The Dutch in E. Passyunk is reimagined as all-day cafe after Fond says goodbye

Letting go is never easy. We’ve seen so many restaurants face hard decisions over the last couple years, not to mention the last two weeks, as two more — Musi and Gabi — announced closures because their business is no longer sustainable.

Lee Styer and Jessie Prawlucki Styer have had to do their share of letting go, too, saying goodbye to Fond after 12-plus years of polished modern French cooking that helped jump-start the East Passyunk Avenue revival. The good news is that the Styers own their building across from the Avenue’s Singing Fountain. So when they smartly decided to move their brunch-centric second restaurant, The Dutch, from its previous spot on South Fourth Street into Fond’s former space, they managed to create an all-day dining space that has more energy combined than either of their former concepts.

Now you can still have that shatteringly crisp-yet-tender pork belly Fond once made famous, and eat your Dutch babies for brunch, too.

A key to the move, which both melded the two menus and expanded hours, was making the Dutch’s longtime chef, Kevin Watters, a partner in the business. His breakfast and lunch fare now has the benefit of Fond’s old bar putting out zesty Bloody Marys and other libations to maximize the fun factor. The added liquor revenues have easily compensated for the more leisurely paced table stays compared to the old Dutch, Watters says.

Diners relax inside the airy corner dining room, and at the awning-covered outdoor tables with their pups taking in the scenery of one of Philly’s most lively public squares, sipping bottomless cups of Rival Bros. coffee while nibbling away at huevos rancheros waffles. That’s Watters’ irresistible softie comfort take on the usually crunchy Mexican brunch classic, part of a corn-battered waffle repertoire he picked up during his days at long-gone Chhaya Cafe, including a cayenne-spiced hollandaise that glazes the fried eggs.

I’ve always enjoyed the Dutch’s otherwise distinctive brunch menu, with the Central Pennsylvania influences of Lee Styer’s Berks County childhood apparent in specialties like the garlicky ring bologna eggs Benedict, and dinner items like chowchow pickles and Jessie’s fresh-baked pretzel made from a 14-year-old sourdough starter.

And, of course, there are those zaftig Dutch babies, the puffy-edged, doughy-centered popover crêpes this restaurant uses in both sweet renditions (minimalist lemon and powdered sugar works for me) as well as savory alternatives laden with kielbasa or chicken and gravy and a dippy egg.

Some of the most intriguing options, though, reveal a convergence of the various influences at play in this new hybrid all-day kitchen. The fried skate and grits special is both a clever pun and mash-up of Styer’s French influence with Watters’ favorite childhood breakfast from West Philly. The feathery grain of the fried skate wing adds extra crunch to a traditional dinner fish and chips.

My favorite Watters specialty is the creamed chipped beef, a superbly silky white gravy (not a clump to be found!) he learned from his grandma, Lillian Lewis, with no added salt (the chipped beef does that), but a healthy grind of black pepper on the finish. It’s another stellar option for a savory waffle by day, scattered with crunchy shaved scallions. It’s no wonder the weekend brunch crowd can wait an hour-and-a-half in line for a no-reservations seat.

But I’m guessing that even more of that creamed chipped beef gets served at night, when it takes on extra cheese (Gouda, cheddar, and Swiss), as well as colorful stripes of salsa, black beans, and guac on top to become the “Dutch queso” that seemed to be landing on nearly every table around us at a recent dinner.

Dinner is where Styer has recently rediscovered a bit of his Fond groove. Styer has a passion for French cuisine, honed over years in the kitchen at Lacroix at the Rittenhouse and Le Bec-Fin. It’s impossible not to hear the shade of melancholy in his voice as he details their struggles to adapt during the pandemic, as his core audience of older suburban diners stopped commuting into the city for dinner and he, at one point, ended up cooking cheesesteaks and sausages at a sidewalk stand in front of Fond.

In some ways, the buzz over Fond had already ebbed in recent years simply because of the continuous growth of new restaurant options in the neighborhood.This corner space has benefitted from a shift away from its status as a destination restaurant to the Dutch’s more casual neighborhood vibe, with no reservations and friendly servers like Isabella “Bella” Pignetti and manager Adam Judeh.

You can get a standout double smash burger for dinner, cheesesteak tater tots, or the nibbler’s version of Styer’s pork belly — cut into deep fried nugget bites with lettuce wraps and smoked paprika aioli on the side.

That belly comes in entree form, too, the familiar brick of juicy meat with crispy skin served alongside mashed potatoes and a vegetable sauté. And other dishes on the main menu reinforce The Dutch’s new life as a fairly priced bistro, from a healthy scoop of chicken liver mousse, to a Madeira-laced terrine, steamed mussels multiple ways, and a spot-on steak frites of perfectly seared flat-iron striped green with chimichurri alongside some excellent freshly cut fries.

It was not until recently that Styer introduced the “Dutch After Dark,” a $50 three-course menu of changing specials, to draw some crowds for dinner. It’s reenergized Styer to revisit some of his French favorites (the choucroute, coq au vin, and cassoulet are coming: “I’m not a tweezer guy,” he says), but has also allowed the chef to cook beyond his preconceived boundaries. Flavorful chicken tagine. Stir-fried broken rice with house kimchi and gochujang. A tender pork chop with Cuban-style black beans and slaw that tasted like a backyard picnic. A branzino fillet was so lightly poached in a saffron-preserved lemon court bouillon over fingerling potatoes it made me wonder why more people don’t poach this delicate fish.

This three-course menu is also a reminder that Jessie’s desserts are not to be missed. I’d almost forgotten how much I love her peanut brittle stuck into fresh-churned malted chocolate ice cream. And then there was a salted caramel cheesecake that was like eating the fluffiest, creamiest rendition of dulce de leche beside vanilla-poached peaches and chantilly.

I was so enthused by our Dutch meals that we made a breakfast plan for the next day to visit the Dutchess, the quick-serve makeover the former Dutch space near Dickinson Square Park. Jessie apparently had been experimenting with making doughnuts. But alas ... the doors were closed.

“It didn’t work out,” Lee told me, a note of frustration clear in his voice. “We’re trying to sell it.”

Letting go is harder than it looks.

1537 S. 11th St., 215-551-5000; thedutchphilly.com

No reservations.

Brunch Wednesday through Friday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, until 2 p.m. Dinner served Wednesday through Sunday, 5 to 9 p.m.

Wheelchair accessible through ramp on side.