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Cypress shows strong culinary roots

Tyrone Walker
The Post and Courier

Cypress

Natural-born chef pretty much describes Craig Deihl, who learned at an early age his passion for cooking.

A scholarship to Johnson & Wales brought him to Charleston and his search for part-time work while a student brought him to Hospitality Management Group Inc. It was at Magnolias under founding chef Donald Barickman that Deihl's career took root and flowered.

He was selected by the late Tom Parsell and Barickman as the chef de cuisine for their newest property, Cypress, a Lowcountry Grill, in 2001. With an adventuresome palate, a finely calibrated work ethic and a strong sense of the terroir of the Lowcountry, he quickly assumed the duties of executive chef.

The philosophies of sustainability and Slow Food are seen in chef Deihl's menu. He has chosen source over sauce; provender over pretense. Local greens from nearby Wadmalaw Island, Keegan-Filion Farms chicken, Split Creek Farm cheeses, Kennerty Farms vegetables, Carolina Gold rice, house-cured lamb "bacon" and house-made hominy are just a few of the items on his menu.

Smartly, the menu at Cypress maintains its tried-and-true favorites and then produces a seasonal sheet that allows the kitchen to indulge in fresh, local ingredients.

It is here that you will find the lost art of tableside preparations — Caesar Salad ($9 per person for 2 or more); Chateaubriand ($32 per person) and herbed Rack of Lamb ($38 per person). It's "eatertaining" at its finest.

Much like the juxtaposition of the interior at Cypress — aged brick walls in the company of colored waves of light — the menu flexes its muscle of both Southern staples and modern culinary alchemy. Horseradish and lemon "pepper" the mignonette "risotto" is made from emmer, a wheat variety like farro; and cauliflower varieties meld in a "mac and cheese" timbale. Yet okra is not far from the plate, and pork shoulder ($25), red rice and green tomatoes all find a place at the table.

Asian ingredients tempt this flavor-driven chef with sashimi ($15), tuna tartar ($12), spring rolls ($9) and wasabi tuna ($30) choices.

Pork and beans gets a whole new interpretation with scallops and bacon ($16) on hominy fricassee and the pastry, Napoleon, stacks up with portobello mushrooms ($8), Boursin cheese, arugula and balsamic reduced to a syrupy molasses. It was served chilled on a bed of grilled flatbread. A delicate crab cake ($10) was crumbed and sautéed and served over a bed of golden corn and arugula. With minimal filler and flecks of celery, the crab and corn were equally sweet.

Seeing the local figs ripen around town drew us to the beet and fig salad ($10) which was served with nuggets of red beets and fig halves over a bed of baby watercress and aged balsamic dressing. Quenelles of seasoned Split Creek fromage blanc garnished the dish. The over-salted cheese trumped the earthy beets and sweet figs for attention.

The Kurobuta pork chop ($30) was excellent. The full flavors of the Berkshire pig with its luminous marble of fat penetrating the chop, crisped by the wonderful candy of caramelization around the edges and topped with a garnish of chanterelles was delicious. The cauliflower "mac and cheese" had all the nutty tastes of the cauliflower enriched with the cheese. However, its tepid temperature detracted from its enjoyment.

Local wreckfish ($30) was served with Romano beans, an Italian flat bean, on a tomato sofrito broth. The broth was balanced, robust with its sofrito base and bright with the tang of the tomatoes. The beans were cooked to a tender finish with no trace of this flat bean's fiber and sometimes mealy bean texture. The wreckfish glistened in its pool of red. The only criticism was too much pepper.

Pastry chef M. Kelly Wilson will tempt you with her menu of milk chocolate mousse lollipops, molten chocolate cake with candied sugar beets, Grand Marnier souffle and souffle of the day. We selected blueberry cheesecake ($8), which was a deconstructed version of this summer classic. Chef Wilson layers a gel of blueberries as the base, tops this with a graham flour "cake," followed by the cheesecake layer, caramelized sugar crust, fresh berries and blueberry "paper" garnishes. I say paper as this was not a fruit leather but a thin veil of blueberry essence. The flavors blossom as the dessert comes up to room temperature.

Dining at Cypress does not come cheap; but the value in ingredients, preparations and creativity trumps cost. You can make an exciting meal with starters and a salad or be satisfied simply with an entree and a glass of wine.

The missteps in seasoning can easily be corrected.

Deihl and his staff have refined the spectrum of Southern cooking, culled the East for ingredient excitement and married a "little bit country, a little bit rock and roll." Cypress provides the dynamic relationship of you are not only what you eat, but where you eat it.

Cypress

Night Out

Phone: 727-0111.

Address: 167 East Bay St., Charleston.

Food: ****

Service: **** 1/2

Atmosphere: **** 1/2

Price: $$-$$$

Costs: Appetizers $8-$16; soups and salads $9-$10; entrees $25-$38; desserts $8-$12.

Vegetarian Options: Yes.

Bar: Full service bar, specialty drink menu, house made limoncello.

Hours: Daily, bar opens 5 p.m.; dinner service 5:30 p.m. until.

Decibel Level: Moderate to animated.

Wheelchair Access: Yes.

Parking: Complimentary in nearby lot.

Other: Private dining, extensive wine collection, second level bar, supporters of Certified South Carolina Grown, Sustainable Seafood Initiative, the Billfish Foundation, cookbook, gift cards, www.magnolias-blossom-cypress.com; online reservations, Open Table; tableside preparations, Normandy Farms bread.