One of the more interesting dining trends to emerge from the pandemic: hotels that rent their rooms for a few hours so guests can dine privately (and yes, there have been a lot of “dine” jokes). Several downtown DC hotels have opened their rooms for brunch and/or dinner, including the Riggs and Hotel Monaco in Penn Quarter; the Sofitel in Lafayette Square; and the new Yours Truly in the West End—a small boon for properties whose tourist and business travel has plummeted in the pandemic.
Now, Southwest DC’s Mandarin Oriental is hopping on the bandwagon with something a little different than room service from the lobby restaurant: Rose’s at MO, a collaboration with Rose’s Luxury owner Aaron Silverman. The dinner series, offered in four rooms a night, starts Thursday, March 18 and runs through Saturday, May 1.
If you’re envisioning eating lychee salad on a king size bed, you might be disappointed. Guest rooms have been revamped to better resemble a dining room. Beds and bedroom furniture have been replaced with modern wood tables and dining chairs for up to six guests.
The pop-up is an extension of Silverman’s Rose’s at Home service, which offers home delivery, catering, and private dinner parties. The business—which operates in tandem with Rose’s and Silverman’s other restaurants, Pineapple and Pearls, and Little Pearl— will open a brick-and-mortar retail space and catering kitchen on Capitol Hill in June. For Rose’s at MO, guests will consult with the Rose’s chefs to curate a menu, which can include classics like the lychee salad or popcorn crème brûlée. Menu prices will vary based on the clientele’s preferences, and a $250 room rental fee will be required by the hotel.
Guests interested in booking can contact the hotel or email roses@mohg.com.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
