Interview with Ronny Smeink, Owner of Cafe Rembrandt
Posted by Jana Edele | Filed under News
Ronny Smeink and his wife Beth, are the owners of the Dutch pub Cafe Rembrandt in Dallas. Recently, Ronny took a few minutes from his busy job as a restaurateur to answer a few questions about his successful Dutch pub and its relationship with The Velvet Kittens of Le Cabaret Burlesque.
What made you decide to open a Dutch Restaurant in Dallas?
I've wanted to open my own Dutch-style café since I was about 16 years old and worked for my aunt and uncle at their café in the Netherlands. After working in the Dallas area for a few years I figured, "why not Dallas?" The other pubs seem to do well in the area. So I convinced my wife Beth into going into business with me. She now takes care of all the bookings, promotions and our payroll administration.
Ok, so you are aware that not many North Texans know much about Dutch cuisine. How would you describe the food?
Dutch food is really a blend of different cultures. Holland is known for being open to other cultures and immigrants and has a rich history of colonization. Also, it has been a country of merchants for centuries. Our cuisine really consists of different influences from countries like France, Germany, Italy, Indonesia Рwhich used to be a Dutch colony, northern Africa and Suriname. At Caf̩ Rembrandt you will find items like the French onion soup, beef sateh (Indonesian) and other foreign items.
What did you have to include in your restaurant in order to create a Dutch Café that felt authentic to you?
As far as the menu goes, it had to feature bitterballen which are deep fried breaded balls stuffed with beef and béarnaise sauce. This is a traditional Dutch beer snack. Also the menu had to include a beef sateh, a tosti (grilled ham and cheese) and kibbeling (deep fried pieces of cod filet). As far as the décor is concerned, the atmosphere had to be welcoming and warm (or gezellig). We did that with leaving a lot of brick exposed and using a lot of dark wood. The décor also includes a few wooden shoes, named "klompen" in Dutch and a hand painted replica of Rembrandt's most famous work, the Nightwatch. The painting is the center piece of our café and measures 8' by 7', which is about half the size of the original, displayed at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
So what's your favorite thing on the menu?
My favorite item is the Beef Tenderloin with mushroom cream sauce, because it's one of the tenderest pieces of beef I have ever tried and the sauce just compliments the overall flavor.
You mentioned that you worked for your aunt and uncle in their Dutch Café in the Netherlands; did you bring any of their menu items to Café Rembrandt?
Most of the recipes come from my aunt and uncle's café; that's where I learned the basics of cooking. Some of the recipes are traditionally Dutch but we also have a few items that are modified to please the American palette by our chef Carlos.
Café has a different meaning in the Netherlands than it does over here, could you explain this?
With the word "café" in our name people assume we serve French food, coffee and sandwiches. Even though we do serve great coffee and sandwiches, our meaning of the word Café is more like that of a pub. What people might not expect is that we feature over 50 different beers and have a full liquor selection which includes authentic Dutch vodkas and genevers and Absinthe. We also have a second floor that we open up when we expect to be busy. This area is also used for private events.
In addition to being the official home of The Velvet Kittens of Le Cabaret Burlesque, you feature live music and events every weekend. Did you and Beth intend on being an entertainment venue in addition to a Dutch Café?
We did plan on having live entertainment in the form of live music at the Café, but we had no idea we were going to come across a burlesque show!
How long have you been working with The Velvet Kittens?
We have worked with the Velvet Kittens since October 2007, when we did a live remote broadcast with 105.3 FM. The people at the station actually introduced us to the Kittens.
The Velvet Kittens have performed at Cafe Rembrandt several times in the past year, but what made you decide to keep them coming back and eventually become the official home to the Dallas burlesque troupe?
We thought that the Velvet Kittens were a great fit for our pub because of their specific style of burlesque and the image they have. Holland has always been known for being a bit edgy and liberal. Having the Velvet Kittens perform here really makes you feel that you stepped back in time to witness the old European burlesque shows of the turn of the last century. Also the Velvet Kittens bring in a great crowd of both men and women every time they perform here, so we wanted to make sure to bring the Kittens back as much as possible.
What is your most memorable Velvet Kitten show or number at Cafe Rembrandt?
I think the most memorable burlesque show was their Christmas show, "Candy Land: A Night of Sweets" back in December 2007. The Velvet Kittens took the initiative to organize a toy drive for underprivileged children and had open auditions for the event. We saw many different acts, including comedians, belly dancers and musicians. The actual show was a lot of fun. It brought a lot of people out that night, and they collected dozens of toys. I was, however a bit nervous when one of the belly dancers lit up 10 torches and started playing with fire! But she was exciting to watch and thankfully the café did not burn down.
What can we look forward to at Café Rembrandt?
We will be booking the Velvet Kittens on a more regular basis. Also keep an eye out for the bands we have lined up. Dallas has some great talent. In the near future we will roll out a new menu which will be more extensive and will be a combination of lunch and dinner items, available all day.