On Thursday, February 18, Dirt Candy is hosting a special Honey Dinner with Ted Dennard, the founder of the Savannah Bee Company and one of the country’s number one experts on honey. Ted founded the Savannah Bee Company in 1998, bottling Tupelo honey in his kitchen and selling it at an antique store. These days, his artisanal honey is carried by Williams-Sonoma, Dean & DeLuca, Nieman-Marcus, Bloomingdale’s and a bunch of other places. We have a mutual friend, and have been talking about doing this for a while and the time has finally come to pull the trigger and submerge Dirt Candy in a bottomless pool of cool, golden honey.

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There will be two seatings, one at 6pm and one at 9pm. Ted will be at each seating talking to you about the honey I’m using, answering questions about honey and beekeeping and letting you taste the pure stuff that’ll be cooked into dishes on the menu. The menu will be a five course tasting.

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snack

Hush Puppies with Sourwood Honey Butter

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first course

Carrot Soup with Tupelo Honey Pearls and Cheddar Powder

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second course

Winter Salad with Maple Smoked Squash, Meyer Lemon and Winter White Honey Dressing and Apple Blue Cheese Croutons

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third course

Crispy King Oyster Mushrooms with warm Orange Blossom Honey Vinaigrette, Mint, Feta and wilted greens

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fourth course

Acacia Honey Laquered Tofu with Green Ragout and Grapefruit beurre blanc

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palate cleanser

Honeydew melon sorbet

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dessert

Chocolate Honeycombs (the cereal) and Raspberry Honey Ice Cream with Ricotta Fritters

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These are all variations on dishes I’ve made here at Dirt Candy, revved up and reinvented to center around all the different kinds of honey Ted is bringing. The price is $65/person, and wine is included. The only thing not included is tax and tip. Also, this menu may change as we tweak the dishes and make them better as the 18th approaches.

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Hey, look! It’s Ted in his honey cave.

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You CANNOT make a reservation on Open Table for February 18 because it’s too hard to reconfigure their system for one night, so if you want to come, or if you have any questions, just call the restaurant (212-228-7732). I promise, by the time Ted and I are through with you you’ll know more about honey than you ever thought possible.

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(The Savannah Bee Company website)

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