L-atitude Favorite: The Dutch

Andrew Carmellini?s latest venture promises to be your new-season favorite restaurant: the kind of place you?ll want to while away warm summer evenings, seated in an open, airy space, indulging in an epicurean?s take on American comfort food. The refreshingly light wooden interior will allow sunshine in all season long, and keep spirits bright after dark. An oyster bar will make you feel like you?ve escaped to the Hamptons without having to make the traffic-ridden trip.

Carmellini has wowed diners at the likes of Locanda Verde and Caf? Boulud ? so we know he?s an expert on some of the world?s finest dishes from Italy and France. The Dutch is a departure into American food, but not the pigeonholed menu you?re thinking ? this goes beyond hamburgers and fried chicken.

 

Armed with an international culinary background, Carmellini sees American food as the melting pot America itself is. He believes the scope can include dishes like miso soup and pierogies, dishes that may have originated elsewhere but have been cooked stateside for decades. The menu, which will continue to change with new offerings and special focuses on particular international influences, promises to excite ? think of your favorite, familiar dishes reinvented with not-so-familiar but oh-so-delicious and complex flavors. Carmellini includes undeniable crowd-pleasers like smoked black cod in his rotation, but he adds his own unique vision with spices and seasonings like lemongrass and ancho chilies.

As for the space, the two airy rooms and oyster bar are perfect for any occasion, from dates to larger groups of friends. There is a reservation-only back room, as well as a private dining room for pre-booked dinners. Just as Carmellini?s menu is the perfect blend of comfort and adventure, his restaurant strikes a balance between openly welcoming and luxurious.