News

Susur Lee may be moving to New York, but he is not the first Canadian chef or restaurateur to make a splash stateside. Graydon Carter, editor of Vanity Fair, an expatriate Canadian, has opened a New York hot spot called the Waverly Inn that is impossible to get into - by design. There is no phone number - to get a reservation you have to know someone who knows someone. You can try making a walk-in reservation, but you will probably be sitting in Siberia (a.k.a. the Garden Room).

It's a popular celebrity hangout, complete with paparazzi milling outside. Dishy Clive Owen was dining the night I was there. The restaurant looks like a comfortable English inn, although the focal point is a magnificent Edward Sorel mural featuring 20th-century pop icons. The food is homey, American fare: chicken, pork chop, tuna tartare - nothing to blow your mind but all well executed. The signature dish is decadent macaroni and cheese with shaved black truffles dancing all over it.

Another New York restaurateur and sommelier from Toronto is Paul Grieco, grandson of the owner of the great, now closed, Toronto restaurant La Scala. He co-owns two excellent New York restaurants: Hearth in the Village and Insieme on 7th Avenue, plus his just opened edgy wine bar Terroir in the East Village.

Lora Kirk, former chef at Truffles in the Four Seasons in Toronto, has also just moved to New York to work at Allen and Delancey in the heart of the Lower East Side. The food is wonderful, upscale bistro and the setting is romantic. The highlight for me was a portion of beef marrow with caramelized shallots and caviar. Every bite was a taste of heaven. Kirk follows in the footsteps of another Four Seasons Toronto transplant - the inimitable Lynn Crawford, who is now executive chef of the New York Four Seasons.

Since those New York hotel rooms can be pricey, here some of my favourite recipes from these Big Apple hot spots.

ROAST CHICKEN

WITH MATAI MUSHROOMS

This recipe is inspired by a dish I had at the Waverly Inn. (They do not give out their recipes.) Matai mushrooms are also called Hen of the Wood mushrooms - not easily available. Ho shin come in packages and are tiny. You can substitute oyster mushrooms if necessary.

What you need

1 1.5-kilogram (3-pound) chicken, butterflied

2 tablespoons butter

Salt and freshly ground pepper

125 grams (4 ounces) Matai, ho shin or oyster mushrooms

1 cup chicken stock

½ teaspoon lemon juice

What you do

Preheat oven to 475 F.

Rub chicken with butter all over and under skin if possible. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Place in an oiled metal roasting pan and roast for 40 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove from oven and rest on a platter for 15 minutes. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat.

Add mushrooms to roasting pan over medium heat and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until limp. Remove mushrooms. Add stock and lemon juice and bring to boil. Reduce for 7 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Cut chicken in half and remove wing tips. Cut again through the thigh bones. You should have 2 breasts, 2 legs and thighs. Nestle one breast and one leg portion against each other on a plate. Drizzle with sauce and surround with mushrooms. Serves 2.

LORA KIRK'S HAMACHI

This is one of the signature dishes at Allen and Delancey. Hamachi is amberjack fish, also known as yellowtail. It is pink-fleshed and a standout in sushi making. This recipe is easy to prepare, but getting hamachi can be difficult. Ask at good fish stores or substitute tuna.

What you need

Pickling liquid:

¾ cup water

½ cup white-wine vinegar

½ cup sugar

1 whole star anise

10 coriander seeds

4 black peppercorns

1 cup shaved fennel

2 small shallots, thinly sliced into rings (about ½ cup)

Dressing:

1 ruby grapefruit

¼ cup grapefruit juice

Lime salt:

1 teaspoon grated lime rind

1 tablespoon fleur de sel

Mirin dressing:

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons mirin

1 teaspoon grated ginger

Hamachi:

1 500-gram (1 pound) hamachi filet, cleaned

4 mint sprigs, torn

What you do

Place water, white-wine vinegar, sugar, star anise, coriander seeds and black peppercorns in a pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool until infused with spices.

Add fennel and shallots to pickling liquid. Bring pot to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Marinate until ready to use.

Use a knife to cut off all rind and pith from grapefruit. Cut into segments and place fruit into a small pot. Add grapefruit juice and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and let cool in a bowl. Shake bowl carefully but vigorously - the segments will naturally break down into individual "beads."

Combine grated lime rind and fleur de sel to make lime salt. Rub between your fingers to infuse flavours. Cover and reserve.

Whisk together olive oil, mirin and ginger. Reserve.

Thinly slice hamachi against the grain and arrange on four chilled plates. Drain a little of the pickled vegetables and dot over fish. Season lightly with reserved lime salt and sprinkle with torn mint leaves.

Stir ¼ cup grapefruit "beads" into dressing. Mix thoroughly and spoon over fish. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

LYNN CRAWFORD'S

TRUFFLED MAC AND CHEESE

Upscale macaroni and cheese must be New York's new "it" dish because I saw versions at the Waverly and at Café Gray in the Time Warner Center (that rich take was mixed with large chunks of lobster).

Mimolette is a French cow's milk cheese that tastes much like a mature Edam. It is dark orange. If Mimolette is not available, a good substitute is aged cheddar. We used a white truffle cream (available at upscale grocery stores) instead of the black truffle paste that Crawford calls for and found that 4 tablespoons was enough.

what you need

250 grams (½ pound) dried elbow macaroni or cavatappi

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup fresh breadcrumbs

¼ cup finely chopped parsley

2 ounces Parmesan, grated

Salt and freshly ground pepper

3 cups whole milk

¼ cup all-purpose flour

12 ounces sharp white cheddar, grated

6 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated

4 ounces Mimolette cheese, grated

8 tablespoons black truffle paste, or to taste

What you do

Butter a 1½-quart casserole dish and set aside.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add macaroni and cook for 2 to 6 minutes or until very al dente. Drain and let cool.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large sauté pan. Add breadcrumbs and stir to coat. Remove breadcrumbs to a small bowl and toss with parsley and grated Parmesan and season with salt and pepper.

Heat milk in a small saucepot over medium heat until milk is very hot but not scalded.

Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat in another pot. When butter begins to bubble, add flour and stir until cooked, about 1 minute. Slowly pour in hot milk and whisk continuously until all of the milk is incorporated and the sauce begins to thicken.

Remove from heat and add cheddar, Gruyère and Mimolette and mix well until melted. Stir in truffle paste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add macaroni to cheese sauce and pour into prepared casserole. Sprinkle with Parmesan breadcrumbs and bake for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown. Serves 6.