In the beginning, people went to Rouge for the food. Way back in the late 90's, when this eternally chic hot spot first opened its doors, it was the menu that had everyone talking. The combination of Neil Stein's haute touches to classic café fare was nothing short of revolutionary in this most Revolutionary of cities. But then something happened.
People kept on coming, of course: That's never been a problem here. But their reasons seemed to have changed. Now, it's all about the scene. And about being seen. And about the scene everyone seems to make when they go about their Rougean business of trying to be seen by the right people. Which, as far as neighborhoods go, is what Rittenhouse excels at.
But what, after all these years, about the food?
Judging by a recent lunchtime visit, it's not bad at all.
Granted, Rouge is no longer the culinary groundbreaker it once was. But it has, rather, fallen into a state of comfortable consistency, and for that, we should all be grateful.
We began with the tuna tartare, which was an excellent rendition of the classic. Generous cubes of glistening raw tuna had been tossed with ponzu sauce, wasabi lime aioli, and sesame chips. They were served with a side of grilled pita wedges, which was both surprising and delicious. The slight smokiness of the bread played beautifully off the sharper flavors in the tartare. It wasn't a huge portion, but it was certainly more than generous.
For my entrée, I ordered the saffron risotto with jumbo lump crabmeat and sun-dried tomatoes. Now, I'm a firm believer that a little bit of saffron can make anything taste better than it actually is. Fortunately or not, most chefs seem to have a hard time using the necessary restraint when it comes to this surprisingly strong ingredient, and end up killing their food with it. But here, it was used judiciously enough that it raised the flavor ante of the dish just enough to make it interesting.
And then, of course, we ordered the burger. The Rouge burger, as we all know, has attained a far bit of notoriety over the years. Some people call it the best in the city. One prominent national food writer actually named it one of the best in America. And while I don't know if it's that life changing of a burger experience, it is, in the words of the Samuel L. Jackson character in Pulp Fiction, one tasty burger.
Twelve ounces of beef had been cooked in a cast iron skillet and served between a split brioche bun with melted gruyere, caramelized onions, lettuce, a pickle, and sliced tomato. The meat was moist, the toppings perfectly calibrated and the overall burger experience, from the grease dripping down our chins to the spicy mayonnaise sambal aioli on the side, was excellent.
We ended the meal with the carrot cake, an oxymoronically huge mini-cake possessed of wonderfully rich flavor and perfect moistness. My dining companion that day, who also happens to be the editor of Aroundphilly.com, was suffering from all the classic pre-wedding-day headaches, and while she has plenty of cake in her very near future, she had no problem bringing the half we couldn't finish home with her. It was that good, and still only brought our grand total to $94.79.
In the end, it seems a shame that more people don't focus on Rouge's food. Sure, the place is always packed, and everyone, from the fanny-pack-wearing square-starers to the chi-chi ladies who lunch, always seems to be nibbling on something. But no one talks about Rouge as a food place, and that's unfortunate. Because even without the Rittenhouse address, it would still be a solid destination café. Every city needs one, and as Philadelphians, we're lucky it's Rouge.
Rouge, 205 S. 18th St., Philadelphia, 215.732.6622.
