Simply Delicious

The Dutch doesn’t do fancy—it’s all about good eats.

It seems as if every time a fancy schmancy sophisticated hotel-of-the-moment opens in Miami, a fabulously chichi matching restaurant opens inside it. But that pattern broke when The Dutch opened in the W South Beach Hotel & Residences. Meyer Davis designed the 170-seat indoor-outdoor restaurant and bar to reflect the same honesty as chef/co-owner Andrew Carmellini’s roots-inspired American cuisine. From the natural light oak floors to the white brick walls, zinc bar top, grayed driftwood beams and framed photographs of old Florida, all the materials lighten and color the space with cultural references while blending SoHo chic with Miami Beach cool. That could explain why The Dutch was recently singled out as best “Casual/Quick Service” restaurant in Hospitality Design magazine’s 2012 Awards, which chose the spot from over 325 applicants judged by a celebrated group of industry professionals including David Ashen, d-ash design; Jeffrey Beers, Jeffrey Beers International; Hans Galutera, GB Studio; Jon Kasti, Champallmaud; and Therese Virserius, Therese Virserius Design.

The original location of The Dutch in Soho was based on a pleasantly simple premise, if you ask Carmellini, who along with his fellow founding restaurateurs, Josh Pickard and Luke Ostrom partnered with longtime South Beach scenesters Karim Masri and Nicola Siervo. “We cook things that make us happy,” he says. To wit: a seasonal green market salad; a deluxe steak with a tower of shellfish; tasty sandwiches; homey roasted chicken; fresh-baked pies.

An extensive breakfast menu includes everything from Greek yogurt with berries and homemade granola to steak and eggs with Dutch sauce and skillet potatoes. (If you prefer to kick off your day with, well, a kick, tuck into a fresh-baked strawberry glazed donut or Key lime pound cake chased with a cup of Stumptown “Hair Bender” coffee.) Or stop by for lunch, which might be a soft-shell crab sandwich, dry-aged prime burger with “secret sauce”, a tuna nicoise salad or a blue crab, tomato, zucchini and jalapeño pizzette. At dinner, go for an appetizer like steak tartare, quail egg and truffle vinaigrette, or a selection from The Oyster Room—Blue Point? Corvina ceviche? American caviar with brioche and assorted garnishes? The choice is yours. Entrées comprise options for everyone, with pasta dishes, seafood (crispy branzino with local zucchini and rock shrimp stands out), mustard-glazed pork chop and Jamaican jerk chicken with rice and peas and pineapple chutney.

And right now the weekly summer series Bourbon, Beer & Q at The Dutch, which just kicked off the last week of June, allows guests to dig into smoked BBQ brisket, BBQ spare ribs and Texas hot links, accompanied by all the fixin’s—grilled corn on the cob, baked beans with onion straws and The Dutch’s freshly baked cornbread.

Cookout-inspired drink specials include $3 PBR Tall Boys; $22 pitchers of Pimm’s Punch or Boozy Arnold Palmers or award-winning barman Rob Ferrara’s Smokey Bacon Old Fashioned. While the Lone Star state is the first style to be highlighted, BBQ enthusiasts can expect the chefs to showcase the technique and flavors of St. Louis, Korea, Memphis and the Carolinas. “BBQ is a classic cooking style deep rooted in tradition, across America and overseas,” says Carmellini. “The techniques and flavors vary so much from region to region, we couldn’t pick just one.” Bourbon, Beer & Q will be offered every Tuesday night at The Dutch through July 31st. In case it’s not hot enough for you outside, stop by and grab some of this heat—it’s not only less oppressive, it’s downright delish.

The Dutch is located inside W South Beach Hotel & Residences, 2201 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. Breakfast is served 7 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Mon.–Fri. and 7:30 a.m.–noon Sat. and Sun.; lunch is served daily noon–4 p.m.; dinner is served 7 p.m.–11:30 p.m. Sun.–Wed., and 7 p.m.–midnight Thurs.–Sat.