09/25/09

Plan to go back

by Josie R

I initially had just an OK experience at Dumont and was surprised at all the nice reviews. But as it turns out, they were short-staffed and my experience seemed to be the exception, not the rule. I plan to give them another shot--I hear the burgers are among the best in the city.

• Pros: Atmosphere
• Cons: Can get crowded

09/20/09

Ditto Worst Service complaint

by cobbler

Waited an 1:15 for food for brunch food today. AFTER we were seated. Which might be forgivable if they comped a round of drinks, or at least seemed to seem sorry about the situation. The attitude of most of the staff at this places unbelievable, like they're doing us a favor by giving them money. As someone who lives in the neighborhood, boycott is on.

• Pros: food is decent
• Cons: attitude unforgivable

09/14/08

Late Dinner Let Down

by serialcritic

[CUISINE] Having thoroughly enjoyed burgers and beers at DuMont burger on Bedford ave, I went into this sit down meal with higher than met expectations. For appetizers we had the Crab Cake with Salsa Verde, Avocado Salad & Cilantro and Mushroom soup Du Jour. Both appetizers left something to be desired. The accompaniment of the crab cake with avocado ultimately failed because the richness of the binding ingredient (I'm assuming mayonnaise) combined with the fattiness of the avocado to render its taste all but absent. Also the application of citrus (lime I believe) was extremely overpowering and borderline food abuse. The texture was also disappointing as the cake was somewhat over sized (no doubt to justify the 12$ menu price) and resulted in inconsistent moist firmness and mushiness between the crisp skin. I'd recommend adding an S to the menu and splitting the portion into two among other things. The cream of mushroom soup was passable but it really could have been richer and suffered the lack of additional subtleties in flavor. The DuMac and cheese was as tasty as the dish from their sister restaurant but came out more watery than desired. Sadly the main course was never eaten as both my own and my dates' rare DuMont burgers came out raw. [SERVICE] from host to wait staff the service was attentive and polite although my date did have a difficult time finding a clean spoon and eventually requested a plastic to go spoon. The waitress was considerate doing her best to address our issues with the silverware and burgers and while apologizing profusely for an unsatisfying experience she also notified management who comped the meal without a word being said on our part. All told the dinner was a definite let down but considerate treatment from the staff/management coupled with the fact that we sat for dinner an hour before closing does make me want to give DuMont a second chance in the future.

• Pros: Excellent service, good weekend hours, relaxed atmosphere
• Cons: kitchen dropped the ball

08/24/08

Great food, wonderful ambiance

by sfrucht02

The food is amazing. Perfectly portioned and suitable for a Foodie's palate. The burger and the mac & cheese are sure to please, but the steaks and fish are also perfect. Personally, I dig the specials, I had a soft-shell crab there that was great. I disagree with the editorial review, this place IS pretty pricey. I think it's definitely worth it, but be prepared. They have some great wine and a good cocktail list, but that's also on the pricey side.

• Pros: Delicious food and drink
• Cons: Tends to get really crowded

08/18/08

Not a hipster, here for the food

by Finbarrette

Thankfully, I live less than 2 blocks from DuMont. After living here for over a year, my husband and I discovered this place one night when I was too tired to cook. Let me be clear: I didn't even like burgers. One Dumont burger later, I am a convert. I have taken many of my traveling relatives here, and it never disappoints. I don't know what kind of special magic they put in the burgers, but I have yet to find a place that compares. Yes, seating is limited. Yes, service can be questionable. However, put on blinders if you must and eat anyway. Here's a tip: eat there early. Most of the folks in our neighborhood eat there later, like 8pm plus. Go at 6 and you likely won't wait, even on the weekends. We have been there countless times and have only had to wait for seating once (This is a sample of over 2 years). And bonus: They deliver.

• Pros: The burgers. This overrules all cons
• Cons: Tight seating, can be full of hipsters

03/17/08

Great mac n' cheese

by bobbyhbobby

This was my first time at DuMont and I have to admit it was a pretty good dining experience. I called ahead to see how long the wait was and the hostess said about an hour and then took my name down. Showed up about 15 minutes early, grabbed a drink at the back patio bar, and our table was ready exactly on the hour. Despite it being a fairly a chilly, they've got outdoor heaters that make you forget you're even outside. We started off with the crab cake - excellent. Firm, but not too crisp. comes with fresh sliced avocado salad on top of a spicy, tasty salsa verde. Then we had the burger and the mac n' cheese. Burger was good, juicy, not the greatest though, a little small for the toasted brioche bun. Fries not the greatest either, soggy. But they serve the burger with Maille Dijon mustard on the side, which if you care, is one of the best French dijon mustards out there.

The Mac N' Cheese was outstanding. Served with a crispy bread crumb top and underneath is a creamy mac n' cheese with very small pieces of bacon.

Service was attentive and prompt, and the place was charming.

• Pros: Good Mac N' Cheese, great service, good value
• Cons: Need to call ahead on weekends, could use a stronger wine list.

02/17/08

Mediocre and incomplete meal?

by itookawalk

i just finished my second dining experience at dumont with mixed feelings. my server suggested a great local wine, a great first course (white asparagus salad with hard-boiled eggs and truffle dressing...delicious!), and after i asked if he'd tried the wild striped bass on special he said no but recommended it anyway. the bass was to be served with leeks, wild mushrooms, and fingerling potatoes (not cheap, by the way). upon arrival, no potatoes. so i asked if they were still available and he said yes and that he would check with the kitchen. he returned 10 minutes later to ask if i wanted another glass of wine and didn't mention the potatoes. when i asked again, he seemed flustered and told me that he'd passed on the information to the kitchen, then asked me if i still wanted them, but before i could respond he took my unfinished plate and left. in the end i received a free creme brulee (which was ok). i wonder what happened to the mysterious fingerling potatoes. i'm not even that upset that they were missing...i was annoyed that he clearly forgot to say anything to the kitchen and then tried to cover it up by asking me if i wanted something else as a replacement. the fish was very bland too...don't waste your money.

• Pros: great atmosphere, warm outdoor area even in winter!
• Cons: awful server

11/08/07

Wonderful service, delicious food

by karmaonion

I had heard so much about the burgers here that I had to try DuMont. Initially, I was disappointed when my medium burger was a deep red and I had to request that it be cooked longer (and so did my friend). But after this, we not only received entirely new, well-cooked (and delicious) burgers, we also got a free creme broulee for our troubles! Such great service and really delicious food. Highly recommended.

• Pros: burger
• Cons: small

10/17/07

Nice first date spot

by cookofdisquiet

The ambience is not overwhelming and the service is friendly! A great place to feel comfortable with an affordable menu and my my do they believe in good portions!

08/25/07

Walked in cranky, left absolutely giddy!

by verybecca

I was starving and cranky when I went here with my fiance...we're getting married in 8 days and nothing is going right, but we decided to treat ourselves because we had heard that the food was very good here and I am so glad we did! We sat at the bar because the tables seemed a little too crowded with laughing couples (lots of couples) and we were able to chat as though we were the only ones in the place. We ordered a duck confit salad to share and it was absolute perfection! I always order duck confit whenever it's on a menu because it's my favorite thing. I had a glass of white burgundy and it was also perfect and smooth. I ordered the ricotta ravioli special, which was in a creamy, fresh broth with fresh sage and tarragon and tomatoes - it was a small portion but extremely satisfying nonetheless. He had the skate (which is usually hit-or-miss) but it was fresh and had the most perfect crust on it and came with a mound of perfect mashed potatoes and whole, roasted garlic cloves, which I soon attacked. We left there incredibly happy and as a result, the rest of our night went swimmingly well -wink wink.

• Pros: Great food, nice wine
• Cons: Crowding