RJ Cooper To Open Rogue 24
Chef RJ Cooper has found a new home for the ambitious 24-course menu he created while at Vidalia. The chef announced today that he hopes to open Rogue 24 this winter tucked away in Blagden Alley, across from the convention center.The 52-seat restaurant will only serve Cooper's 24-course tasting menu during one dinner seating Tuesday-Thursday and two dinner seatings Friday and Saturday evenings.
The tasting menu experience will ring up at $130 and $170 for alcoholic beverage pairings.
Blagden Alley is a funky little collection of brick buildings and old stables now home to a few creative company's offices. The amazing Longview Gallery, which fronts Ninth Street, backs up to the alley. “The space is a perfect fit for the intimate, yet edgy experience of Rogue 24,” Cooper says in release.
The design, which includes an open kitchen in the center, will be overseen by architects Brian Miller of edit and Lauren Winter of Winter Architecture, whose aesthetic can be seen at The Gibson, U Street Music Hall and Dickson Wine Bar.
Cooper plans to follow Rogue 24 with more projects, including a more casual concept, Pigtails.
Comments
Yum Report - You are correct ... as far as his next project Pigtails goes. A more casual neighborhood place.
Anon 3 - Great to hear you tried the 24 menu. I didn't get the chance before RJ left Vidalia. (And he did win Cochon the year before. I was a judge this year and I can tell you it was really close. Amazing entries from the chefs.)
We also wonder if this will be as welcoming to vegetarian (or pescetarian) diners as some of the other menus around town. Ziebold, Monis, and Armstrong have all proven themselves capable of fabulous vegetarian foods, but Vidalia was never high on that list.
Logan Girl - You're right that more seats will probably make it easier to get in than say minibar. Then again, if the buzz is big enough, who knows how long it could take to get a res!