Dash: Kitchen + Carry

4/6/14:

Stars: 4.75 out of 5.0

Pros: Bright Space, Unique Décor, Well Priced, Fast Friendly Service, Great Food

Cons: 

     I couldn't have been more excited when I found out Jessica & Josh Bufford, owners of Toast & Estilo in the Village Shopping Center, were opening a new joint near VCU. When I had the opportunity to talk to Jessica about it a month or so ago her excitement was palatable and contagious. So when she sent me a Tweet inviting me to come give Dash a test run prior to their scheduled 5pm opening on 4/7, I couldn't resist. I picked up SB, and off we went for a late dinner.

     Dash (Dash Kitchen+Carry Facebook) has moved into the former home of The Well and Cous Cous on VCU's campus. It's not a massive restaurant space, being decidedly smaller than both Toast and Estilo, but it seats roughly 65-70 people. Also note that seating around the perimeter of the dining area has little storage cubbies underneath, perfect for stuffing all those book bags & computers hauled around by folks from VCU, one of Jessica & Josh’s target clienteles. It has massive amounts of windows which will make it bright and cheery during the day. To those who were familiar with Cous Cous, in contrast, at night Dash is nicely lit thanks in part to a floor to ceiling lighted wall dividing the ordering counter from the seating area that Josh made himself. Jessica explained to SB & I that back in school she and Josh were both theater kids (I was one myself). Josh specialized in lighting design and has carried that passion to each of their restaurants. This center divider is a great example.

     The concept of Dash is that you order from the counter, get a number and find a table. A server brings you your food and will occasionally be around to ask if you want refills or condiments. The concept is a beautiful fit on a college campus if you think about it. College students usually take lunch to accomplish one of two things: study or socialize. The laissez faire-esque approach of Dash is perfect for both activities as it eliminates the hovering server from the picture. Jessica also expressed her hope that this will be more than just a college hot spot. She told me there have been plenty of times when she and her mom would come down to the Altria Theater to see a show after getting of work around 5pm. If the show is at 6 or 6:30, that didn't give much time for a full sit down meal. That makes a place like Dash ideal because you can be in and out quickly while still enjoying a quality meal. I love this idea and hope to get the chance to utilize Dash for this purpose.

     SB and I took a moment to review the menu. It's not very big consisting of burgers, salads and sandwiches. What amazed me is that for such a small menu, the variety in choices was huge. And the prices were super reasonable. You can build your own burgers with an amazing amount of toppings starting at just $6. Granted, that doesn't come with a side, but $6 for a burger is a steal. After eyeballing the menu for a few moments, we decided to split a Fire Roasted Caesar Salad. SB also ordered the Costa Rican Chicken Salad sandwich and I went with the Estilo's Cubano. The employee behind the counter gave us a number to put on our table and we sat down.

     Our food came out very quickly; faster then I expected really. When we were talking with Josh later on he said the kitchen aims to have most of the dishes out in 7 to 10 minutes tops. That right there is speedy folks. The server who brought us our food also walked around the seating area keeping up on people’s drinks and clearing away the dishes. All of the staff was wonderfully friendly and helpful. Even on a night where they were still getting down the gist of the system they were great.

     The Fire Roasted Caesar Salad was excellent. SB asked what made it fire roasted, as the romaine itself isn't. It turns out the cherry tomatoes chopped up (SB & I both agreed that we loved the chopped tomato as opposed to whole ones) in the salad are garlic infused and fire roasted. They aren't overpoweringly garlicky either, which was pleasing to me. The Caesar dressing that is on the salad is nice as well because it’s a vinaigrette which means it's not as thick as regular Caesar dressing. The portion was perfect for 2 people to split or a solid meal for a single person.

     SB's Costa Rican Chicken Salad was spot-on wonderful. It is essentially two split top rolls packed with chicken salad and topped with arugula. We both could have used a little more of the arugula, but the chicken salad itself was all that chicken salad should be. It wasn't too dry or sopping wet. It had a little crunch from the cashews and a bite of tangy heat from the lizano sauce. SB got sweet potato tots as a side, which I'm usually not a fan of. She loved them! They were very good (I did try one) but sweet potato is not my bag of oats. She said she could eat them as a side every time so they must be good.

     I wanted to try something new, I really did. But when I saw that Estilo’s Cubano staring up at me from the menu, I caved. Pork, ham and salami with mustard and pickles makes for a complete and happy sandwich. I loved everything about this Cuban. I would venture a guess and say that it wasn’t pressed in a typical Panini press, but perhaps a waffle iron. I only say this due to the uniform criss-crossed press pattern. The bread was amazingly soft on the inside with a beautiful crust on the outside. And the meats were wonderful. The pork was beautifully marinated and cooked. I could have eaten just that as a sandwich and been very pleased. The mustard added a tang to cut the saltiness of the meat. This sandwich did not disappoint. I also went with the hand cut fries as my side. I would have liked a little more salt, but otherwise these are delicious. They have great crisp to the outside. Dip them in the house made ketchup that comes along with it and you have a delectable combination.

     Dash Kitchen + Carry certainly impressed both SB and I with their décor, service and food. The concept is wonderful. Their execution looks to be spot on. VCU students, faculty and staff are in for a real treat having this in their yard. I look forward to my return trip, maybe after SB and I see Wicked later this month. There is a custom made burger with my name on it.