#30 – RABBIT POTPIE at THE DUTCH

For the third year in a row, I’m going to attempt to eat every single item on Time Out New York’s annual 100 Best Dishes list. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100. Let the gluttony continue…

Most of my meals during my freshman year of college consisted of frozen, microwaveable dinners – salisbury steaks, Hot Pockets, and pot pies. And then one day, for shits and giggles, I looked at the back of one of those icy boxes and saw the calorie count. At that time, I didn’t care much about what food labels said, but I had never seen that many calories or fat in a single serving. The calories were well in to the triple digits and the fat content was higher than any I had ever seen. The idea of consuming all that unhealthiness in one little box soon lost its excitement.

Now when I eat out, of course, I don’t ask to see the nutritional facts otherwise I might never eat again. Plus the food world in New York City is a little different from the microwavable food I was consuming in my dorm room.

I think those potpies all those years ago had a scarring effect because pot pies are still not something I’m normally attracted to on a menu. I don’t dislike them, I just think I know better. Yet the version at the ever popular The Dutch made its way onto Time Out’s Top 100 list so I had to make room for the calories.

The rabbit potpie is now only offered from time to time as a special and it was not available on our first visit to this Soho hot spot. We came back a few weeks later, sat at the bar, ordered a little lighter, and got to enjoy this famous potpie.

The attention we got from the other bar-goers was worth the $34 price tag on its own as the giant domed pie was presented. It looked like a football. A football I was about to eat.

After I cracked open the top (and wiped the steam off my glasses), we didn’t really give the filling a chance to cool. Although we singed our tongues, it was quite delicious. The rabbit (which was a very interesting change from the usual chicken) really did taste like chicken, but it was so much more tender and full of flavor. It had been stewed with hearty vegetables like turnips and potatoes. The thick soupy interior was brought to life with a wonderful tangy flavor that I contribute to the addition of mustard seeds and some sort of wine. It was probably the best potpie filling I’ve ever tasted.

It was that beautiful crust that I took issue with. It didn’t have that buttery flavor or texture I expected. In fact, it was quite bland with nothing of note except salt. I wouldn’t be surprised if Saltine crackers were the main component because while it was gorgeous and plentiful, it was a little too light for this hearty dish.

I was also disappointed that the crust was only present on the top. Don’t potpies usually have a full round of pastry to encase the meat stew inside?

Perhaps this was a lighter version for all those college kids who got scared off potpies due to the high calorie count in their crappy frozen incarnations. But I somehow doubt it.

Would The Dutch’s Rabbit Potpie make my Top 100 of the year? The flavors inside were absolutely wonderful, but I felt like the composition of the crust was a bit lacking and that’s why this dish doesn’t get higher than an 8 out of 10.