Dallas Observer Supper Club Brings Food Lovers to Radici

Independent journalism is more important than ever. It's a task we don't take lightly. This year, the Observer is embarking on several community events aimed at getting us face-to-face with our readers. In the case of the food section, this (thankfully) means over a fresh focaccia bathed in olive oil and garlic, bowls of pasta and even a pistachio olive oil cake.
The first event was this past Wednesday evening in a private dining room at Radici. Sous chef Ivana Robberson was at the helm in the kitchen. Some Observer staffers — including myself and Editor-in-Chief Patrick Williams — had dinner with about two dozen members.

We chose Radici for the location for our first supper club, well ... because we adore chef Tiffany Derry, and her Italian food restaurant in Farmers Branch is one of our favorites. Derry has been a fixture in the Dallas culinary scene since her first stint at PrivateSocial in 2011. She appeared in Season 7 of Top Chef and was elected as the fan favorite, naturally. In 2021, she opened Roots Southern Table, which was named a top 50 restaurant in the U.S. by The New York Times. Last year, Derry and her business partner, Tom Foley of T2D Concepts, opened Radici (which means roots in Italian), a nod to her time spent traveling through Italy early in her culinary career.

Chef Robinson was at the helm on the night we visited. She is originally from Dickinson, Texas, near Houston. She grew up eating from scratch Southern fare, and during the pandemic, she taught herself to cook and even took some culinary classes online. She met Tiffany Derry while dining at Roots one evening with friends. Robinson was "enamoured" by the restaurant, both the food and how it was run. Robinson, who was working for a mortgage company at the time, asked to meet Derry after dinner and said, "If you're willing to teach me, I'm willing to learn."

Derry, who prioritizes lifting up others in her kitchen, gave her a shot. Robinson worked her way up the line and is now the sous chef at Radici.

One member at dinner wanted to know if Robinson had any ambition to take part in a reality cooking show like her mentor. Robinson said she was interested.

The night started with Radici's famous focaccia bread, meatballs (polpette with a pomodoro sauce) and salad. Chef Robinson explained that to get the proper soft texture for the meatballs, they use pork, beef and veal mixed with milk-soaked bread that has the consistency of mac and cheese before being formed into balls and baked. These are boundary-pushing meatballs. While Dallas is full of chefs who love a good steak, Robinson wants vegetables to shine in her dining room. She told the group that she hates the idea of vegetables being an afterthought.

Heard.

Two vegetable dishes stole the show at dinner: a plate of wood-fired carrots over smooth stracciatella cheese and fried eggplant served with a yogurt sauce and Calabrian chili.

Other mains included a rigatoni, wood-fired chicken with a warm bread salad (apollo alla griglia) and grilled asparagus.

To finish, we had a tiramisu topped with crispy filo dough (a fun touch) and an absolutely divine pistachio olive oil cake with orange marmalade and crème fraiche.

Since we first wrote about this supper club, several restaurants have reached out, indicating that not only are members excited about this type of engagement, but restaurants are, too.

So, keep an eye out for the announcement for our next supper club. Become a member today so you can be on the email list for the next dinner, which will happen on Aug. 12. More details to come.