RJ Cooper

There is a vary easy solution for this. We experienced this at Gypsy when we first opened. Two tops are much easier to fill on weekends by walkins when guests dont show. We allow 15 minutes. After that, the twos will be filled with walk in guests.  Four tops and larger, we now take a credit card to hold the table with a $25.00 no show fee, not a cancelation fee but a no show fee, per how many guests that have made the reservation for.

As the same as a doctor, hotel, psychologist, or any other service, you show once you have to pay if you miss.

We now have 1% no shows.

It is really shocking that we can't get but a few to walk down the alley and experience some of the most exciting food and beverage in the city. Dara Jimenez has indeed taken the service to new levels.
 
Bryan has some of the best cocktails in the area. journey menu for 125 bucks. $5.21 per course.......hmmmm math this is old math simple division not this new math that the twins are learning.  The jaunt menu 70 bucks per person 12 courses. That $5.83 per course....
 
The SpiritsBar is 44 bucks for 4 drinks and 4 bites. That is just over 5 bucks for a hand crafted cocktail and a tasting plate.
 
So here is the fall menu. If  you all make a reservation though the website or call. And mention your a member of the Rockwell gang. We or I will institute the 10% industry discount on the menus.
 
1.     smoked preserved tomato ice/pickled green tomato/jalapeno/sea urchin
2.     kelp laver
3.     beer yeast meringue/crème fraiche/ossetra caviar
4.     celeriac/apple skin/meadow sorrel/coriander bouillon
5.     whipped pigs tail/dehydrated cabbage/mustard seeds
6.     marrow mousse/pickled turnip/celery leaves
7.     rolled oat cracker/venison/wild blueberry preserves
8.     scallop/dashi/finger lime
9.     raw goat/spiced pumpkin/indian lime
10.   yogurt/black sesame/shisho/preserved plum
11.   smoked cucumber/baby lettuces/charred sepia bouillon
12.   wild brook trout roe/forbidden rice/turnip
13.   basil snail/potato/garlic
14.   foie gras/black walnut/quince/spicy herbs
15.   squab/persimmon/beet/pistachio/spice bush
16.   bouillon of pastured animals/smoked beef fat/lobster legs
17.   beluga lentils/vealtendon/mascarpone
18.   abalone/path valley beans/mashua/black vinegar
19.   charred coulotte/many onions
20.   goat's cheese/tiny radish/pumpernickel
21.  coconut/yuzu/basil/lime
22.  caramel/fig/porcini/honey
23.  chocolate/cinnamon/malt/coffee
24.   happy endings
 
Hope to see you all soon

It is really shocking that we can't get but a few to walk down the alley and experience some of the most exciting food and beverage in the city. Dara Jimenez has indeed taken the service to new levels.

Bryan has some of the best cocktails in the area. journey menu for 125 bucks. $5.21 per course.......hmmmm math this is old math simple division not this new math that the twins are learning.  The jaunt menu 70 bucks per person 12 courses. That $5.83 per course....

The SpiritsBar is 44 bucks for 4 drinks and 4 bites. That is just over 5 bucks for a hand crafted cocktail and a tasting plate.

So here is the fall menu. If  you all make a reservation though the website or call. And mention your a member of the Rockwell gang. We or I will institute the 10% industry discount on the menus.

1.     smoked preserved tomato ice/pickled green tomato/jalapeno/sea urchin

2.     kelp laver

3.     beer yeast meringue/crème fraiche/ossetra caviar

4.     celeriac/apple skin/meadow sorrel/coriander bouillon

5.     whipped pigs tail/dehydrated cabbage/mustard seeds

6.     marrow mousse/pickled turnip/celery leaves

7.     rolled oat cracker/venison/wild blueberry preserves

8.     scallop/dashi/finger lime

9.     raw goat/spiced pumpkin/indian lime

10.   yogurt/black sesame/shisho/preserved plum

11.   smoked cucumber/baby lettuces/charred sepia bouillon

12.   wild brook trout roe/forbidden rice/turnip

13.   basil snail/potato/garlic

14.   foie gras/black walnut/quince/spicy herbs

15.   squab/persimmon/beet/pistachio/spice bush

16.   bouillon of pastured animals/smoked beef fat/lobster legs

17.   beluga lentils/vealtendon/mascarpone

18.   abalone/path valley beans/mashua/black vinegar

19.   charred coulotte/many onions

20.   goat's cheese/tiny radish/pumpernickel

21.  coconut/yuzu/basil/lime

22.  caramel/fig/porcini/honey

23.  chocolate/cinnamon/malt/coffee

24.   happy endings

Hope to see you all soon

Oh! I've bypassed it twice now. They have three different mac and cheeses; I just figured they threw some crab on top of this one, and it's noticeably more expensive (the others are plain, and with ham). Is there something in particular about the crab that makes this stand out, or would any of the three be worth trying?

All thank you for your support. As Don has already added one of my truly talented sous chefs back in the onion days is back home. Chef de Cuisine John "The Bull" Engle, was with the crew of Harper McClure, John Melfi, Hamilton "Hambone" Johnson, Ricky "Ding-a-ling" King and many more. It was a great time at the onion back then, more shit talking the shit stirring.

He will be there with Jenna, Chao, Jeff and David so I can play some more at Rogue. (FYI new menu coming next week, I guarantee it  will blow away many many in this area and country. Not to sound like a d*ck)

The crab mac, is special because we get three sisters crab from the bay. This will be gone soon all, crab meat is getting to the $30.00 per pound mark.

We will be doing Thanks Giving Dinner a la carte from 1 pm to 8 pm that day. Come get it.

You gonna be open this Monday?

Justin,

We are not. The contractors will (so they say) being finishing up the punch lists.

Here is the new lunch menu  we started yesterday

breads: basket of 4

onion-rosemary focaccia "¢ lard-sage biscuts "¢ callah "¢ cornbread 6

fresh churned infused butter & smoked sea salt  

beginnings & soups

miller farm smoked gazpacho/whipped avocado/olive bread 10

martin's ranch beef tartare/grilled romains/black garlic/anchovy/parmesan* 12

pimento cheese/scallions/lavash 12

smoked albacore dip/lavash 9

deviled eggs/rural/ham/togarashi 6

gypsy chips/vidalia onion-scallion dip 8

leaves & things

detroit greek salad/ruby onion/beets/cucumber/romaine/feta 10

bibb/pear/shallot/tarragon/bacon/rogue blue 12

24 hour chopped salad/country ham/green goddess dressing 12

additional proteins to add to salads:

pulled chicken salad 6

cured country ham 8

grilled fish of  the day* 10

grilled beef of the day* 12

wild shrimp in pickling brine 12

breakfast for lunch: arcana eggs from path valley farms

biker's breakfast/3 eggs/pencil cob grits/collard greens/sausage* 16

bandera texas hill country fried steak/robuchon potatoes/mushroom gravy* 18

sandwich entrées: gypsy chips & cole slaw

"red neck" cheesesteak, pork belly/LTO/cheddar 14

pulled chicken salad/bacon/LTO/tarragon mayonaisse/challah 12

gypsy soul burger/grassfed beef/LTO/cheddar/onion-potato roll* 14

entrees: with southern & regional influences

carolina shrimp/anson mills grits/onion-tasso gravy 19

chicken fried bobwhite quail/ anson mills grits/greens/gizzard gravy 16

old spot pork belly/tsire/field peas/okra/apples** 18

grilled vegetables from our farm partners/carolina gold risotto 16

chesapeake jumbo lump crab/gypsy chips/cole slaw/preserved lemon aioli 18/34

lunch crush  15

for a quick lunch only at our bar
featuring 3 dishes composed daily

heirloom grains & tubers

farrow piccolo/brined tomatoes/basil/mascarpone 9

anson mills grits/foraged mushrooms/preserved truffle 14

first dug potatoes/roasted garlic/rosemary 9

farm vegetable

smotherd greens/bacon/vidalia onions/hot vinegar 6

pv okra stew/tomatoes/cinnamon 6

pv carrots/orange-caraway-honey 9

silver queen corn creamed 7

macaroni & cheese: cave age cheddar/goat cheese

baked/ritz style cracker crust 8

country ham 10

bay crab/bay spice 14

Desserts

peanut butter mousse/milk chocolate/concord grape jelly** 8

milk chocolate pudding/caramelized banana/rosemary/peanuts** 9

meyer lemon poundcake/blackberry compote/goat cheese ice cream 9

caramel cremeux/bourbon jelly/candied pecans 9

peach-honey-brandy crisp for two/sour cream ice cream 14

cucumber sorbet/gin gel 6

chocolate/chocolate mint ice cream

So we are going to have the inaugural collaboration dinner on September 21st Sunday Night Chef Jam dinner.

chefs:

Katsuya Fukushima-Daikaya

John Mooney--Bell, Book & Candle NYC, Bidwell DC

Spike Gjerde--Woodberry Kitchen, Parts & Labor etc., Baltimore

Lee Gregory---The Roosevelt, Richmond VA

Ian Boden--The Shack, Stauton VA

RJ--Gypsy Soul, Rogue 24

Giane--Rogue 24, Gypsy Soul

Details will be announced soon.  Save the date.

Sneak Peak of this weekends brunch menu......reservations start at 11 am Saturday

brunch buzz: our creations & classics      9

in the works

fresh juices: from our farm partners & organics citrus                    6

watermelon-chocolate mint

texas ruby grapefruit

cara cara orange

heirloom tomato

green-hippie jam

morning breads: basket of 4

cornbread "¢ sage-lard biscuit "¢ zucchini apple sauce "¢ pumpkin-ginger doughnut 6

fresh churned butter "¢ gypsy soul jams & jellies

pantry snacks 

pimento cheese/bread crackers    6

deviled eggs/country ham/togarashi                6

pickled partridge eggs/pearl onions                  8

beginnings

pecan-roof top honey bun                                                                                                     8

gypsy soul sheep yogurt/granola/roof top honey                                                                    8

detroit greek/beets/heirloom feta/tomatoes/cucumber/romaine                       10

chicken fried chicken skins/roof top honey/snake oil                                               9

smoked albacore dip/flat bread                                                           

smith's fields farm pole beans/65° degree aracana egg/caraway crumble            12

eggs: pasture raised

scrambled eggs/ sea urchin/lemon/kelp infused crème fraiche/arugula salad       22

63° aracana eggs/cocoa biscuits/mustards/crawfish-tasso blanquette                                  18

foragers omelet/mushrooms/smoked gouda/truffle/dandelion                                                 19

67° aracana eggs/chesapeake bay crab/maque choux                                       20

biker's breakfast/3 egg over easy/grits/collard greens/sausage                            18

southern specialties

buttermilk-blueberry flap jacks/gypsy granola/path valley maple syrup                                   14

chicken fried chicken livers/waffles/little onions/black pepper gravy                      16

carolina shrimp/anson mill's pencil cobb grits/alliums/tasso                                                      22

confit shoat/red wine pear butter/candied cabbage/coush coush                         18

chicken fried steak/robuchon potatoes/fried egg/mushroom gravy                       20

morning meats                                                                      6

nueske's bacon/applewood smoked/wittenberg, wi                                                             

benton's smoky mountain bacon/hickory smoked/madisonville, tn                                  

timber creek farm "pan rabbit"/amish recipe/apple butter

gypsy soul spicy breakfast sausage

gizzard-pork-black pepper gravy/sage biscuit                                                                        10

farm vegetables

smothered greens/bacon/vidalia onions/hot vinegar          6 

pv okra stew/tomatoes/cinnamon 6

pv farms baby carrots/orange/caraway           8

heirloom grains & tubers

first dug potatoes/roasted garlic/rosemary       9

pencil cob grits/foraged mushrooms/truffle emulsion         14

macaroni & cheese: cave age cheddar/goat cheese

plain/baked/ritz cracker topping     8

country ham                10

chesapeake jumbo lump crab meat/bay spice                  12

Desserts

milk chocolate pudding/caramelized banana/rosemary/peanuts**      9

meyer lemon-poppyseed pound cake/blackberry compote/goat cheese ice cream              9

caramel cremeux/bourbon jelly/candied pecans                9

peach-ginger crisp for 2/sour cream ice cream                 14

cucumber sorbet/gin tapioca         6

chocolate/chocolate mint               6

what do you wanna eat for brunch?

Now comes the miss of the night. My wife crab cakes didn't taste like crab in the least. The lump pieces were of good size and looked beautiful, but their flavor was missing. The only flavor that came through was of lemon zest/lemon oil; not the lovely acidity of lemon juice but the harsh, chemical-y Lemon Pledge-type flavor. It seemed like it was within the crab cake, not a dressing/aioli that could be avoided. For $34 for 2 small crab cakes, it was a huge disappointment.

Thanks for the feedback. It has been 3 years since I have designed a menu that isnt based on 28 to 90 gram portions. I did however look at the cost of Chesapeake Maryland Jumbo Lump Crab at $28.00 per pound (I wont use imported) and the menu prices. So what I did was increased the portion sized of the cake to 110 grams each.

As far as the lemon pledge which is vary accurate in the description. This was from the heavy hand of preserved lemon, which is in the aioli as well as the mix of the meat itself. I am usually the crab cake mixer and did not this time around. We have since trained the person to make them how I do. As well with this information, we have scaled back the preserved lemon. Of course on sunday after I read this I had to eat 1 (actually 3) to make sure this was accurate, which in retrospect was spot on.

I learned to make crab cakes from an old crabber and water fowl hunter.

• mayo
• mustard
• cayenne
• lemon juice
• lemon zest
• salt
• pepper
• chives
• saltines
• fold
• mold

Training is everything. We keep training and keep working hard.

Again thanks for the feedback.  Next time please send them back to me during service.

RJ

This is amazing topic. I have been making and using ash for years, not only in developing different layers of flavor, also as a focal point in many dishes with wild and foraged products.

I have never seen a thread that is like this, I can name old and new school chefs who use this technique. However the ash element can be extremely assertive and overpowering if not used with finesse and mastery.

Now my question. Was the use heavy? Or was it finessed?

The culinary world is not one of new its one of old that has been redeveloped.

Is this sort of like the pirate-flag thing at PX?

Of course Don. Although today bike is sleeping undercover, she doesn't like rain.

Thank you all for coming out last night. I really appreciate the support.

Breadcrumbs: its a brand new pos system with bugs that we are working out with the techs......its been one big pain in the ass for the foh managers, however the system for what it is, it will rock.

AC: Like most construction, they get to the "oh I'm done" and then they forget that the air needs to be balanced. Something I have been asking for now two weeks. I didn't know this was such a specialty, I will probably have an easier time getting a reservation at NOMA then them out next week.

Menu: We couldn't start out of the gate with the vision of the menu, we needed to start small and evaluate the skill set then add to the menus.

Note: Brunch the weekend after Labor Day. With lunch soon to follow.

Timing:  The POS system threw off the timing and rhythm of the kitchen. The longest time was 25 minutes to roast a rabbit last night which wasn't bad. However the course structures had a bug that was fixed last night. (Note: The FOH managers are working their asses off and have combated all the bugs that have come up. They are true worriers.)

Wine List:  We didn't really understand VA. But the list will start to grow in the next couple weeks.

Yes I did tell someone to get the fuck away from me, after several of his mental mistakes of ringing in the same table three times.

All in all I have opened many restaurants. This has been, on a mental level, one of the easiest I have had. On a physical level, I haven't stopped moving since we got the health inspection.

I will be here most nights, the harley will be out front.

Thanks again for the feedback.

RJ

Can't run before you crawl!

OPEN FOR BUSINESS  RESERVATIONS ON OPENTABLE.

We are shooting for the 23rd of July. Of course that depends on Fairfax County bureaucracy. Opentable is being installed as I type.

-chef-

Was walking by there at lunchtime today, looks like construction is going at a pretty fast pace. Looking forward to trying it out. Unfortunately the deck looks like will be later developed since didn't see any work on the roof being done.

Yes the roof deck is still hung up in the great Fairfax bureaucracy. We will be finishing it in the second phase.

rj

Did you know, Rogue 24 has the second smallest bar in America. A bar dedicated to those enthusiastic about the craft of cocktail making.

Chef-Tender Bryan Tetorakis, is a cook, a damn good cook, but his libations are crafted better then the food he cooks.

Our spirits philosophies are the same as our food......no boundaries, create infinity.

With that our 4x4 for $44 is worth the try. Four cocktails and four bites.......We create food to be paired with the cocktail.

WOW what an approach  not just sliced meats, olives, bar junk or cheese.  Its creative its a deal.

Or rogue24 don. We haven't seen you in two years

This is a perfect example. I'm willing to bet 90% of our readers couldn't name 5 dishes served here, and wouldn't know how they were executed regardless.

In over nine years, I haven't heard a single complaint about a restaurant being over-reviewed. Yes, there was the "sacred cow" myth, but that was sort of its own tangent. We simply cannot have too much data about what a chef or restaurant is doing - even if it's the exact same dish reviewed five times in a night, it's extremely valuable.

So please, even if you're the ornly person who has reviewed a restaurant (look at Bruce and some of the places in Springfield, for example), every shard of information we get is a public service. I'd even go so far as to propose a "restaurant of the week" every single week so our reviewers can all convene (at their leisure) and share opinions. And even *that* is only 52 restaurants a year which is not enough to cover the DC Dining scene. Maybe we could have 3-4 going on at the same time which would bring us up to over 200 per year, and also allow people to stay closer to their neighborhoods. I'd be happy to organize something like this, and could even work with chefs asking them which dishes they're particularly proud of at any given moment.

The events - like what we're doing at Old Anglers Inn - are wonderful, but they require getting everyone together at the exact same time which is easier said than done.

I couldn't name one single dish on the menu at CityZen right now, and that's a crime.

Where (roughly) do you live?  I know for a fact that it's not available in the D.C. or Maryland markets, darn it all.  The Sazerac company rep for the mid-Atlantic informed me earlier this year that, while they have enough to supply their current markets, they had no plans to open any new markets with it this calendar year.  I really look forward to being able to offer it someday.

ITS BULL SHIT!!!!!!! IM TRYING TO GET SOME BOOTLEGGED IN!!!! FUCK PAPPY THIS IS THE BOMB!!!

Frank Ruta and I share an incredible career milestone together of the 2007 James Beard Award for MidAtlantic.

Chef is the extremely talented percussionist in a Jam band that has been kicking out great beats for years and years. He has inspired so many cooks, me included in this region and country without high visibility.

Thank you for your craft and service to our art. It takes a leader to teach dedication, it takes a master craftsman to teach finesse, it takes loyalty to teach determination, you have shared it all.

Chef my kitchen is always open to you and yes we do make stocks.

Enjoy a much needed break, we have a table for you and your family at Rogue 24 anytime.

Go to LaColombe next to Rogue 24  best coffee in the city.....no frills no hipsters no bull shit

I don't read Alan Richman, nor do I remember meeting him or even cooking for him in the past. I find him to be extremely biased based on public relation firms lobbing him for their clients which is not based on any real credibility on food, dining or the crafts.

What I do find extremely insulting and even more on point, it this article on egotarian cuisine .

Im not a scholar, nor can I write a paper on methodology however I do know the craft of cooking.

When I stand at the center island of Rogue 24 I cook with my teams to create an experience. This is not out of ego, its out of the passion for the craft. I would not have been able to do this at 27 I did not have the skill set nor the maturity or what is most important the experience of mastering the craft to create what we do.

However calling what I do egotarian cuisine slaps my face when I spend 80 to 100 hours a week, creating the experience. Unlike the "master chef" down the street, I am there everyday.

When I started this lifestyle of a cook, there was a path that was carved out of tradition from the Careme days. From the commis de cuisine to the chef de cuisine, there was a time when a chef, the leader was a grumpy man with a starch white jacket. This was the prize after your reached the end of the long path of learning. You worked hard to achieve the next level. You sacrificed for the craft not for the media attention.

Is what he did to change the organization and the methods of cooking egotistical? Big grandiose banquets that would last for days? To have the guest call out for him on a regular bases and shower him with champagne and praises.

We work and sacrifice for the craft. I and others whom create these kind of experiences out of our years of learning are not looking for the praise as the chefs whom kick start their careers on prime time.

We work on:

sourcing

balance

flavors

creation

And to try and build the perfect and elusive dish.

Not to pick on Gypsy Soul, since this is a widespread sin, but can't we all agree that calling a restaurant a "concept" is pretentious and dumb (and corporate-sounding)?

Sorry RJ (or your PR team).

Charles as you know I just go with the jam.......let the  music never stop......concepts are cliches made up for media so they can catagorize

Since its late I am waiting for a reduction of huckleberry vinegar and wild hare cuison to redux for the wine dinner for tomorrow evening.

Some quick facts about GS:

135 seat on the main floor dining room

18 to 20 bar stools around an open chef-tender curated bar

the bar frames the open kitchen and chefs island

hand crafted spirits only with classic and modern cocktails (yeah no absolute)

we will have beer with flavor however we will have land shark (everyone who knows me knows i don't like beer with flavor would be much happier with a land shark then some craft something or other)

there will be NO reclaimed lumber

there will be NO edison lights

there will be NO exposed brick the building was built in 2012

the food will be SOUTHERN GROUND MODERN INTERPRETATIONS OF REGIONAL COOKING

we will have a somm driven wine program

there is a roof deck

this is for DINING not dude lets go do shots and drink beer

70 seats or so

food to be determined but only cooked in on or around a wood hearth

cocktails will be picnic tiki and outside focused

Gypsy-the traveler to find food stuffs (me)  Soul-the soul of the community (food, dining)

And throwing around ideas for bluegrass brunches on the deck

PEACE