July 2011

Rogue 24

by Chad on July 26, 2011

I must admit, I have been eagerly anticipating the opening of Rogue 24 for what seems like forever. Ilyssa and I were very excited to snag an invite to the friends and family soft opening on Saturday night. I know their Pastry Chef, Chris Ford, from his work at Trummer’s on Main and his beautiful blog, Butter, Love and Hardwork. I tried not to read too much of the press coming out in advance of Rogue’s opening because I wanted to keep the anticipation growing and be surprised throughout the evening.

Our cab dropped us off seemingly in the middle of nowhere*. No other restaurants or retailers in sight, just a brick alley. At first we were a little alarmed, as there is no signage out front (and when was the last time you willingly ventured down a random alley in DC?) We came across a building with chef’s knives graffitied above the door and I realized we had reached our destination. The space itself is beautiful and unique – a very modern industrial loft look with polished concrete, glass, and warm wood tones. Check out our earlier post on Rogue 24 to see what the space looked like a few months ago. Eater has some great pics of the interior here.

As we entered the salon we were invited to try some of Rogue’s signature cocktails. The cocktail menu was designed by renowned DC Mixologist, Derek Brown of The Passenger. His libations were the perfect start to our evening. Ilyssa greatly enjoyed the Melon Sangria, prepared with Horton Viognier (VA), Elderflower Cordial, Compressed Melons, and Grapefruit Bitters, while I had the Pepper & Pepper which consisted of James E. Pepper Bourbon (KY), Sirop de Gomme, Fig Bitters, Lemon Peel, Black Pepper Tincture, and Brandied Figs. The Melon Sangria was surprisingly refreshing and cooled us off from the 100 degree weather outside. Before we were led to our table we were treated to a shot of Dragon Carrot Soda (I am not sure the name is correct, we referred to it as Dragon Blood), whatever it was, it was delicious and it excited us for what was to come.

At Rogue 24 you can choose between a 16 course Progression ($145 with wine pairings, $100 without) or the 24 course Journey ($175 with wine pairings, $120 without). The only choice we were asked to make when we arrived was whether or not we wanted the wine pairing with our 24 course meal. That was an easy decision. For the amount of alcohol we were served over the course of the evening, the wine pairings are an easy choice and they were a very good value. What is unique about this experience is that the kitchen is open in the center of the dining area, so you can see all the action as you enjoy your meal.

I am not going to provide a course by course overview, because the evening went by in a delicious blur, but I will provide some highlights. Ilyssa and I described the meal as a crescendo of deliciousness. While the first few courses were good, the courses seemed to get better and better throughout the evening. Some of our favorites included the Hen Egg (aka Foul Play) which is delivered covered with a glass dome (which you are then invited to take in the smoky aroma) before biting into the perfectly prepared egg yolk, sitting amidst a small pile of edible hay. Another favorite was the Liquid Chicken which was essentially a bite of fried cheesy dough with chicken consomme in the middle. Most fine dining restaurants have that one dish that everyone knows about and talks about. Komi has the cheesy dates, French Laundry has Oysters and Pearls, Alinea has Hot Potato Cold Potato, and I am really excited to see which course becomes THE standout course at Rogue 24. I think the liquid chicken or Foul Play could be contenders for the savory standout courses.

The highlight for my evening were the dessert courses. I tend to prefer salty over sweet, but I was honestly blown away by the desserts. My wife described the Toigo Orchards Peaches with bourbon, sweet tea and cream as an orgasm in her mouth. That course was followed by Tennessee which was fun for me because I had read about the development of the dish over on Chris’ blog.

crunch/chips from garden/green goddess - Photo Credit: Chris Ford

You have to give RJ Cooper credit, it takes some balls to open an ‘urban fine dining’ restaurant in an off the beaten path location in this economy. Saturday night was the staff’s first time serving the 24 course Journey at Rogue and I was honestly blown away by the food and the service. This was just the first night, I can’t imagine how much better the experience will be after the staff has 6 months of experience fine tuning their operation. Rogue 24 is the most exciting restaurant to open in DC in years. It is truly destination dining and there is nothing else like it in the district. There is a reason that RJ Cooper hired Minibar’s former head reservationist, this place is going to be packed.

Rogue 24
922 N Street NW (Rear)
Washington, DC 20001
www.rogue24.com
202-408-9724

*I’ve already received some flak for referring to the location as “seemingly in the middle of nowhere.” I realize that Logan Circle is around the corner and you’re a stone’s throw from the convention center, so I apologize. It just felt like the middle of nowhere when we were dropped off. It is actually a convenient location to a variety of DC neighborhoods. I hope That’s What She Fed and @jigolden will forgive me.

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Beat the Heat with a Cocktail from Founding Farmers

by Chad on July 22, 2011

In case you haven’t heard, Founding Farmers has an amazing bar program. In fact, they won the RAMMY award for best Beverage/Mixology Program this year! Founding Farmers is one my favorite spots to take out of town guests visiting DC. They have a huge menu, it’s very affordable, and the food and drinks are really fantastic. I had early Sunday dinner at Founding Farmers recently before heading over to see Wicked at the Kennedy Center (note: go see Wicked, it was awesome!). I really enjoyed my Arctic Char, but I LOVED my Cucumber Cocktail.

We tracked down the recipe for our EatMore DrinkMore readers. I think it’s the perfect drink for this ridiculous weather. If you have to leave the house today, hopefully, it’s just to head to the liquor store.

You’ll probably need to head to the store to pick up a bottle of Domaine Canton to make the Organic Cucumber Cocktail, however, this drink is so delicious the bottle won’t last long.

Organic Cucumber Cocktail – Founding Farmers

Photo Credit: Greg Powers

1.25 oz Square One Organic Vodka
.75 oz Domaine Canton
.75 oz lemon juice
1 oz simple syrup
1 oz sparkling water
2 balls cantaloupe
Muddle 1 slice of cucumber, add lemon juice and simple syrup.

Add vodka, Domaine Canton and ice, cover and shake vigorously.

Strain into a double old fashion glass, add ice and garnish with cucumber slice and cantaloupe.

Founding Farmers
1924 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20006
www.wearefoundingfarmers.com

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Chicken rollatini with boursin, basil & roasted red peppers

by Britt on July 21, 2011

Chicken rollatini with bousin, basil and roasted peppers

I have a single guy friend who is always asking me what to make for his dates. The trick is to give him simple recipes that when finished, make it look like he spent much more time in the kitchen than he actually did and that are edible. Here is one of the recipes he recently tried out, my take on chicken rollatini. I suggested he serves it with a caprese salad appetizer, arugula salad with shaved parmesan and lemon vinaigrette accompanied by a crisp white wine. After said date, I received a very positive report back.

So if you’re looking to be sweet and romantic or date on a budget, gentlemen, get cooking!

Chicken rollatini with boursin, basil & roasted red peppers
Serves 2
4 chicken cutlets (scallopini style)
4 tablespoons of chive and herb boursin cheese
4 large basil leaves
3 roasted red peppers sliced
8-10 toothpicks. Try to get the plain ones. If you use colored toothpicks the dye will stain the chicken.

Preheat oven to 350
Lay chicken cutlets out in a large glass baking dish
Season with ground pepper and coarse salt
Place a tablespoon of boursin cheese towards the top end of the cutlet
Top with a basil leaf and several slivers of roasted red pepper
Roll chicken starting with the end that has the cheese
Once rolled up, secure with several toothpicks
Place baking dish in the oven and cook for about 10 minutes.
Once partially cooked remove from the oven and finish in a skillet
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet
Brown each side of the rollatini
Serve hot

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Mala Tang Brings Sichuan-Style Hot Pots to Arlington

by Britt on July 19, 2011

Our spread at Mala Tang

I’m always looking to try out a new style of eating so when Mala Tang popped up just a few minutes from my house I was game to try it out. Mala Tang, located in Ballston, specializes in the Sichuan style hot-pot described here, “While hot pot can be found throughout China, Sichuan is famous for its ma la hot pot, which is characterized by the yin and yang effect that the sichuan pepper and the red hot chilies create when combined together.” While I don’t love Chinese food, this sounded delicious. So off I went with Chad and our significant others in tow to test out what I was now referring to as healthy fondue-style eating.

The restaurant, located in Ballston on Washington Blvd. next to the Giant plaza, is enormous. Inside the style incorporates both modern and traditional elements including lacquered woods and red accents and huge tables with lazy-susans in the center. Chad pointed out that it is nice to have a big table when you know you’ll be getting lots of bowls and plates to share. He was right, our oversized table filled up quickly.

After a somewhat lengthy description of the menu, we decided to try a little bit of everything. We started out with Chengdu Beef Dumplings, Dan Dan Noodles with chilies and minced pork and a scallion pancake. The dumplings and dan dan noodles were a great way to start off the meal with excellent spice and flavor but I would skip the scallion pancake all together.

Next up we moved on to the main event. Each person has their own hot pot so you’re free to pick the spice level and either vegetarian or meat flavored broth. I am typically a spicy eater so I choose extra mala for my hot pot. This was a major mistake. I think the extra heat overwhelmed everything. Stick with mild or the standard mala and you’ll be better off. This sentiment was shared by everyone else who chose extra mala.

You then select starches, meats and veggies to share with the table. We went with another version of dumplings for our starch. They were fine but not all that exciting. I’m looking forward to trying out a noodle next time. For meat we went with milk marinated beef and chicken. Both of these were really good and took on the flavor of the broth. For the veggies we chose lotus root, broccoli and king mushrooms. All three were delicious and very fresh. It was my first experience trying lotus root and I really enjoyed it. Imagine a mix between a water chestnut and a potato. Once everything arrived you receive a quick tutorial in how long to have each item in your pot and then all the cooking is left to you. Don’t worry, it was really easy and was a fun, social way to enjoy a dinner with friends.

I left dinner feeling full but like I had eaten a pretty healthy meal considering it is just broth and lean meats and veggies. While I’m not sure this would work for everyday eating, our dinner took two hours, it was great for an evening out with friends. I should also note this is a great option for vegetarians. I’ll definitely be heading back to test out some other options on the menu.

Mala Tang
3434 Washington Blvd.
Arlington, VA
703-243-2381
www.mala-tang.com

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Belgium Restaurant Week: Belga Cafe Brunch

by Ilyssa on July 18, 2011

Chad and I thought there would be no better way to spend our LLS (lovely little Sunday) than going to Eastern Market to pick up some local meat and produce and enjoying brunch at one of the many offerings in the area. As we went from restaurant to restaurant and my crank-o-meter was slowly approaching the danger zone, Chad was able to usurp two counter seats at Belga Café. Yay! And little did we know that we were celebrating Belgian Restaurant Week in DC (July 15-21).

There were “not-your-typical” brunch options on the menu. We were very tempted to try the Ribbes en Gebakken Eieren (Fried eggs, creamy polenta, braised short ribs, grilled garlic bread), we didn’t want to be too full in case we had to go to Bed Bath & Beyond, so Chad opted after much prompting by me for Belga’s Groene Eieren, which is actually green eggs (served on an English muffin with shredded cheese, melted spinach and lots of pesto). I’ve never actually seen green eggs in real life, and their taste was just as flavorful as you would imagine. I opted for the waffles with caramelized apples and cinnamon syrup, which were a little doughier than I normally have tasted. My only complaint is that the portion was a little stingy (maybe 2 waffles next time?). Otherwise, the bartender that was serving us was very friendly and the food came out within minutes of ordering. All in all, this is definitely a place I would revisit on my next trip to Barrack’s Row.

Other restaurants participating in Belgium Restaurant Week are: Brabo, Brassiere Beck, ET Voila, Granville Moore’s, Le Pain Quotidien, Locolat, Marcel’s, Marvin, & Mussel Bar. A week full of waffles, mussels, frites, and most importantly, very good beer sounds great to me!