The Globe and Mail
April 28, 2006

Blue-ribbon rib-eye

by Leanne Delap

There are few places in town where you don't feel like a sore thumb in formal wear. Splendido has always been on top of that list. There is something about the twinkling lights of Toronto's Harbord Street, the lineup of Carreras at the valet stand and the regular pop of Grande Dame corks that makes it a comfortable place for satin shawl collars and their taffeta dates.

In a previous life, Splendido was the home of Arpi Magyar, the chef/owner who was as exuberant as his restaurant's decor. Four years ago, chef David Lee and his business partner, Yannick Bigourdan, bought the place and the name, adding more sombre art, discreet lighting, and earning their own rep for fine cuisine and platinum-card service.

Loyalists come for Lee's blind tasting menu $110 for six courses the specifics of which change daily and depend on the season: This month, it's earthy morels and aristocratic white asparagus. If he knows you're a real goer, he'll roll out the pigs' trotters. And who can afford such treats? Why the discreet elites (Conrad Black and his shrinking posse), well-to-do foodies and hordes of Zegna-clad lawyers and bankers celebrating deals in the cozy, private basement rooms.

Now that he's closing in on Susur for first-place honours on various lists around town, Lee is finally finding time to relax, even escaping on Sunday nights to his farm in Feversham, Ontario. When he first bought Splendido, Lee would work himself into the ground. These days, he fills the restaurant's 65 seats just once an evening. "If you are going to have a big night out," says Lee, "you deserve to own the seat all night long."

Tips

Lighter fluid? Not a chance, says Lee. "I walk around my farm and collect birch and cedar for kindling."

"People always think you have to fuss with the steak, move it around,"he says. "For heaven's sake, just leave it there."

Lee always cooks with charcoal. The trick is to bank the coals: "a high hill on one side and a low one on the other. You want a hot fire for searing and a medium one to finish."

The Right Cut

You won't find it at your local Dominion. Chef David Lee practically demands that you buy your meat from Stephen Alexander, the third-generation butcher and owner of Toronto's Cumbrae's Naturally Raised Fine Meats. "Nobody puts the work in that Steve does," says Lee. "The marbling is artful."Go for a steak that's been dry-aged seven to eight weeks. Have them cut it about two inches thick. It should cost about $25 and will feed two hungry diners. 416-923-5600; http://www.cumbraes.com

David Lee's Perfect Steak

Everything you'll need

1 22-ounce bone-in rib-eye steak

1 cup dry bay leaves

1 onion

2 tablespoons canola oil

Lesters steak spice

One Brush both sides of the steak with canola oil: "Olive oil burns too quickly." Rub a healthy amount of Lesters steak spice into the meat.

Two Once the charcoal is glowing, place the onion and bay leaves directly onto the coals: "Toss on a good handful. Don't be shy."

Three Find a molten hot-spot on the grill and place your steak there. "Let it get a nice crust," says Lee, about four minutes a side.

Four Move the steak to the other side of the grill and cook for another two minutes on each side. Take it off the heat and let it rest. "This is the thing most people get wrong," says Lee. Don't touch it for five minutes.