With a full-scale production brewery onsite, it’s no wonder all the talk about Bluejacket, opening in Navy Yard next Tuesday, has centered on the beer. (Just read this week’s Y&H column.) But let’s not forget there’s food, too. Neighborhood Restaurant Group is trying to distinguish the 200-seat restaurant and bar from the brewery by giving it its own name: The Arsenal. The group settled on the name only about 24 hours before a preview party last night.
The beer hall and public house-inspired food menu was developed by Birch & Barley chefs/husband-wife team Kyle Bailey and Tiffany MacIsaac. Running the kitchen day-to-day at The Arsenal will be chef de cuisine Dan Hahndorf, who was previously at Vermillion.
UPDATE: We’ve now got a more complete menu. Check it out below. The dining room menu is available in both the bar and dining room, and the night bar menu is just for the bar (although there’s a lot of overlap.) The bar will be for walk-ins only. The dining room will begin accepting reservations in the coming days.
DINING ROOM MENU
Snacks for sharing
Pickle pot: assorted house pickles
Pickled Sausage: three links of brined pork-garlic sausage
Crab Deviled Eggs: three half hen eggs, crab roe deviled yolks, pickled mustard seeds
Half pound of fries served with Ketchup and dijonaisse or white cheddar and tasso ham gravy
Classic Wings with frankenbutter, blue cheese dip, celery
Fried Pig Tails with General Satan’s sauce
Appetizers
Cold Charcuterie: assortment cured meat, terrine and pate with pickles and toast
Hot Charcuterie: fried hogs head terrine, grilled chicken liver sausage, seared pastrami tongue
Braised Pork Cheeks with creamy polenta, jarred tomatoes, broccoli rabe
Beef Heart Tartare with worcestershire, balsamic, pickled mustard seeds, parsley salad, grilled bread
Baby Back Ribs: slow roasted with South Carolina BBQ, fennel-apple slaw, German potato salad
Salads and House Made Pastas
Cobb Salad: bibb lettuce, blue cheese dressing, bacon, avocado, pickled egg and tomato
Asian Salad: romaine, sesame seeds, orange segments, carrot-ginger dressing, fried wontons
Kale Caesar: Tuscan kale, gruyere croutons, boquerones, shaved pecorino
Carbonara: house buccatini, slow roast pork belly, parm, black pepper, hen yolk
Sweet Potato Gnocch with duck sausage, tallegio fonduta, greens
Canneloni al Forno: squash, swiss chard, ricotta, béchamel, red wine plumped cranberries
Capellini: house angel hair pasta, slow roast chicken, lemon confit, fennel, parmesan
Burgers and Hoagies
Porchetta Hoagie: warm broccoli rabe, porchetta, aged provolone, pepper relish, chips
Juicy Lucy: two aged brisket patties with white cheddar, lettuce, tomato, B&B pickles, dijonnaise, fries
Veggie Burger: black bean, chickpea, faro patty, ancho mayonnaise and avocado, fries
Shrimp Burger: shrimp patty, frisse, fried lemon, lemon-caper aioli, fries
Mergueze Burger: seven-ounce lamb and pork patty, Manchego, harissa aioli, arugula, fries
Entrees
Rotisserie half chicken: 12 hour brined chicken, pretzel stuffing, roasted root vegetables
Braised Lamb Neck Cassoulet with cannelloni beans, duck sausage, red wine glazed pearl onions
Grilled Pork Chop with brined pork chop, wheat berries, chanterelle Mushrooms, sunchoke puree
Seared Wolf Fish with barley risotto, barogoule artichoke hearts, baby mustard greens
18 Hour Short Rib with balsamic braised cabbage, Parmesan spaetzel, butter braised turnips
Crispy Rock Fish with spinach puree, hand rolled couscous, roasted pearl onions, celery, arugula
Sides
Mac and Cheese: Spent grain shells, white cheddar béchamel
JoJos: Roasted potatoes, spicy Mayo
Shaved Brussels Sprouts: Pecorino, olive oil, pepper, lemon
Honey Glazed Carrots: tarragon, toasted almonds
Parm Spaetzel with herbs, butter
NIGHT BAR MENU
Snacks
Items are available one hour after dinner service nightly
Pickle pot: assorted house pickles
Pickled Sausage: three links of brined pork-garlic sausage
Crab Deviled Eggs: three half hen eggs, crab roe deviled yolks, pickled mustard seeds
Half pound of fries served with ketchup and dijonaisse or white cheddar and tasso ham gravy
Classic Wings with frankenbutter, blue cheese dip, celery
Fried Pig Tails with General Satan’s sauce
Fried Chickpeas with house lemon pepper
Cheesy Grit Poppers: yellow grit-cheddar bites with tasso gravy dipper
Warm Beer Soft Pretzels: three freshly baked pretzels with beer mustard
Large Plates
Cobb Salad: bibb lettuce, blue cheese dressing, bacon, avocado, pickled egg and tomato
Asian Salad: romaine, sesame seeds, orange segments, carrot-ginger dressing, fried wontons
Kale Caesar: Tuscan kale, gruyere croutons, boquerones, shaved pecorino
Grilled Cheese with Tallegio, apple-onion jam, parkerhouse, chip
Porchetta Hoagie with warm broccoli rabe, porchetta, aged provolone, pepper relish with chips
Juicy Lucy: two aged brisket patties with white cheddar, lettuce, tomato, B&B pickles, dijonnaise, fries
Veggie Burger: black bean, chickpea, faro patty, ancho mayonnaise and avocado, fries
Shrimp Burger: shrimp patty, frisse, fried lemon, lemon-caper aioli, fries
Mergueze Burger: seven-ounce lamb and pork patty, Manchego, harissa aioli, arugula, fries
Carbonara: house buccatini, slow roast pork belly, parm, black pepper, hen yolk
Sweet Potato Gnocch with duck sausage, tallegio fonduta, greens
And because, let’s be honest, you can’t escape beer at Bluejacket, here are the names of the beers on the menu, lit up on the wall:
And a few of the beer descriptions from last night’s preview party:
The Arsenal at Bluejacket, 300 Tingey St. SE; bluejacketdc.com
Photos by Jessica Sidman