Last night, I had the great pleasure of having dinner at The Dutch, the new restaurant of chef Andrew Carmellini , Josh Pickard and Luke Ostrom, the guys behind Locanda Verde , another favorite of mine! Located on the corner of Prince and Spring Streets, it’s right in the heart of SoHo, a great place to walk around and window shop while working up an appetite for a great dinner with friends. Because of all of the great buzz surrounding it, my three friends and I were giddy with excitement as we walked in! (The Dutch has received such rave reviews from publications and Web sites including the New York Times , Bon Appetit and Time Out New York , just to name a few…) The Dutch | Simplifyingfabulous.com The Dutch | simplifyingfabulous.com Design team Roman + Williams did up the space to really feel like an Old World gentleman’s club with a hip, more progressive vibe. The Dutch Web site says the restaurant is “inspired by local cafés, country inns, corner taverns, neighborhood bistros, seaside shacks, roadside joints, old school dining halls and the same mix of cultural influences that make New York City great.” Mission accomplished! I especially loved this brass and wood chandelier that mirrors other bubble pendant lights in the space. The Dutch | Simplifyingfabulous.com When dining with one other person, I generally enjoy sitting at the bar where it’s more intimate and usually has the best atmosphere. Because of the size of our group, we weren’t able to sit at the bar, which was a bit loud, but very cool! The oyster bar, below, which was not quite as noisy as the main bar, was also lovely. The Dutch | simplifyingfabulous.com We found our way into the back dining area and spent the next several hours having wonderful conversation over the most spectacular food. I started with the heirloom tomato and burrata salad, followed by the swordfish, served with summer beans, pine nut and a mustard sauce, which was fabulous. Our server was extremely knowledgeable and recommended a wonderful wine to boot. I was so into the evening that I didn’t even snap any photos of our meals! My friend Anne Maxfield who was with us, also wrote about her experience on her blog, the Accidental Locavore !What I really love is the restaurant’s commitment to being a truly local establishment, from the food to the wall art which, according to this Time Out New York review, “references downtown New York, from the 19th century to the 1980s. It includes works by Keith Haring, Ed Ruscha and Robert Miller, among other iconic neighborhood artists.” Check out this great video on The Dutch’s Web site that gives you a feel of the spirit of the place, the team and their commitment to being a part of NYCl! The Dutch from TheDutchNYC on Vimeo .