Birthday Wishes
Private party at Dyron’s Table One for mother, son’s birthdays.
By Jan Walsh
Tomorrow is my rainy birthday. Ditto… same every year. I get more weather alerts on my phone than birthday cards. Thus, we schedule our celebrations accordingly. Earlier this week we had a birthday lunch on Chez Fonfon’s patio, which I published Saturday. And for my birthday dinner, I chose Dyron’s Lowcountry, owned by Dyron and Sonya Powell.
Here I do not have to wonder or ask about GMOs, seed oils, or other harmful ingredients unnamed on the menu. Afterall, I want to be around for future birthdays. For eleven years, I have been fighting the good food fight, since I first wrote about GMOs, which was not allowed at the time. And I was among the first to do so. As a result, I was personally targeted and tracked, buzzed with black hawks, and ransomware hacked. We lost the fight to get GMOs labeled due to politicians being funded by big ag and big chem. But as a result, the organic movement and number of organic labels increased and a voluntary Non-GMO logo was created.
Today’s genie, that we have yet to put back in the bottle, is seed oils. I am avoiding them like the plague they are. Déjà vu… Feeling the same moral obligation to expose seed oils to my readers as when I revealed rape seed oils and suggested a safer alternative, because I never want to be the pied piper. I am following instead the lead of Dyron’s Executive Chef Chris Melville, who is a pioneer and vanguard of healthy cooking and eating. When he is not in the kitchen he is researching and vetting ingredients and products. In 2020 he trailblazed the coming of the anti-seed oil movement, tossing cooking oils for beef tallow and ghee. Chef Chris has a servant’s heart and feels a moral responsibility for not just feeding, but also for nourishing. Dyron’s new Sous Chef, Justin Smith, who I have known for decades, recently joined the good fight. What good hands we are in and what a team of culinary talent!
We are seated at my favorite table, the private one in the window, Table One. Given Ross was in Colorado skiing for his birthday last week, bless his heart, we invited him to celebrate his with mine tonight. We start with Espresso Martini, Orange Cosmo, and Lucien Albrecht Cremant Rosé paired with Dyron’s warm cornbread and fluffy biscuits. After a birthdays toast, the kitchen treats us to Foie Gras Deviled Eggs. Oh, my! These elegant farm eggs are finished with duck cracklin’s, pimenton, chives, and best of all, Hackleback Caviar. Highly recommended!
Dyron’s menu offers many options for starters and entrees, something for everyone. To start Ross has Country Captain, Kev orders the Seafood Gumbo, and I opt for the Heirloom Citrus Salad. Ross’s delicate quail is jacked up with Indian spice, served over creamy grits. And Villa Manadori Balsamic adds richness and sweet tartness, balancing the heat. Every bowl of gumbo at Dyron’s is better than the last, although I did not know it could be improved. Chef Chris’ deep, dark, and rich rue chock FULL of Gulf of America shrimp, lump crabmeat, Bayou La Batre oysters, andouille sausage, along with just enough Carolina gold rice for texture. You will not find a better gumbo anywhere, including New Orleans. My spring salad is bright and beautiful. This delightful mix of shaved fennel, arugula, chevre, pistachio, fresh pomegranate, grapefruit, and blood orange in a Meyer Lemon emulsion is an explosion of acidity, creaminess, and crunchiness on the palate.
For entrees, it is Duck “Two Ways” for Ross, Beef Tenderloin for Kev, and Lowcountry Cioppino for me. Ross gets to have his duck and eat it too… One way is seared, savory duck breast with blood orange and the second way is crispy, earthy duck confit. Both ways are the best way. He substitutes fennel little gem salad for mac and cheese because he has memories of this mac and cheese.
Kev’s steak is one of the best bites of beef I have ever sampled. I could not stop with one bite, so he shared more. This firm, fork tender Upper Iowa Black Angus is simply cooked to order over hickory wood and charcoal with only salt and pepper, allowing “here’s the beef” flavors to shine. Sadly, I could not taste the mushrooms in the accompanying mushroom sauce due to truffle allergy. It took Chef Chris three days of stock making and sautéing forged mushrooms with Maderia and thyme. I will be back for my own steak soon. And for me, Chef suggests natural beef jus, which is also a three-day affair… Dyron’s is Slow Food at its best! Kev’s filet is accompanied by marvelous heirloom potatoes and sugar snap peas bursting with freshness. I just love a good cioppino. And Dyron’s is a great cioppino! A generous array of red snapper, stone claw crab, rock shrimp, and mussels float in a tomato broth along with a bed of spinach and a side of grilled bread. This hearty and rustic, Italian American, fisherman stew steams with the aromatics of the sea and fulfills with its sensational succulence. Catch it if you can!
For dessert we are treated to Dark Chocolate Mousse and Citrus Tart. After lighting candles and making wishes, we share the desserts. The sweet, tangy tart of Pixie Tangerines and Oaxacan Vanilla Bean has a graham crust on bottom, cream on top, and is zippy and zesty, like key lime pie, throughout. The mousse is a chocolaty, creamy, decadent delight of Valrhona-Guanaja Grand Cru, Maldon Sea Salt, topped with Chantilly Cream. Light enough for times when no room is left for dessert. A birthday to remember!
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