Sneak Peek: The Dogwood, A Southern Restaurant Opening On Church Avenue

Matt and Ashley of The Fat Beagle fame are just about ready to open their doors to the public, only this time, it will be as the team behind The Dogwood.

Although no real structural renovations needed to be made to the former Palmeras Restaurant space (1021 Church Avenue between E 10th Street and Stratford Road), the couple have transformed it with sleek metal chairs and stools, 1920s church pews, mason jar chandeliers, and other rustic details–and they hope to start opening for dinner sometime within the next two weeks.

Between the chairs, bar seating, and pews, which Matt and Ashley drove down to Blackstone, Virginia to claim, the restaurant will seat between 30 and 40 people. The pews are from 1928, the same year as 1021 Church Avenue was built, but had to be adjusted to fit the space as planned.

“We spoke to the nun who was selling them,” Ashley says, “and asked if they were at all curved. She said they weren’t noticeably so,  so we drove all the way down there only to find these totally curved church pews that never would have fit in the space.

“We took them, fixed what we could, and when we went to donate the rest to Build It Green, there were like a hundred beautiful old church pews in the back.”

In fact, lots of southern details have gone into The Dogwood. It’s named after the North Carolina state flower, and there are several Dogwood trees around the restaurant–and, of course, tipping a hat to The Fat Beagle and the beagles Matt’s family raises in North Carolina, they figured a canine flourish would be appropriate.

Dictionary page prints on the walls are from artists based out of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and even their chef, Chris Sterna, is a Tennessee native.

Ashley might be most proud of the bathroom, which is outfitted with mosaic tiles on the floor, ornate wallpaper, and a botanic print that has a similar feel to some of those North Carolinian prints hung in the restaurant’s main space. The subway tile in the bathroom is also continued behind the bar.

So, what will they be offering? Exact dishes still need to be hammered out, but for now, the team has released a proposed menu full of dandelion greens, heirloom tomatoes, fried chicken, and indulgent desserts.

They’ll start with dinner hours from 5-11pm Sunday to Thursday and 5pm-12am Friday and Saturday, during which they plan to serve bar snacks, shareable plates, entrees, and dessert, and they hope to start serving brunch as soon as possible.

There will be plenty of kid-friendly items like mac and cheese, plus veggie options including at least one entree. In addition, they’ll have an all-American beer and wine menu, which will include beer and wine cocktails at low to moderate prices, and will serve Counter Culture drip coffee (also from North Carolina). They’re also having taps installed soon, will accept credit cards and reservations of six or more, and are trying to get more bike racks in front of the restaurant.

For all those with food and musical experience out there, Matt and Ashley are hoping to assemble a small team of local servers enthusiastic about southern food, and they want to host bluegrass and other live music on off-nights (though with their space setup, they acknowledge small, acoustic acts are best). Anyone interested should email info@dogwoodnyc.com.

All in all, Matt and Ashley couldn’t be happier to bring The Dogwood to their neighborhood of five years.

“We never would have thought to open anywhere else,” Ashley says. “We’re excited to open on Church.”

The Dogwood is located at 1021 Church Avenue between E 10th Street and Stratford Road. You can see what they’re up to on Facebook and Twitter, or give them a call at 929-234-5962.