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★★★★ for Dutch & Co.

by Church Hill People's News

Dana Craig gives Dutch & Co. 4 stars in a rave review in today’s RTD:

[…] how much I adore Dutch & Company, a new Church Hill spot whose quaint dining room and quiet, vintage décor belie the crazy amount of talent tucked within its four walls. […]

Like the lived-in vibe of its neighborhood, Dutch & Company is one of those restaurants that feels as if it’s been doing its thing for years — only its thing is constantly innovating and its years are just the beginning of many to come.

Dutch & Co
400 North 27th Street
(804)643-8824 (804 64DUTCH)
dutchandcompany.com (tumblr) | Facebook | @DutchandCompany

41 comments

Magneto 04/11/2013 at 8:33 AM

Congratulations, Dutch & Co! They are such a great addition to our neighborhood!

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Ashley Mannell 04/11/2013 at 9:07 AM

We’ve had dinner there a number of times and can’t say enough great things about the restaurant, the amazing food, and the wonderful staff. So glad to have you guys in Church Hill!

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G. 04/11/2013 at 12:39 PM

Damn…Dana Craig is kinda like “Mikey” (from the 1970’s Life Cereal commercials) – she doesn’t usually ever like anything – so this is super-high praise!

“She likes it! She likes it!” : )~

I must say, I fully concur.

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Eric Huffstutler 04/11/2013 at 1:51 PM

I am glad Dutch & Co. have made their way to our neighborhood and surprised that they are not quite as intrusive as expected.

Even with the rave review the down side is that their menu caters to a more 20-30-something crowd and not to Baby Boomers who have a different palate seeking comfort food. Wild Game and Organ Meats are not fare I crave.

When they said the menus would include “local” favorites I expected “Southern” local such as fried, baked, and casseroled items (country ham, fried chicken, grits, etc…). From what I have gathered the menu is limited for those like me but if they expand to include some of the other items, at a more affordable price point, I just may consider a visit.

Also, have they started serving mixed drinks yet and if not…when? We are not beer or wine drinkers when we do drink anything with a meal.

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Karen 04/11/2013 at 2:16 PM

I love this place!!!!!

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Zekeus Maximus 04/11/2013 at 6:25 PM

Eric H. won’t be happy until there’s a Cracker Barrel in CH.

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Eric Huffsttler 04/11/2013 at 8:29 PM

Zekeus… Close 🙂 But really, what is wrong with liking good home cooking Southern style? Doesn’t have to be a Cracker Barrel but comfort food just the same. I am not into all of this health food craze – I want real food.

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G. 04/12/2013 at 8:32 AM

Eric Huffstutler: the foods you “crave” (Southern comfort food) is well noted on countless menus across Richmond. You do not have to look far to find it. Due to your “rigid tenacity” and continued ignorance, you are missing out on food in which you “may” crave, if only you gave it a chance. Go outside of your “box” for new gastronomic adventures/delights. Dana Craig and all of the others could not be so wrong…can they?

You’ve all but predicted a parking nightmare, before they opened…to the point where your negativity was oozing from our computer screens. Your “negative” expectations are not productive at all. Now, did you really have to get the special parking spot in front of your house???

As for your silly question about mixed drinks: Man, just saddle up to their bar and ask for one. And see what they say…don’t waste your time pondering it on the internet. God forbid that while you’re there, the lovely aroma of the sweetbread sausage will entice your senses. Again, you’ll probably never make it to the bar stool to find out…this is indeed sad.

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Queen of Church Hill 04/12/2013 at 8:46 AM

there is comfort food in the neighborhood…Johnson’s Southern Comfort…am I mistaken?

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Clay Street 04/12/2013 at 9:59 AM

Eric, hold the phone–have you not even been there yet?

I ask you again–you haven’t actually tried the delicious food or drink they offer literally steps from your front door?

Ah, I get it–you are content with just looking out your window and projecting your issues onto the restaurant. (::they probably wouldn’t have what I wanted to eat anyways, durn new-fangled restaurants with their fresh and tasty ingredients etc. etc. where’s my “real food” that exacerbates diabetes and heart disease heh heh heh::)

Also, news flash–> they have an EXTENSIVE cocktail list and full bar.

maybe if they opened a Waffle House you would be excited? an Arby’s? Applebee’s?
FYI to a lot of people, that is NOT real food.

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Magneto 04/12/2013 at 10:04 AM

The Common Law is soooooo good!

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ray 04/12/2013 at 10:07 AM

Do you really think that tone is called for, G?

So Eric says we wants comfort food — big deal!!!

Isn’t he allowed to express his opinion without being attacked? Do his words really harm you?

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G. 04/12/2013 at 11:03 AM

ray: Eric H. is expressing an opinion on something he does not know about. It does not harm me in any way…it just makes him look like the village idiot (with an internet connection). If he had indeed gone in and said that he simply does not care for the menu, decor, service, etc., I would find it commendable that he has indeed tried it and did not like it – I would respect his opinion.

But to bash the place before they open (sounding the alarm on parking, noise, traffic, etc.), and then not even try it – only to later discount their efforts is pure nonsense.

The world (Dutch & Co. included) should not have to cater to Eric H. Dutch & Co. are producing fare that they are passionate about…it is their craft, their art, their livelihood. And to have a neighbor who has not once set foot in the establishment come forth to spew negativity, I am going to frown upon that. It just makes no sense (to me) for him to feel that he needs to do this…but it is still his prerogative – a hater’s gonna hate. So be it…

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ray 04/12/2013 at 11:33 AM

I love D&C and know we are fortunate to have them in the neighborhood.

But Eric’s words don’t hurt me, you, D&C or anyone else.

Just privately chuckle at Eric’s harmless opinions and don’t become a hater yourself.

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Eric Huffstutler 04/12/2013 at 1:54 PM

I am pretty thick skinned so options are just that. But before one to enter an establishment they first must be enticed, correct? The first days they were open I saw on the blackboard menu through the window Venison Loin and braised Beef Hearts. Those two alone were enough to turn me away right then and was my first impression. But then I read on their limited menu things like Smoked Marrow or Swetbreads … and words like SPROUTED QUINOA, FRISEE, HERB SPETZLE, or GRILLED RADDICCHIO.. what the hell is that stuff? I will be the first to say my culinary background is limited. I grew up in a different era than most of you here and the food was full of fat, butter, creams, and so on and is still the way I like to eat. And I applaud these guys for thinking outside the box and have gained the eyes of critics! Bravo. But for me, the menu is a bit limited for my own taste and there are ways to make Southern Comfort more interesting rather than basic Cracker Barrel. Even they have made millions and stay packed so I am not the only one with a taste for simplicity. My point here is 1) their menu is limited for an eclectic crowd and 2) if they want to gain my business needs to expand to some more basic fare along with the artsy foods. I am not saying it doesn’t taste good… for someone who enjoys this sort of thing. Just nothing there that would draw my attention to drop a C-Note on.

And the parking situation isn’t as bad as expected “if” I arrive home before 5:30pm. Coming home between 6-8 is a terror though and do they have a Happy Hour or something? I have noted an early wave of people that disappears right before traditional dinner time.

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AmyN-B 04/12/2013 at 4:43 PM

I’m so glad D&C is getting the love, sad that it will be even harder to get a table. I personally think it’s the best restaurant in Richmond. Yup, said it.

Ps they have cocktails.

PSS Eric, Johnson’s Southern Comfort?

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AmyN-B 04/12/2013 at 4:45 PM

PPS Spatzle = Egg noodles (German comfort food)
They have an amazing savory porridge (Comfort food)
Great desserts
Ps While I don’t eat meat, I’m pretty sure organ meats are comfort food.
An acceptable price point – $27 for three courses!

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Brett F 04/12/2013 at 8:38 PM

I get what Eric H. is saying, but only to a point.

Here’s where I agree with Eric:

I am not an adventurous eater. Never have been. I like a basic steak. Simple pastas. Steamed simple shellfish. That sort of things. Never been one for vegetables–the taste of the chlorophyll makes me gag. I have a strong negative reaction to onions. I’m allergic to nuts. And I feel a little self-conscious when I look at a menu and see an unexplained item that I have never heard of like “gribiche sauce” that is listed as if it were common like carrots.

To look at D&C’s menu (and maybe we shouldn’t be calling it D&C’s while discussing organ meat) there is not much for me. I don’t need my ice cream to have lavender. Vanilla makes me happy. Bone marrow does not sound especially appetizing. Everything is a little frou-frou compared to what I enjoy. So I get Eric’s aversion to the place.

Here’s where I disagree with Eric:

I don’t understand his almost angry-tone toward the place just because it is not for him. It is sort of like being angry at there being an Indian restaurant if you are not into Indian food.

Personally, I’m really happy this place is here. There is an audience for this kind of food and they are coming to the neighborhood to enjoy it. Maybe some of them will look around and think it is cool to be near happening places like this and consider moving to Church Hill and renovating a home or opening their own business. Maybe others will see this success and think they can piggyback on it. To me that’s awesome. We all benefit from the restaurant being excellent and successful even though some of us may never step foot in it because it is not for us. I hope the people who opened this establishment maintain the excellence they clearly are demonstrating and prosper doing something they evidently love.

I just have one request. Don’t change the menu. You know your audience. But maybe consider…just consider…adding one “plain” item on the menu so I can join my friends if they want to dine at your place—they can have the cumin yogurt and I can join them and order a basic while they enjoy themselves. I would gladly give the waitstaff and the kitchen crew permission to look down their noses at me or snicker for ordering the plain dish. Even The Roosevelt has a cheeseburger for Philistines like me…although I do have to ask them to hold the “bacon onion jam” and the “rooster sauce.”

If you don’t, that’s OK. I still have Hill Café, WPA, Captain Buzzy’s, Johnson’s, Anthony’s, Alamo and the burger at The Roosevelt. And I still think that it is amazing that there are two top notch restaurants like yours and the Roosevelt within 3 minutes of my house.

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just a neighbor 04/26/2013 at 4:36 PM

I’m actually with Brett and Eric on this one. Their menu doesn’t entice me. My friends and husband went recently and were not impressed, especially with the chocolate dessert that comes with some sort of green slime. Ha. That was there take away. I’m glad it is here. I’m glad it is thriving. But I, too, would love to see a dish or two geared to the less adventurous.

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Karen 04/26/2013 at 4:44 PM

To Dutch & Co – don’t change your menu!!!! We have been several times and love the choices!!!!

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AmyN-B 05/07/2013 at 3:55 PM

More love: http://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/magic-moments/Content?oid=1887345

Dutch and Co, if I didn’t have to pay a sitter to dine at your glorious establishment, I’d go broke eating there. Your food is spectacular and I don’t even eat meat.

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