Come October, Compass Rose in Logan Circle will host family-style dinner parties on its back patio beneath a custom-built, Bedouin-style tent. The restaurant — one of many hotspots that don’t accept reservations — will allow groups to reserve the space.
“Think more along the lines of what you get at a marketplace,” Previte says. “That’s where you get vegetables and fresher things. Street food is fun but it’s a little limiting, there are a lot of fried things.”
The menu will be a set price (to be determined) and will likely delve into one international cuisine versus plucking plates from different countries. Executive chef Sam Molavi is still finalizing dishes. There will be a wine pairing option.
Dinner in the tent will be served nightly and will be offered year-round, thanks to heaters.
Previte, who has traveled the world extensively, sees the tent as a way to utilize the back patio and to create a sense of wonder in the space.
“Our place is intended to have a market feel,” Previte says. “You turn a corner and there’s always something new. This is one more layer of discovery.”
And fans of khachapuri (Compass Rose’s most popular dish, modeled after a cheesy bread from the country of Georgia) will be able to order it out back, even if it doesn’t land on that night’s menu.
“No one will ever be denied a khachapuri as long as the oven is on,” Previte says.