Northern Virginia restaurateur Reese Gardner has pulled another rabbit out of his hat — more literally this time. Gardner, whose bar empire includes Copperwood Tavern and Dudley’s Sport and Ale in Shirlington, recently opened Brass Rabbit Public House in Clarendon about a block from another of his spots, Pinemoor.
The restaurant, which aims to be a healthier, cheekier alternative to the traditional sports bar, replaces Bracket Room, the shuttered sports bar from the “The Bachelor” star Chris Bukowski, which closed in March 2021.
Located smack in the middle of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, Brass Rabbit has no shortage of sports bars to compete with. But to Kelsey Hoffman, Brass Rabbit’s general manager, there’s little comparison between their pub and other nearby sports bars. The goal is for the bar to attract people looking for a “more upscale, swanky … kind of intimate feel” that can’t be found at sports bars where “people are traveling in packs of 20 of their friends.”
“Maybe you don’t want to drink a bucket of Bud Lights. You want to have yourself a nice cocktail while you’re watching the game,” Hoffman said. “And I think that does cater to those in their 30s, 40s or 50s here, as opposed to just younger people.”
The restaurant’s namesake rabbits are woven in the decor, more Bugs Bunny in a smoking jacket than Peter Rabbit in his gardening coat. A wall of antique frames filled with bunnies in all sorts of suits anchors one wall, while a row of purse hooks in the form of golden hare heads is installed along another.
Above the bar, sections of the ceiling are inhabited by a wallpaper colony of rabbits, illustrated quite similarly to the Playboy Bunny logo, all of whom are doing … well, what rabbits are known to do. However, it’s tastefully incorporated enough that this reporter didn’t realize what the rabbits were supposed to be doing until someone explained.
The menu skews healthier than standard bar fare. Lettuce wraps filled with lobster, tuna, chicken or other options and generously portioned salads are available, as well as several seafood and shellfish options.
Flash-fried carrot fries stand in for french fries in a dish that provides green goddess dressing as a dipping sauce. Sweet potato fritters, lamb meatballs and toasts topped with goat cheese and mushrooms are also some other options not typically found at sports bars.
Hoffman also suggested another plate that she said has so far been a hit in the fledgling sports bar’s first few weeks: the linguine and clams.
“They just nailed the recipe; everyone who I’ve seen order it has cleaned their plate, which is saying a lot for a big pasta dish,” she explained. “That’s a sneaky favorite of mine.”
A lamb burger comes with tzatziki, a thick slab of feta cheese and pickled onions, though the feta can make the sandwich a bit unwieldy. Hoffman later explained that Brass Rabbit staff had tried using smaller chunks of feta, but the burger looked “sloppier and tended to fall apart,” plus not every bite was sufficiently cheesy that way.
And note: while Brass Rabbit may have more greens on their menu than their counterparts, they also have pub food classics, including a burger, chicken wings and fish and chips.
“I think we’re straddling the line [of health food versus ‘fun’ food] because we offer both,” Hoffman said. “We do have wings and we have burgers — and then we have the far opposite, like the salads and the lettuce wraps.”
One perhaps surprising omission on the menu? You won’t find a hare on your plate at Brass Rabbit. Hoffman says they considered adding a rabbit dish, but ultimately decided to skip it for now.
“Maybe it will be on the menu in the future, but for now, we decided to stick with adorning the rabbits on the walls rather than killing it for our plates,” Hoffman added.
Brass Rabbit Public House is located at 1210 N. Garfield St, Arlington, VA. Open Monday-Thursday from 11 a.m.-12 a.m., Friday from 11 a.m.-1 a.m., Saturday from 10 a.m.-1 a.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m.-12.a.m.
