First Look: Jack Rose Dining Saloon

While word is out that Jack Rose will officially open its roof deck this weekend, we were lucky enough to check out this gorgeous space last Saturday night.

We had heard a lot of buzz about this new DC behemoth, and couldn’t wait to see if it lived up to the hype. Unfortunately the main bar area wasn’t open when we visited, and won’t be until June 14th according to Eater. No matter, we walked right upstairs and were very impressed by what we saw.

The bar itself actually consists of five separate bars, include a main floor, a roof deck with a main bar, a side deck bar, a beer basement, and an executive tasting room. Phew! Color us impressed the minute we walked in.

Although the main room was still under construction, we peeked in from the window and couldn’t get over how long the bar itself was, 52 feet to be exact. There will be 20 taps alone there, along with rare casks and imports in the den downstairs, with shared taps upstairs in addition to cans. Essentially a beer lover’s heaven.

View of the main bar, still under construction

But this place is really catering to those who love Scotch: there will be over 1,000 types of Scotch and bourbon, not to mention an extensive cocktail list, mainly for the tiki-type bar outside. Yep, this place is paradise for drink lovers of all kinds, they don’t discriminate!

Right away we were impressed with the layout of the open-air terrace. While you can see the Washington Monument off into the distance from the top of Jack Rose, the decor made you feel like you were somewhere in New York or LA and not blocks away from the rambunctiousness of 18th Street.

There’s a long bar against the wall, but plenty of space for standing around and some tables as well. A nice touch is the pit barbecue area, where you can order sandwiches and other dishes. Brett ordered the pit beef on Ciabatta bread while I ordered the grilled vegetable sandwich.

Both were served with a type of purple slaw on the side. I really liked my sandwich, which came with goat cheese, grilled eggplant, red peppers, and spinach. The veggies held up well against the crunch of the bread, and the creamy cheese went well with the char of the grilled veggies. Brett enjoyed his sandwich as well, but his only complaint was that the drippings from the beef made the bread a little too soggy resulting in a little messiness.

We also each ordered a Bell’s Oberon, perfect for an early summer night. I was tempted to try some of the cocktails listed, but thought I would save them for another time. After we ate, we walked around the outdoor area to check out the side bar, which wasn’t yet open, and the inside room, where there was a party already going on.

We can already envision this place being packed on the weekends, and lamented the place wasn’t fully open in time for Brett’s birthday, since it would have been perfect.

Obviously we don’t have a complete picture of Jack Rose since it wasn’t officially open or ready yet, but all we can say is that DC is in for a treat and we can’t wait to make a return visit.