Rouge

Posted by Edmund in Burger, Featured Articles, Philadelphia, Restaurants | 1 comment

Cuisine: Eclectic.
Location: 205 South 18th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-5900.
Price: $16 for the Rouge Burger w/ Fries. $8-$9 for Dessert.

I had just finished an all-night cheesesteak foodbust in Philadelphia, and I wasn’t all that thrilled. While the cheesesteak had its charm, it just wasn’t  the sandwich for me. Messy, gooey, and oily, it left me clamoring for something simpler and more elegant. I needed the true all-American meal: a good old-fashioned, meaty burger with some fries. And in Philadelphia, I’d heard there was only one place to get a true burger experience,  Rouge, whose burger has frequently been named one of the best in the country.

So what is it exactly that makes Rouge’s burger so special, especially when it has to compete against Philly’s #1 sandwich, the cheesesteak? Well, it’s really, the whole Rouge experience.

Burgers often come in hole-in-the-wall fast food stands. Rouge, though, won’t stand for the ordinary. Instead, it’s one of the hottest restaurants in town, accommodating everyone from businessmen in suits to students in jeans. It’s not a surprise, either, given the beautiful layout. The restaurant boasts a hanging chandelier with a circular, marble bar underneath, dominating about half the restaurant’s space. Long mirrors, silk grey curtains, and overall dim lighting add to the intimate experience. Most importantly, for the small space, Rouge doesn’t feel cramped because the seating is spacious and comfortable, with large loungy couches and chairs.

The Rouge Burger, too, comes with an equally satisfying blend of sophistication and simplicity. The experience begins with the classy presentation, as a gigantic burger and a cone of fries are laid side-to-side on an immaculate piece of china. The burger is very minimalist, featuring five main ingredients: the beef, gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, lettuce, and tomato, all served dry. Yet everything just comes together perfectly. The patty is humungous, but it is cooked through perfectly, with just enough rareness in the middle. In fact, this burger is easily one of the most succulent I’ve ever eaten, to the point that a puddle starts to form from the natural juices of the meat as you apply even the slightest pressure in grabbing the sandwich. But that meat juice makes all the difference, as the lower bun absorbs all the juice and becomes incredibly moist. Meanwhile, the upper bun is crisped to perfection, so that you’re not getting a simple burger bun, but something more with a semi-ciabatta taste and texture. And since the buns are so huge but also crisped, they are fluffy but firm enough to handle the goliath weight of this burger.

Topping all that off, the ingredients are fresh, simple, and placed in the right proportions. I will say that the taste of caramelized onions may be subtle for some, but it’s just enough to add some sweetness without overpowering you with too much grease or sugar. The gruyere is just as nice—just one simple slice, placed right over the onions to provide a nice fatty gooeyness, but not enough to detract from the beef in any way. In fact, even after I added mayonnaise (Rouge’s is very good—rich, creamy, and without that annoying yolky taste of a store-bought brand), the meat was so thick that all of its natural flavors still emerged, pushing all sauces and toppings into the background. Score: 4.8+/5.0. Unforgettable.

For an even heartier meal, Rouge tosses in some outstanding parmesan truffle fries. The key is that the fries are (probably) cooked in olive oil, rather than other types of fats, giving the fries a very satisfying oiliness that isn’t cloying at all. Moreover, the fries are excellently cooked: shoestring thin, but thick enough so that they have just a tiny bit of a starchy potato center. Needless to say, they’re extremely crispy as well. The truffle oil and parmesan are on the subtle side, but the first gives a good bitter kick while the latter adds a nicely gritty cheesiness (it’s crumbled, non-melted Parmesan put on top, post-cooking). However, the fries are extremely salty, partially ruining the experience. Score: 4.0/5.0

The burger and fry combo was so good that I just couldn’t leave without trying one of Rouge’s impressive-sounding desserts. After taking a look at the rather minimal menu, I finally settled on the Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding with Vanilla Gelato and Caramel Sauce, which unfortunately did not live up to the quality of the burger. In this dessert, the vanilla is smooth and airy, the chocolate chunks add a fantastic chunkiness to the dish, and the bread pudding itself has a great burnt, cookie dough/pound cake composition to it. That bread pudding is cooked somewhat like a muffin or scone, as it’s hardened on the top to a very nice crisp. The synergy works, too: you get sweet, smooth, hard, crumbly, chocolaty, and gooey all in one. The dessert is plagued with a few weaknesses, though: The ice cream is mostly there for flavoring but doesn’t win any awards in the taste department, and the bread pudding is somewhat bland by itself. Score: 3.5/5.0

Overall, though, Rouge is an easy recommendation. You just can’t beat a restaurant-quality burger cooked perfectly, with a side of gourmet French fries and one of the best ambiences of any burger restaurant. $16 may seem like a lot, but not for one of the best burger experiences in the whole country.

Scores

For the Burger

Ambience: 4.8/5.0
Taste: 4.8+/5.0
Value: 4.5/5.0.
Verdict: 4.7/5.0

For the Whole Experience

Ambience: 4.4/5.0.
Service: N/A. I just don’t remember much.
Taste: 4.2/5.0
Value: 4.0/5.0
Verdict: 4.2/5.0