We have had the opportunity to sample a wide range of cuisines, but Dutch had escaped our taste buds. It took a visit to Pella, Iowa for us to savor this particular style of dishes. Dropping by for Tulip Time allowed us to immerse ourselves in the culture and flavors of this particular fare. With only a couple of days to check it out, we wanted to get our Dutch Fix every chance we got. The city is filled with tasty opportunities, but we focused our attention on the downtown square.
We want to thank Visit Pella for their hospitality. Rest assured all opinions are our own.
Tulip Time Specials
When a city of just over 10,000 plays host to a crowd that nearly doubles the population, you have to make some adjustments. Dutch Fix has learned to adjust its robust menu to streamline the process of serving the masses. This was no issue for us since we had no predetermined dishes in mind. We were just going with the flow and ready to tackle anything that came before us. It was handy that they had placed a placard outdoors since it helped us determine our choices before heading in.
Popular Place
Of course, heading in during Tulip Time means waiting your turn. Being festival savvy, we know to expect lines for everything. This is where the streamlined menu helps out. The staff at Dutch Fix has made an art of serving this type of crowd. With having a halt to the festival in 2020, due to COVID, they were eager to see a return of the crowds. Our plan in these types of scenarios is to scope out other customers’ plates to help confirm our menu selections. With about a 20 minute wait in line, we had plenty of time to complete that task.
Getting Our Bearings
As we made our way through the line we felt our hunger growing. Seeing all of the delectable-looking dishes was really striking a chord with us. We diverted our attention to the colorful mural that decorates the main wall of the restaurant. During one of the Tulip Time festival presentations, we had heard about the history of the Netherlands. Seeing this large map helped us get our bearings of the cities that dot this small European country.
Go Big or Go Home
As the line continued to progress forward, our anticipation grew. When our turn came we were prepared to quickly blurt out our order. We had heard and seen, where others had selected the Dominie Burger. They create this monster burger using twin patties, bacon, Gouda cheese curds, sliced smoked Gouda, mayonnaise, and pickles. Cramming all of that goodness inside of a bun is a real task. Having seen others attempt to tackle it, we decided to split one. When you toss in a side of Frites, we quickly learned it was a wise decision. We have sampled a wide range of burger joints around our hometown and this one definitely stacks up to them. It’s easy to see why it ranks in the Top 10 in Iowa.
Dutch Dessert
During our time in Pella, we had noted a variety of dishes with names unfamiliar to us. One that we kept hearing about was Poffertjes. Everyone told us that we had to try them out, but we weren’t exactly sure what they were. When we spotted them on the menu at Dutch Fix, we knew it was time to give them a whirl. Evidently, this traditional dessert can come with a wide range of toppings, but during the festival Dutch Fix had concentrated on the three most popular. The Amsterdam Poffertjes are tiny Dutch pancakes covered with Nutella and diced strawberries. A hearty dusting of powdered sugar helps take the sweetness to a higher level. It only took one bite to understand why so many people are enamored with this sweet treat.
Getting Our Dutch Fix
Our visit to Pella brought us at the peak of the festival period, so we obviously faced large crowds. Now that we have had a savoring of the Dutch cuisine, we plan to revisit during a less busy period. This summer would make an excellent time to do such a trip and would offer a chance to explore more of the culinary treats that are found in this Midwestern city. We love that Pella embraces its cultural history not only with its museums and shops, but also in its restaurants. Now we just need to figure out how to make those Poffertjes at home.
We discovered Pella a few years ago when we decided to stop for a couple of hours to see the Vermeer museum. We ended up staying thirty-six hours and talking about a return visit. The windmill and historic village were thoroughly enjoyed.
We can certainly see why this would have happened. Pella is filled with so many things to see and do. Our first visit will certainly not be our last.
Dutchie here! 🙂
To make poffertjes at home, look into one of the online Dutch stores that operate in the US. Stores like atouchofdutch.com (located in WA, they’re my to-go place) sell both the poffertjes mix and poffertjes pan. It’s really quite easy to make with those, and it tastes great!
Thanks for the tip. These treats are such a delight.
My husband & I’ve lived in the Pella area for 50+ years so we know where good food is. The Dutch Fix is less than 5 years old & their food is really good. Dutch Mess(a mixture of lettuce, bacon dressing served over mashed potatoes is so good. They did not make it at Tulip Time because they had to scale back the menu to accommodate the large crowds. Please come back to Pella anytime to try this, the poffertjes, Pella bologna etc. Tulip time was scaled back quite a bit due to Covid 19 but so thankful because at least we were able to have it. I think that’s only the 2nd time in 85 years it was canceled & the other was done while US was involved in WWW II.
We could see the community pride in Pella. It was so nice that the festival was even able to occur, even if it was a scaled-down version. Hopefully, we will have a chance to return and see all of the grandeur in the future.