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Chef RJ Cooper, Columbia Room, cuisine, culinary delight, Derek Brown, foodie, interactive kitchen, mixologist, playground, restaurant, Rogue 24, washington dc

I felt like a real renegade last week for the opening night of Rogue 24, the newly launched interactive and incredibly ambitious culinary playground led by Chef RJ Cooper, formerly of Vidalia’s (and if you read his bio much much more.)

Chef RJ Cooper

The open kitchen/playground

Chefs in action

The lighting

First let me start by saying that I am not a food critic, a hard core foodie, a food snob, a food blogger, a food expert, a food writer, a chef, a sous chef, a cook, a mixologist, have I made my point? I am none of these. I am a girl with a healthy appetite who loves the art of food and how it brings people together. I am a girl who has worked in the restaurant business since I was 15 years-old as a hostess, waitress, bartender, busser and any other position imaginable (except the cooking–that I leave to the trained chefs. So my perspective may be very skewed because I genuinely understand what it takes to run a restaurant and I know the intricacies of what can make one place so successful and the other down the street a complete disaster.

Here is a hint: business schools can help you a lot!

But back to Rogue, I am always up for trying and experiencing different cuisines and culinary delights and of course always in good company.

So this in not a “review” of Rogue 24 because if you are one of those people who reads reviews and then bases your decisions off of what some critic said about that particular place well then quite frankly–you’re an idiot. The art of food and taste is very subjective and your experience at that restaurant may be a far different experience from the one that I had. So the only way to really know is to take the ride and decide for yourself.

So take the “journey” at this brand new interactive culinary hot-spot. First let me give you a a quick background about the visionaries and the story behind Rogue 24.

According to their Website and in their words here’s THE STORY: ROGUE 24 is a 52-seat urban fine dining restaurant set to open in Washington, DC on July 27th. Under the vision and direction of Chef/Owner RJ Cooper, guests will experience a progression of small dishes that excite the senses, tantalize the palate and awaken curiosity. The open kitchen, situated in the center of the dining room, invites guests seated around the kitchen stage to interact with Cooper and his culinary artisans as they craft each course and beverage pairing for the 24-act performance. The one-of-a-kind dining room serves as a platform to showcase the edible art for an audience of diners curious to explore the philosophy and inspiration behind Cooper’s distinct and captivating menu.

So here is just a little taste of my Journey (24 courses with pairings) at Rogue 24.