Great news from Fritz Hahn:
Jack Rose, the whiskey-centric bar from the owners of Bourbon and Breadsoda, is set to open in Adams Morgan’s old Third Power Fitness building on April 15. Look out for three outdoor decks facing three different directions, an extensive bourbon menu that includes several pre-Prohibition selections and a cozy speakeasy-style basement bar.
I’ve been watching the construction at Jack Rose on a daily basis since last summer (it’s on my daily commute to work). It’s going to be huge. Plus I’ve been able to go to a few of the preview dinners that owner Bill Thomas has been hosting at Bourbon – the food and cocktails plan to be great. The bar will also host what promises to be one of the finest collections of bourbon and Scotch whisky in not only Washington DC, but likely anywhere in these United States. Seriously: I can’t wait.
A Jigger of Blog 
I visited Jack Rose on Saturday, July 16th and it was a huge dissppointment. I took my girl friend and her friend there around 8:30 and found a table in downstairs portion of the two story location on 18th street. We seated ourselves after being told by a woman sitting alone at a table for EIGHT that she was holding the table! We waited we served water right away, but waited another 15 minutes for our waiter to show up. He showed up to drop off menus and then returned about five minutes later to take our drink orders. I went ahead and ordered the steak at that time as I could tell where this was headed. Well, he never came back. After about fifteen minutes we left. It was super crowded, just a full house. It seemed. That people at the bar were being served and others. In the dining area as well but no luck for us. My girlfriend and I are both whiskey lovers and were excited about going there. We won’t be back. I do not recommend…
By: Reggie on July 18, 2011
at 12:51 pm
Reggie —
That’s really unfortunate, I’m sorry to hear about that. I’ve been to Jack Rose about 8-10 times now and while the service was slow the first time I went, it’s been pretty consistently good, along with great food and great drinks. The downstairs restaurant only just opened a bit over a week ago and most new places take a little time to get to where they are working the way they should. I’ve also seen lines out the door on Friday and Saturday nights, so I’m sure the volume is something which might have made your experience worse. I’m sorry you had a bad experience, but I definitely would not recommend giving up on the Jack Rose based on one bad experience just after opening.
By: Matt Hamlin on July 18, 2011
at 12:55 pm
Reggie – Bill Thomas, the owner of Jack Rose, saw this comment and is going to reach out & wants to make it up to you.
By: Matt Hamlin on July 19, 2011
at 12:21 pm
I was there on Saturday night as well. I agree that it was super crowded and the service at the tables was slow. There was a line outside the door as we were leaving. We noticed a few tables leave before they were served. We were seated at the bar and had a great time. The menu downstairs seemed a bit light yet adequate to counteract the booze we were drinking. I’m sure over time it will get better.
By: Ayden on July 19, 2011
at 1:10 pm