The Early Word on Mama Rouge

Earlier this month, Georgetown favorite Bangkok Joe's was reborn as Mama Rouge. Bangkok Joe's menu was always fairly straightforward, and now Mama Rouge fuses Thai, Vietnamese and French cuisine. The ownership is the same as Bangkok Joe's, but will the restaurant's new mashup of pomme frites, noodles, crepes, pho and croissants appeal to diners? Here's what the first bloggers, Yelpers and others have to say about the new Mama Rouge.

The Croissants Everywhere News: Brightest Young Things is all over the croissants at Mama Rouge. BYT writes, "It is the kind of place that allows for your pho to be paired with a crepes dessert, and A LOT of things come on croissants (we’re not complaining). Speaking of croissants, one thing definitely worth going back for, the skirt steak banh mi sandwich is served on a croissant adorned with delicious salty-spicy pickled vegetables and even an avocado. At $10, this might not only be the best tasting sandwich you’ll find in Georgetown, it could also be the best value." [BYT]

Freelance food writer and photogapher Laura Hayes is a fan too. She tweeted, "Please let this become a thing: Croissant Banh Mi. Great dish @MamaRougeDC". [Twitter]

More Bahn Mi News: A Don Rockwell user wasn't wowed with the crispy pork belly bahn mi baguette sandwich. The Don Rockwell-er writes, "Not at all impressed. Good baguette. But very, very sad amount of meat, which, while good in and of itself, was not at all crispy, and was totally overwhelmed by the slaw (cabbage, carrot, bean sprouts, and dressing — and I can't stand bean sprouts), pickled cucumber, and avocado. Didn't expect a traditional bahn mi based upon the fusion concept of the restaurant, but expected more, particularly as a fan of the earlier Bangkok Joe's." [DR]

Even More Bahn Mi News: The Washington Post digs the bahn mi sandwiches though. Going Out Gurus writes, "The perfect combination of both cuisines, the banh mi, is a knockout, despite not entirely adhering to tradition. I've never had a banh mi with avocado on it, for instance, or one that is presented in a croissant, but in this setting, it works." [GoG]

The Creme Brûlée News: Mama Rouge currently has one tip on Foursquare, "Don't skip drinks, the cocktail menu is amazing and save room for dessert. The creme brûlée is perfect." [FS]

The "Tasty and Fun" Rave: There's one Mama Rouge review so far on Urbanspoon and the reviewer sings the restaurant's praises, writing: "Try the Lacquered Chicken entree and the pork dumplings appetizer and scallion and crab pancakes — really yummy. We went on a Friday night when the crab cakes were the special — two huge portions which were plentiful and tasty. We spent the weekend recommending to others..." [US]

The Come Back Bangkok Joe's News: Mama Rouge currently has nine reviews on Yelp and three stars. And a few Yelp-ers missed the old Bangkok Joe's. Poipu P.'s writes, "Very disappointing considering how good the food at Bangkok Joes use to be. My khao soi is way off from what it is supposed to be." [Yelp]

The Cocktails On Tap News: UrbanDaddy calls Mama Rouge "a Southeast Asian joint with a thing for cocktail-ery." Yelp-ers were impressed by Mama Rouge's adventurous cocktail menu too. Alex S writes, "First off, this place has cocktails on tap. COCKTAILS ON TAP. Sold. The Framboise Goose is delicious, it's like a grown up Shirley Temple but with less sweet, fantastically freshening. I would take a pitcher of this stuff on the beach any day." Madison C. wrote: "The cocktails are delicious — try the Vieux Carre if you are a rye drinker like me. My wife got the Framboise Goose and raved about the raspberry in the drink  super fresh!" [UD, Yelp]

Mama Rouge

3000 K St. NW

Website