Compass Rose to debut a ‘Bedouin tent’ tasting room on back patio

The interior of Compass Rose is designed to feel like a marketplace, with surprises at every turn. Come October, guests will also be able to dine on the back patio beneath a Bedouin-style tent. (Photo by Rachel Sale)

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.

Beneath the fabric structure there will be silk scarves, lanterns and enough room for one table and six to eight seats, owner Rose Previte says. The menu will mimic Compass Rose’s global street food offerings, though expect the plates to be a little more refined.

“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.