Event art by Chad Cariano of Cabin
Summer. It’s largely about drinking slushy drinks, right? The Rogue Gentlemen understands this, and to celebrate, the restaurant is throwing #freecuba, a summer-loving, daiquiri-slurping, whole-pig-roasting extravaganza on Sunday, Aug. 9. And then they’re going on vacation for a week.
“It started out because we wanted to have a party before summer break, and now it’s grown into a big event with three other restaurants and bars," says owner John Maher. "I drink daiquiris in the summertime like I drink water, so myself, my bar manager Paul Blumer, James Kohler from Saison, and Jason [Smith] from The Royal in D.C. will be slinging them all day.”
The Royal, a Colombian-inspired spot in Washington's LeDroit Park, opened at the end of last month. When Maher met Smith by chance in Saison, Maher mentioned the event, and the two decided that together is better. They’ll be serving five or six variations of daiquiris, including classic lime, grapefruit-maraschino and Maher’s "#hellafancy" elixir made with pineapple-infused plantation dark rum. They’ll also have Cuba Libres on draft, if you're in the mood for a highball. #FreeCuba, indeed.
Flexing on the pig cookery side of things will be Rogue’s new executive chef, Danial Oakes, Saison’s Adam Hall and another D.C. connection, Smoke & Barrel’s Logan McGear. They’ll be preparing a couple of 60-to-70 pound hogs in two styles: smoked and china-box roasted. Rogue Gentlemen bakery wizard Drew Thomasson will serve up his insanely delicious Parker House rolls, and a smattering of sides will round it all out.
A $25 ticket gets you in for the all-you-can-eat pork fest, with some proceeds benefiting an as-of-yet-undetermined charity; drinks are extra, but they’ll start out at a very reasonable $7. Tickets are available online now, so grab them before heading to #freecuba on Aug. 9 and getting your #hellafancy on between 1 and 6 p.m. You can also roll the dice and just show up, but if it’s sold out, you won’t be enjoying anything roguishly gentlemanly again until the restaurant returns on Aug. 18.
The Rogue Gentlemen is located at 618 N. First St.
