Dutch's

It's been fascinating to see how the area around TCU has changed. I started working at TCU in 1994 when the main eating options around campus were Jon's Grille, Perotti's Pizza and Jack in the Box.

In 94-95, Jon's was mobbed everyday for lunch. People would be lined up almost to the door, and it was a great place to see your friends for lunch. But after Jon died, it just didn't have the same spirit about it. Prices went up, other options started opening nearby, and the few times I visited in recent years, the place was practically a ghost town at lunch. There would be perhaps 5-10 people in there for lunch at any given time, and it was pretty empty at dinner as well. All the same, I was sad when Jon's closed because I think a college campus needs a good hamburger joint.

So it was exciting to see remodeling efforts begin on the old Jon's space a few months ago. Then I found out that former Reata chefs Grady Spears and Louis Lambert were opening a hamburger place in the former Jon's. Dutch's opened last week, and my wife and I tried it out last night.

As you walk in, there's a really nice bar on the left, with some large TVs mounted on the wall. Right away I thought this might be a fun place to watch a Cowboys game if they're willing to turn up the sound. You actually place your order at the same counter as Jon's used. The kitchen space looked revamped, and a little more crowded than it ever did before. They had a lot of staff working, considering it was a weeknight.

Dutch's is not a cheap date place, nor is it meant to be. The food is fresh and handmade, and you pay a little more for that. My wife ordered a greek salad and an iced tea, while I, ever the healthy eater, ordered the mushroom & swiss burger, some onion rings, and a draft Shiner Bock (nectar of the gods!). Our bill came to a little over $22. I kept watching with envy as other customers walked back to their tables with baskets of golden skin-on french fries, so I later broke down and ordered a basket for 2 bucks more.

The greek salad had sliced olives, onions, lots of cucumbers, feta cheese and some tomatoes accompanying the (I believe) romaine, and a tart red wine vinaigrette on the top. My wife seemed shocked at the tartness of the first bite, but then she got used to it. Personally I thought it was pretty tasty.

When I ordered, the counter crew never asked how I wanted my burger cooked, but I was pleased to see that it was cooked medium, with a bit of pink inside. If you like your burgers cooked differently, you'll probably want to let them know. The mushroom & swiss burger comes with grilled mushrooms, swiss cheese, lettuce, onion and Dijon mayo, according to the menu. Mine also had a slice of tomato on there, which I pulled off and threw on my wife's salad, as I'm so freaking generous... They also served the burger with a pickle and a pepperoncini, which I love. The bun was very fresh, and was square, with almost a dinner roll consistency. I haven't seen anyone else around here using these buns, so I'm not sure of the source. The burger was extremely tasty, but very messy and drippy, and I went through multiple napkins.

The hard thing about ordering onion rings is that the order always looks so skimpy when compared to a beautiful pile of fries. They gave me six onion rings, and while they were beautiful and crispy and most definitely created by hand (not frozen), I was having serious french fry envy looking at other people's tables. My wife seemed envious as well, so I ordered a basket.

The fries were thin, with the skin on (bonus). They weren't as crispy as some other places, but they were delicious, and we eagerly chowed down on them.

On a late trip to get a glass of water and refill my wife's tea, I noticed some big jars containing pickled jalapeños and roasted red peppers. I'm a pepper fiend, so of course I can't pass those up... The jalapeños had an amazing sweet peppery flavor, and it was probably a good thing I hadn't seen them earlier or I would have been battling some serious heartburn late into the night.

I'm intrigued by some of the other menu items, so there will need to be a couple more visits before I know my favorites. On the menu, they have a heading titled "Bar Food" that lists Old School Sliders, which sounds like a White Castle kind of deal, Tiger Wings (I guess because tigers are tougher than buffaloes? How about Liger Wings?), nachos and queso.

The atmosphere is nice, though it can be difficult to maneuver between tables the way they're organized. But I think this could definitely be a hit with the TCU students. It's nice to have a good hamburger joint back in the TCU vicinity...