La Rouge 23 is located in the middle on Main Street in Allentown, NJ. We walked into to grab some lunch on a Saturday afternoon. The town was buzzing with kids on bikes, couples walking their dogs and families running their errands, but inside La Rouge 23, it was peaceful and calm. Its BYOB, and since it was a Saturday, we figured 1pm wasn’t too early to crack open a bottle of wine. We started our long lunch with some deep fried wings and the short rib nachos. La Rouge is known for their specialty wing sauces, so we tried the HHT (honey, thyme) and the Green Curry sauces on our wings. Both were delicious, but the HHT is a Two Dopes favorite. The short rib nachos are a heavy appetizer and they do not skimp on the short rib. The chips are weighted down by the generous portions of meat, vegetables and cheese sauce.
Although we were quite full after enjoying the starters, we ordered the chicken pot pie and apple-cider brined pork chop for our entrees. The chicken pot pie is a deconstructed version of the dish. The thick, creamy chicken stew is served overtop a large puff pastry, which is accompanied with a smaller puff pastry floating in the middle of the bowl. It was The apple-cider brined pork chop was cooked perfectly and served with grits.
The relaxed pace of the restaurant and the freshness of the ingredients creates a European vibe that is quite calming. Overall, we thought the food was delicious and we enjoyed our lunch. It is a great spot to check out for lunch or dinner if you are looking to have a long, enjoyable meal with great company and some delicious BYO wine.
La Rouge 23
4 South Main Street
Allentown, NJ 08501