THE DUTCH
131 Sullivan St., New York, NY 10012 nr. Prince St.
Photo courtesy of www.hauteliving.com
The Dutch was opened in the Soho in early May by Andrew Carmellini, Josh Pickard and Luke Ostrom. Accaimed chef Andrew Carmellini veteran of Le Cirque, Café Boulud and most recently Locanda Verde, heads up the kitchen.
The style of the restaurant is very interesting- kind of part American comfort food part oyster bar with some hints of Asian flair. The décor has a similar feel- spacious yet cozy, part rustic American kitchen, part seafood shack with Chinese lanterns as the main source of lighting.
I had high hopes for this bustling new place given all of the extremely positive press- and especially when accompanied by three of my college roommates. Now, I may have ordered incorrectly but my meal definitely started on a high note and diminished as the courses went on…
The Meal:
Every table is served a warm spicy loaf of jalapeño corn bread to begin with sweet whipped butter. Yum.
Jalapeño Corn Bread
Eggplant Dip with Crackers: The eggplant dip was delicious. I could not actually tell what many of the ingredients were in this creamy dip but it was tangy with a bit of a grilled earthy taste. The cracker I felt had too many herbs and was overpowering.
Mini oyster sliders: These adorable little sandwiches were absolutely perfect. The oysters were fresh and perfectly coated in crispy cornmeal. The bun to oyster ratio was right on. The accoutrements complimented and did not take away from the main event in the center. A must have for sure.
Oyster Sliders
Dressed Crab with Bloody Mary Sauce and “Green Goodness”: Bloody Mary’s happen to be one of my favorite cocktails so I was instantly attracted to this dish. The ice cold crab was served on a long plate surrounded by zesty bloody Mary sauce. The green goodness sauce was mainly avocado and added some smoothness to the dish. It was all topped off with microbasil for the concentrated little burst of freshness that is somehow hidden in those tiny leaves.
Dressed Crab
Black Cod, Smoked Mushrooms, Yuzu Chili Broth: The fish itself was perfectly cooked but it was incredibly bland and sat in a puddle of sauce that did nothing but make me think it was leaching the natural flavors out of the fish.
Black Cod
Papas Bravas: I think it is pretty hard to differentiate among papas bravas but these were well executed. Crispy and flavorful.
Papas Bravas
I have never really been a fan of ice cream cakes that need to be sliced or tartufo and this one did nothing to change my mind.
Ice Cream Cake
The sticky toffee pudding was warm and the gooey sweet bite worth ending to the meal on.
Sticky Toffee Pudding
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