Rogue 24, Blagden Alley in Mount Vernon Square - 2007 James Beard Winner RJ Cooper Departs on Dec 31, 2015 - Closed Jan 15, 2016

[Josh]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sqBYziYBAs

[mdt]

RESPECT THE CRAFT!!! MEH. COMMUNICATE AND WE WILL BEND OVER BACKWARDS FOR OUR GUESTS. YEAH ROCKWELL ALL CAPS. AND IT SHOULD STAY THIS WAY. WE WANT TO GIVE AND MAKE GUESTS HAPPY. WE WANT TO LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES AND GROW. WE WANT TO STRIVE AND BE THE BEST.

IM sitting at a diner a vary popular well branded local Chain with two beautiful 7 year olds. Ava did not like her eggs she ordered them soft 2 eggs and sausage. They came out hard with 1 sausage. Oh and the pancakes didn't make it as well. However as a 7 year old she communicated and they fixed the problem. It's hospitality and we want to give it. From a 7 year old to anyone who walks in our door.

My only real bitch is the fact of no real fat to grasp on what we did with the food. I get the wine we changed that immediately after 2 plus years in business. Thanks MDT we will now look and change that language.

PEACE. THIS IS NOW DONE!

ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS.

Respect is not something that can be demanded.

I will try to clarify what I meant with my offensive comments because they still seem to be a sticking point to you.

puff/prawn/whitefish/ossetra/dill:This was a prawn puff topped with caviar, just ok.

I don't know what kind of fact I can give about this dish. It was an uncomplicated dish in appearance, and as I stated, a puff topped with some caviar. The puff was crisp, slightly fishy in flavor and the the caviar was caviar, nothing wrong with it. Certainly nothing that I could complain about, it's not like the crisp was soggy or something technically wrong with it. We thought it wasn't that interesting when we ate it, thus the ok. I guess that statement of my perception of this dish is offensive.

pinenut/arctic char roe/dill: A small pinenut cookie topped with arctic char roe and dill: I liked the bite, my wife thought it was just ok.

This was a one-bite quarter sized cookie topped with some roe and a small sprig of dill. IIRC there was also come creme fraiche. I thought the combination was good, but my wife did not. She did not find it terrible, again, just not something that she would opt to eat again. Thus the second ok.

goat curd/nasturtium/espelette/sour dough: Meh.

IIRC, this was a small portion of curd with the various accoutrement on the dish. If you could remind me of how it was plated I might recall more details. In thinking back about this dish the only thing I really remember about this dish is that it was rather bland and when I wrote my notes the morning after the meal I wrote "meh." And like I admitted before was probably snippy.

I just did not enjoy those three courses that much, two of which were bites as part of the starting 4 appetizers.  It's as simple as that. As for my other negative comments I think I provided enough other information for you to use as you wish. I did not know that I was required to express these views with the staff before I left and had the audacity to write about it on a regional website that discusses food and dining.

[RJ Cooper]

At this point Brother its over beaten like a piallrde of veal. Its been cooked over cooked and time to let it go"¦..Later!

And always RESPECT THE CRAFT!

And thank you MDT we did change a system. Thats how we grange and grow with great communication from our guests! Why we don't read YELP!

I am a Widespread Panic freak. When I listen to their shows, some of the rhythms are off at some point  but I know they will always get it back on track.

[Joe H]

I actually have a response to this thread that has nothing to do with the content of what either jiveturk or chefrjdc have said. I only wish that this was Monday morning and several thousand people could read what I am about to say: my problem is the whole concept of e-mail and debating through the internet and in print. What ever happened to saying it in person and not hiding behind an anonymous keyboard? What about inflection, intonation: has anyone reading this ever listened to a telephone message? How would you compare this with an e-mail? When someone leaves me a message I want to hear HOW it is said, I want to hear the emotion. E-mails, and forums like this for me, are emotionless. I believe that this is a huge step backwards.

I think the real point behind this whole thread and isolated responses to expressions is that none of this represents the actual experience which could be expressed one on one. My words cause a reaction: what if I can see this? On the face of a person a few feet away. I type this as a 64 year old man who HATES e-mail and has also, as a salesman, sold almost one quarter billion dollars worth of equipment in my industry.

We need to talk in person, we need to talk live. Jiveturk, sit across the table from RJ and say this to his face. Then, for me, it will matter.

There is a whole generation growing up across the table without really knowing the person on the other side. What we can say makes a difference. Without a face it seems to matter less. With a face, it may matter more.

I have not changed since I wrote the above, much earlier in this same thread.  I would strongly suggest that MDT stop by and meet Chef Cooper and introduce himself.  Perhaps over a glass of wine or two or three.  The anonymity of a keyboard is not helping this.  Also, to be honest, I have a great deal of respect for Chef and for his talent and his contributions to our city.  I love Rogue 24 and look forward to his new restaurant in Merrifield.

I also have respect for his heart, health and stress.

I will toast you tonight, Chef, with a bottle of good Virginia red.

[mdt]

I have not changed since I wrote the above, much earlier in this same thread.  I would strongly suggest that MDT stop by and meet Chef Cooper and introduce himself.  Perhaps over a glass of wine or two or three.  The anonymity of a keyboard is not helping this.  Also, to be honest, I have a great deal of respect for Chef and for his talent and his contributions to our city.  I love Rogue 24 and look forward to his new restaurant in Merrifield.

I also have respect for his heart, health and stress.

I will toast you tonight, Chef, with a bottle of good Virginia red.

Joe I understand where you are coming from on this, but go back and re-read the posts. After the way he decided to attack and bully me after declining his offer, there is no way I would even consider it. I posted an honest write up of my experience and was treated with hostility. Maybe that is small of me, but I certainly don't owe him that after the way he responded, considering that at the same time he was demanding respect. Sorry, respect goes both ways.

[jasonc]

There was a day, not too long ago, when this website was the most respectable source of DC-area food news and writing.  I don't know anyone on here personally, but I've come to deeply respect many of your opinions and writing flourish.

After several dust-ups over the past few weeks involving personal attacks and baseless outbursts, I don't know if I can say this is still true.

Of course, people will disagree from time to time, but that doesn't mean it has to get nasty.  Please, let's go back to being an example for others to follow, rather than a cautionary tale.  Isn't that what heroes do?  They live as if the world was what it should be, to show it what it could be.

[Toogs]

Can someone point me to the personal attacks and baseless outbursts other than this thread, which as far as I see only has one baseless outburst.

[RWBooneJr]

Please, let's go back to being an example for others to follow, rather than a cautionary tale.  Isn't that what heroes do?  They live as if the world was what it should be, to show it what it could be.

[DonRocks]

[Okay, this conversation has now run its course.

I had written mdt and offered to intervene on his behalf more strongly than I did (because in my eyes, he was 100% in the right), but he didn't take me up on it - I think he did just fine on his own.

More importantly, I want to have sex with Paris Hilton.]

[Rieux]

"Rogue 24, Chef RJ Cooper Sued By Partner For Breach Of Contract" by Tim Carman on washingtonpost.com

[thistle]

You don't usually get $300k for your business as a gift, unless it's from your momma.

[hungry prof]

Getting uglier. . .

[pesenti]

Doesn't a victory for RJ set him up for an IRS audit for tax fraud?

[RJ Cooper]

Restaurant Week Gone Rogue!!!

Please join us for our semi annual Restaurant Week Gone Rogue!

We will be featuring two menus The Jaunt and the Journey.

Reservations can be made online at rogue24.com,http://www.opentable.com/rogue-24 or call 202.408.9724

Please limit dietary restrictions to allergies only, the culinary team will have vegetarian menus.

A credit card must be provided to make reservations and our cancelation policy will be in affect.

Dates: 
Tuesday January 14th through Sunday January 19th

The Jaunt: 
5 courses $64.14 tax and service charges not included

The Journey:
24 courses $114.14 tax and service charges not included

Beverage pairings will be available for an additional fee.

4x4 for 44:
Join Chef-Tender Bryan Tetorakis for 4 sips and 4 bites for $44.00 at our 4 stool beverage station. Sample mixes from classics to modern interpretations with 4 paired bites from the culinary team. Seating is limited and reservations are encouraged. Reservation can be made only by calling R24 at 202.408.9724.

[Choirgirl21]

4 of us went to Rogue 24 for the 4x4 tasting at the bar this evening. I'll have to post a full review in a few days when I have time, but in the meantime, I will just say it was worth every penny and if you have the chance to go, you should. In my world at least, you know it's going to be a good evening when you sit down and are handed two shot glasses, one with a shot of High West rye whiskey and the other with a ball that when you shoot it and bite down releases a liquid that tastes of pickle, cheftender Bryan Tetorakis' take on a Pickleback.  All I can say is that Bryan and the chefs took me to my happy place tonight.

[hungry prof]

Terrific 24-course "Journey" at Rogue 24 last night.  One of those meals where certain dishes just keep you thinking about them for a while afterwards.  All twenty-four dishes were not equally hits, but there were far more hits than less-than-hits (there we not true "misses" in my view).  Among the dishes that most impressed us:

Duck blood lavash/liver spread/onion marmalade:  part of the initial plate of small bites that is the first thing to come out.  The cracker, the mousse, and the marmalade work perfectly together

Swordfish belly/blood orange/fennel/truffle:  as good as any sashimi you'd get at a fine Japanese restaurant

Foie gras/parsnip/apple/almond:  a piece of foie with a parsnip puree and almond bread.  I can't recall a dish I've had in DC recently that i enjoyed as much as this one.

Fluke/spinach/lemon/brown butter:  perfectly cooked fish, left to shine on its own without much saucing.

Pigtail doughnuts/pear butter/pork fat dust/mustards:  like southern dim sum.  I could have eaten six of these, easily.

Araucana cured yolk/elephant garlic/potato/ruby sorrel:  an exquisitely cooked egg with a think piece of garlic "paper"on top.  A simple egg.

Shenandoah lamb neck/new zealand spinach/pepper compote:  a rectangular cube of braised (?) lamb neck; the purest red meat dish of the night

Squab leg/pear/rutabaga/mashua/tarragon:  squab "two ways"; a recognizable boned leg and a roulade; gamey, a bit salty, flavorful--excellent

Chocolate/cherry/pistachios/sage:  the plated desserts were not overwhelmingly sweet, which we appreciated; this was probably the sweetest of the bunch other than the. . .

Happy endings/little things/small bites:  a box of six different petit fours.  I don't remember them all, but I do remember delicious orange chocolates, mint meringues, and fudge covered peanut balls.

We brought a couple of bottles of our own wine, so I can't say much about the wine service.  But we did have few cocktails to start.  I had their take on a Boulevardiere, and it went down way too smoothly.  Another friend had their version of a gin and tonic, nicely garnished with juniper berries.

Service was excellent with no lapses in explaining some of the non-obvious dishes to us.  One of the highlights of the night for me was having a table feet from the kitchen.  R.J. was as engaging as he could be given that he was apparently down three cooks on a busy Saturday night.  I'm always impressed with the calm amidst the storm of a well-run restaurant kitchen.  Other than an occasional stern, "Let's go" from R.J., there was never any sign of stress from the kitchen (which is managing what I have to imagine is a very complicated ballet with a number of tables working their way through 24-courses while others are doing 10-courses, all at different times).

Really enjoyed this meal.

[RJ Cooper]

Terrific 24-course "Journey" at Rogue 24 last night.  One of those meals where certain dishes just keep you thinking about them for a while afterwards.  All twenty-four dishes were not equally hits, but there were far more hits than not.

...

Service was excellent with no lapses in explaining some of the non-obvious dishes to us.  One of the highlights of the night for me was having a table feet from the kitchen.  R.J. was as engaging as he could be given that he was apparently down three cooks on a busy Saturday night.  I'm always impressed with the calm amidst the storm of a well-run restaurant kitchen.  Other than an occasional stern, "Let's go" from R.J., there was never any sign of stress from the kitchen (which is managing what I have to imagine is a very complicated ballet with a number of table working their way through 24-courses while others are doing 10-courses, all at different times).

...

Really enjoyed this meal.

Thank you from the R24 team. We worked hard last night making the experience the best we could. The highlight for me last evening was the kiss on the cheek from one of your dining companions.

[hungry prof]

Thank you from the R24 team. We worked hard last night making the experience the best we could. The highlight for me last evening was the kiss on the cheek from one of your dining companions.

That particular friend is very hard to impress and even harder to get to give up any control.  She was skeptical of going to a place where she'd have no say in what she ate, but you won her over.  An impressive feat.

Also, I should give a quick tip of the hat to Rocks.  I messaged him midweek to see if he had any recent reports on Rogue 24. He said he didn't, but he did reference a reliable and very positive review from a year or so ago.  Helped convince us to take the plunge, and we are glad we did.

[RJ Cooper]

THURSDAY MARCH 27TH, 2014  7:00PM

 

Sanguis Wine Dinner at Rogue 24

Chef RJ Cooper and the team of Rogue 24 invite you to our inaugural vintners dinner. We welcome one of the teams favorite winemakers, German-born Matthias Pippig. He is the vinegrower, winemaker, and creator of the labels of Sanguis Wines from Santa Barbera, California. Prior to loosing his head completely and deciding to make wine, he was EVP of sales, marketing and business development for the country's leading artisan bread maker, La Brea Bakery and was previously involved with Campanile, and several other Los Angeles-based restaurants, as well as West Coast importer of the Marc DeGrazia Selections, Estate Wines Ltd. Matthias remains active in the food manufacturing world, helping companies develop and market new food products.

Wines that are singular, compelling and beautiful rely on great vineyards and proper farming in union with a healthy dose of confidence, determination and style. Like great food, they can not exist without superior "raw materials", the land where those are grown, or with out a steady hand to shape them.

Please join us for this collaborative meal featuring craft and passion. $225.00 per person all-inclusive see post below! 
For reservations and ticket information please email gorogue@rogue24.com or 202.408.9724.

---

Menu for the Evening

post card from morocco 2010     rogue 24 tapas style canapés spring 2014
loner chardonnay 2012               red king crab/ginger/chawanmushi
loner pinot noir 2011                   swordfish/olive components/sea grasses
mule 2011                                   hare/morels from the vineyards/huckleberries
levity 2009                                  japanese wagyu short rib/foraged roots/weeds
wines left in the bottles              chocolate & cheese compositions

[RJ Cooper]

I made a terrible mistake on the pricing of this dinner. It is actually $100.00 per person without tax and gratuity.

[ALargeFarva]

Unfortunately RJ's responses will probably prevent other folks from posting less than stellar reviews, which is unfortunate.

It may prevent others from posting less than stellar reviews, but I want to thank you for your original post and level-headed continuation of the dialogue.  I read this thread just to double check that the food reviews were consistent with what I read elsewhere.  The reviews stacked up but after reading his interaction with you and others, I won't be dining with them.

[RJ Cooper]

It is to bad that your judging our craft and what our experience is by a debate. We take great pride in what we do and the experience we give.

Constructive criticism is much more acceptable when adjatives of meh are not used. Give feedback with respect and dignity. All we want to do is give our guests the best possible experience and with proper feedback we can learn from it makes the experience we give better.

"Rogue 24 exceeded all expectations! I went for my wife's birthday. It was an amazing experience! The decor, the attention to detail, and the staff were impeccable! They even called before our reservation to research my food restrictions. They catered my half of the menu around my very strict diet, and made my experience just as memorable as my wife's. Thank you for making our night so perfect!"

What other degustation formats do this?

[jasonc]

What other degustation formats do this?

Ostensibly, only the ones that attack their detractors.

[DonRocks]

[Let's please let this sleeping dog lie.]

[RWBooneJr]

[Bart]

I am a Widespread Panic freak. When I listen to their shows, some of the rhythms are off at some point  but I know they will always get it back on track.

I liked you more when you talked about listening to the Grateful Dead, but I'll take Widespread over Dave Mathews any day of the week!

Anyhow, I just booked a table for your Sanguis Wine Dinner.  Sounds great, can't wait!

[Deac]

I liked you more when you talked about listening to the Grateful Dead, but I'll take Widespread over Dave Mathews any day of the week!

Anyhow, I just booked a table for your Sanguis Wine Dinner.  Sounds great, can't wait!

Panic is my favorite band. Jimmy Herring is a damn wizard. Hoping they come back to DC this year (was on my honeymoon when they hit Wolf Trap last summer). Might try and see them at Lockn' Festival in Nelson County where they're playing two nights, one with Steve Winwood sitting in (Fogarty did this with them at last year's fest).

Also excited to hit up R24 next month.

[RJ Cooper]

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.

[Gadarene]

I will absolutely have to try this.  I assume it's reservation-only, Chef?

[outsideshot]

We went this past weekend and this is one of the best craft cocktail experiences ever...equal or better than e.g.  Columbia Room or PX.  Bryan was extremely personable and interactive with the 4 of us. The food bites are small, but nicely complemented the drinks.The drinks were the stars: Pickleback, Bryans's takes on classics such as a Boulevardier and a Corpse Reviver, and one other that I cannot recall the name. Being the last seating, everyone was relaxed and Chef joined the group and we were treated to one more cocktail based on ingredients that he threw out to Bryan that included saffron. Make a reservation and go!

[DonRocks]

We went this past weekend and this is one of the best craft cocktail experiences ever...equal or better than e.g.  Columbia Room or PX.  Brian was extremely personable and interactive with the 4 of us. The food bites are small, but nicely complemented the drinks.The drinks were the stars: Pickleback, Brians's takes on classics such as a Boulevardier and a Corpse Reviver, and one other that I cannot recall the name. Being the last seating, everyone was relaxed and Chef joined the group and we were treated to one more cocktail based on ingredients that he threw out to Brian that included saffron. Make a reservation and go!

Interesting - one of the principals wrote me in the past 24 hours and also said the cocktails were better than they are at Columbia Room, using that specific example.

Thanks for joining and writing your first post, outsideshot.

[Simon]

Interesting - one of the principals wrote me in the past 24 hours and also said the cocktails were better than they are at Columbia Room, using that specific example.

Thanks for joining and writing your first post, outsideshot.

lol

[Mark Dedrick]

Do you have to call to make a reservation? The website is not terribly user-friendly, and it doesn't seem to mention much of anything about the bar experience. This could also be because of user error.

[outsideshot]

We did make the reservation a few weeks ago for a Saturday night by phone, last seating at 9pm. There were a few questions we had to answer about allergies, etc. and the obligatory credit card hold. We a were there for about 2 hours but it went by very quickly because it was fun.

[Pool Boy]

We had a really good meal here last year. Truly.  That said, I am pretty much over meals with more than 7 courses. I kind of want to pick and choose from an array sometimes and take a deeper dive.

[StarStraf]

Slow food, good booze, great friends = winning combo

Went to Rogue 24 last night for the 10-course with wine pairing and had a wonderful time.  We will be back.

We did the metro to get there and I highly recommend having the little map from the web site with you when trying to find it.

I was early so had a 'trust the chef-tender' - what a brilliant way to order booze - pick your spirit and how you like your drink - I had Rum + Sweet and first drink was mojito and second was a plantation rum mix that was amazing.  Dale showed up next, and even though Pooch showed up right at our reservation time they asked if he wanted to sit and relax with a cocktail before moving to the table.  All in all a nice slow meal which is so often missing.

all of our cocktails were amazing, service was perfect, interaction with chefs was fun.

It was not cheap, our booze tab over-ran our food tab and is in the realm of can only eat there once or twice a year (was about $550 + tip for 3) but was well worth it and we will be back to try the 24 course.

The atmosphere was wonderful, we could easily have conversation (wasn't to loud) but was enough noise that we felt relaxed to laugh and have a good time.

Pooch would have liked a better view of the prep (either higher seats or mirror over kitchen area) and I'm afraid this was even more expensive because he realized there are now small size immersion circulars and he made me take a pick of the model and wants one for Christmas.

For those that follow my Grandma postings - this would not be a grandma place - to 'echo-y' for her to hear well, and the food would be to 'weird' for her, and her dexterity wouldn't allow for the variety of eating (large tweezers, tiny small spoon).

[SeanMike]

A friend of mine started bartending here -- between that and a date last night, it was the perfect excuse to finally make my way over to Rogue 24 and try it out. We sat at the bar and had a great time with some great drinks. The "7 snacks for 2 people" was perfect for what we wanted, and all 7 were great.

I know that's not a lot of detail, but I'm glad I finally got over there. Now to see about getting there for a tasting menu...

[outsideshot]

Can you elaborate a bit? We did the 4X4 previously. For this 7 snacks for 2 people, did you need to reserve ahead or walk in? Was it 7 snacks to share or individual servings? What was the cost? I assume you just order drinks a la carte. Sorry for all the questions, but we loved the 4X4 but 4 drinks were a bit much for my spouse and this option really sounds appealing..

Thanks.

[SeanMike]

Well, perhaps related.

We just walked in (though I'd texted my friend to confirm there was room) and sat at the bar. The "snacks" at the bar was an a la carte menu. Some of them, from what I understand, were the same as courses on the tasting menu. Drinks, of course, were a la carte, but for the most part we just let the bartenders try out things on us.

[lhollers]

Taking the young lady friend here tonight to celebrate a birthday and tackle the Journey menu. Super excited. Anyone know how the drinks pairing works? I DM'ed Chef Cooper, and he explained that the Beverage Director comes around and explains before the meal, but I was hoping someone could chime in and give me a sense of what to expect, drinks and price-wise. Thanks!

[Bart]

This not going to be much help, but........................

My wife and did the 24 course blow out a couple years ago and got the wine pairings.  I don't recall how many different wines there were but it was something along the lines of 3 or 4 courses per glass.  IIRC, they topped us off once or twice when we finished the wines before all the coupled courses were finished.

The one thing I do remember clearly was that one of the "wine pairings" was actually a mixed drink.  Neither of us are mixed drink drinkers and we told the staff that at the start, but we also told them we'd try it.  While I would have rather had another glass of wine, I put on my big boy pants and drank it down like a champ.  My wife, not so much.  But no big deal though, we told our server that she didn't care for it and they brought her another glass of vino.

[DanielK]

One of you should get the booze pairing, and the other the non-alcoholic paring, and share. The non-alcoholic pairing was one of the highlights of our meal there earlier this year.

[lhollers]

This not going to be much help, but........................

My wife and did the 24 course blow out a couple years ago and got the wine pairings.  I don't recall how many different wines there were but it was something along the lines of 3 or 4 courses per glass.  IIRC, they topped us off once or twice when we finished the wines before all the coupled courses were finished.

The one thing I do remember clearly was that one of the "wine pairings" was actually a mixed drink.  Neither of us are mixed drink drinkers and we told the staff that at the start, but we also told them we'd try it.  While I would have rather had another glass of wine, I put on my big boy pants and drank it down like a champ.  My wife, not so much.  But no big deal though, we told our server that she didn't care for it and they brought her another glass of vino.

Definitely a help! Thanks for the info - I love when staff notice little things like that...it's not a huge deal, but a subtle top-off to finish out the course(s) always impresses me.

One of you should get the booze pairing, and the other the non-alcoholic paring, and share. The non-alcoholic pairing was one of the highlights of our meal there earlier this year.

Sold. Damn good idea. Thanks for the advice!

[Deac]

This not going to be much help, but........................

My wife and did the 24 course blow out a couple years ago and got the wine pairings.  I don't recall how many different wines there were but it was something along the lines of 3 or 4 courses per glass.  IIRC, they topped us off once or twice when we finished the wines before all the coupled courses were finished.

The one thing I do remember clearly was that one of the "wine pairings" was actually a mixed drink.  Neither of us are mixed drink drinkers and we told the staff that at the start, but we also told them we'd try it.  While I would have rather had another glass of wine, I put on my big boy pants and drank it down like a champ.  My wife, not so much.  But no big deal though, we told our server that she didn't care for it and they brought her another glass of vino.

if I recall there are 2 levels of pairings you can do. we had the premium and it went...cocktail, sparkling wine, white wine, red wine, dessert wine. there was also a beer in there but I do not remember where it slotted in.

[lhollers]

Finished off the 24 course Journey menu with a birthday girl last night.
 
I'll put up the current menu, some photos of the dishes I managed to take pictures of (of course my two favorite bites were ones in which I forgot to pull out the iPhone...idiot! ) with my brief notes on each, then some thoughts on the experience in general.
 
To preface my comments (and to head off a repeat of the mdt v. RJ Cooper spat from earlier), I'd like to reiterate what I *think* mdt was trying to get across when discussing his meal - in a format like this, there's just no way you're going to love every single dish. With 24 wildly inventive bites of different flavors and textures are set before you, some are inherently going to be better than others... Eating is entirely subjective, and some of the things I didn't enjoy as much last night, you all may love - I'm only giving you my specific experience (which was, spoiler alert, awesome). Also, I should make clear from the outset that the length of my comments on each dish in no way reflect how much I enjoyed that specific dish - some I just remember super vividly, and some were kind of 'filler' in between courses I may have enjoyed more.
 
First, the menu (which, in a classy touch, is provided to you after the meal, along with a personalized "Happy Birthday" from Chef Cooper on hers - nice!):
 
 solid cocktail /smoked peach/moonshine/toasted peanuts
     *This was presented on a little white pedestal, with the "smoked peach" a gelee orb that was misted in moonshine and sprinkled with toasted peanuts. We were instructed to just slurp it up, like a shot. Interesting, but I didn't get any flavors or smells of booze, nor did I find the gelee particularly exciting (I had a very similar reaction to the watermelon gelee a few courses later). This was by no means "bad," it just wasn't a flavor profile that drove me wild.
 
 arugula  pesto/savory  flowers/rye cocoa flatbread
     *Gorgeous - really nice, dense rye crackers with a super bright and vibrant arugula pesto. Good combination of flavors in the bite, and definitely woke up the palate. I never know how much edible flowers add to a dish, but goddamn does it look good.
 
 
swordfish belly/gravlax/dill

     *Fishy. More so than I liked, but that's just personal preference. I mean, it's cured fish with "gravlax" in the description - it was exactly as described.

oyster/miso butter/cucumber foam

     *THIS. GOD, THIS. Absolutely perfect (and perfectly simple) grilled oyster with miso butter and a cucumber foam. Along with the smoked sable we got next round, this was my favorite bite of the evening. Presented on a bed of salt, two nice-sized oysters with a ton of foam - we got forks, but I slurped mine down. Heaven. Plump...so plump. Briny and sweet. I chewed on this way longer than I needed to simply because I didn't want to lose that flavor. Seriously outstanding.

watermelon /chicken skin/snake oil
green cabbage /smoked hemp butter/pickled mustard seeds
smoked sable /rabbit liver parfait/onion jam

     *These three all came together on a really cool cross-section of a log. The watermelon gelee, again, didn't do much for me. I would've preferred just a bigger piece of chicken skin with the snake oil hot sauce, both of which were really tasty. The green cabbage (ours was red) was dehydrated with the hemp butter and mustard seeds in the middle, almost like a cabbage jerky sandwich. Flavors were really, really interesting - hard to chew, very vegetal, with some pop and acidity from the mustard seeds. This was a dish that wasn't blow-you-mind good flavor-wise, but was so texturally interesting that you had to keep chewing, puzzling it out. The sable, as I mentioned earlier, was the other winner of the night for me - almost like a little sandwich cookie, it hit every single pleasure center in my brain and palate. Rich, creamy live mousse, slightly sweet cracker, caramelized sweet onions. I could've eaten twenty of these, easy.

Snacks out of the way, time to move to smaller plates.

jack fish/marigold petals/sea grass/rice coral/coconut
     *Jack fish on the menu; we were told hamachi - same fish, and who cares when it's this delicious? Rivaling some of the sashimi I've had at Sushi Taro, this was a large cut (think two pieces of nigiri, without the rice) of super tender hamachi. Although I would've been cool with just the fish, the puffed rice gave a great textural contrast to the melt-in-your-mouth (hate that phrase) fish. Coconut foam was just sweet enough counter the fish's inherent salinity. More flowers so, naturally, a beautiful dish.

zucchini/tomato pudding/olive oil jam

     *Interesting. Not much to say about this one - loved the presentation, and the halved cherry tomatoes were really good...intense tomato flavor. Seemed like this dish was more about the tomatoes than the squash, though they did play well off each other.

 
cauliflower/sea urchin/smoked butter nage/cedar

     *Also an awesome course - first time the young lady friend had ever tried uni (I made sure to wait until after she finished to tell her what it was). I've never seen uni with cauliflower before, but, to me at least, you could put uni with used mulch and it would still taste awesome. Incredibly briny, very sweet, with the slightest touch of iodine underneath (not at all unpleasant). Everything I like about uni, with a really nice cauliflower puree underneath and mini fried cauliflower florets (almost like cauliflower oatmeal) added tableside for some salt and textural contrast. I really liked this dish.
 
prawn/watermelon/togarashi

     *I wanted to love this dish, but would've tweaked it very slightly. First, the grilled watermelon cubes that went along with it were just a little too soggy for my taste. I 100% realize that it's probably really, really tough to get a nice char on miniature watermelon cubes without semi-melting them, but the one bite I got that was crunchy and blackened was awesome with the shrimp. Second, the tartare itself was cut a little too rough - there were some large pieces, as well as some pieces that strung together when attempting to get a forkful. Finally, the tartare is just a tad overdressed - the flavors were all there, but it was almost mayo-thick in consistency. All of that sounds like a lot of criticism for a dish, but it's serious nitpicking...this was really great, flavor-wise, and a bit of the tartare with some of the tempura sea bean that accompanied was one of my favorite bites of the evening. I would absolutely order an a la carte portion of this dish.

 
abalone/spruce/strawberry/kohlrabi/mustard

     *Ahhhh, abalone - how rarely I see you. Loved the mollusc, not a huge fan of the strawberry gazpacho underneath. I thought it was too thick and viscous to work with the firm abalone. The mini strawberries inside were dynamite, though. Were I to try and recreate this at home, I would keep the tart mini strawberries and abalone, then either reduce more or thin out the gazpacho and use it as a drizzled sauve over the fruit and mollusc. However, my date absolute loved the strawberry gazpacho, so there you go. Goddamn, food is awesome...everyone likes what they like.

avocado/sweet peppers/corn/coriander

     *Solid, if not amazing. This was described to us as a "deconstructed guacamole." The avocado was definitely present, and I picked up hints of cilantro, but that was about it. The avocado mousse was almost ethereal, though - amazing how light and airy they whipped it. Loved the blocks of compressed tomato that came along with. The best bite of this dish was with an entire tomato block, a bit of the avocado mousse, and one of the cilantro leaves. Nice. I didn't pick up any corn.

 
pike/natua/chives

     *Boom! This one was another runaway winner. The pike was presented as the little gray disc you see underneath the roe, and it was outstandingly good. If you've ever had a fishball in Asian soups, think of that texture, but lighter. Some roe on top for pop and salinity. Really went well with the dynamite nantua sauce (basically a bechamel with crawdad stock). My favorite part of this dish was that the spoon they gave us perfectly fit the curvature of the bowl it was served in - saved me the embarrassment of the licking the bowl clean to get all that sauce. It was that good.

 
araucana egg 67*/potato/garlic/cedar

     *Didn't get a picture of this one, but a very, very sophisticated technique. I was insanely jealous of their sous vide, and this dish just convinced me even more that I must have one. The kitchen had cooked just the yolk of an egg until it was barely set, but no longer runny. It was almost an egg-yolk pudding, and matched up great with the whipped potatoes. There were also (someone correct me if I'm wrong here, please) these paper thin wafers that had an incredibly savory garlic flavor. This was one of the more comforting, warm dishes we had. Excellent.

[lhollers]

(sorry, ran out of image space - continuing on!)

new potato/barley broth/creme fraiche/hackleback caviar

     *I see a mother of pearl spoon get set down. Jackpot. Apparently this is one of the kitchen's newer dishes. Nice little quenelle of sturgeon roe - as great as you would imagine. Good match with the creme fraiche. The new potatoes (which were tiny) were nice, but a bit overcooked...got a bit mealy. The odd part was the barley broth. All the elements together "worked," but I didn't see how the barley broth made the classic caviar presentation that much better. Don't get me wrong, I finished the dish; I just would've also enjoyed the new potatoes, caviar service, and creme fraiche. Maybe I just didn't get it.

Small plates done, and stomachs rapidly filling - to the savories!

rabbit/carrot/field pea/rue

     *First taste of a "meal" type dish. This was one of the birthday girl's favorites, and with good reason. Rabbit two ways (confit and, I believe, a roulade of leg[?]) with a bold rabbit/carrot jus. The dehydrated carrots were kind of like the cabbage with which we started...very, very jerky-like in consistency - in this case, not a bad thing at all! The rabbit was so, so tender, and the carrots gave a great punch of flavor and contrast. I loved the confit and thought the roulade was ok, while the date went nuts over the roulade and just "meh"ed the confit. More for meee! Best part of the dish was the rue (the green leaves on the dish) - honestly, one of the most powerfully flavored herbs or plants I've ever tasted. It was super intense, really interesting, and really cool.

octopus/fava beans/olive

     *Another of my huge wins for the night. Braised, then char-grilled on their own little charcoal hibachi (want), octopus. Let's be honest - it's tough to cook cephalopod. Not in this kitchen. Crispy and charred on the outside, super tender and creamy within. Menu said fava beans, but I though the fresh peas were a great, great match. I wouldn't have changed anything about this dish.

 
 
mushroom/gelatinous pine nut milk/blueberries

     *Abalone, pt. II - mushroom form. Huge, dense, meaty, smoky, with some relief from the savory in the form of tart blueberries and their jus...this was a vegetarian's dream plate. Not much more to say other than well done.

 
short rib/leek/burnt eggplant/black berry

     *Final savory of the night (thank god - I think Casey was about to explode). We'd been watching them char off the cubed short rib all night, and were really looking forward to putting down some great red meat. Not disappointed. The charred leeks that came alongside were really, really good - I didn't realize that leeks could be used whole like that...I always slice them into coins or shreds. Now I know. The little pebbles you see in the picture are actually frozen blackberries that are smashed into the individual cells - really, really cool textural and temperature contrast. The picture below is actually Casey's plate, which she insisted on switching with me. That brings me to two things I would've changed - one, the pieces of meat below were gorgeous...perfectly cooked (obviously), right fat-to-lean ratio, etc. My plate, however (Casey's originally, before we switched), was a half and half fat to meat ratio. Now, I'm totally cool with that - I'm from South Dakota, grew up eating beef, and love fat(/flavor). For some twosomes, however, getting two cuts that different would probably throw them off. Worked out well for us, however, as she got her lean pieces and I got my umami-bomb decadent fatty short ribs. Second, both were served at room temp; personal preference, I like meat to be served a little warmer. I can see how some people don't, and I'm absolutely certain that the kitchen meant to send it out at that temp. Just a personal thought. I had no problems finishing all of this dish.

"Meal" over - dessert time. Full disclosure: I really dislike sweets. Cookies, candies, pop, cake, fruit...I don't like any of it. Second full disclosure: I ate every single bite of the three desserts we were served. They were goddamn good and hey, when in Rogue... (<-- pun. nbd.)

strawberry/pink peppercorn/balsamic/almonds

     *All about textures. There was a strawberry mousse, a strawberry jam-type thing underneath, and a dehydrated strawberry "cake" or something. I wish I could describe this better, but it was the odd-shaped light pink one in the front - almost like a dried cake...very pleasant. Strawberry foam to top it off, and pink peppercorn(!) sprinkled around. Oh yeah, and candied almonds, which were outstanding. I seriously loved every component of this dish. One of my tops of the entire meal.

 
caramel/porcini/fig/honey crisp

     *Nooooo! No picture of this one kills - easily my favorite of the three desserts (which is saying a lot given how much I liked the last strawberry one). Disc of caramel pudding, melted/glazed whole fig on top, super light honey crisp...this was awesome. No offense, chefs, but it reminded me of super upscale caramel Jell-O pudding. So great.
 
chocolate/cherry/pistachios/sage

     *Alright, alright, I didn't love this one. But I tried! Like I said, sweets aren't my thing, and I especially don't like chocolate. That said, I really did enjoy a few bites of this that I had - sour cherry halves with super rich, dark ganache chocolate, a really technically precise chocolate swirl, and some nice pistachios and chocolate "dirt" for texture. Sidenote: one of my favorite parts of the night was Casey taking a huge bite, chewing for a minute, then going "POP ROCKS!" They weren't listed on the menu, and maybe we were just riding high from a great meal, but I swear, the chocolate "dirt" base underneath this dessert had Pop Rocks in it - such a cool, inventive, surprising fizz to perk your palate back up after three rich dishes.

 
happy endings/little things/small bites

     *Loved the "Happy Birthday" script - tiny things mean a lot (which you'll hear more about below). From top, shortbread cookie sandwich, homemade chocolate and peanut butter bonbon, coconut and white chocolate, almond chocolate bark, and suuuuuper rich orange and chocolate.

And that's the food.

Random thoughts after I've had time to...digest...the experience. I admit it. I fell into the trap a bit. I read a ton of reviews; I listened to some of the Yelptards; I didn't rely on all of you DR'ers as much as I should have.

The fact is, to me, little things matter. When we walked in the door, Dara (GM? Host? All of the above?) couldn't have been more kind. Wished Casey a Happy Birthday, walked us through the place, gave us tips on what to look forward to, etc. Awesome start. We were passed into the capable hands of Ralph (GM? Host? All of the above?) who, again, was flipping awesome. Dude knows his food and booze, was charming and professional all night, and clearly wanted to make sure guests were having a great time. Each person that dropped something off at our table wished my date a Happy Birthday - just classy all around. About halfway through our meal, a gal at a table by ours got a little cold. She didn't say it, mind you, she just started to put on her date's jacket. Before she had it on all the way, Ralph was there with a wearable shawl/blanket thing from the lounge out front - that kind of stuff just doesn't happen at a lot of restaurants, even ones that claim to be in the upper echelon of DC's dining scene.

I love the format - for each dish, whomever is free is the one the brings it to you, whether that's a runner, one of the chefs, or one of the FOH staff. We had dishes dropped off and explained to us by all but one chef, and each knew the ingredients, preparation, and presentation, and could answer questions. Some dickheads on Yelp are upset that two of the runners' English isn't that great so they "couldn't understand what they were eating." Chill out, dude. Either ask nicely to repeat or discretely flag down another person and ask them - not that hard. I also saw a lot of chatter online about the "negative attitudes" and "pretension" of the staff here. I've only been once, and I'm certainly not going to tell someone else what their experience was; but, I do know that, at similar places that claim to be at this level, with this quality of food and atmosphere, I've encountered a lot of douches. Food isn't about proving how much more you know than the diner, and it isn't about being condescending (both of which, sadly, I've found at CityZen and Fiola) - it's about taking diners on a journey that helps them learn more and grow more in their eating experience. Rogue 24 offers that.

One final thought. Tim Carman wrote an awesome piece in this week's Food section about "value" in dining, in which he argues that size isn't everything. (been saying that for years, Tim) That "big portions" and "a good deal" aren't all that truly matters in dining. I agree.

Is Rogue 24 ludicrously expensive? Yes. Will I return? Possible, but certainly not for a while. Was it "worth it?" Unequivocally yes. The amount of times that my date smiled and said, "this is a great birthday"; the genuine interactions we had with like-minded people who enjoyed food and booze as much as we do; the number of dishes that straight-up made me laugh when I tried them, whether that was out of joy or puzzlement or just deliciousness...those moments are what makes a meal "worth it."

Thanks Chef Cooper and crew for an awesome time.

[DanielK]

Great review - thanks!

What did you land up doing for beverage pairings?

[Joe H]

Incredible post (s).  Thank you for taking the time and sharing.

[lhollers]

Great review - thanks!

What did you land up doing for beverage pairings?

Thanks, man!

Ended up taking your advice and doing one alcoholic pairing ($85) and one non-alcoholic pairing ($45). This is certainly not a knock on the booze program, because the opening cocktail we had was out of sight (it was called the "24th Regiment" and was labeled belle meade bourbon/cocchi de torino/celery. It was absolutely stunning...pseudo-Manhattan(ish), but with a much deeper, smoother flavor. The 'celery' was in the form of celery bitters, and there were also orange bitters and a lemon twist. I would have no problem paying $12 for this on the regular. Really, really good.), but other than that, it was just ok. I loved having the wide range of boozes, but I thought that they just served "good drinks," rather than "good drinks that paired with the food." And if that's the case, I wish we would've just ordered a la carte so I could've stuck to cocktails and she could've stuck with wines.

The other alcoholic pairings were a nice Roederer Estate brut champagne, a forgettable glass of Austrian veltliner white wine (again, I'm sorry, and I KNOW that had I said something, they would've poured something else - it just honestly wasn't that huge a deal), a half bottle of a really good, chewy witbier, an awesome, awesome red (valpolicella superiore), then a quite delicious vin santo dessert wine.

The non-alcoholic pairings were actually pretty cool...more cocktail in nature. Started off with a celery and fermented cucumber soda that had a few fermented cucumber spheres in the bottom. Drink smelled like a combination of fresh celery stalk and old, funky feet. That's right up my alley, but the date wasn't too keen on it. Taste was interesting, definitely not unpleasant, and the fermented cucumber balls in the bottom of the drink were quite good. Next was my favorite of the non-alcoholic pairings - a house-made watermelon soda with spicy coffee dusting on the side. I don't like coffee, but licking the glass, getting that spicy grit, then cooling off with the delicious carbonated watermelon juice was a great combo. Then I had a house-made fennel tomato shrub drink, followed by a regular ol' pot of tea (kind of a cop-out, but I love tea, so it worked out fine), then a blackberry soda. All good, and I'm glad we tried one of each, but again, I would've preferred to just go a la carte and try a bunch of Cheftender Bryan's cocktails (which looked bomb).

All that said, Ralph was the one running us through all the beverages, and he was awesome - clearly knew a ton about wine and was really passionate about it. We chatted about what we liked and didn't like, and he was able to give us some recommendations on new styles and varietals we might dig. Very well done, as was the rest of the night.

24th Regiment on the left, celery and fermented cucumber soda on the right.

Brut champagne on the left, watermelon soda with spicy coffee dusting on the right.

House-made fennel and tomato shrub.

[Choirgirl21]

Is Rogue 24 ludicrously expensive? Yes. Will I return? Possible, but certainly not for a while. Was it "worth it?" Unequivocally yes. The amount of times that my date smiled and said, "this is a great birthday"; the genuine interactions we had with like-minded people who enjoyed food and booze as much as we do; the number of dishes that straight-up made me laugh when I tried them, whether that was out of joy or puzzlement or just deliciousness...those moments are what makes a meal "worth it."

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughtful, detailed review. I seriously applaud you as I would never get around to posting as much as you have. Your review, especially your summary here took me right back to my experience, now years ago, and why I loved it so much. I agree, with this number of dishes, you're not going to love every one and it was the certainly the case for my group of 4 that some that were loved by some were disliked by others (for instance, I know, the horror, but I didn't like the sea urchin dish that everyone else loved, tastes too much like the sea for me!), but there were also dishes that got consistent raves. But here a lot of the fun is just in trying interesting, exciting, unusual combinations and preparations.

Interestingly, I did the alcohol pairing when we went and my only complaint really was that I was too drunk by the end of the meal so that the desserts remain only a fuzzy (but delicious) memory, but we also had drinks before we ever started dinner. I think when I return I may take what was my Minibar approach - bottle of bubbly - since bubbles go with virtually everything and are very palate cleansing.

Anyway, thanks again for taking the time to post this.