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Posts Tagged ‘Susur Lee’

Pantry Raid

New York considering banning salt in restaurant kitchens—no, really

(Image: TheGiantVermin)

Big Brother is watching, and his name is Felix Ortiz. The New York lawmaker has introduced a bill that would forbid chefs from adding salt to their dishes in an effort to reduce consumers’ sodium intake. Instead, diners would add their own salt at the table. “In this way, consumers have more control over the amount of sodium they intake and are given the option to exercise healthier diets and healthier lifestyles,” Ortiz told Nation’s Restaurant News.

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| 6 Comments » March 11, 2010 | 10:24 am | Karon Liu

Aprons & Icons

Susur Lee thinks Torontonians are more adventurous eaters than New Yorkers

Toronto will never be like New York, and for Susur Lee, that’s a good thing. The Toronto Sun caught up with Lee—who opened Shang in Manhattan a little over a year ago—to talk about New York’s restaurant biz. Despite the city being filled with rich and powerful foodies, Lee admits that it hasn’t been an easy ride and that diners are still pinching pennies. “It has been a very tough year,” Lee says, adding that he had to lower menu prices. “If I say everything is great, I’m lying to you. In New York, people are still driven by money, and they don’t want to show off their money in expensive restaurants right now. They feel the pressure.”

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| 7 Comments » March 9, 2010 | 2:25 pm | Karon Liu

Weekly Lunch Pick

Where to eat lunch this week: Lee

Lee opens its doors for lunch, offering Susur Lee’s vaunted Asian fusion cuisine at midday

(Images: Andrew Brudz)

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| 4 Comments » March 8, 2010 | 8:02 am | Andrew Brudz

Aprons & Icons

Susur Lee to compete on second season of Top Chef Masters

The second season of Bravo’s reality series Top Chef Masters, in which 22 world-renowned chefs compete against each other in weekly challenges, will premiere on April 7 with a small side order of two Canadian home fries.

After his battle against Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America ended in a tie, Toronto super-chef Susur Lee will get a second chance to show the world his culinary mettle. He might have a better chance this time, since Canadian food critic Gail Simmons, who’s now based in New York, will reprise her role from Top Chef as a regular judge.

• Season two: who’s who [Bravo]

| 1 Comment » February 10, 2010 | 4:37 pm | Natalie Goldenberg-Fife

Aprons & Icons

New details emerge about why Susur Lee only tied Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America

Tie land: Bobby Flay and Susur Lee (Flay by tomcensani; Lee from Food Network)

As Canadians try to heal the national wounds suffered after Bobby Flay trounced Michael Smith on Iron Chef America, Susur Lee—who tied Flay back in 2006—recalls the encounter with airport authorities that scuppered his chances against his American opponent. In a New York Times memoir about the ups and downs of being a frequent flier, Lee recounts being en route to Kitchen Stadium when his luggage, packed with secret-weapon ingredients, was inspected by immigration authorities. Suspicious of his bag of special cornstarch and collection of herbs (reminiscent of powdery narcotics and plant narcotics, respectively), the ingredients were manhandled by guards. Some of them were ruined. To top it off, Lee’s royalty-worthy beef and pork stock, his “pride and joy,” was confiscated due to fears about mad cow disease. “To this day, I believe I could have beaten him,” Lee tells the Times. “If only I’d had my stock.”

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| 4 Comments » February 10, 2010 | 10:32 am | Jon Sufrin

Rumours & Rumblings

New York legend Scott Conant to open new restaurant in Toronto

Shinan Govani finally had some food gossip to dish up this past weekend. Rumour has it that renowned chef Scott Conant is coming to Toronto to set up a restaurant at the much-hyped Thompson Hotel on Wellington West—the hospitality chain’s first location on non-U.S. soil, due to open this spring. Conant is the man behind Manhattan’s celebrated Scarpetta and will be importing its high-end Italian ethos, trademark polenta and foodie cult appeal to his new Toronto digs. His local partner on the project, Tony Cohen, tells Govani that the hotel will also house a 24-hour diner, which should be “perfect for both night owls and Spoke Club members alike.”

Funny that, not long ago, this was the spot from which Thompson Hotel Group poached great Toronto chef Susur Lee. Perhaps the family-owned luxury hotel group is back to make amends.

• King West’s new kingpin? [National Post]

| 2 Comments » February 8, 2010 | 4:36 pm | Robert Furtado

Read All About It

Ten worst dining trends, wine corrodes teeth, recession takes its toll on Halloween

The recession, represented here by a plush monster, is a threat to Halloween candy everywhere (Photo by Matt Blank)

• The recession has claimed yet another victim: Halloween candy. A new U.S. survey has found that the recession will mean less candy for trick or treaters this year. Consumer spending is expected to drop 15 per cent from last Halloween, and 47 per cent of respondents said they would buy less candy this year. It’s a double whammy of bad news, as less candy for trick or treaters will presumably mean more tricks against homeowners. [Canwest]

• Wine aficionados complaining of sore teeth may want to have some cheese with their whine. A new German study shows that the higher acid content of white wine corrodes teeth faster than red, with rieslings being the worst. The effect can be easily countered, however, with a piece of brie or gouda; the calcium neutralizes the wine’s acid. [Toronto Star]

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| 1 Comment » October 23, 2009 | 10:05 am | Jon Sufrin

Deathwatch

Gourmet magazine has balled its last melon

The magazine of good living dies (Photo by SuperFantastic)

Gourmet is no more.

The food world is mourning the loss of the magazine, which has been a cornerstone of North American culinary journalism for nearly 70 years. Publisher Condé Nast announced yesterday that the final issue will hit newsstands in November. Turns out that while Gourmet was talking about foccacia, it was no longer bringing in the bread. Fans of Gourmet may find solace in the fact that Condé Nast’s other food rag—and Gourmet’s biggest competitor—Bon Appétit, is off the chopping block for now, and that the company also plans to keep Gourmet’s book and TV projects going, as well as preserve its recipes on their sprawling food Web site, epicurious.com.

Here’s the word about Gourmet from news outlets across North America:

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| Leave a Comment » October 6, 2009 | 3:21 pm | Jon Sufrin

Aprons & Icons

Dominic Amaral leaves Madeline’s, Jason Carter takes over

After working under Susur Lee for nine years, head chef Dominic Amaral has left his post at Madeline’s and is now working at Zucca Trattoria, making Jason Carter of Lee the new executive chef. The shuffle happened quietly in early July when Amaral resigned from Madeline’s (the chef section on the restaurant’s Web site is currently down) to work as a sous-chef under Zucca’s Andrew Milne-Allan. “It was just time to go,” says Amaral “and I want to spend more time with my daughter.”

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| 1 Comment » August 31, 2009 | 4:44 pm | Karon Liu

Aprons & Icons

Cookbook fracas: Susur Lee, Marc Thuet and other Toronto foodies displeased as Canadians left out of 100 Emerging Culinary Stars

Shut out: Canadian chefs have been left out of COCO

Backcountry bias: COCO: 100 Emerging Culinary Stars Chosen by 10 of the World’s Greatest Chefs snubs Canuck chefs

The country’s top chefs and food writers are outraged that an upcoming book profiling the world’s 100 most promising chefs does not include any Canadians. The 448-page book titled COCO: 100 Emerging Culinary Stars Chosen by 10 of the World’s Greatest Chefs will also contain recipes by these young, non-Canadian chefs. When Toronto writer Shaun Smith learned that there is still one slot left in the book, he promptly started a letter-writing campaign to the COCO’s British publisher, Phaidon, making the case for squeezing in some CanCon.

The letter (full text below) explains how disappointed the signatories are with the list. It’s an impressive collection of names: 24 of Canada’s top chefs and food writers have thrown their support behind Smith’s campaign, including Susur Lee, Jamie Kennedy, Marc Thuet, Anthony Walsh, Guy Rubino, Anne Yarymowich, Lucy Waverman and Toronto Life’s own James Chatto.