Our new favorite Hell’s Kitchen Spot
Hell’s Kitchen is known for it’s nightlife experiences, whether it be going to their unique restaurant and bars to their late night clubbing experiences. And we had the privilege to dine at one of the newest restaurants and cocktail bars at Rosevale Kitchen. As you enter Rosevale Kitchen, you are met with a modern American interior, adorned with decorations that have a very vintage feel. The overall design and ambiance feels like if a classic American restaurant and bar was elevated and modernized while still maintain the old style charm. The dinner menu itself has American dining classics with both seafood and red meat options with a few dishes having some Asian inspiration to it. The cocktail menu has a lot of variety, but draws inspiration from classic cocktails like bellinis, margaritas, paper airplanes, and negronis.
For our cocktails, we tried the Very Large Airplane and the Spicy Encounter. The Spicy Encounter was made with Tanteo Jalapeño Tequila, Ancho Reyes Verde, Passionfruit, Lime, Agave, and a Mezcal Float, being rimmed with a Spicy Worm Salt. This drink was delicious and reminded us of a fruit forward margarita. Upon first sip, you get the flavors of passionfruit and agave with a small note of heat from the ancho reyes that warms your palate. As you let the drink it on your palate, you then get the brightness from the lime with a hint of smoke from the mezcal which helps refresh your palate for the next sip. The spicy worm salt was a wonderful touch that gave a little bit more balance and helped deepen the flavors of the drink, especially lending itself to the brightness and smokiness aspects of the drink. For the Very Large Airplane, this was made with Japanese Gin, Aperol, Amaro, Lemon, White Strawberry. So instead of the usual bourbon in a Paper Airplane drink, they opted for a Japanese Gin which would provide a bit more hebaciousness to the cocktail instead of the oaky flavors from the bourbon. And it plays well with the bitterness from the Amaro and Aperol too. But at the very end of the sip, we got the playful sweetness mixed with a hint of acidity and brightness from the white strawberry and the lemon.
For the starting course, we tried the Caesar salad and the Shrimp Cocktail. The Caesar Salad was done with the classic romaine lettuce, parmesan, and croutons fixture. The greens were fresh and crisp which helped balance out the heavier parts from the dressing. The dressing itself was actually not in the classic Caesar dressing style where it incorporated components of anchovies and creamy egg yolk in it. Instead the creaminess was substituted for a lighter rendition and lent itself to the freshness of the salad. Instead the salty component came from the parmesan in little bits. A big highlight for this dish was the croutons were they were crisp, light, fluffy, and had a hint of sweetness to it which was a delightful surprise that provided a lot of balance to the dish. For the Shrimp Cocktail, it was served with a Horseradish Cocktail Sauce and a wedge of lemon. The Shrimp were immaculate, being so plump and juicy and bursting with sweetness. The cocktail sauce was a great pairing where there was the classic sharpness and tanginess from the horseradish but ended with a sweet acidity that lent itself well to the shrimp.
For our mains we opted for the Orange Duck and their Fish Of The Moment special. The Orange Duck is a Rohan Breast cooked with Pho Spices and a duck jus. The duck was cooked nicely with a beautiful sear on it. The sear lent itself for a wonderful bite with a crispy texture and the duck meat soaked up the sweetness from the duck jus that added depth of flavor and brightened up the fish. The duck was served atop a bed of vegetables that absorbed a lot of the flavors from the jus and allowed for the perfect marriage between the duck and the vegetables.
For the seafood special, it was a Blackened Sea Bass with a chili white wine sauce served with spring greens. This fish special was absolutely delicious and hopefully they make it a permanent option on the menu because it was that good. The fish was so flakey but incredibly moist and tender to the point where it melts in your mouth. The sea bass has a delicate flavor to it that lingers on your palate and pairs perfectly with the white wine sauce. The sauce itself had a little bit of heat to it but not enough to overpower the flavors in the fish.
And to round out our meal, we had both the Brown Butter Blondie and the Cheesecake Panna Cotta for dessert. The Blondie was made with Macadamia Nuts, White Chocolate Chunks, and paired with a Milk Chocolate Gelato. This blondie was definitely one of the best we have ever had with a perfectly crisp exterior while still being moist and delicate on the inside. Each bite had such a decadent feel and flavor to it and the white chocolate chips provide a very airy and light sweetness to the dessert. The nuts give such great texture to the dish and paired with the gelato added a refreshing sweetness to you palate.
For the Panna Cotta, that was paired with a Graham Cracker Crumb on top. The panna cotta was fluffy and airy with a perfect bounce to it. The cheesecake flavor had the perfect balance of savory and sweet to it and the crumble that sat on top gave a beautiful addition of texture to the dish where in other situations a panna cotta would be one note with texture.
Once we finished our meal, our night was not over. Sitting on the next level up from Rosevale Kitchen is the Rosevale Cocktail Room. The setting is dark and moody with a very intimate feel. The décor draws the eye all around with room where you can find intricate dioramas displayed at every inch all the way up to the 15 ft ceilings. The finishings on the room add an elegant feel to the room and it resembles the style of an upscale speakeasy without having the pretentiousness of memorizing a password or knowing to walk through a refrigerator like some of the current NYC speakeasies do. And during the summer, the Rosevale Cocktail Room will finally open up its balcony section so you can enjoy some of their delicious craft cocktail while basking in the sun.
If you have been on cocktail TikTok, you might know the Rosevale Cocktail Room based on this drink we ordered. Called the Rosevale Irish Coffee, this is Rosevale’s take on an Irish Coffee with some elevated twists on it. This order is served for two and is made with Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey, Apple Brandy, Illy Coffee, Cider Donut Cream, and topped with Cacao. The present this drink is a two chamber diffuser of sorts. On the bottom chamber is the whiskey and brandy and in the top are an arrangement of spices and ingredients like black tea, star anise, cardamom, and orange slices. The server will place a flame directly below the bottom chamber and slowly the alcohol will flow from the bottom chamber to the stop and steep in the spices and ingredients. Once all the alcohol has been transferred to the top, the flame is taken away and the liquid slowly falls back down to the bottom chamber. That liquid is poured into your glass where the server then pours a decadent cider donut cold foam on top. The last, and some would say the most important step, is that a 5 lb Hershey’s Kiss is brought to you and they shave the cacao from the kiss on top of the drink.
The drink upon first sip has such an intense depth of flavor from the black tea, star anise, and cardamom that almost wakes your entire palate up. As you keep sipping, your mouth is enveloped by the creaminess from the drink and the cold foam. The drink is obviously very spirit forward so sipping slowly and occasionally will help with both savoring every flavor that is in this drink while also not having you feel light headed in the end.
Our lasting impression of both the Rosevale Kitchen and Rosevale Cocktail Room is that these two spots are some of the best dining and drinking locations in Hell’s Kitchen. The food in the kitchen was simple and familiar but had classic and clean flavors where it would be hard not to enjoy it. The cocktails in the kitchen also pair amazingly well with the food and we love their elevated takes on classic cocktails. For the Cocktail Room, this is something we will be stopping by for again. Whether it’s a date night or a night out with friends, the Rosevale Cocktail Room will meet all your needs and give you some of the best cocktails in Hell’s Kitchen.
