Rogue 24

Rogue 24

I turned the corner from my car and headed down a dark alley.... Moving cautiously past buildings that appeared condemned and falling apart.  Walking up to Rogue 24 feels  lot like how Harry Potter must have felt walking through Diagon Alley only to find miracles along the way.  Until I found the front entrance to the restaurant, I felt as if Google maps may have fatally let me down.  But there was the entrance.  The first of many practical jokes the creators of Rogue 24 play on their patrons and a lesson that looks can be deceiving.

The restaurant interior is as impressive as any in DC. The looming brick walls remind you that while you are in a five star restaurant, you have not truly left the adjacent rundown DC alleyway. The restaurant immediately relieves your anxiety from the walk there and exudes class and creates anticipation. The kitchen is the centerpiece and the ringleader of the show is chef R.J. Cooper, a former James Beard award winner.  I've always loved the idea of the kitchen and the head chef being a show and crossing over into entertainment for those few who appreciate the beautiful harmonies that an efficient kitchen-and-wait-staff-orchestra produce. 

Every great meal starts with drinks and I am always surprised at how often great restaurants are able to introduce me to an amazing cocktail or glass of wine.  In this case, at the waiter's recommendation, we ordered the Rogue 24 version of a vodka tonic.  It was one of the best drinks I had ever tasted in my life which means something primarily because I don't like vodka tonics. Already Rogue 24 had won me over, taking something I would never order ordinarily and opening my mind to it.

What made this drink unique is the process in which it's unique flavor is achieved.  The resident mad-scientist-mixologist actually mixes dirt with water and then distills the water to create an "earthy" water mixture.  It came garnished with rosemary and the drink itself had a brownish color to it.  Not the most appetizing color for a cocktail but as R24 enjoys teaching us, looks can be deceiving.    This drink is supposed to resemble a garden with the earth, water  and vegetation.  A bartender just being creative for creativity's sake or....genius? In this case, genius.

The drink on the right was the one made with "dirt"

Rogue 24 got its name because of the option of an actual 24 course dining experience.  I opted for the 10 course meal which in reality is 13 courses if you include the amuse bouche and dessert candies at the end of the meal.  There were no mains. Each course was one to three bites, each with unique appearance taste and texture.  No course was like anything you might find at another DC restaurant.  Each bite is something to savor and then discuss with your dining partner.  A true foodie adventure.

This first course was a trio of tastes.  The shot glasses had a mild broth inside.  The crackers had a bit of caviar on them and the cookies had some sort of mousse inside.  I believe it was meat based.

The thing that first jumps out at you as this is delivered is that you are eating off a slice of log.  Awesome :)

They were very cool about me taking photos but did ask that I not use a flash so I apologize that my iphone didn't do some of these dishes justice.  For example, this dish is primarily bacon.  You probably can't see it, right?  Wrong.  The bacon is the white stuff.  The server explained that they have a white chemical cooking material that somehow can be used to absorb any flavors you mix with it.  So this was white bacon fat in disguise as sawdust.

No memory of what this was, unfortunately.

This is a dish focused on peas, paired with a flavored foam and veal fiber strands.

This is a fish from Japan called Ayu.  It was fantastic.  At the top left was a crunchy piece of Ayu that I believe was skin and bones.  Surprisingly good, as well.

The protein here was rabbit coupled with carrots.  They said "soil" was also mixed into the flavor somehow.

Beets and apples.  Standard stuff?  Not when mixed with "moss powder"

A yummy duck dumpling in a broth paired with an egg yolk.

This dish won the award for beauty.  Everything you see there is a mushroom of some sort.

I think this was compressed lamb.

Dessert #1 was a tapioca based dessert with cubed cucumber.  I'm a huge cucumber fan, especially in drinks or any creative way of serving it. This dish was super refreshing and I would have enjoyed an enormous bowl of it.  I wish more restaurants would serve desserts as amazing and creative as this instead of the cliche' lava cakes and creme brulee's.

Strawberries in multiple forms with balsamic

Dessert #2 didn't do it for me aesthetically but was delicious.  It was a nice medley of berry and chocolate flavors.  I didn't let the fact that it looked like it fell on the floor and was put back on my plate stop my from eat every last dark-brown crumb off my plate.

Dessert #3 were some homemade candies that were delivered in a classy wooden box.  I appreciated the dramatic presentation and in hindsight, it made every piece of candy taste just that much better.  It was hard to pick a favorite because they were all so good.  I found it hard to believe that they made these candies in-house.  Their dessert chef is incredible.

Service was on par with the top restaurants I have been to.  The dining experience was a total team effort with numerous waiters delivering dishes to our table and offering full details about each course.  Even the R.J. Cooper himself came to our table to ask how our meal was and snuck us a few extra of the candies we raved to him about.

Rogue 24 is not for everyone.  At the risk of sounding a little douchey, not everyone has evolved to appreciate the fine art of cooking.  There are those that deny that cooking and serving are even an art at all! As such, I know many people that I would strongly advise to skip this establishment.  However, if you are someone who read this review and found yourself salivating and perhaps a little excited, you are the ones who will love Rogue 24.

Rating - 5 stars out of 5