Skip to main content

Rose's Luxury

A celebration landed me at the restaurant which has been on the top of my list for many many years.  The notorious line wasn't that long and wasn't even necessary as the restaurant didn't fill up during our visit.  Was it worth it?  Yes and no.  The fun, funky interior had reclaimed wood tables and a warm ambience but major points were lost on the thumping music which made the small space too loud and conversation difficult.  The limited chef's menu, switched up on a regular basis, offered two "starters", two small plates, two pastas and a couple of larger meat plates.  There were three options listed as vegetarian or "could be made vegetarian".  Apparently the starters (a popcorn soup and a strawberry pasta) could have been made veggie as well but my menu didn't indicate that.  In any case, we received gratis sour cream biscuits with yummy creme fraiche and a freshly made marmalade.  These were amazing and melt-in-your mouth.  The fluffy biscuits combined with creamy, tart toppings were a meal in themselves.  For me, the next round was a salad which was good but didn't have the toppings/ingredients well mixed.  The top was just greens and by the time I got to some of the interesting stuff at the bottom of my bowl I had missed the opportunity to savor everything together.  One of my companions got the fried wings which they declared to be the best wings they have ever tasted.  Next up was the Lychee Salad which was clearly the star of the show.  The veggie version has seasoned tempeh, which was delicious with a host of other unique ingredients, like a coconut creme puff, peanuts, and more.  As the waiter says, this is the dish which has remained on the menu from the beginning.  I finished with the sweet pea primavera which was quite good and came with tiny seasonal flowers but was too salty.  My dinner companions got the brisket and "Tandoor-ish" chicken which were both good, they said, but slightly overdone, needing the various toppings to counter the dryness.  I agreed with one companion that the naan "grilling" was not ideal, giving the rich bread a toasty, burnt undertone.  Drink (for me) was the beet juice/vinegar combo which was quite good and a not-sweet selection, but at $10 for ~maybe~ a half cup of drink (the tumbler was loaded with ice) the place should be arrested for price gouging.  My companions ordered Bourbon and a dark beer, respectively, and each said the offerings were outstanding.  Dessert was a chocolate cake with "cashew frosting, passion fruit and a coconut swirl" which arrived as a little bundt cake with swirls of the frosting encircling the base but not the passion fruit or coconut swirl.  Instead the cake came with a large scoop of lemon ice on top (decorated with pansy leaves), which was far too tart to be eaten with the chocolate.  Fortunately, we received a scoop of vanilla ice cream as part of our celebration and I traded out the lemon for the vanilla, which worked well.  The cake was slightly dry so the cashew frosting and vanilla ice cream made for a good pairing.  On a random note the signage around the bathroom is adorable but having only a single seater meant waiting on line to go, which seems a bit much for an upscale restaurant.  Bottom line?  Great adventure, some hit and miss really good dishes and possibly worth a second visit as the seasons, and menu, changes, but not the "OMG" food I have had elsewhere.

Upscale chef-inspired menu
717 8th St., SE
https://www.rosesluxury.com/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

RASA

The popular grain bowl trend gets a twist with this Indian-inspired takeout bowl place.  Same concept -- a base, greens, toppings, etc., but the options are mostly Indian inspired and the majority of offerings are vegetarian (although not vegan, given the heavy use of Ghee in cooking).  My take is mixed.  Some of the items were outstanding, some less so.  I got the Lemon Tumeric Rice, which was delightful.  Fresh and tangy, with a little bite, it was one of the best rice dishes I've ever tried.  On top of this I got the Tofu/Cauliflower protein.  It was half and half.  The cauliflower was perfectly roasted, the roasted onions delightful, and the nuts were a beautiful added crunch.  The tofu, however, was watery, and the green and red peppers well past prime.  Next, I added sauteed spinach, which was incredibly bland, and the peanut sesame sauce, which was "okay" but forgettable.  I didn't do additional toppings, although there were plenty.  I did get two of the mini s
Post a Comment
Read more

First Watch

Meant to invite some family members here but a friend beat me to the punch.  We compromised and went together.  Unfortunately, this is a place where it looks better than it is.  Across the board.  The funky design scheme makes it an echo chamber and, with the pumping music, very loud.  Conversation was difficult.  The menu is covered in glossy photos and descriptions of the food but ... I started with the Morning Meditation Fresh Juice, a pretty blend of citrus and beet.  Or I tried to.  Took three reminders to the waiter and when it finally arrived, halfway into the meal, it was 90% ice and 10% juice.  My companions opted for coffee.  It was ice cold.  Another long wait (about 20 minutes) to get new coffee -- and included a reminder to staff that they wanted fresh cups as well.  I ordered the Vegetarian Quinoa Bowl, which was described as having up to 12 ingredients.  It had three.  The quinoa, an egg, maybe two teeny slices of tomato past its prime.  It wasn't hot or cold, just r
Post a Comment
Read more

Mezeh

With this new version of a middle-eastern inspired "bowl/pita/wrap" meal the Ballston Mezeh has a lot to praise and a few things it could do better. On the plus side is a ton of options.  For a base they move beyond the simple rice or greens selections to specific greens options/mixes and then they have three kinds of rice (including Riced Cauliflower with Bulgar Wheat for the Keto crowd).  After that there are two different protein options for veggies -- Falafel and Veggie Kofta.  I selected the Kofta just so that I could have something new ... and loved it.  But you aren't done there.  You can choose up to 12 toppings (TWELVE) out of 27.  Then there are the dressings.  Again, the choices are overwhelming with eight -- each sounds amazing.  I went with the Spicy Mango and was not disappointed.  I ordered a bowl and still got a nice big slice of warm pita which was just yummy. The challenge however, is that the bowl I ordered online wasn't really full.  There were lot
Post a Comment
Read more