Rogue Sessions Presents Chef Spike Gjerde!

BLAGDEN ALLEY -- Baltimore-based Chef Spike Gjerde unleashed a veritable charm offensive of his own over Washington last week, as the third guest chef of Rogue 24’s exclusive 8-week culinary series dubbed ‘Rogue Sessions’.

Yellow perch/roe/sunchoke/spelt toast.
A pioneering influence on Charm City’s restaurant community for more than two decades, Gjerde’s commitment to locally-sourced ingredients that originate from a healthy, sustainable infrastructure has earned him countless accolades over the years, including at his current Baltimore restaurant, the storied Woodberry Kitchen.

And a small taste of that infrastructure found its way to D.C. during the last few days, with Gjerde leveraging his connections to close to 100 Chesapeake Bay producers to deliver a truly unique (and mouthwatering) menu to diners.

Cheftender Bryan Tetorakis’ Orris Julius (gin/orange/cream/orris root/”brandied apple”).
“We just took what we do at Woodbury and, because we can’t really separate the preparation from the ingredients in our case, we brought a lot of that with us,” said Gjerde. “We wanted to connect our guests here in Washington, not only with our approach, but with [our] ingredients.”

He continued: “As different as the two approaches are [between Rogue 24 and Woodberry Kitchen], there’s this shared kind of commitment to really deciding what’s important … and then committing to that and doing it. And I think that’s a neat thing. And what you see under all of it is the tremendous amount of energy and effort that it takes to do both of those. And that’s what I’ve seen here…since the second I’ve walked through the door…is an incredible team…a lot of people working really hard to create something really special.”

Hog jowl on the bone with pickled mustard seeds.
The self-described culinary journey, as prepared by Gjerde, was as follows:

Course 1: House fried rice/duck/vegetables/soy/sesame
Course 2: Kimchi “pork” rinds/smoked trout remoulade
Course 3: Pizza paper/ricotta/basil/tomato

Snow hill oyster/fish pepper/pickled ramps.
Course 4: Yogurt/eggplant/benne/sumac
Course 5: Ossetra/cauliflower/apple/cider bubbles
Course 6: Urchin/lava/coral/seaweed/brackish water

Whitmore pig hock/smoke/broth/aromatics.
Course 7: Snow hill oyster/fish pepper/pickled ramps
Course 8: Yellow perch/roe/sunchoke/spelt toast
Course 9: Hog jowl on the bone/pickled mustard seeds
Course 10: Brussels sprouts/malt vinegar/blue cheese/pretzels
Course 11: Oyster root/worcestershire/cabbage shoots
Course 12: Swordfish/mortared scale/cara cara orange/samphire

Oyster root/worcestershire/cabbage shoots.
Course 13: Whitmore pig hock/smoke/broth/aromatics
Course 14: Whitmore pig trotter/pie/winter root vegetables
Course 15: Whitmore pig stuffed ham/sweet potato/red eye
Course 16: Marvesta pepperpot/gold rice/rockfish belly/okra/shrimp gravy
Course 17: Pork chop/crowder peas/ranch/pickles
Course 18: Snails/ham/potato/trumpets
Course 19: Shabu shabu/short rib/caramelized onion/shroom
Course 20: Ox tongue/sourdough/mostarda/bitter herbs
Course 21: Coconut/green mango/serrano/peanut butter

CMP Shot/chocolate/marshmallow/peanut.
Course 22: CMP Shot/chocolate/marshmallow/peanut
Course 23: Benne cake/apricot/blackberry/rice pudding/basil
Course 24: Happy endings/little things/small bites

The fourth week of Rogue Sessions begins tonight with Washington’s own Chef Jose Andres, who is widely credited with helping bring the ‘small plate’ concept to America. Alas, all tables have long since sold-out, but Week 5 is only a few short days away!