A grass-fed ribeye with porcini, ramps, poached garlic and red-wine sauce. A most dinner-appropriate menu addition. Photo via Miles James.
Around this office, we’re big fans of Dot’s Delicatessen, the Fremont house of charcuterie and butchery that also happens to serve standout porchetta sandwiches, bratwurst, and steak frites. But for some reason—maybe it’s the fact that you order at the counter?—I always think of Dot’s as a daytime destination.
Hence my excitement to hear that owner Miles James has added full-on dinner service. The kind where you sit at a table, a server takes your order, and you get your bill at the end of the meal. James hasn’t made any radical changes to the menu, which stays the same day and evening. Just added a handful of entrees.
The reason for the change? “I miss cooking dinner,” he says. And the finer points of service, like a wine program. The new format also gives James more freedom to revel in seasonal ingredients like salmon or ramps and porcini mushrooms as well as more entrée-style dishes. James is a veteran of high-end places like Campagne, New York’s Gramercy Tavern, and the dearly departed Union and Cremant who just happens to really like meat. “You miss out on a lot of fun stuff if you’re just doing sandwiches.”
Not to worry, those sandwiches are still around during dinner. And you can still come in for takeout, or to shop the butcher’s case. Hours remain the same (11 to 9 seven days a week, except on Sundays Dot’s closes at 3). Service at the shop’s handful of tables kicks in around 5. (Also: did you know there’s a Saturday breakfast biscuit?)
“It’s still pretty casual,” says James. “On a scale of formality, we’re probably a three.”
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