?).  This wasn't my favorite dish, but I know others liked it.  I liked the snails, I think maybe it was the crumbs with the pasta or being right with the gnocchi that I really liked, it just wasn't my favorite.  This one the server described as deconstructed escargot.  My notes say Parmesan crumbs and ramps and other greens.  My husband really liked this and we scooped up all the leftovers of it to bring home for him.

 

Sesame honey fried chicken with hot sauce.  This was darned good fried chicken, a little sweet so you needed the hot sauce, but perfectly juicy and awesome.  Glad I have some of this leftover.  I was only able to eat two pieces of this, really losing steam at that point.  This also had benne seeds on the top.  One of the other things that's now off the menu.  Steak with fries and a wine sauce.  This was a huge piece of meat, not sure the cut but it was excellent, the sauce was there but didn't mask any beef flavor and the fries with all that juice were so crisp, but awesome.  This was really stunning.  Wedge salad- it was there.  I am enjoying it more as leftovers.  It did have blue cheese, but it needed it.  I ate a chunk of the wedge salad for lunch.  I'm regretting not asking what cut of beef this was.  It was tender and beautifully cooked.  The fries are the potato stick kind they had also served with the ribs when we got them on a previous visit.  This round also featured super creamy Carolina Gold rice that had been cooked in a lot of water and was also topped with benne seeds.

 

Stratichella Gelato with macerated strawberries and chocolate crisp (gf) I think the crisps were made with almond flour they seemed macaron like to me.  The strawberries were perfection.  The dish was almost too much.  The strawberries were so good I would have been happy with a very plain fresh taste with them.  They really stole the dish.  The crisps did seem meringue-y and macaron-like.  I loved the way the chocolate bits functioned in this, and the strawberries were fresh and heavenly.

 

There was also a marscapone dish with crumbs and a component I am forgetting.  It was ok, but not my favorite.  Also I was pretty full at this point.  I almost think the marscapone and strawberries would have been a really good combo. It also had celery root puree, pear puree, and buttered walnut crumbs.  This was an odd combination that I found strangely compelling but probably the closest thing to a miss of the whole night.  They may still be working on refining this one.  The server said it started out as a savory dish.

 

Lastly chocolate spoons and oranges. No room left...could not eat one orange segment, though I did manage the chocolate.  They "served" the bill with the oranges, in a gold fortune cookie form in the center of the plate.

 

This was a huge amount of food, AND we got a bunch to go with a brisket sandwich.  One could eat until they felt not great at this sort of thing, but I left full, but not overwhelmingly so, although my stomach did hate me a bit today. I want to go back and convince MK he needs to go.  Although I would really like them to sub the cacio e pepe for the snail pasta next time.  I left full enough but not so full I felt sick, and that was with pacing myself throughout the whole meal.

This is really quite an experience.  They go all out.  I'm looking forward to the photos.  I didn't even attempt to take any with my not-so-smart phone.  My husband intended to bring a camera and forgot it. 

[ktmoomau]

I can't believe I forgot about that rice, it was one of my favorite dishes of the night! It was so creamy and had such a distinct but comforting taste.

[porcupine]

...the distinct but comforting taste of butter.  I think the butter to rice ratio in that dish is 1:1.

[DonRocks]

I had a really nice experience on the roof last evening.  Thanks to Pat for arranging and inviting such lovely people.

Katelin or Pat, could you expand upon what the format of the evening is like? Do you just sit there, and they bring dish-after-dish? Do they go off-menu? [if they go off-menu, then the rooftop gets its own thread.]

[Pat]

Katelin or Pat, could you expand upon what the format of the evening is like? Do you just sit there, and they bring dish-after-dish? Do they go off-menu? [if they go off-menu, then the rooftop gets its own thread.]

They go off menu to the extent that they bring back things that have previously been on the menu but are no longer available and also things they're experimenting with that might end up on the regular menu.  I don't know how many dishes (if any) he prepares that he would never in a million years consider putting on the regular menu.

At our meal (and the one recounted in the Post) we got most of the things on the regular menu, a few discontinued ones, and a few non-menu ones (the steak and rice come to mind, as well as the desserts).

[ktmoomau]

Photos for our dinner.  I never can figure out how to add them directly to a post.

[DonRocks]

Photos for our dinner.  I never can figure out how to add them directly to a post.

[Go here, and go to "Uploading Pictures," following it step-by-step.]

[Pat]

Don, the subject heading is a little misleading, in that the $1000 is the absolute minimum you have to guarantee for food for 8 people.  The base price for 10 would be $1250.  Even the $1000 isn't a final price, though, as a 20% auto-grat goes on top of that, and also tax.  And, then, there's alcohol to be factored in.

I'd say that it's really hard to do this for much under $200pp, but, on the other hand, it probably is hard to spend a whole lot more than $200pp because of the vast amount of food being brought out.  (Some of our wine drinkers just gave up on wine at some point, as there is only so much stomach space for everything in front of you.)

[jandres374]

We came in at $255pp.  We drank a lot of wine.  Lost track of how many bottles. 

[Pat]

We came in at $255pp.  We drank a lot of wine.  Lost track of how many bottles. 

We were clearly lightweights .  The wines we ordered were also fairly moderately priced and one person didn't drink wine.  With different selections, the cost would have gone up some, though I doubt we could have hit $255.

This discussion reminds me of an Eater interview with the chef, where he said: "But you really can't spend more than $200, even if you go all-out. If you go over $200, with that much food and booze you'll probably get sick."

It also makes me wonder if the deposit is $200 because they peg that as the the most likely tab for a single meal (arithmetic mode or whatever).

[turbogrrl]

yeah, i think the prices bite you depending on whether you're estimating all pre-tax and tip or not. The wine drinkers at my table ended up adding $45 in wine to their tab (each). This of course is still well under $200 pp before you start adding the tax and tip, but is also well over $200pp at the final calculation. And yet even if one drinks nothing, the evening costs a total of $165.

It was a lot of fun, and a lovely evening, but I think I still prefer eating at the kitchen bar. It was so strange to have a whole park and lychee salad to myself. It turns out I think I kind of like fighting over it with my sweetie.

[ChezWu]

Hey everyone. Jumping in here. I was at the June 16th seating. Finishing up a blog post as we speak.

Don - the format is super casual. When the news first came out about the Roof Garden it seem like it was "all you can eat" deal. Like you just order what you wanted. That is not the case. Think of it as a super casual Omakase. They just kept bringing out courses.

We ended up spending almost exactly $200 per person and we drank. No one was holding back on ordering wine, cocktail, beer you name it.

Just as advertised. It's not an every day thing but given the changing menu, it's worth going 2-3 times a year (on top of just going regularly.)

I'll post here as soon as my blog post is ready to go.

[Josh]

I was determined to secure a reservation today when the spots opened.  I loaded the site right at 10am, clicked the "purchase" button for my desired day, and was brought to a screen to enter contact and credit card info.  Surprisingly though, once I entered everything and clicked submit (or whatever the link was labeled), I saw only a screen that said "sold out."

Is this how others have experienced the site?  I find it kind of annoying/unsettling to enter my cc info and only then be told nothing is available.  I figured if I got through to that screen the table was mine (like ticketmaster or momofuku reservation system).  Is this just the way they have it set up?

[Pat]

I was determined to secure a reservation today when the spots opened.  I loaded the site right at 10am, clicked the "purchase" button for my desired day, and was brought to a screen to enter contact and credit card info.  Surprisingly though, once I entered everything and clicked submit (or whatever the link was labeled), I saw only a screen that said "sold out."

Is this how others have experienced the site?  I find it kind of annoying/unsettling to enter my cc info and only then be told nothing is available.  I figured if I got through to that screen the table was mine (like ticketmaster or momofuku reservation system).  Is this just the way they have it set up?

Did you see the message that said something like "Hold this reservation for X minutes"?  Once you've clicked through from that screen, they should be yours long enough to enter the information.  My guess is either someone else clicked at exactly the time you did and somehow you both got through to the next screen, but that person completed first; or you took longer than the allotted hold time to enter your information.  

I tried for several weeks, just clicking on every date that was there until I finally was able to get through.  During those numerous attempts, I did have it happen that I got to the "hold" message and it looked like I was going to get through, but they were sold out by the time I got to the next screen.  I didn't get far enough to enter credit card information, though, before I got the sold out message.

[Josh]

Did you see the message that said something like "Hold this reservation for X minutes"?  Once you've clicked through from that screen, they should be yours long enough to enter the information.  My guess is either someone else clicked at exactly the time you did and somehow you both got through to the next screen, but that person completed first; or you took longer than the allotted hold time to enter your information.    

Yeah, the message said it would be held for 5 minutes, though it couldn't have taken me more than 1 to enter all the info in and submit.  I'm guessing it was the "simultaneous" scenario.

[ChezWu]

Photos for our dinner.  I never can figure out how to add them directly to a post.

Nice pictures! It got harder as the night went on right? Booze and darkness. lol

[lekkerwijn]

Nice pictures! It got harder as the night went on right? Booze and darkness. lol

Going tonight. Will try to get some nice photos.

[ChezWu]

Awesome! Super nice night out for roof garden! Hope you're hungry!

[ktmoomau]

Nice pictures! It got harder as the night went on right? Booze and darkness. lol

Yes, and I only brought my iPhone didn't bother packing the DSLR.

[lekkerwijn]

So dinner last night on the roof was crazy awesome and the weather only made it better. We left stuffed. Several "all time favorites" hit the table including popcorn soup and the pickle brined, honey soaked fried chicken nuggets, the leftovers of which are even better the next day when eaten cold. Cocktails were a great complement to the meal.

It has been a crazy eating week for us. Last Friday we had dinner at Eleven Madison Park. Two entirely different meals, but similar in many ways as well. For my own taste, I preferred the more casual laid back environment on the Roof and might even have thought the food was better too.

[ChezWu]

Hey everyone. My blog post about the Roof Garden is up! Complete with pictures of (almost) all the courses!

[Bart]

Yeah, the message said it would be held for 5 minutes, though it couldn't have taken me more than 1 to enter all the info in and submit.  I'm guessing it was the "simultaneous" scenario.

I had the same problem this morning................hit the reserve button and got the note saying my reservation would be held for 5 minutes.  I entered all of my information including credit card in less than a minute and hit the "next" button and was told that it was sold out.

I think they need to update the site/software so when you hit the "reserve" button and you get the message saying your reservation will be held for 5 minutes, it actually holds your reservation.

[ChezWu]

Do you guys know of any other restaurants in the DC area that does reservations like that? An on-line ticketing system?

Alinea aside, I remember when Ko in NY first started with the mad dash computer system. Just wondering if anyone else in DC is doing this?

[Josh]

I had the same problem this morning................hit the reserve button and got the note saying my reservation would be held for 5 minutes.  I entered all of my information including credit card in less than a minute and hit the "next" button and was told that it was sold out.

I think they need to update the site/software so when you hit the "reserve" button and you get the message saying your reservation will be held for 5 minutes, it actually holds your reservation.

I spoke via email with the Rose's employee who manages the email reservation system.  It is a 2-step system.  Clicking on "Reserve" from the listing of available dates/times does not hold the reservation.  There is a button on the next page that you must click to actually hold the reservation.  I think it's somewhat unclear, and don't like the idea that it allows you to enter your credit card info without first holding the reservation, but it seems to work for most people.  This system differs from the one at, say Momofuku Ko where one click gets you from the listing of available times to a held reservation.

[Bart]

Thanks for the background.  But it still seems weird and in need of an update.  When you get a popup that says "your reservation will be held for five minutes", I'd expect, you know, that your reservation would be held for five minutes.  Reminds me of the "close door" button on the elevator...........you can press it all you want, but it doesn't make the door close any faster.

[DonRocks]

Thanks for the background.  But it still seems weird and in need of an update.  When you get a popup that says "your reservation will be held for five minutes", I'd expect, you know, that your reservation would be held for five minutes.  Reminds me of the "close door" button on the elevator...........you can press it all you want, but it doesn't make the door cose any faster.

I talked with Aaron today - he's aware of this discussion, and is going to talk about it with his GM.

[Bart]

Very good!  Next time you talk to him, see if those of us who got burned could get night on the roof without having to deal with the website reservation system.

Also, did you call him Aaron or A-A-Ron?  (if you don't get the reference, youtube "Key and Peele subsititute teacher pt. 1")

[jca76]

I love Rose's -- I make it there at least once a month, by far the most often I return to any DC restaurant, because it's basically my restaurant happy place -- but I'm having a hard time rationalizing the price tag on trying the rooftop.  Could someone who has done the roof experience and eaten regularly at Rose's highlight what, if anything, sets this experience apart/makes it worth doing?  I realize "worth it" is such a subjective thing when it comes to dining experiences (especially expensive ones), but the stellar reviews on this thread have highlighted things like service and quality/quantity of the food, all of which have been fantastic downstairs.  It would be one thing if they were doing a truly separate menu on the roof, but it sounds like it's an assortment of things that have been, are, or will be on the regular menu?  Given that you can order the entire regular menu for slightly under $200, which would be excessive for four people, it seems like a pretty hefty mark-up for the convenience of getting a large-party reservation.  (Just last week I ate downstairs with three friends for about $125/person pre-tip, which included three excellent bottles of wine, two orange and one vintage white Rioja; props to GM Andrew for the (new?) extended, very interesting separate bottle list.)  Maybe this is more a reflection of the fact that the regular Rose's menu isn't priced as expensively as it could be, but at only $10 cheaper than Komi for rooftop, I'm not sure I'd rather not just go back to Komi if I'm splurging or eat twice off the Rose's a la carte menu, but I'm open to being persuaded otherwise.

[Pat]

I love Rose's -- I make it there at least once a month, by far the most often I return to any DC restaurant, because it's basically my restaurant happy place -- but I'm having a hard time rationalizing the price tag on trying the rooftop.  Could someone who has done the roof experience and eaten regularly at Rose's highlight what, if anything, sets this experience apart/makes it worth doing?  I realize "worth it" is such a subjective thing when it comes to dining experiences (especially expensive ones), but the stellar reviews on this thread have highlighted things like service and quality/quantity of the food, all of which have been fantastic downstairs.  It would be one thing if they were doing a truly separate menu on the roof, but it sounds like it's an assortment of things that have been, are, or will be on the regular menu?  Given that you can order the entire regular menu for slightly under $200, which would be excessive for four people, it seems like a pretty hefty mark-up for the convenience of getting a large-party reservation.  (Just last week I ate downstairs with three friends for about $125/person pre-tip, which included three excellent bottles of wine, two orange and one vintage white Rioja; props to GM Andrew for the (new?) extended, very interesting separate bottle list.)  Maybe this is more a reflection of the fact that the regular Rose's menu isn't priced as expensively as it could be, but at only $10 cheaper than Komi for rooftop, I'm not sure I'd rather not just go back to Komi if I'm splurging or eat twice off the Rose's a la carte menu, but I'm open to being persuaded otherwise.

The rooftop is the Rose's experience distilled and then raised to the nth degree.*  The best way I can describe it is what one of our neighbors who went with us said in a discussion of it several weeks later.  It's "magical," like you've been admitted to the chef's playground. The experience itself is transporting, and that's why it seems worth the money.  It's not translatable as a matter of dollars and cents.  You get the essence of the place in its purest form.  It's also really beautiful and intimate up there.

*Perhaps "offered in a limited bottling" would be less of a mixed metaphor.

[Mark Dedrick]

I'd agree with Pat 100%. It's also a chance to get, guaranteed, a group of ten of you into Rose's at a specific date and time. I think you're paying a bit for that as well.  

[Bart]

I was just going to post this.

If anyone wants to organize a group dinner on the roof, I'm in for two people (weekday only though)

I'm reposting this as I was again completely shut out in 0.0000001 seconds.

If anyone manages to score the rooftop table and you need 2 more people to round out your list, count me in! (and my wife). We're fun and normal. She's also attractive. Me, not so much.

[bettyjoan]

I'm reposting this as I was again completely shut out in 0.0000001 seconds.

If anyone manages to score the rooftop table and you need 2 more people to round out your list, count me in! (and my wife). We're fun and normal. She's also attractive. Me, not so much.

I stopped trying for rooftop reservations after three consecutive weeks of being shut out in 0.0000001 seconds.  I swear, there must be people who configure their computers to magically win the clicking race.

[agm]

I only tried once, but damn, that was quick. I guess Rose's Luxury will move from the top of the list of restaurants I want to try, to the top of the list of restaurants I will never get to try because it's too much of a pain in the ass.

[Bart]

Certainly for the roof top, but the nice thing about the regular restaurant is you can eat there tonight if you want to.  You may have to get in line now to do it, but at least you have that option.  Not so much for the roof.

[turbogrrl]

Certainly for the roof top, but the nice thing about the regular restaurant is you can eat there tonight if you want to.  You may have to get in line now to do it, but at least you have that option.  Not so much for the roof.

one thing to do is keep an eye on twitter-- if someone cancels the roof they will post there. we got four seats from a late cancel, and even with a table full of strangers it was awesome.

[JBag57]

A few weeks ago, I tried to nab the rooftop, and, upon refreshing my browser at the appointed time, saw that two of the four evenings available that day had been snagged, but the day we wanted was not.  I clicked on that date, however, by the time the next screen appeared, I was informed that that evening was sold out also.  As "luck" would have it, I lost out to my sister, who I had recruited to help out (and had invited, in the event that we were successful).

So, tonight we go, braving the chill and (hopefully no more than) drizzle!  We have long-time friends in from the West Coast, who are celebrating their 32nd wedding anniversary, which is tomorrow, and my wife and I are celebrating our 31st, which was yesterday!

I doubt that I will be able to provide a thorough report, but will try to be on the lookout for any dishes that may not have been reviewed above.  At least I won't be blathering on about burgers, the subject of most of my recent reviews on this forum!

P.S., any suggestions re: parking, especially given that there is a Nats game tonight, as well?

[LauraB]

P.S., any suggestions re: parking, especially given that there is a Nats game tonight, as well?

A couple of blocks south on 8th St, under the bridge, is a public parking lot.  We've had good luck finding parking there.

[Bart]

It's only about 2 and half blocks from the Eastern Market metro stop on the Blue and Orange lines, and it's a very easy walk if you're so inclined.

[ChezWu]

It's only about 2 and half blocks from the Eastern Market metro stop on the Blue and Orange lines, and it's a very easy walk if you're so inclined.

Yup. Super easy walk. And with the wine/cocktails you're about to consume, I wouldn't drive home!

[hillvalley]

P.S., any suggestions re: parking, especially given that there is a Nats game tonight, as well?

A couple of blocks south on 8th St, under the bridge, is a public parking lot.  We've had good luck finding parking there.

It's actually only half a block.

A word of warning about parking: DC's finest parking enforcement is out in full force in the neighborhood.

Also, avoid driving down on Friday nights at all cost.  Now that the Marines are putting on their parades every Friday night through Labor Day, 8th street moves at a slow snail's pace, 9th is blocked off to all traffic (even to residents), and you will not be able to find parking anywhere near the restaurant.  Add the cluster fuck of a Friday night Nat's game almost every other week and Barracks Row becomes busier than ________ /insert clever comparison I can't think of here/.

[turbogrrl]

so, any update on the rooftop experience this year? I got a brief call saying the format isn't going to be family-style, like it was last year, and I was wondering how the new style flows. (and, sorry friends-- I had to book this one for the parents and their friends, no seats left over as far as I know.)

[JBag57]

I owe everyone a report from Wednesday.  Haven't been able to catch my breath.  The brief story, we had an incredible time, with incredible food.  Only two courses, a pasta that was along the lines of cacio e pepe, but creamier, and the Korean Fried Catfish (currently on the regular menu) were served family style.  The rest (and there was a lot more) was more along the lines of a tasting menu (but, in most cases, with significantly larger portions).

[Bart]

After a year and a half of trying, I finally scored seats at Rose's rooftop and while it was a fun evening and nice experience, I must admit I feel a little let down by the whole thing. Maybe my expectations for the rooftop were too high or maybe my other Rose's experiences were too perfect to compete, or maybe this being my fourth visit, some of the magic has worn off. Who knows? All the other people really liked it, but it was the first time for all them so they had nothing to judge it against.

The hiccups were mostly service related and started before we arrived and continued into the meal. While they were all pretty minor, I'm noting them because of high standards and reputation that Rose's has. (In retrospect, as I think about it, one hiccup was a little more than minor which I noted below).

Pre-visit:

I saw on their site that you could bring in two bottles of wine for $20 corkage each, but that was for the regular restaurant, not the rooftop, or so I thought. No distinction was made in their FAQ. I wasn't sure so I sent an email to the person I was coordinating with for the dinner. I never got a response (full disclosure: I sent the email the same day as the dinner) (fuller disclosure: I sent a different email later that same day about someone dropping out and did get a response) so I assumed the 2 bottle maximum was for a regular table for two or four in the regular restaurant. When we got there I asked our server about it and she confirmed that there was a two bottle maximum (we brought a red, a white and a rose) so I asked if we could get a special exception or exemption because the bottle of white wine was wine that I made, from grapes that I grew. Again, to emphasize, I planted the freakin' vines, I grew the freakin' grapes (Chardonnay) and I made the freakin' wine (unoaked and crisp, perfect for a warm night)!! Doesn't get much more "local" or "house made" than that. I doubt that this kind of thing happens that often and I'd figure she'd check with the boss on it, but she didn't and just said it was 2 bottles. Period. I supposed I could have asked her to ask a manager or pressed her a little harder, but I didn't want to be a (bigger?) jerk so I dropped it. Looking back, it's bizarre to me that a table for two and a table for ten are both limited to the same number of bottles they can bring in. On the other hand, it's their restaurant and it's their rules, and I'm grateful they allow outside bottles in in the first place, but I still think they (our server) got this one wrong. I guess I was expecting the gracious and accommodating service that I'd read about and experienced, or at least to get a "lemme check". Oh well, it wasn't to be.

Continuing on the wine theme for a minute, the Chardonnay (that I grew and made!!) was a little warm and needed to be chilled. It was sitting in a cooler on ice all day long but it warmed up a bit on the metro ride and walk to the restaurant, so we asked to have it chilled. Unfortunately, their idea of chilling it was to put it in one of those metal sleeves where the bottle sits ON TOP of the ice cubes, not surrounded by icy water. And don't forget, we were outside in 80-plus degree weather, so even if the metal "chiller" was cold to begin with, it didn't last that long.
 
[Quick aside "“ I hate those non-chiller, chiller things (the metal or stone "sleeves" that they stick wine bottles in). I see them all the time and while it's probably better than leaving a chilled bottle out on the table, they really don't keep the wine cool, they just slightly delay it from warming up. Whenever I'm drinking wine from one of them, I usually adding ice cubes to my glass, which, obviously, you shouldn't have to do. End of rant.]
 
The end result of the warm evening, and the horribly "chilled" wine was I had to add ice to my glass to properly enjoy it and the ice cubes were melting so fast, I ended up watering down the wine a bit too much. As I think about it, this was more than a minor error because it really took away from the enjoyment of my special bottle. And while this is "only" home grown wine and not some high dollar French rarity, I guarantee, if I added my labor to the price of the wine it would have been the most expensive bottle in the entire place! If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't have brought it, or I would have brought the cooler along with me to keep it chilled.

The other minor bit of service weirdness happened when we first got there. Four of us arrived together about 5 minutes early and when we told the hostess who we were she said she had to check and see if our table was ready, and it was almost if they were surprised to see us. So we waited a bit as someone went upstairs, someone else came downstairs, someone else milled around the hostess stand, and we just stood there slightly confused. At one point my friend who had never been there asked me, "So can we go to the table?" It was all very unclear and seemed a little confused. We only waited about 5 minutes so it was hardly a major imposition but for a place that gets as much praise for the service as it does the food, I figured it was worth noting the slightly awkward start. The funny thing was, when we got to the table, it was about the most basic place setting as you can imagine - - a plate, a water glass and a napkin and no utensils!!

Other than the minor wait and the wine issues, the rest of the service was great - warm, friendly, relaxed, attentive. Sorry to open up with all that unpleasantness!!

Dinner:

When we opened the door to the roof garden, we immediately got hit with a very strong smell of marijuana / pot / ganja / weed from the devil's garden!  At first I thought was either coming from the plants (regular herbs and flowers) they have up there, or that it was some kind of incense they had burning because the smell was so strong. Our server told us that it was one of their neighbors and they spark up every night, but usually they wait until later in the evening to do it! No matter, within 5 or 10 minutes they were done and smoke was gone. Although they did come back out a little later for another session, it took nothing away from the enjoyment of the food and was actually a fun little conversation piece.

And now, on to the food (finally!)

A couple posts up, turbogirl asked about the family style/non-family style format this year. This was my first time so I don't know how it used to be, but this year each one of us got our own plate for each course. The first three came out at once and they were each a single bite, amuse bouche-type things. For every other course, we each had our own plate.

Regarding the "all you can eat" tag in the thread title and the mentioned in some posts and ChezWu's blog post, that seems to have disappeared. The "all you can eat" feature was never mentioned by our server and it's not listed on Rose's website anymore. I'm 99% sure it was mentioned at some point in the recent past, but it's not there anymore. It doesn't really matter though because they give you enough food to not even think of ordering more. Would I have liked a second course of some of those dishes? Hell yeah!! I just would have had to come back the next day to eat them!

And now, on to the food (really!)

Our server explained that we'd be sampling a bunch of dishes they were working on for the soon-to-open fine dining restaurant and guy who was going to be running it, Drew, would be cooking for us tonight. When the first three small bites arrived, Drew explained that these were more intricate and time consuming dishes, and there was no way they would be able to make enough to keep up with the nightly demand at Rose's. We asked if they had a name yet and he said they were going to announce in two days and he couldn't tell us yet. (You'll probably already know the name by the time I manage to get this posted!)

Unfortunately, there was no written description of the dishes so it's likely I'm going to leave out a lot of ingredients and not even get the names right. Oh well, I'm doing the best that I can with limited capabilities!

The small bites were, a homemade potato chip with something white on the bottom that may have been a soft, creamy cheese like Boursin with roe on top, a round cracker (that was more like a thin, grilled piece of bread with foie gras and more roe on top, and a cone of thickened and reduced tomato topped with basil buds (I think that's what they were called.) They mentioned that the tomato cone would only be available in the summer because that's the only time they can get the basil buds. That seemed a little strange to me, or a bit of overkill as the basil buds just added a bit of color and flavor to the cones which they probably can get with just cut up basil leaves. The look would be slightly different, but not enough to matter (to me at least!). (If you grow basil at home, the "buds" were the parts of the plant you pinch off before they flower and go to seed). These were all very good and my favorite was probably the foie gras bite.
 


Next came little loaves of potato bread with a creamy butter on the side topped with chives and toasted garlic crumbs. This was a big hit all around, although later in the evening someone regretted eating them as they were too stuffed to keep going!

Next was the hit of the night for everyone and it brought me the same sense of wonderment and awe and "WTF is happening here?" that I had the first time I tried the Lychee/pork/habanero dish, which was, "how the hell does someone come up with putting all this weird stuff together, and how is it so perfect?!?!". This is also the dish where I really wish they gave us a written description or at least the name. They told us that early in the rooftop season when the weather was cooler that did a similar dish that was served hot, but they tweaked it for the hot weather to make it a cold dish. We were presented with a soup bowl all sorts of chopped up greens and vegetables (cucumber was a main component) but it also included bananas (!!!) and nasturtiums and about 10 other things (Including something very thin and orange which I can't place. From the photo it may have been a flower petal??) which was on top of a thin layer of neon green liquid (chive oil or basil oil or something). They then poured a cold broth over it that had a coconut milk curry somewhere in the mix. Like the Lychee dish, we were instructed to stir it up like crazy and then dig in. The result was this weird and wonderful melding of flavors and textures that inexpiably worked together to create the dish of the night. I predict this will be the defining dish of the fine dining place next door like the Lychee is at Rose's. I'm not a big fan of curry in general and I avoid dishes with coconut and certainly would never order an entrée with banana as the staring ingredient but the combination of those things and 17 other items I can't remember were nearly life changing! Each spoonful was medley of distinct flavors and textures but was somehow also a coherent and organized dish, and there was nice little bit of heat at the end that lingered in your mouth. Not heat like, "I need water" but just a spicy aftertaste that worked well the banana (!) and the rest of it. (The photos are a little blurry because it was starting to get dark and I wasn't using a flash. Yet.)



Next up was the famed Lychee dish. Good as ever. Not as mind blowing as the first time obviously, but the Rose's newcomers all loved it. This was the first dish we had that was on the regular menu. (I didn't post any photos of this one because you've all seen it before)

Next was a softshell crab on a bed of cooked greens, polenta, and a Bloody Mary vinaigrette. I only know that amount of detail because this dish was also listed on the menu. Our server told us this was a nod to Chef Drew's time spent cooking in Charleston. Another winner that everyone loved. (Two photos - no flash and flash)



A squid ink pasta with rock shrimp and topped with fried garlic bits was next and was very good. The shrimp has this almost fluffy consistency and a different feel than regular shrimp (my wife didn't remember it this way and thought it was just regular shrimp, so I may be off on this). This may have been the first time I've had (or was aware of having) rock shrimp so I'm not sure if it's just a feature of the shrimp or just the way they were prepared. I had some grit in a couple of bites of my shrimp which took away from the overall enjoyment, but it was a tasty dish.



The next dish was the biggest failure of the night and was universally disliked. I think it's the same one listed on the menu as family size portion, but we were all given single servings. Then again, I think they told us this was the first time they were serving it as they were trying it out for the place next door, so I'm not sure if we got something different than was listed on the menu, or if it was the first time they were serving it in the entire restaurant and not just the rooftop. On the menu it's listed as braised pork shoulder with peach BBQ and summer sides, which was an accurate description of what we got. We were told that the pork was braised for 24 hours prior to cooking and the peaches were farmers market "seconds" that they cook down to make the sauce. It all sounded very good but unfortunately it didn't live up to the description. Across the table, people had different negative comments. One was, "not enough seasoning, tastes bland, needs salt" another was "too fatty, my entire first bite was a hunk of fat" another was "it was kind of tough, for something that was brined for 24 hours I'd expect to fall apart when I cut it". For me, I thought the peach BBQ sauce was too sweet.



When we discussed our highs (the chilled soup) and lows (this dish) with our server, she agreed that this one wasn't quite there yet.

The final main course was the famed brisket and it was as good as ever. People were really loving it but we were really getting stuffed by now so we actually left a half a piece of meat uneaten. WTF!?!? What's wrong with you people!?!?

For dessert our server told us that they will never have a chocolate dessert or anything standard and that instead they've been focusing on using vegetables in their desserts. YES! Bring on the English Pea Cake!! No! It's not on the menu now. No biggie I figured, peas are a spring and fall crop around here, so I asked if the dish would return in a couple of months"¦"¦.A much bigger NOOOOOOOOOOOO! She told us that she didn't think it would ever return because they like to keep doing new things. (She aslo said the only dishes that have been on the menu since the day they opened are the Pork Lychee and the Brisket). I really hope she's mistaken about the loss of the Pea Cake because that would be like the Rolling Stones refusing to play Satisfaction in concert ever again. Actually no, that would be like the Rolling Stones refusing to allow Satisfaction to ever be played or even listened to ever again!

Anyhow, our first dessert was a sungold tomato based dessert with sungold ice-cream, a sweet sungold syrup/broth with a couple of sungold tomatoes cut in half and floating in it. I really liked this dish and ended up eating the remainder of someone else's who didn't care for it. A strange aside: a couple courses ago I was stuffed beyond belief, but somehow at this point I was feeling good enough to have a second dessert.



Our second dessert was their take on beignets. They came in a little paper bag that you were supposed shake up to coat with powdered sugar. Everyone seemed to like theirs, but I took a couple bites and couldn't eat any more. The first bite was good but there was a little bitter aftertaste. So I tried again, and again the overwhelming taste was bitter. No one else seemed to mind so I took another bite and it was just harsh and bitter so I put it back in the bag and sealed it up. I don't know what happened here, but I'd put this dish in the inedible category. At least the one that I was served. On the way home, my wife mentioned that her first bite was bitter too, but the rest was fine. I was glad I had the paper bag to hide my uneaten portion!

The third dessert was some sort of crème brulee or flan type dish made of corn or corn chowder! It was served in a ring and had a slightly crunchy and burnt looking top layer with a creamy corn pudding below it. It came with pickled blueberries that we were supposed to mix in (or just eat on the side). This was very good and nicely weird. It doesn't reach the heights of the English Pea Cake but it was a very nice unexpected surprise. I'd definitely order this again.



They sent us home with a doggie bag for breakfast - - a small carton of orange juice, a container of coffee and a slice of their eggplant dessert. I tried the eggplant last time I was there along with the Pea Cake and while it was interesting and different I wouldn't order it again but I appreciate the gesture and will heat it up tonight.

In spite of all my complaints, it was really nice meal and a wonderful and special evening. They really do treat you right with things like the doggie bag and the warm and friendly service.

[JimCo]

I was fortunate enough to reserve the rooftop deck last August, and I feel like I had a similar experience as yours. Overall, it was a lot of fun and had some great dishes but also felt like there were some clear misses. One of our first courses was tomatoes on white bread that I know was designed to be simple and delicious, but just felt a little too basic because the tomatoes weren't all that great. The popcorn soup (that I had read so much about) was served at room temperature and I think would have benefitted from being warmed up. And we finished with the pork shoulder with peach BBQ sauce that was very good, but felt a little lacking.

I loved the service and the vibe. Some of the dishes (like the lychee salad) were incredible. If I could go again, I would probably do so. I didn't find it quite as transcendent as some, but it was a fun night. The problem is (at that price point) you have a tendency to remember the misses instead of the hits.