RJ Cooper

Long delay in getting to post this, but here it is for what it's worth. Luckily I wrote most of my notes the morning after my meal.

I am sorry that we did not live up to your expectations that evening. Please call the restaurant or email me directly rjcooper@rogue24.com. We would like to invite you in next Saturday for the evening gratis.

-chef-

Any word on what's going on here? Drove by last week, the windows were clear and empty inside.

I do! I do!

Our plans have been submitted. They have been sitting in limbo on a table at Fairfax County waiting for someone to look at them. They have been only approved by health. The communication that we received after our question of "why" was that they are back logged with the Tyson Project and it would be 10 weeks or more before someone looks at them.

So if any of you all know the county commissioner tell them they are worse to deal with the DC and I am just watching money sit in idle. Its like wine collecting hopefully the maturity of the concept will pay off with big rewards

Leave it to James Beard Foundation Award-winning Chef RJ Cooper to shake up the dog days of August with a whole new take on prix-fixe dining deals. Ladies and gentlemen: Restaurant Week has gone rogue.

From August 26 through August 31, Rogue 24 will offer a special 4-course menu* with signature dishes for $55 per person.

*Please note the portions are larger than the normal servings of the Progression and Journey menus

RWGR Menu - $55 pp 

First Course (Choose One)

"¢ albacore/puffed rice/coconut/coriander
"¢ lamb tartare/bibb/cucumber/yogurt
"¢ artichoke/parmesan/lemon/olive oil/flowers
"¢ tomatoes/lettuce emulsion/whey gelee/arugula

Second Course (Choose One)

"¢ farm egg/duck dumpling/garlic threads/onion broth
"¢ sepia/whipped peanut potatoes/garlic/chives
"¢ dry scallops/pinenut dashi/shore herbs
"¢ mushroom/woodland textures

Third Course (Choose One)

"¢ swordfish/orange/olive/ink/sea bean/scale mortar
"¢ lamb collar/cucumber/sesame/eggplant/pursalne
"¢ smoked pasta/morels/aged gouda/truffle
"¢ sweetbreads/corn/silk/chanterelles/vanilla
"¢ wagyu beef/wild rice/caramelized béchamel/onions/wild spinach**

Fourth Course (Choose One)

"¢ cucumber/tapioca/pineapple/coconut
"¢ blueberry/vanilla/pistachio
"¢ strawberry/chocolate/balsamic
"¢ goat curd/potato/steelhead roe/hazelnut/dill

** $25 supplemental charge

Note: The wine and beverage pairing program, Progression menu and Journey menu are available throughout the week at regular prices.

Peace!! and Good Eats!!

What!!!!!!! You all were asking what Rogue24 is up to this summer?

Well, as you know we have the smallest bar in the city with a great Chef-Tender Bryan Tetorakis. He is shaking up and stirring incredible cocktails, pushing creativity with the utmost respect on the classics. No we aren't opening a bottle to pout you a cocktail. We are crafting libations that will amaze you palates and make your mind spin.

So a couple ways to do this:

1. Make a reservation at the SpiritsBar, we have an offering of 3 drinks paired with 3 plates for $45.00 per person. So that equals $7.50 per drink and plate, hell of a summer deal!!
2. Come down the alley anytime and sit in the salon with a group or by yourself (a great place for a hot date) and have our bubbly host team take care of you.

And in the Dining Room we are going to start our summer menu (below) great source products pushing our creativity into overdrive. How do you get to enjoy the craft?

Well the journey and progression menus are available in the dining room and we offer the entire menu a la carte in the salon and at the SpiritsBar. The 4 (really 7) course prefix menu is available Tuesday through Thursday evenings for $75.00 per person and a captains pairing is $45.00 per person.

Come in and enjoy our craft.

Summer Menu:

potted/radishes/hemp butter/garden soil
doughnut/hog belly/apple/smoked maple
macaroon/chicken liver/cepe/xo vinegar
puff/prawn/whitefish/ossetra/dill
poutine/foie gras/potato
o r eo/tomato/parmesan
water/tomato/basil
resurrection/barr hill gin/cocchi americano/cucumber/saffron

hamachi/avocado/cocoa nib/oatmeal/onion/seaweed/fennel
tomato/whey/lettuce/curd/bacon
peas/vines/pods/liquid/veal fibers
cantina di clara c/fiori rosé/brut/valdobbiadene/it/nv

ayu/bones/oyster/seaweed
celeriac/ramps/porcini
nasturtium/gooseneck barnacles/horseradish/bacon/oyster root/ash bodegas zerran/garnatxa blanca/montsant/sp/’11

lamb collar/yogurt/broccoli/za’atar/
beet roots/apple/nettles/moss powder
pork rib/sour cherry/caraway spätzle/crackings/24 spice soda
great lakes brewing/rye india pale ale/cleveland/oh

egg/duck dumpling/onion broth/aussie truffle
mushrooms/spring forage
wagyu/eggplant/romesco/shiitake

tournon/”mathilda”/shiraz/victoria/au/’10

r24 goat curd/potato/steelhead roe/dill

cucumber/tapioca/pineapple/coconut
lime/marshmallow/ginger biscuit/vanilla cream

chocolate/honeycomb/rosemary
jorge ordoñez/victoria #2/moscatel dulce/malaga/sp/’11

happy endings/little things/small bites

Rogue 24 is hiring cooks that want to push the boundaries of where food can go. work@rogue24.com

Rockheads!!!!!

The GypsySoul run at Hogo will be over this Saturday. I have bounced back and forth from Rogue 24 (you all remember this restaurant?) where we are 2 weeks into the spring menu.

We changed the Hogo menu last week to keep it fun and fresh.

snacks:

country ham-vidalia onion mousse

fava bean-pistachio puree, tomato hearts, mint, olive bread

catalina island sea urchin, miso butter, sea weed jam, ink bread, mustard seeds

oyster soup, virginia bubbles, chard, artichokes

chix liver parfait, vidalia onion marmalade, rye

local asparagus, hazel nuts, pumpernickel, aracona egg

belly clams, meyer lemon, seaweed tartar sauce

bay crab cake, wild ramp aioli

chicken fried quail, fat back braised beans, potato mousse line, morel gravy......its shouldn't be thin like above

fried apple pie vidalia-bacon ice cream

peanut butter and jelly

Please please please, all of you give respect to those who are there and have put their souls into Suna. Stop speculating on the whys and morn the loss.

SUMMARY

(Can read this for the ultra-brief summary of an otherwise more detailed post)

Big thumbs up on R24! First visit here this week motivated by their special 4-course menu at $60 and that did the trick to make me a fan. At the highest level, R24 walks the line that so, so many others fail to do: prompting plenty of diner discovery with real ingredient and dish creativity BUT without compromising on taste and deliciousness. Expensive but worth the money. Also, a very unusual and much appreciated coffee program! More on all this below for the readers who like more detail.

CONTEXT

Just a few points to make here in setting this up. First, a ton of words have been written about this place and I don't want to largely retread the already trampled ground. Second, just being honest, I hadn't prioritized a visit to R24 because it is expensive and I was a bit concerned about what I'd find given some of the early press. Most of all, I wondered whether R24 would just be another 'overly creative' and uber-hyped spot that squiggles, foams, flash freezes and deconstructs its way to impossibly innovative dishes that simply don't taste good. Third, had dinner this week for a first visit prompted by the offer of 4 courses for $60. Fourth, there's one area (coffee) I'll cover below which I think new for this thread of nearly 300 posts. And, fifth, my hesitation from the second point just above was simply and wholly unfounded.

This post will have two sections.

First, the food and venue and service and all that in the 'slashing style' popular with R24, other cool spots around the US and vilified by some writers and diners. I won't vilify. I think it fine only for those who can truly pull it off. Most don't. R24 does. Didn't mind the minimalist slashing dish descriptions here at all here simply because Chef Cooper and his team back it up and all staff were more than happy to explain, overview, repeat and answer any question.

In the second section, I'll write (without any slashes) about R24's coffee program, an area I think not as well covered upthread and elsewhere.

SECTION ONE

overall/venue/service/food/drink

overall

unqualified/fan/of/R24

expensive/good value/striving perfectionism

consistent/interesting/delicious/food/beverage/desserts

venue

cool/different/thoughtful/loved it

detailed/tables/coasters/napkins/tweezers/lamps

centralized/kitchen/cool/functional (!)

service

earnest/excellent/warm

collaborative/aspirational*

knowledgeable/humble/empathetic

food

wow/flavor/innovation

innovative/discovery/convincing

mushroom/pasta/oxtongue/uni/plumsorrel**

beenthere/eatenthat***

drink

equal/to/the/food

halle/berry/gin (!)

super/wine/pairings

coffee/morebelow

SECTION TWO

I'll get right to the possibly undercovered point. R24 has a coffee program better than most coffee shops in DC. Incredible to say but true.

Restaurants fine and lower end alike suck at coffee. We all know that. But, as with anything, there are no absolutes because there are always exceptions. The only other regional restaurant I know in the same strata as R24 with its coffee program was (maybe still is/they've had some turnover there) Woodberry Kitchen.

In support of the above rave, just three points of several I could make:

- Thoughtful roaster selection. R24 began life with Counter Culture (CC) as its coffee provider. A fine provider with excellent coffees available all around town. Nevertheless, R24 saw fit to replace CC with Ceremony. In my mind, a great decision! Round of applause here. Not only "more local" as one of our servers explained when I asked, which is true (Annapolis vs North Carolina) but, in my view, also a bit better quality if only because they're smaller scale and still small-batch roasting.

- Coffee Selection. R24 offers approximately 6 or 7 different coffees. Not sure if one is an R24 exclusive (should have asked) like what Ceremony does for the Armstrongs. While R24 is now exclusive with Ceremony (might give even more points for at least two roasters from which one might choose), this is a bigger menu than at many coffee shops and, per R24's norm, includes interesting, less familiar options inclusive of blends, single origin coffees and from all the major global growing regions. Only because I'm a bit of a coffee hound, I recognized straightaway the innovative Ceremony Mexican "barrel conditioned" option and ordered that. I hadn't had it before. You can get this at Filter also if you're curious about it. My +1 didn't enjoy it. I was very much the opposite-loved it and hadn't expected that. It was unique but, more important, it was rich, multi-layered, naturally sweet and yet still with brightness. Kind of the R24 staff to put a lovely tray with sugar and cream in front of us but, to my way of thinking, would be criminal to use it in a coffee like this.

- Multiple brew methods. It's exceedingly rare to be offered a choice of coffee brew methods in a restaurant. And that's because it's pretty rare for a restaurant to even brew to order using any method. It's especially rare to be offered a siphon as one a few brewing methods as R24 does. The waiter who fired our tall glass siphon at our table told me all staff are trained to do this. That surprised me given the number of coffee shops with which I've spoken (yes, Heart in Portland, talking about you but plenty of others as well) who've abandoned siphons due to the challenges in keeping staff trained to brew with them consistently and the time required. Siphon, french press or espresso at R24. Tip of the hat here to whomever runs this program; wish I'd asked since I'm assuming it isn't Chef Cooper and is probably either a mixologist or a focused coffee person? Knock to head for not asking!

BOTTOM LINE

R24 is one of our area's best examples of higher priced value. In the dining room it's expensive; no doubt about that. But absolutely worth the money in my view. One might argue R24 can be much lower priced and super value in the Salon per ad.mich and others upthread. So much creativity, fun and discovery presented in a warm and empathetic way and without losing sight of the most important things with food: taste, flavor and deliciousness. Kudos, Chef Cooper and team. We'll definitely be back. For special occasions (or even not so special with the "salon" or "rogue spirits"), R24 belongs in a small set of DC restaurants with Fiola, Sushi Taro, Eve, Palena's dining room and maybe just one or two others I'm forgetting at the moment. It's obviously different-in-kind from those other great spots. I'm comparing them solely on places worth the money for the special occasion or for an especially nice and memorable dinner.

NOTES

* by "aspirational," I mean to convey that the service wasn't flawless. Nearly so but not quite. The very minor mistakes (i.e. servers twice confusing who had what at our two top when delivering dishes) weren't annoying at all...to us. But they clearly annoyed Chef Cooper, who noticed at least one and let the server know it without a word. The goal here is perfection. Love That.

** a HUGE part of dining at R24 clearly is discovery. That's very tough to do with informed and experience diners as many who congregate here on dr.com surely are. I could offer many examples of R24's unqualified success at this but won't. Others already have. It has to do mainly with the unusual ingredients they use and regularly changing, complex but tasty dish design. But I do want to offer just one example to illustrate the point; especially for those who haven't yet tried R24 but might.

Most people know about sorrel. A nice small leaf green we can buy at farmers' markets. It's lovely in salads and versatile with many dishes. This week, one of our R24 dishes included what our server called "Plum Sorrel." I'm not a gardener but I am a regular at farmers' markets. I'd never heard of this. So I looked it up once home and believe (not 100% sure) that this is a type of edible oxalis (the genus to which wood sorrels belong) called either "pink oxalis" or a newer hybrid called "plum crazy." Whatever it was, I learned a lot about sorrel as a result! And, on the plate, it wasn't capricious. Its inclusion made sense as a component worked well from visual and flavor perspectives. If interested, you can read one of the sources I looked at about this here.

*** I recognize that some (maybe a small minority) won't like that I haven't detailed the food more than I have. I decided not to do so above because the food at R24 changes so significantly and regularly and because it has already been covered so extensively. As a nod to anyone disappointed, I'll point to the blog of another DR member who I think did a wonderful job using R24 photography and her own brief descriptions of numerous entrees. I haven't before linked to a blog like this but it feels right to do so here. I agree with most everything Lori wrote except about the coffee [wink, wink].

Finally, if in spite of everything above, there are those who still want to know the courses we had, here you go:

- catalina island sea urchin/cucumber/sea bean/grapefruit

- scallop/pine nut/sea grass/malt

- mushroom/accents/textures

- smoked pasta/black truffle fonduta/parmesan (the most familiar thing but delicious!)

- ox tongue/beet roots/tarragon/onion

- lamb collar/yogurt/broccoli/radish

- churro/parsnip/oregon hazlenut (wow! now THAT was a donut!)

We did the "captain's pairing" of wine at $40 and enjoyed all, including a couple that were from Tuscany (one white, one red) and an interesting dessert wine from the Willamette Valley.

Thank you for such nice words. We have a goal and a philosphy to create better then the day before and better ourselves as well. We strive for excelence and continue to have a craving for creativity.

Where did I dine?

feb 6.JPG

vidalia

yes the iphone addition has not been launched as of yet

please let me know which browser you are working with

Fixed

After a long creative build the Rogue 24 website created by insomniacs is finally live! http://www.rogue24.com/welcome.php

Doh, how could we forget about that, after all of the contract silliness when you opened, lol.

I do think you should change your rules for DR members so you can be a part of our game.

we have everyone taking pictures everynight we are open here.....cant fight society. although we dont allow flash.

I suspect this will be an easy one...

cant be rogue unless i missed something....we dont allow for pictures....lol....

Inaugeration:

Chef RJ Cooper for $75.00
Upon arrival, guests will have the option to upgrade to an eight-course menu for an addiontal charge
The restaurant will offer various beverage pairing options for an additional charge, or guests can order drinks a la carte, or wines by the bottle if they'd prefer


The Menu

First Course (choose one)
beef heart/red cabbage/tendon/suet/mustard
uni/dashi/cucumber/nasturtium/prawn
scallop/pinenut/lemon/malt/sea grass

Second Course (choose one)
steelhead/the creek bed
mushroom/accents/textures
cuttlefish/lardo/ink/brioche/sea grapes/broth

Third Course (choose one)
fowl/potato/herb/black garlic/calamancy/chic weed
lamb collar/yogurt/eggplant/broccoli
beef heart/beet roots/tarragon/onion

Fourth Course (choose one)
satsuma/cardamom/yuzu/pomegranate
chocolate/soft/crunchy/blood orange
hudson flower/pumpkin/honey/bread service

At R24 we do Vegan Journey and Progression menus with one week notice. To date we have done 28 vegan Journey menus.

Our allocation has arrived. Pappy Van Winkle

I am one who would never criticize or speak badly about any restaurant venture. I was with people this morning and asked for an ice cold pastry to be warmed and was told the following, "No, we don't reheat our pastries because they are baked everyday but not on the premises." Holly customer service good thing you don't work for me you would be escorted off the planet. And wtf does it matter? Do you have an oven? oui?

Introduction to our new Chef de Cuisine from Vue de monde in Melbourne.

Mark has joined the team at Rogue 24 after 12 years experience in kitchens around the world.

Beginning in the industry at 17, he has always enjoyed the camaraderie of the kitchen and restaurant. After completing a high school work experience, Mark fell into the passion of cooking, continuing on to work in some of the best kitchens around the globe.

After finishing his apprenticeship in some of Dublin’s top restaurants, Mark moved from Ireland to London to work for the renowned Tom Aikens restaurant, which at the time had just been voted #8 in the World’s Top 50. Working with some of the most creative minds and premium produce, Mark gained a respect for reaping the rewards of a hard day’s work—a lesson that continues with him still.

After a year in London, Mark returned to Dublin to help with the opening of Mint restaurant by Dylan Mc Grath. After spending a year at Mint, Mark took an opportunity to build his management skills as the Sous Chef at the 5 star, Dylan Hotel.

After spending 2 years at the Dylan Hotel, the travelling bug kicked-in and Mark backpacked South America for 6 months. The trip led him through the flavors, colors, and cultures of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia. From there he moved down under to Melbourne, Australia. He took a position at Shannon Bennett’s Vue de Monde where he progressed to Sous Chef. His Australian adventure lasted two years before moving here to Washington D.C.

Mark looks forward to working with RJ to help push the creativity of the Rogue 24 team from its amazing beginnings and to help implement the Chef’s ideas and work ethic in the kitchen at Rogue 24.

Don,

Thanks........just saying your doing a great job. Happy Holidays.

New menu was written today and a New chef de cuisine from a 2 star in Australia now has the keys to the car. He is a bad ass.

vegetable soups/complex & simple

kimchee/crispy/bulgogi

urchin/ink/bread/clamato/sea grass

sunchoke/black olive dip

caesar/anchovy/romaine/lemon

steelehead/roe/creek bottom

potato/squab/leek/calamancy

blood macaroon/chicken liver/onion/cepe

scallop/pinenut/buddah’s hand/sea grass/malt

foie gras/bánh mi/pickles

razor clam/chowder textures

ham hock/brussel sprout/potato/ears

skate wing/red cabbage/mustard/rye

pig rib/smoked bacon/marrow bean

ox tail/celery root/celery/onionsmushroom bark/accents & textures

hare in 3 compositions

• rillettes/cranberry/quinoa
  
• bouillon/parsnip/black truffle
  
• loin/fig/endives
  

brad’s goat cheese/olive textures

quince/dolce de leche/walnut/honey

peppermint/not paddy

chocolate/soft/crunchy/blood orange

happy endings/little things/small bites

Does anyone on the board know about RogueSpirits?

Well, its the four stools in front of the chef tender Bryan. For $55 bucks you can enjoy 3 hand crafted cocktails with 3 culinary pairings. Make a reservation and see how a great cook incorporates spirits.

Oh gosh no astrid, wasn't offended what so ever. Just pointing out the facts..John is an amazing Talent and I believe he should be down here not in Philly. He would be appreciated much more.

And thanks all we try hard every day....New menu was written today and a New chef de cuisine from a 2 star in Australia now has the keys to the car. He is a bad ass.

vegetable soups/complex & simple

kimchee/crispy/bulgogi

urchin/ink/bread/clamato/sea grass

sunchoke/black olive dip

caesar/anchovy/romaine/lemon

steelehead/roe/creek bottom

potato/squab/leek/calamancy

blood macaroon/chicken liver/onion/cepe

scallop/pinenut/buddah’s hand/sea grass/malt

foie gras/bánh mi/pickles

razor clam/chowder textures

ham hock/brussel sprout/potato/ears

skate wing/red cabbage/mustard/rye

pig rib/smoked bacon/marrow bean

ox tail/celery root/celery/onionsmushroom bark/accents & textures

hare in 3 compositions

• rillettes/cranberry/quinoa
  
• bouillon/parsnip/black truffle
  
• loin/fig/endives
  

brad’s goat cheese/olive textures

quince/dolce de leche/walnut/honey

peppermint/not paddy

chocolate/soft/crunchy/blood orange

happy endings/little things/small bites

Does anyone on the board know about RogueSpirits?

Well, its the four stools in front of the chef tender Bryan. For $55 bucks you can enjoy 3 hand crafted cocktails with 3 culinary pairings. Make a reservation and see how a great cook incorporates spirits.

And food cost, labor cost, rent, ect. ect. ect. And we don't like to be compared to any other restaurant. You have to enjoy us and the others as what the are. Individual journeys.