Rogue 24's 'Metamorphosis' Includes 'Gastro-Bar' Plans

Some big changes are underway at Rogue 24 as it enters its second year. In last month's edition of One Year In, chef RJ Cooper hinted that he'd be changing things up with the menu, telling Eater, "We're going through a metamorphosis just like a butterfly. You have to change. You have to evolve. If you don't evolve, there's no reason to do what we're doing."

Well, today the alleyway-based theater-in-the-round restaurant has announced just what those changes will be starting September 4: axing the 16-course progression menu, adding a four-course menu for $75 with options and "more traditionally sized portions," and making permanent that eight-course Evolution menu that it first tested out earlier this year. Oh, and a reservation-only four-seat bar station featuring four "reinvented bar snacks" matched with four drinks from bartender Bryan Tetorakis for $55. This, a press release notes, will preview what's to come when the team launches "a new gastro-bar concept" named RogueSpirits in the space next door to the restaurant.

Yes, a new bar next door. Cooper confirms through a publicist that the lease has been signed and while no details are immediately available, the general timeline on it is "later this year." He also took the time to explain his reasons for doing away with the Progression menu:

We are eliminating the progression menu due to the fact that the journey menu is much more popular then the progression. Our guests have had a great impact on our second season. With their voices they have asked for a more user friendly menu that can be approachable with less time restraints and the ability to choose the courses that they have fallen deeply infatuated with. The alley is going to go through a major residential change in the next several months. An influx of condos are being built around and inside the alley. We (R24) as a brand want to captivate the neighbors and the public to make it a choice restaurant for dining anytime instead of just a special occasion.

So there you have it. Stay tuned in the coming months for details on this new bar RogueSpirits.

· Rogue 24 [Official Site]
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[Photo: R. Lopez]