Rouge chef Matt Zagorksi wants you to mix up his menu. Petite Additions is the precious name for his new-ish lunch menu that allows diners to select two smaller plates for $16. “The lunch crowd here is mostly suburban, and business people,” the chef said yesterday, “many people who aren’t in the city for dinner. This gives three people a chance to share six plates and see what the restaurant is all about, beyond just the burger.”

The much-vaunted Rouge burger does makes an appearance in a adorable 3-ounce size, crowned with its customary sautéed onions, gruyere cheese, bibb lettuce and tomato hat, sided with a heap of pommes frites.  For those daring beyond burgerdom, gorgeous proteins beckon: line-caught fluke with caramelized cauliflower, spinach, granny smith apples and sweet vermouth sauce; or roasted pork reclining over butternut squash puree and haricots verts in roasted vegetable glaze. First courses include a cup of seasonal soup, steamed mussels with fennel, basil, garlic and wine, or a bright ruby dice of tuna tartare with wasabi-lime aioli in a crisp wonton cup, among others. 

There are 14 plates to choose from in all, including Meal Ticket’s favorite: half a quail roasted and stuffed with a moist mixture of smoked bacon and brioche, scattered with cloves of garlic confit, over a fresh tomato jam and sherry chicken jus. Seize the lilliputian quail drumstick and gnaw on it for a juvenile moment of fee-fi-fo-fum. These smaller-sized plates also appear later in the day as a bar-only menu, each selling for $8. 

The new emphasis on an affordable menu designed for sharing was influenced, of course, by the scary economic reality that has squeezed everyone. “We’re feeling the slow economy a little bit at lunch,” said Zagorski. “We want to encourage sharing, so guests get to try new things. Of course everyone wants a good deal, and the menu is priced with that in mind.”

I asked chef how Parc, which opened in September just a few doors down, had affected business at Rouge. “It actually helped business,” he said. “Parc brings different people to the neighborhood — the Stephen Starr crowd came down here.  The first week it took people away from us, but after that, lots of new people came to Rittenhouse Square.  We kept our customer base and added some.”

Zakorski’s food is both beautiful and substantial, and the cold, withering Philadelphia winter looks much friendlier while ensconced in Rouge’s blush silk-draped dining room. Attentive service from the black-clad staff, the unencumbered view of the park and the crisp Metropolitan rolls with butter and fleur-de-sel are the details that make the new menu stand out for diners in search of a great lunch bargain.

Rouge, 205 S. 18th St., 215-732-6622.  The Petite Additions lunch menu is available Mon.-Fri. from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Lunch in style at Rouge for $16

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 27th, 2009 at 1:30 pm and is filed under Food News, Menu Time. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.