For a taste of more than a dozen cuisines around the world, make your way to Compass Rose.
Located at 1346 T St. NW, a dinner at Compass Rose can take your palate on a trip around the world by sampling popular dishes from countries like the Philippines, Ireland and Armenia. But the menu item that can’t be missed is the khachapuri ($14), which is a classic Georgian dish.
The dish begins with a large bread boat that oozes to capacity with a cheese filling. Along with the cheese, the khachapuri is topped off with a slab of butter, an egg and a sprinkle of za’atar – a traditional Middle Eastern spice mix – which are then mixed into the cheese filling tableside by a server, creating a vat of buttery, cheesy goodness.
Featuring a mix of bread, cheese and butter, Compass Rose’s khachapuri will easily become a comfort food favorite. Each bite is warm and gooey, making it hard to resist another. The za’atar seasoning adds an unexpected zest to the dish, cutting the saltier components of the khachupari like the butter and cheese.
To make the most of the khachupari, rip off some excess pieces of the bread boat and use them as a vehicle to scoop up the filling. When you find yourself without bread, which may happen quickly, dive in with a fork and knife.
If you’re looking for some lighter fare to accompany this dish, opt for Japanese-inspired grilled turnips ($8) with miso butter, lemon and scallions, or Nepali tharkari ($11) made with cauliflower, potato, cilantro and rice.
For heartier dishes, choose between menu items from Panama like a whole fried fish ($20) with garlic aioli, salsa lizano and scotch bonnet pickles, or from Tunisia like chicken skewers ($12) with peppadew pepper, currant, pomegranate molasses and peanut served atop a bed of couscous.
Pair your dishes with Compass Rose’s variety of beers and wines from around the globe. Beers include ale brewed with grapes and espresso stouts and range from $5 to $13. The restaurant boasts a plethora of red, white and rose wines along with sparkling and amber wines. Opt for a glass of serpens tokaj ($12), a Hungarian white wine with hints of citrus and ginger, or a glass of pullus pinot grigio ($15), an amber wine from Slovenia that has notes of peach.
For something to drink without the booze, Compass Rose’s menu offers plenty of concoctions like a maple carrot mule ($8) with carrot, turmeric, maple and ginger beer or a grapefruit pink peppercorn soda ($8) with lemon.
Head to Compass Rose to take a culinary trip around the globe and do not miss out on a stop in Georgia feasting on the restaurant’s khachapuri.
