The One Who Keeps the Book Washington D.C.
How to Get a Seat at Rose’s Luxury, and What to Eat
At one point, getting a table at Rose’s Luxury meant lining up (usually down the block on Capitol Hill’s Barracks Row) at 5 p.m. sharp. Frankly, before joining Resy, this red-hot D.C. restaurant didn’t take reservations, resulting in an overflow of guests waiting to secure a coveted seat.
Thankfully, those days are over. As the restaurant approaches its 10-year anniversary, it’s much easier to book in advance to try chef Aaron Silverman and Samuel Meoño’s menu of remixed comfort food. Still, some times are busier than others (those precious weekend spots get snapped up quickly).
Lucky for you, you’re reading The One Who Keeps The Book, our regular series that aims to answer the most important of questions: How do I get in? The first answer is Resy, of course. But every restaurant manages its tables differently and there are always tips, tricks, and shortcuts to be discovered. So here, we go straight to the source to get them for you.
Brad Binder, Rose’s Luxury’s director of strategy & growth, sits down to explain the process a bit more, and what to order once you snag a prized seat.
Resy: How many seats are there at Rose’s Luxury?
Binder: Rose’s has about 90 seats.
Is there any private dining?
Yes. It’s a private enclosed rooftop garden adorned with twinkling lights and vibrant plants. We offer two seatings at 5:45 and 9:15 p.m. nightly for up to 12 guests. You get your own personal server, room, playlist, and menu.
When do reservations drop on Resy?
On the first of each month at noon for the following month. So, on June 1, we will be releasing reservations for all of July.
How quickly do reservations get snatched up, and do you accept walk-ins?
Pretty quickly! Reservations for the weekends are always the first to get snatched up and typically are filled within the first couple of hours after the monthly release. We do hold a few seats so we can accept walk-ins.
Any other ways to snag a seat on short notice?
Stop by the bar. We often have a seat or two available, and we offer the exact same menu there.
If someone were to set a Notify on short notice, what days or times might be best to book?
While you are more likely to get a reservation from being on the notify list on Wednesdays and Thursdays, my biggest tip is to keep the time window wide. The less specific you are, the more likely you are to get a last-minute table. It’s a fantastic feature for both restaurant operators and guests alike. We have the opportunity to fill seats after a last-minute cancellation and our guests get to come join us for dinner!
Do you have any other tips or tricks for making a reservation?
Well, I have to say we tried to pick an approachable time to release reservations each month [at noon], so our guests didn’t need to be up at the crack of dawn to lock in a table.
If the perfect time is not available when you are first looking, just add yourself to the Notify list, as we take a lot of pride in managing this. If a table with the parameters you are looking for opens, you can get push notifications on your phone.
How long is your Notify list on average? Do people still line up at 5 p.m. for a table?
On the weekends, we have upward of 200 people on our Notify list! While the old Rose’s line will go down in D.C. infamy, we do not have people lining up to get a table at 5 p.m. because we are on Resy.
Explain how the set menu works for those who might not be familiar?
Our menu is priced at $95 per person and really allows you to choose your own adventure. Each table receives our complimentary bread service, and then each person essentially chooses what they want to eat. Share, don’t share, your call. But most tables end up sharing everything. For dessert, we offer some “slightly ridiculously-sized desserts.” All of them serve approximately two to three people.
Set the mood for us if it’s Friday at 7 p.m. What type of music is playing? What is the vibe in the dining room?
Chef Aaron [Silverman], the founder and creative director of Rose’s Restaurant Group, has been curating this playlist for almost 10 years now. On Friday nights at Rose’s Luxury, you may hear music from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, spanning a range of genres including funk, disco, rock, new wave, R&B, and pop. Every couple of weeks, I discover a song that I had no idea was original, like “Genius of Love” by Tom Tom Club. I had thought “Big Energy” was simply sampling Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy.”
In your opinion, what is the best seat in the house?
My absolute favorite seats are the tables right beyond the chef’s counter on the first floor. I took my now-wife to Rose’s on a pretty early date in 2016, and I can vividly remember how magical that dinner was. It certainly does not hurt to be seated under twinkling lights and gorgeous greenery!
What is your personal favorite dish on the menu? Drink?
I love our whole fried Dover sole dish that we call Seth’s Fancy Fish Camp, named after a former Rose’s chef. As an employee here, it blows my mind every time I taste it. I won’t give everything away, but the sides that come with it are pretty remarkable too.
My current go-to drink order is our cocktail named “I Wonder If There Is a Margarita Out There Thinking About Me Too?” It’s a mix of a paloma and a spicy margarita. It’s refreshing, has a kick, and I love the glass it’s served in. The details matter!
Finally, what’s new at Rose’s Luxury, or what are you most excited about that is still to come?
In October, Rose’s Luxury is turning 10. This is an incredible milestone for any restaurant, and I am super excited to be working with a team of like-minded individuals who value the hospitality industry as I do. I am excited and motivated to be a small part of ushering in the next decade of “awesome” at Rose’s Luxury.
