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What a Welcome Newcomer!

I was delighted to try Aaron Silverman’s new restaurant Rose’s Luxury last week. This is one new restaurant that’s worth the hype!

Diners enjoying a front row view of the open kitchen action!

Everything from the design, to service, and especially the food, are all top notch- without an ounce of pretension.  Diners can get a front row view of the action in the kitchen at one of the bar seats, although I loved our cozy table under the lights.  The staff is friendly and informed; a welcome departure from surly greeters and uninformed servers.

As a party of four, we were delighted by each new course as it arrived, and got a chance to sample a good portion of the menu.  Not one plate left the table with anything remaining, and both pescatarians and meat-lovers alike left satiated.

Even the controversial popcorn soup had its champions; although I enjoyed the novelty and craftsmanship, it was a touch too rich for more than a spoonful or two for me.  Some of my dining companions heartily disagreed!

Stand out dishes were the pork sausage, habanero and lychee salad (trust me, just get it!), the crispy octopus, fried eggplant, and vietnamese pâté.  And the bread.  It’s worth suspending any low carb diet for an entire loaf of the house made complimentary potato bread and whipped butter.

One thing that can be complicated about ordering wine at a small plates restaurant is the sheer volume of flavors you’re pairing with.  I like to pick a wine that “plays well with others”, and one that is generally fairly high in acidity. I start light and increase the body to match the progression of small plates.

We started with individual cocktails; I ordered the sparkling chenin blanc, which was delightful, aromatic and crisp.

Our table then moved on to the Höpler Grüner Veltliner for the salad and seafood small plates.  Hard for a table of Grüner lovers to turn down, the Höpler was perfect on the palette- restrained and acidic, with a good dose of minerality and pear fruit.

For the heartier courses I selected a medium bodied Spanish blend of Garnacha, Mazuelo and Tempranillo called Remelluri 2008. The Garnacha and Mazuelo kept things smooth, while the Tempranillo spiced things up with lively red fruit, peppery notes, and a hint of smokiness.  It was served at the proper temperature, slightly below room temperature, which I always appreciate.  We all liked this wine so much we ordered a second bottle!

For dessert, we enjoyed the Eden Ice Cider served in elegant dessert glasses- a sweet cider made from apples picked after the first frost, much like Ice Wine. I would love to see an expansion of the dessert drinks. A tawny port or sherry selection would round out the beverage menu nicely.

I can’t wait to go back and am so glad to experience a small plates restaurant that really works!

Have you been to Rose’s Luxury yet?  What are some of your favorite new restaurants around town?

UPDATE:

I went back to Rose’s Luxury this week and was pleased to see an expanded beverage program, especially on the dessert list.  I was particularly impressed by the Ben Rye- not a Rye whiskey at all, but a sweet, viscous wine from Sicily made from indigenous grapes. I’ll be ordering this one again!

Chef Silverman’s White Truffle Pasta- a seasonal special- was aromatic and delicious. A generous portion of the aromatic delicacy was shaved over simply prepared pasta letting the truffles take center stage.  Bravo!

We can’t wait to snag a seat at the bar facing the kitchen next time to see the kitchen staff in their element!