I know, I can’t believe it took me this long to actually eat here. I’ve been in for drinks several times and always been blown away. It’s like if Beauty and the Beast took place in Kentucky and the Beast’s castle contained a library full of bourbon. Did some research and their food menu looked fabulous. So this is how we spent my father-in-law’s birthday.
We ordered the supper plate for the table and enjoyed their great deviled eggs, pickled beets, and charcuterie. I love charcuterie, so no complaints here, and although it was nothing life-changing, it was a great deal for the amount of food we got. Everybody at the table ordered a beer from a solid menu. For dinner, I ordered the duck breast, my husband got the chicken with brussels sprouts, and my in-laws both ordered small plates: the crab roll and the squash ravioli.
It was at this point in the meal that I visited the bathroom and came to find out that at that exact moment, Jack Rose was honoring a semi-annual deal called “Pappy Hour.” If you are not familiar with the ultra-rare bourbon known as Pappy Van Winkle, acquaint yourself right now. Singles of Pappy tend to start around $20 for a simple 10-year and end with $600 for the 25-year. This deal was too good to pass up. Because it was my FIL’s birthday, we ordered our own flight: the 10, the 15, and the 23-year, and they arrived with purified water and tasting notes from Jack Rose’s resident whiskey expert, a service not provided everywhere.
Back to the food: my duck was good but on the chewy side, although the parsnip cake and other accompaniments were great. The other food at the table was clearly high-quality and good, but again, not life-changing; the chicken was on the dry side, the squash ravioli was a little underdone and a little underseasoned. On the plus side, we had great service (even before we ordered $250 worth of bourbon), and I was still pretty happy with the meal altogether. Will definitely return.
Grade: The food is good if you happen to be here but not worth a special trip. However, you can’t get better whiskey or whiskey cocktails in DC.
Price: If you buy normal quantities and qualities of alcohol, $50 per person
Ward Five Foodie 