A Stylish Lunch At Rogue, Or ...

[Holly Moore]

Was on my own last Friday for a late lunch. Ended up at Rogue, off Rittenhouse Square. Wanted to try Rogue's hamburger which people have told me is one of the best in Philadelphia. I agree. An excellent burger. Thick, plumply juicy, top quality meat, outstanding meat to bun ratio. Only burger I've had in a long time that I haven't had to season with salt and/or pepper.

The pomme frites were semi-good. Like every other place in Philadelphia serving pomme frites, Rogue cuts them shoestring style cause, as the owner of Monk's (Belgium cuisine and they still cut them shoestring) tells me everytime I complain, "That's how my customers want them." There's no way to properly fry a thin shoe string cut potato into a proper pomme frite. Like the three bears' porridge, some pieces aren't cooked enough, some are just right, and some are fried solid like a potato stick. The potatoes need, in American measurements, to be cut 1/4" or 3/8" thick to cook consistantly to the proper outside golden crispness and inside puffy mealiness.

But enough about food. Some random observations.

One of the waiter looks like an ex-employee I eventually fired. It isn't him, but the resemblence is too close, bringing back memories akin to chalk scraping on a black board.

Yards Ale is great, but can not be poured agressively down the center of the glass. I stop when the glass is half full and it still Mount Versusiuses all over the table.

When lunching on my own I time the service by my USA Today. My order is taken before I could read the front page. Good. The food doesn't arrive until I finish reading all five sections. Not so good. I am able to complete (in ink) the crossword puzzle between the time I finish my meal and the bill is paid. Bad.

A rather sophisticated and probably very well-to-do couple is sitting next to me. Between entree and dessert her cell phone rings. She takes the call and ends up talking for a half hour - through dessert and coffee afterwards. He sits for a while, gets up and visits the bathroom. Returns in a few minutes and pulls out his personal information manager. He turns himself sideways, facing 90 degrees away from her, and proceeds to aimlessly fiddle-faddle with it for the entire remaining time she is on the phone.

Towards the end of the meal, two servers lock arms and skip halfway through the dining room. I'm the only one to notice. They notice I notice. We all laugh.

Despite the fact that the crowd at Rogue is ever so happening, no one recognizes me. That never occurs at the Down Home Diner. I am obviously out of my element. But the ale is hearty. The burger is great. And the servers skip. I shall return.

[KatieLoeb]

Hi Holly:

Since I already have a reputation as an instigator and a shameless "shill" for my employer, I MUST tell you that the restaurant is ROUGE (as in Red) not ROGUE (as in swashbuckler or whatever).

Thanks for outing the DDC above. I hope some folks that aren't familiar will join us.

Best regards,

Katie

[Holly Moore]

I knew that. Must have been a semi-senior moment. At least I was consistently wrong throughout the posting.

Welcome to eGullet, even if your first post is to take me to task.

[Bux]

MUST tell you that the restaurant is ROUGE (as in Red) not ROGUE (as in swashbuckler or whatever). 

Thank you for setting the record straight and eliminating my thoughts that I was having senior moments. I was thinking I remember a place called Rouge on Rittenhouse square and that I must have gotten it wrong. I will bear in mind that you either like the food or the management pays you well.

[KatieLoeb]

Bux:

I actually do like the food. Your other assumption is way off base...Which is what makes accusations of my shameless shilling even more amusing to me. As if...

Holly - sorry for the light abuse. I just couldn't resist in light of my scandalous reputation!

Cheers!

[porkpa]

Holly,

With regard to shoestring fries, I think it mostly depends on where, and who is making them. At l'Ami Louis in Paris, their frites are done shoestring style and they are my absolute all time favorites. They are not quite as good as their famed potato cake - nothing is! But they are darn close. I always have both and usually end up eating a lot more frites than cake. I find the frites addictive and there is just so much of the potato cake I can handle because of the wonderful surplus of garlic.

In the US In N Out Burger's fries, although not strictly shoestrings are thin. If you order them well done, they are IMO as good and as uniform as any fries anywhere.

Porkpa