Canada has a lot to be mad about: We stole Wayne Gretzky, we make fun of them all the time, and now we’ve taken Toronto’s top chef. Susur Lee, the Vongerichten of the Great White North, is on his way to the Lower East Side and what is sure to be an opulent new restaurant in the long-delayed, almost-completed Thompson LES hotel on Allen and Houston Streets. The Thompson’s managements confirm that the restaurant is happening, but aren’t ready to release any details yet. Up north, though, they’re already hitting the panic button. “Susur Lee is one of our top chefs,” Amy Pataki, the Toronto Star’s restaurant critic, tells us. “I can’t believe we’re losing him!” It’s okay, Amy — you can come visit Susur any time you want. In the meantime, more on this as it develops.
