Monday, July 29, 2013

Restaurant Review : Sunday Brunch at The Dutch

     Sunday was a glorious day: too good to stay home!  Lewis and I traipsed out to have brunch at The Dutch in SoHo.  


It is situated on the corner of Prince Street (and Sullivan Street).  The juxtaposition of "Dutch" and "Prince" seems apropos.  The Dutch people have a Prince of Orange to thank for their independence, and the current Princess of Orange is heir-to-the-throne.  (Her father recently became King).

     We like SoHo because of its smart shops, small cafés, calm cobblestone streets, farm-to-table food, people-watching, and artisanal boutiques.  In that neighborhood, a person can enjoy varied pleasures.  
     Before brunch, we popped into Once Upon A Tart, which is a small bakery.  We chose equal parts of sweet and savory confections for that night's dessert: moist iced carrot cake, ginger cookies, two buttery Madelines, a veggie quiche, and a cheddar/dill scone.





     The Dutch is a 3-room restaurant.  The front two rooms encircle the dual-sided bar.  Seen below, each room has window-counters, which are great when the windows are open. 





The space is bright and airy, with lots of wood and retro incandescent lighting.  



     The restaurant occupies an old office building.  It kept a utilitarian hallway to connect the front and rear dining rooms.  

     Downstairs, washrooms are located along a tiled corridor.  Each wooden door has frosted glass windows (like your school's principal or offices during the 1940s).  






     The restaurant's wine collection is stored in old wooden phonebooths.  "Subway tile" workmanship abounds.
     We were seated in the third room in the back.  It resembles a tavern.  We were given a roomy corner-banquette, near a non-functioning fireplace.  (Nearly all fireplaces in NYC are wastefully non-functioning due to exorbitant costs).  Giving another vintage vibe, there are wooden posts with hooks for coats/bags, and brass swing-arm lamps are attached to the walls.  


     Our exuberant waiter, Josh, started me with an oyster-topped Bloody Caesar, and a Gin/Chartreuse concoction for Lewis.  Thankfully, one side of the bar acts as a "service bar", so drinks are made expressly for servers to bring to tables and won't wilt while awaiting pickup.




     We began with Steak Tartare and (shelled) lobster salad, served over a bowl of shaved ice to keep it cool.  




     Josh recommended the twice-braised Spanish tripe (with two sunny-side-up eggs) and a fruity glass of Gamay wine.  Lewis ordered fried chicken with homestyle potatoes.  


*To see when we had a delicious trip to Spain (and ate awesome tripe), please use this link: https://halfwindsorfullthrottle.blogspot.com/2023/11/our-trip-to-madrid-spain-part-1-of-7.html

     For refreshment, he sipped a cold-brewed Ecuadorian coffee (made by Stumptown Coffee Roasters in Portland, OR), which came in a glass bottle with a small curet of cream.  




     Regarding the waitstaff, the service is always proper but not stuffy, and it is attentive in every category: hostesses, servers, food runner, busboys, even the girl who prepped our utensils and dining accoutrement.  
     For dessert, Lewis experienced his first icebox pie (strawberry and vanilla), and he loved it!  It looked like this...



     Afterwards, we intended to see the 3pm showing of Woody Alan's "Blue Jasmine" film at the Angelica Theatre.  It's a popular movie about an consumerism addict (brainless-but-affluent wife of a illegally-cheating Wall Street financier) who gets a "reality-check".  She can't handle her lack of wealth, yet refuses to exert herself for a solution.  So, she tries to scam people, karmically gets caught, and sinks into oblivion... rather than learn from mistakes and hoist herself up again.






     Alas, the 3pm time-slot was sold out, so we bought tickets for 6pm.  During the interim, we walked around and still had time for strong cocktails at Pegu Club on West Houston Street.  We were the first customers!  Since it's a crafty mixology place, I tried something new from the talented bartender: a mixture of gin (infused with botanicals) and handmade spruce liqueur.  Lewis ordered a Campari/Chartreuse cocktail.





     Tipsily, we went to the movie.  We like the Angelica Theatre.  It's clean and cozy, has a nice mix of patrons, and it has a café.  That is rare amongst NYC's dozens of movie theaters.  It was a fun to watch the humorous movie amidst a full theatre: the laughter was more contagious, and the gasps of shock were more surprised.  I strongly recommend the movie... a witty departure from Woody Allen's last two "overseas" films.  As a satire, it reminded me of "Match Point".
    Going home, we evaded a sudden drizzle of rain (typical of NYC summertime).  Overall, it was a lovely day.

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