Leigh’s TableTalk ~

Darien River House
Starring Chef Eric Lynch
By Leigh Cort

The vintage DeLorme House (circa 1867) is now the home for one of Southeast Georgia 's newest restaurants ~ Darien River House ~ within steps from the flowing Darien River ( opened December 17, 2009 ). Ms. Patsy Collins and her son Executive Chef Eric Lynch shared a dream, put their fingers on a map, found the spot that had most recently been a Victorian bed and breakfast and transformed it into an inviting 4-room restaurant and wine bar. With an alluring front porch, wine bar living room and small private dining rooms that offer polite conversation blended with exquisite coastal cuisine, Chef's philosophy is ‘source locally, think globally'.

The shrimping hamlet of Darien , Georgia is a perfect scenic backdrop for the Darien River House. It's a sign of the times that an acclaimed award-winning professional chef finds sleepy Darien accessible to discerning guests up and down the 99 mile Georgia coastline. Only 50 miles south of Savannah which is renowned for Southern hospitality and legendary restaurants, Chef Eric's meticulous dishes capture the lure of this seafood mecca equally well.

Wild Georgia Shrimp set the tone for Chef's dinner menu, featuring one of the most exquisite renditions of Shrimp Bisque, sensuously thick with a boatload of shrimp, sweet cream, brandy, vermouth AND sherry. OMG! The two days it takes Eric to create the masterpiece is worthy of his attention. Without hesitation, the warm hand-crafted yeast rolls made with light blended flours are irresistibly the finest baked jewels of sweetness. A brush of sweet butter patted on the steaming roll is ecstasy.

Lynch isn't just a chef. His professional 30-year career was set in luxury hotels, resorts and fine dining establishments cooking for dignitaries and celebrities. He also spent much of his culinary career as a research chef developing stocks and products that could be used in foodservice establishments – but created with a fine dining origin. In 2004, he won The Culinology Innovation Award with ‘best new product' of wild mushroom base with black truffles. Can you imagine his Wild Mushroom Risotto with Black Truffles? Or Blue Crab & Oysters Rockefeller Casserole? This dish boasts plump local Georgia oysters and lump Blue Crab – layered with cream, spinach, Vidalia Onions, smoky ham and a blend of Swiss and cream Havarti cheeses – baked in a casserole dish and served with rice pilaf.

The menu is a beautiful blending itself that includes, along with the exquisite local shellfish, rib eye steak au poivre, pan roasted spring chicken cordon bleu, wild Georgia shrimp & grits and other local & seasonal treasures. Pair dishes with tres unique wines that are not your ordinary bill of fare: Rombauer Chardonnay, Marienberger Riseling Qba, Niner Bootjack Ranch Vineyard Merlot or A to Z Pinot Noir. All are very modestly affordable so tasting glasses of many would propel a fabulous meal into nirvana.

On the weekends, Wayne Tate's sophisticated piano selections are another perfect dinner accompaniment. While Chef is in the kitchen, you can find Ms. Collins greeting her guests, attending to dining room details and overseeing exquisitely well-mannered service. According to Chef Eric “She's at her dinner party each evening” . And that's where I'd like to be at least once a week!

Contact Informations:

Darien River House
306 Fort King George Drive
Darien , GA. 31305
912-437-2510

www.DarienRiverHouse.com

Call for Seasonal Hours

(Closed Monday)