See how 6 Canadians took our cuisine abroad

Fedora’s

Fedora was packed when we stepped into its cozy basement space in the West Village, and that’s how it stayed until we left three hours later. While it’s a restaurant that can’t help but be excitingly chaotic due to its deserved popularity, the staff manages to make everyone feel like they’re regulars.

That’s part of the Outaouais-born expat chef Mehdi Brunet-Benkritly’s philosophy. After leaving Au Pied de Cochon three and a half years ago, he and his team have turned this decades-old restaurant into a true neighbourhood joint complete with an old-style, heavily stocked bar, booths and a knockout menu full of new classics.

Mehdi says that they’re all his favourite dishes or else they wouldn’t take up space on the menu. From the creamy chicken liver toast to the melt-in-your-mouth braised pork shoulder with smoked mushrooms, the ever-changing specials or anything else they’re serving up for that matter, it’s worth sharing to try as many items as possible.

It shows when chefs spend actual time in their kitchen, or when they’re busy becoming TV celebrities. Here, you can taste the care that goes into the French food with a serious twist. Whether it’s the pretzels for texture in the salmon tartar or the passion fruit cheesecake that sports its graham on top, things are simple, but undeniably different.
In a city like Manhattan, where the local restaurants are people’s kitchens, Fedora opens its doors wide and invites you to stay a while, probably past your bedtime. ■