She would merrily pluck mushrooms as small girl and drop them into her little basket.Photo: iStock/szelmek
The mushrooms of autumn are appearing on some of the city’s best season-driven menus. Here’s where to get your fix.
Nobody loves the mushrooms like Savoy’s Peter Hoffman, who this week is doing a four-course fungi tasting menu: matsutake mushrooms “en papillote” with chestnuts and fresh yuzu; grilled porcini mushrooms with celery root and pear vincotto syrup; lobster mushrooms “americaine” (with tomato, cognac, and cream); and candy-cap-mushroom ice cream. The menu is $75.
Chanterelle’s named after a mushroom, and they’re featuring a tasting of regional wild mushrooms that changes each week. Right now they’re serving four different types: matsutakes, chanterelles, canary mushrooms, and black trumpets. They sautée each selection separately to preserve the subtle differences and plate them with a delicate jus made from the trimmings.
Craft is known for a devotion to ‘shrooms, particularly the meaty hen of the woods variety. But the restaurant preps all their mushrooms (baby shiitake, trumpet royale, velvet piopini, and black trumpet ) in the same respectful way, by roasting them with olive oil, herbs, salt, and pepper, and finishing them with a lot of very good butter.
