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Chef Aaron Silverman, an alum of 2941 and Momofuku Noodle Bar, is opening a new restaurant called Rose’s Luxury at 717 8th St. SE this spring.
The modern menu will draw on the Maryland native’s eclectic experience cooking Japanese, French, Korean, Italian, and Southern cuisines. In addition to 2941 and Momofuku, Silverman worked in New York’s Insieme and modern Portuguese-influenced restaurant Aldea. Most recently, he cooked modern Southern cuisine at James Beard Award-winning McCrady’s Restaurant in Charleston, S.C.
The $46-per-person menu at Rose’s Luxury will be broken down into five sections: cold, warm, pasta, other goods, and meat. Diners will choose one item from each of the first four sections and a meat for the table to share family-style. (Those seated at the bar can get dishes a la carte.)
Some dishes to expect: a popcorn soup; pasta with strawberry sauce; caramelized cauliflower with Greek yogurt, raisin puree, and speck (pictured right); and a spicy pork and lychee dish with crispy garlic, coconut powder, peanuts, red onion, and cilantro. Shared meat dishes will include Beijing-style six-day-aged duck, pickle-brined fried chicken, and a braised or confit goat “block” with whipped goat cheese and honey.
There will also be a dessert menu separate from the $46 multicourse menu. An apple pie-inspired dessert consists of Ritz cracker ice cream, apple compote, and cheddar cheese. Rose’s Luxury will also serve whole individual bread loaves, which will come to the table straight from the oven. Eventually, Silverman would also like to sell jars of jams or sauces made in the restaurant.
Rose’s Luxury is named after Silverman’s grandmother, Rose, who once ran a bakery in Pittsburgh. “The whole point is that we’re trying to prove that you can serve excellent food and have great hospitality without having four salad forks and servers in white gloves,” Silverman says. He envisions it as a casual spot where people can come in jeans and a T-shirt.
The two-story space will have an enclosed garden and pond in the back with wood beams and skylights above. An eight-seat bar will straddle the kitchen and the garden, so diners can watch the chefs in action. Silverman also plans to have a rooftop garden, where he’ll grow some ingredients used in the restaurant.
The upstairs will have its own 13-seat bar as well as a section that can be closed off for eight- to 14-person group dinners. Guests will be able to reserve the room in advance for around $90 per person, and Silverman will send out wine and family-style dishes. “There will be no menu. It will be whatever we’re doing that day,” he says. “And there will be no set courses, so basically, we’re just going to keep sending food until you say stop.”
Over the past several months, Silverman has been hosting a series of pop-up dinners at Lavagna, Miss Pixie’s, Lost Society, and other locations around town. If you want to try out Silverman’s food before Rose’s Luxury opens in March, request an invite to a pop-up dinner on the restaurant’s website.
Y&H has attended two of Silverman’s pop-ups so far, and if they’re any indication, Rose’s Luxury may be one of the hottest new restaurants of 2013.
Photo courtesy Aaron Silverman