By DCist contributor Bridget Dicosmo
When Compass Rose co-owner Rose Previte realized that the back patio of her neighborhood tavern needed to be covered for year-round use, she took it as an opportunity to recreate a trip that she took to North Africa in college—right down to the Bedouin tent.
Everything about the new Bedouin Tent experience at Compass Rose (1346 T Street NW) radiates warmth and a global inspiration, from the deep red and burgundy hues of the woven rugs adorning the walls to thoughtful touches like provisions for instituting a Georgian toasting tradition at your table.
New executive chef Angel Franco offers two different dining experiences in the tent, which seats six to eight people: a Moroccan menu, Tuesday through Thursday, and a “Tour of the Globe”, Friday through Monday. The menu includes plenty of Compass Rose’s international street food standouts from the regular menu, like the smoky-sweet Tunisian chicken skewers and a sumac-scented lamb kefta served with freekah and lemon tahini, and Franco plans to use the “tour” menu to showcase some new seasonal specials, such as a wild mushroom medley featuring morels and beech and king trumpet mushrooms, and, soon, spring ramps. A recent media preview of the “tour” menu featured dishes culled from more than 20 countries.
Offering an intimate dining experience, the Bedouin tent diners are encouraged to take their time over the meal, swapping travel stories over a parade of dishes like Compass Rose’s crazy popular (for good reason) Georgian khachapuri, a massive, fluffy canoe of soft bread filled with cheese and egg, and Hawaiian poke served over sticky rice. The pleasant levels of heat of the Jamaican goat curry fluctuate in spiciness depending on the day, says Franco.
In researching Bedouin culture for tackling the decorating and creating the dining experience, Previte says it was clear the “culture is very much about intimacy and family.” The ornate hanging lanterns and lamps, which would look right at home on display in a Moroccan night market, evoke a warm glow.
The meal winds down with tea, served with a twist: each guest receives a small bottle of absinthe, a lump of raw sugar, and a book of matches to ignite the absinthe-soaked sugar, a strong but delicious addition to the fragrant Moroccan mint tea. Why tea instead of coffee? “Coffee means goodbye,” Previte explains at the end of the meal, whereas tea is more of a “welcome.”
Compass Rose’s Moroccan menu, which will change seasonally to showcase different regions, is $70, plus an additional $30 for drink pairings. The Tour of the World menu is $65 per person, with drinks offered a la carte, with two seatings at 5:30 and 9 p.m.
