Rouge Tomate – Light and delightful

When I plan to go to restaurants for the first time and start doing some background research, there are a few characteristics I try to avoid.

• A chain, usually lacks originality.
• Large place, it’s difficult to handle large crowds.
• Overemphasis on organic or green ingredients.

In my quest to collect Michelin Stars this year, I’m unfortunately running low on the cheaper, more affordable restaurants. Rouge Tomate was among the handful I can still reasonably afford without having to go on a special occasion. Despite the fact that Rouge Tomate fit every one of the aforementioned characteristic that I usually try to avoid, a reservation was made.

Time for a quick background on the restaurant. The concept of Rouge Tomate was created in the late nineties by entrepreneur Emmanuel Verstraeten in Brussels, and opened the New York location in 2008. As a restaurant industry outsider, Verstraeten wanted to differentiate his restaurant by applying his personal values into the concept. The website still reads like a copy and pasted from the original business plan. From the design perspective, the restaurant adheres to the four “principles” of lighting, materials, sound, and nature. As for the food, it’s guided by the charter, yes seriously a charter of S.P.E, Sanitas Per Escam, or Health Through Food. Many of the menu items are co-developed with a nutritionist. Plus, it’s socially responsible.

If I haven’t lost your interest yet, then I have good news. The whole package actually works quite nicely.

Warm and comfortable on a chilly evening.

Situated in the prime midtown retail zone, the lofty space was formerly occupied by a couture retail store. The conversion works quite well, giving you a very airy feeling not found in most other restaurants in the area. The bi- levels layout and big boutique windows truly makes it a place where people would like to socialize after a day at work. Going back to the principals by Verstraeten, lighting was comfortable, materials stylish, music subtle, and the nature, well there were a few pictures of foliage printed on back-lit plastic panels, and it was tastefully done.

Bi-level layout gives an airy feeling.

I especially liked the placement of the bar, which looks like a re-purposed checkout counter.

The menu was a lot of fresh local ingredients, and on the pages in small print, the S.P.E. concept was once again repeated. I cannot easily describe what cuisine these dishes are, you see hints of ingredients and preparation methods of from every culture, so by default I shall categorize this as American.

The drink menu was quite fascinating as well, resembling a Jamba Juice menu mixed with shots.

An Apple Sidecar. Most drinks have fruit elements.

Many people associate healthy eating with light eating, and here at Rouge Tomate, it was the case. The appetizers were very light on oil and spices, relying on natural sweet and tangy fruits to flavor the main ingredient. The grapefruit chunks over peekytoe crab was a nice combination, although a bit on the light side. The octopus tabouleh salad looked healthy and hearty, and was also blessed with finely diced tropical fruits for flavor.

The grapefruit dominated the flavors of the crab.

Warm octopus salad.

For entrees, we went with the Long Island duck and the Moroccan spiced lamb. The meats were both cooked just right, but the seasoning was a tad light for my personal tastes. The duck was served over veggies, and the lamb over grains. Part of a complete and nutritious dinner.

Long Island Duck

Moroccan spice rubbed lamb

Come desert time, I continued with the light theme and went with a very refreshing Golden Pineapple, which had passion fruit curds, and more tangy fruits mixed in. The bitter sweet mi-cuit was perhaps the heaviest tasting dish in the meal, but very good.

I order anything with passion fruit.

Mi-Cuit!

Overall, the dinner was enjoyable, unless you’re into the heavier tastes. A light meal around the midtown area can be hard to find, and Rouge Tomate’s large dining room is sure to fill that void. However, while S.P.E is a great theme, but should not overwhelm the menu and underwhelm our palettes.

CS

Rating:  

Rouge Tomate (Make a Reservation)
10 East 60th Street
New York, NY 10022