Dutch Courage owners aim to open ‘approachable’ spot in The Dizz building

The space of the long-beloved, former Baltimore watering hole, otherwise known as The Dizz, may be getting two new owners.

Brendan Dorr and Eric Fooy, co-owners of Dutch Courage in Old Goucher, announced in a Greater Remington Improvement Association meeting Wednesday night that they expect to close on purchasing the iconic 300 W. 30th St. building in late February.

In the most recent iteration, the space was the home of Let’s Brunch Cafe.

While there is no timeline for the impending restaurant’s opening, the business partners said they plan to curate the space in the style of a tavern.

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For eager patrons, that means fewer cocktails, more late-night food and lower prices, Dorr said.

“We want everyone to come in and not feel like they have to spend a lot of money to enjoy themselves,” he said in the meeting.

Dorr explained that the restaurant will begin with providing evening service before expanding hours to lunch.

Both Dorr and Fooy have been working in the restaurant industry for 20 years. Since opening Dutch Courage four years ago, the pair said, they have been itching for the chance to create a more “approachable” eatery. Fooy lives in Remington and Dorr in Charles Village, making the former home of The Dizz, which shuttered in 2019, a close-to-home investment.

News of the team’s venture comes about eight months after the highly anticipated Let’s Brunch Cafe was shut down in the same spot.

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“Our goal is to get it open as soon as we can,” Dorr said.

The pair received overwhelming approval from the Remington community, with a majority of the Greater Remington Improvement Association’s voting members electing to support the restaurateur as they attempt to transfer their liquor license into Fooy’s name for the new space.

No date has been set to do so, but Dorr hopes to be able to bring his case before the liquor board during the next available hearing on Jan. 25.

“It [the restaurant] will be something that will draw people to the neighborhood,” Dorr said. “We don’t want to take away from other businesses. We want to attract.”

Matti Gellman

matti.gellman@thebaltimorebanner.com