On June 8th 2024, I dined at the restaurant with a few of my colleagues from my day job. We had a 7 pm reservation and sat until just after 9:30.
The space was dimly lit with a large bar and small tables. Our server was fantastic, always checking on us and keeping our drinks from being dry for too long. The bathroom was beautiful.
Dutch gets a 6.5/10
Here’s what I drank:
- Fort Copper cocktail ($20): rye, sweet vermouth, aperitivo
A great start to the meal, this cocktail was well balanced. It had 1 large cube of ice and was served with an strip of orange peel that was imprinted with their logo. The taste was equally as orange-y as it was herbaceously bitter. Aperol Spritz’s manly sibling, if you will.
- Torch and Crown ‘Bat Flip’ Spring Ale ($11): draft beer
This draft was freshly juicy and hoppy, slightly bitter and quite refreshing. It was a perfect pair for many of the dishes that we enjoyed. This is the type of beer that you dream of after a long and hot day.
- Saratoga still water for the table
Nicely chilled and we never went without for too long.
Here’s what we ate:
- Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail (shared, $25 for 4 pcs)
Shrimp cocktail is one of the things I can’t resist ordering when I eat at a restaurant that’s new to me.
The shrimp came out on the same ice tray as the oysters. I’m not sure which garnish specifically came with which items, but they all sort of went with each other. There was cocktail sauce, mignonette, fresh grated horseradish and what appears to be either ketchup or mild cocktail sauce.
The red shrimp were cooked nearly to perfection. I prefer my cocktail sauce to have a bit more of a kick that what came out in the ramekin, but the extra horseradish helped compensate.
- 1/2 dozen Blue Pool Oysters (shared, $5 per pc)
This was their only west coast oyster. I’m guessing this was to prioritize more locally sourced selections, which I respect. Having said that, I tend to prefer the smaller, sweeter taste of west coast oysters and these did not disappoint. These bivalves were very clean with little to no grit, coming across the palate with a lot of fresh flavors. Think creamy oceanic cucumbers on petite half shells. The mignonette that came with it was pretty classic and delicious, shallots in vinegar.
- House-Made Scallion Chipotle Cornbread (shared, $9 for 1 pc)
A rather small portion in my opinion. A litlle dry, which was compensated for by the whipped butter it was accompanied with. The butter was light yet decadent.
- Crab-Stuffed Devilled Eggs (shared 2 orders, $9 per order of 2 pcs)
Delicious, but needed a little salt. Also a little light in portion size, I would like to have seen the same amount of crab split between 3 eggs.
- Beef Tartare Cones (shared 2 orders, $16 per order of 2 pcs)
This was the best thing I ate all night. The Keller-esque snack was presented as crispy cone shaped tuiles filled with beef tartare garnished with caviar and one hazelnut. I would arrange the prevalence of flavors within this dish in this order: hazelnut oil, caviar, leen beef. Though I tend to prefer beef tartare where the beef shines first and foremost, this was a scrumptious couple of bites. The hazelnut oil came across my tongue very truffle-like. It was either that or they used truffle oil and just didn’t list it on the menu. I wouldn’t assume this to be the case since it was one of the most clear-to-taste components of the dish, and one would assume that what you taste the most of would be listed in the menu description.
- “Chef’s Garden” Lettuces (shared 2 orders, $12 per plate)
Salad is an essential part of a balanced meal in my opinion, and this “chef’s garden” example checked all of my boxes. High quality greens with a lot of texture dressed lightly with a little extra lemon on the side and a garnish of grated parmigiano on top for a balanced finish. No bells and whistles because none were needed; I love salads like this.
- 14 oz Smoked Pork Chop with Mustard Jus ($45)
I was pretty excited for this pork chop, however I ended up a bit disappointed. There was nothing too exciting about it. The “Mustard Jus” was fine, its accompanying mashed potatoes were fine. It all needed just a bit more salt.
Honestly the sauce itself came across as bland. Given how heavy the char was on the outside of the chop, maybe the flavors cancelled each other out. I adore a good char on meat, but in this case it tasted shallow. With the dim lighting of the restaurant, it looked almost black all over.
The mashed potatoes were good, but there was so little of it I had to damn near ration it throughout eating the dish. It was definitely not a bad plate of food, but what was there almost felt like each component was not quite seen to its most delicious state.
The other gents I was with had their own drinks and entrees, totalling to approximately $456 before tip.
All in all I had a nice time at The Dutch. The food was good, not great. Everything was certainly on the higher end price-wise, which I guess I should’ve expected given the neighborhood where it’s located. My most prevalent critique throughout the meal was the mildness of seasoning on most of the dishes.
If you eat here, prioritize the raw bar, small plates and cocktails since that’s where you’ll get the most satisfaction.
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