A Journey to Nirvana -- Safari Bar & Grill

By the time you read this, Safari Bar & Grill — located in historic Pickering Village — will have no doubt launched its spring menu. And co-owner and front-of-house manager Kevin Harper is ready for the fallout.

“I’ve been coming here for the sweet potato ravioli for seven years,” laments a faithful patron. “Why would you take it off the menu?”

Harper doesn’t have the heart to tell his customer Safari is only just celebrating its third year anniversary. He does explain, however, that the dish is seasonal and promises it will make a metamorphic reappearance next fall.

This scenario speaks volumes to the restaurant’s reputation. With a hands-on managerial manifesto of “customer first,” a twice-yearly new menu showcasing avant-garde twists on familiar favourites, and knowledgeable second to none wait staff, it’s no wonder customers feel Safari’s been forever part of Durham Region’s dining out landscape. This gastronomical devotion is due in no small part to the creative whimsy of executive chef Michael Grassam and his second in command sous chef Andre Johnson. In perfect tandem—and with the insightful musings of Safari cuisiniers captaining the kitchen at its other location on Avenue Road in uptown Toronto—Grassam and his brigade flawlessly evolve typical “been there, had that” mainstays into culinary Nirvana.

Imagine, if you will, tucking into offerings the likes of Strange Voodoo (an earthy portobello grilled with bell peppers, fresh goat’s cheese and homemade aged balsamic), Mangiacake Pizzadilla (spiced shrimp, roasted mushroom, sun dried tomato puree set upon a stratumed cheese-filled tortilla), and the restaurant’s velvety white wine curry creamed PEI Island Blue mussels. But Grassam’s artisanal take on prosciutto (a time-honoured dry-cured ham found on every respectable Italian dining table the world over) is, in my opinion, what sets Safari apart from other wannabe contemporary eateries. In chef’s New Age version breast of Muscovy duck is brined in a salt cure with sugar and juniper berries and left to rest under refrigeration. After seven days the duck is rinsed, wrapped in cheesecloth, and hung to air dry for an additional fortnight. Three weeks, start to finish, and, voila, Muscovy duck prosciutto: Here’s hoping it morphs its way to the spring menu, perhaps as a rosette apexing Safari’s signature Tribal Salad.

A proud head chef expat of Canada’s premier steakhouse, Hy’s in Toronto, obviously Grassam knows meat. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that his “defining moment” must surely be his New Zealand double-cut lemon and oregano lamb chops; the crown jewel of Safari’s spring menu. A “three” double-chop portion is seasoned and grilled to perfection, then enveloped in a lemon, garlic and oregano oil before being set atop herb and roasted garlic mash, and anointed in a rich veal-merlot reduction subtly flavoured with hints of mint.
Does it get any better? I think not.

Unless of course one gleans the restaurant’s “Chef’s Creations” listing. Eight to ten succulent shrimp sautéed with garlic and served in cucumber cups with a melange of mango and papaya, finished with house made pina colada sauce. Or chef’s double-nod cannelloni—a seamless melding of Italian and Mexican cuisines—fresh pasta is stuffed with spinach, mushroom, goat and parm cheeses, rolled, and baked in a creamy chipotle tomato sauce. Then there’s the fork-tender 14-oz Provimi veal T-bone served with silky scalloped potatoes, bacon-wrapped tender-crisp green beans and a shallot red wine reduction pan sauce. Culinary Nirvana, indeed!

Factor in-house-inspired cocktails, a worldly provenance wine list, speciality coffees, VSOP 12-, 14-, and 18-year-old single malts PLUS Safari’s John Hancock signature desserts created daily by pastry chef extraordinaire, Nadine Clarke, and one instantly understands; the culinary journey ends in Ajax at Safari Bar & Grill.

Safari Bar & Grill, 60 Randall Drive, Ajax, (905) 619 2636, www.safaribarandgrill.com