The Rogue 24 dinner was really interesting and fun. The atmosphere was so warm and inviting. Having the kitchen prep area in the center of the room really made the whole night an interactive experience rather than at most restaurants where you just sit at your table and wait for the food to arrive. Watching the chefs and staff plate and arrange each course was truly engaging. We were a little apprehensive before our arrival with fears that some of the food would be too unusual for our limited pallets, but everything was delicious. It's hard to believe we ate every single bite! Not having to order from a complicated menu was very liberating. We were able to just sit back and enjoy every new plate as it arrived without worrying about whether we'd like it or not. We kept an open mind and tried it all (and really enjoyed it all too!).
We wanted the full experience so my wife and I went with another foodie couple and did the 24 course menu with the higher-end "Rogue" pairing.
The service was fantastic and we had a great experience with the food and chatting with the staff. My wife is gluten free and they did an awesome job making the few small tweaks needed to the menu for her. :)
I will say that the food is good -- some courses were truly excellent. Our party kept a kind of running score, +1, -1 or 0 for each course (with -1 not being, "bad" you understand as this is a yardstick in degrees of awesome). Final score was around 10 and I'd have liked that to be a bit higher for the price.
I will also say that most of the wine pairings were very good, two or three were great and the two small cocktails were simply incredible -- and very memorable.
The staff at Rogue24 really made our evening a lot of fun! Great time.
This was my second experience. I went once before with a friend and this visit was to celebrate my cousin's birthday with my mom. I'd requested seating next to the magic, made for more difficult conversation- we were three across, but was a FANTASTIC experience to interact with everyone and watch the courses coming together. Unlike the Inn at Little Washington which seems a gorgeous carbon copy at each visit, this meal was a very different experience from the first, but remains sublime. I've read other reviews complaining that some courses were too salty, but I found if I mixed the dish a bit, everything balanced beautifully. Mom and Michele had the pairing, since I was driving, I only sampled. Interestingly, since I was tasting with some of mom's unfinished glasses, I liked the previous drink with a later dish. Our dinner Saturday evening WAS truly excellent.
I've only tried the bar tasting and it has been fun and interesting both times. They properly resist the notion that they're "molecular" chefs, and insist rather that they use whatever tools allow them to creatively make great food and drink. As a fan of molecular cooking, just for its weirdness, I'm glad that cocktails are improved by being interesting and therefore bring out the mad scientist side of Rogue 24.
It's also a great interior, relaxed, hip, and very unlike a lot of places in DC, in case you need a break from the usual.
I recommend having a snack ahead of time if you're going for the bar prix fixe, because the three "bites" included are little more than exactly what their name suggests, while the drinks are enriched, weapons grade cocktails. You've been warned.
There are so many pluses to Rogue 24 and the fact that it's in Blagden Alley is one of the biggest. Blagden Alley is one of the restored historic alleys in DC. It brings historic charm and feels the most like NYC in DC.
Rogue 24 is amazing. The interior is this classicly rugged brick building. The food comes in smaller portions but is so unique. My wife loved every bit of it. I am not one for fancy food (like salted air and pink pepper), but they had "normal" options for me that were out of this world.
The best part was the cocktails. You cannot go wrong. I had the bar tender make me something sweet with vodka and he made me a berry cobbler cocktail that actually tasted like berry cobbler. So good!
If you want to drop over $200 in two hours, this is your place. It is worth it....once.
Food is impeccable. I had a lamb tartar wrapped in a leaf that was so delicate it almost melted in my mouth. The cocktails are amazing and are made by an expert mixologist. Be prepared to have all your senses excited.
Finding the entrance was a bit of a game -- the address just looks like someone's house. A trip through the back alley, though, reveals the destination. We had the bar tasting menu, which was a visual and gastronomic delight -- though more to introduce subtle new flavors and textures than to overwhelm the senses. Clearly the point is to be creative, and the kitchen, centrally located in the restaurant, pulls it off. Best to go on a week night.
I just had my forth dinner at Rogue, and once more the experience was fantastic. Each dish is a unique and harmonic explosion of tastes. The service was impeccable as usual. I am already looking forward to the next time....
This is truly a place for foodies. They specialize in experimental food but it is well worth the money and the time it takes. I have tried both the 24 course journey and the 4 course dinner and both times were absolutely fantastic experiences. I would love to go and try the 24 course journey again.
Amazing food and drinks with an engaging staff
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