Going Rogue

Courtney and I finally made it to Rogue 24 this weekend to try the twenty four course Journey menu.  We may have been on the early side for Rogue– it was a bit dead when we arrived for our 7:30 reservation, but the restaurant picked up as the night went on.  The interior of the restaurant, which used to be an auto garage, is funky and intimate with exposed brick and pipes and hanging lights.  The open kitchen allows you to see the many gadgets and styles the chefs are using to prepare your food, but unfortunately it also allows them to see the ‘disgusted bordering on terrified’ look that Courtney gets on his face before deciding whether he likes what he just put in his mouth (most of it he did, luckily).

The Journey is more of an experience (an adventure even) than a meal.  First of all, if you aren’t familiar with the style, you must be thinking “how the heck does one consume 24 courses?”  Well, each “course” is somewhere between one bite/slurp and three full bites.  Don’t expect to recognize the ingredients described in many of your bites, because you probably won’t.  That’s not a problem though, because the servers are more than happy to answer your questions (even if you have more than 24 of them that tend to get increasingly non-sensical as the beverage pairings continue to arrive).

I appreciated what they did with texture, often changing an ingredient drastically from its original form (take the twice dehydrated grilled watermelon for example, that “has the texture of ahi tuna and the taste of squash”).  I also enjoyed trying some of the more unusual ingredients on the menu: squid ink, fried pigs ear and duck tongues (they are about the size of the tip of your thumb, and apparently very laborious to remove).

Ultimately, I enjoyed the bites that were a bit more substantial and identifiable more  than several that were just a slurp or a spoonful of flavored gel, foam, [insert this year’s trendy food texture here].  Highlights included the Asparagus with hazelnut, arugula and brown butter which tasted like a very well flavored soup; the caviar, which was served in the tin over smoked trout and cucumber gel with a home made brioche; and the musk melon wrapped around Benton’s ham, basil and yogurt.

Now, don’t think that our journey stopped with the food.  We also had a beverage pairing to accompany the courses, which consisted of two cocktails and four generously refilled wines.  I might be saving the best for last, because their mixologist is nothing short of brilliant.  Our meal started with a very next-generation mint julep, served deconstructed with the liquid ice and lime gel in a tumbler and a shot of Wisconsin whiskey in a shot glass on the side.  You pour and mix the drink yourself, and the flavor changes with each sip as the components melt and combine.

The star of the show, however, was the egg white mezcal cocktail sprinkled with herbs.   A truly phenomenal cocktail I tell you.  Best of all, when we sent our compliments to the bartender, he showed up at our table with another.  And another.  By the time we walked out the door, close to midnight, we were fuller on libations than we were food.

tuna/avocado/chilies/coriander

Johanna