Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!

Earth Hour Toronto

The day after Earth Hour is upon us, now what are you going to do?

Will the symbolic activity designed to make a statement of concern about climate change make a difference in your daily lives?

The Toronto Star reports that energy consumption during that hour was down nearly 9% from comparable late-March Saturday nights. Across the province as a whole (bearing in mind that many cities and rural areas didn’t actively participate the way Toronto did), energy draw was down 5.2% from normal.

The Earth Hour’s launch point, Christchurch, New Zealand, had a 13% lower consumption during the hour. In Sydney, Australia, it was down 10%. I did get the impression that a lot of people didn’t participate, though, through numerous valid reasons but also some half-hearted excuses.

The Toronto Star states, “Ireland’s more than 7,000 pubs elected not to take part - in part because of the risk that Saturday night revelers could end up smashing glasses, falling down stairs, or setting themselves on fire with candles.

Likewise, much of Europe - including France, Germany, Spain and European Union institutions - planned nothing to mark Earth Hour.

That didn’t dismay organizers, who said there’s a powerful message in the fact that the usual powerhouse countries aren’t leading the way, and that even in wealthy places like Canada it’s very much a grassroots phenomenon.”

The Toronto Star had a great slide show of scenes from the different participating cities around the world. Many are very subtle before-and-afters, but I liked a number of them, including one of Sydney Harbour, from across the water. It doesn’t seem to let you grab the address for the individual images or I’d post a linked one here.

We were in Toronto to see a show at the theatre and during intermission Paul and I raced out to the street to see the lights off in the city. It wasn't pitch black by any means, but it was nice to see many of the office towers and other buildings with their lights off.

If it can be done for an hour for a special event, it can be done for good!

A Night Out in Toronto

One of the nice thing about the slowtravel community is the phenomenon known as the GTG (get together). This is when a group of slowtravelers, often instigated by someone from visiting the area, suggest a dinner out or some other form of social fun. People from the area (or who are also visiting) jump on the bandwagon and soon a party of sorts is being planned.

GTGs can be fancy like Palma's famous Desert GTG, or casual and relaxed, like the GTG we enjoyed with Ron and Wendy in Carmel last March. We have enjoyed GTGs in Rome, Venice, Montespertoli, Chianti, Carmel, Paso Robles, Pasadena, Palm Desert, and San Francisco. I suspect that Paul believed GTGs all happened somewhere else. Last night I proved him wrong when we enjoyed a GTG in Toronto.

We started off by heading to the ROM. Marion is a member and was able to bring three guests in with her at no charge. We are always up for a visit to the museum so we jumped at the offer. The idea was to experience the beauty and diversity of the South Asian sub-continent. The newly opened Sir Christopher Ondaatje South Asian Gallery contains over 5,000 years of history which is revealed through a beautiful collection of religious objects and sculpture, decorative arts, arms and armour, miniature paintings and textiles.  We all thought that the new exhibit needs some work; there is no flow and the displays seemed incomplete. Hopefully this is just one step on a larger transition.

After we had had enough of March Break at the ROM (think lots of children) Marion suggested heading up to the new restaurant at the ROM c5 (on the fifth floor of the crystal, hence c5) for a pre-dinner drink. Who were we to refuse?

The lounge at c5 is a chic location in the city to unwind. Soft leather lounge seating and original glass art installations set the mood, while the superb wine list, great bar menu and signature ROMtini make it the ideal destination for intimate social gatherings and private parties.

We order our martinis. Paul a Purple Haze made with Ketel One Vodka, Crème de Cassis, Citrus. Marion ordered the winner of the ROM Martini contest - the ROMtini which is mixed from Grey Goose Vodka, Hypnotique, Splash of Scotch. I decided upon the Maple Leaf which is made from Crown Royal Canadian Whiskey, Maple Syrup, Lemon. Our drinks were wonderful; it was such a civilized way to start our evening, wonderful people, a beautiful setting, well-made drinks and the late winter sun pouring in from outside.

We thought that we might need to order some nibblies to go with our drinks; it just would NOT do to show up tipsy at the restaurant! Marion suggested the Charcuterie Plate which was an assortment of Niagara cured meats, olives, froie gras, smoked lake Ontario trout, sweet cured straw mushrooms, and a pear gelee with brioche. She also suggested the frites which were served an Espellete Aioli. WOW this was an incredible start to an evening which promised more good food.

After enjoying our drinks and snacks, we grabbed a cab to the restaurant where we were meeting  Marg, Doru, and his wife Josette - Tutti Matti. This is one of our favourite restaurants in the city. The chef serves traditional Tuscan cuisine which is made by using only fresh seasonal ingredients. Everything is made in house, including the fresh breads and pastas. They carefully preserve the simple, hearty, robust flavours for which Tuscan food is known.

We were seated at the front of the restaurant away from some large parties at the back, however it was still challenging to hear one another. Marg had brought a very beautiful self-published photo album, "Roma e Napoli", over 190 pages of photos with captions from her recent trip to Rome and Naples. She had had it published through Blurb. I was amazed at the quality of her photos and the book itself.

The food was excellent as always. Our waiter was from near Sant' Andrea della Valle area in Rome and he was shocked to learn from Doru that his favourite childhood bakery had been remade into an Internet cafe. Apparently even eternal Rome is not protected from the fast pace of change.

The food was excellent and after dinner a photo shoot-out took place between Marg, Marion and myself. I have to say though that viewing Marg's photos has just reinforced for me that I need a new camera! I think I will order it tomorrow.

Marg, Doru and Josette

Paul and Marion

Shooting the shooter

It was a wonderful evening - thank you Marg for initiating it!

Verona Ristorante

Italian fine dining, superior cuisine and top notch customer service is just steps from the city's theatre district. Enjoy a tasty fusion of northern and southern Italian cuisine, a la carte menu options and warm atmospheres, whether you want to cozy up at the bar, on a bench or at one of the quaint dining tables. Private function facilities and menus are available. Generally, dinner for two including wine ranges from $100-$120.

toronto.com

It is a challenge, at times, to find a decent restaurant in the theatre district. This isn't because there aren't many restaurants. There are so many, in fact, that they employ staff to hang out on the sidewalk to try and talk you into stopping in for a bite. We didn't have to dodge the 'greeters' last Saturday, they were too busy shoveling the snow!

Ruth has suggested that we enjoy dinner at Verona Ristorante which is on King Street, about 1 block west of the Princess of Wales theatre where we would see Nicholas Nickleby at the ungodly hour of 7 pm. We were early for our dinner reservation when we arrived. In fact, we were early for the restaurant's posted opening time - 5 pm. It was either stand in the snow and cold or go next door for a martini. What to do, what to do?

Bistro 333; Blues Martini

We made the right choice.

When we arrived at the restaurant we were seated promptly. Some of the reviews on-line have complained about the service. We had no complaints, however, we were early and it was a blizzard outside. We shall have to return to truly gage the service. I suspect that we will because everyone loved their food and said that there were other items on the menu they wanted to try.

The food was what I would call 'Toronto Italian'. It was a huge leap from many Italian restaurants but not like one would find at the neighbourhood trattoria in Rome. Nothing is more annoying the someone who constantly compares everything to the 'mother' country so I shut up and went with the ride. It was to be a very rewarding ride at that.

I started off with their special salad.

It was two wedges of fried polenta on a bed of grilled mushrooms and fennel. Over this was layered simple greens. One top of the greens was a huge dollop or mascarpone cheese. WOW The entire salad was dressed with simple olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar. It was a delicious start for the meal.

For my main course I ordered off of the menu. I selected the spinach ricotta gnocchi which was served with smoked chicken, forest mushroom, red onion, fresh basil, in a gorgonzola cream. I was expected large gnocchi flecked with bits of spinach like I have had in other restaurants. When it came I thought that there were spears of asparagus in the dish. I soon realized that these 'spears' were, in fact, the gnocchi.

The gnocchi were fresh and light, the chicken and mushrooms plentiful. The only thing that would have made this dish better might have been more gorgonzola in the sauce (in the interests of full disclosure I should point out that I am a gorgonzola fiend! Others might think it just fine).

The desserts were very non-italian, in fact, the only thing remotely italian on the menu was tiramisu (on which I took a pass). I decided to have the blueberry creme brule which was excellent.

Dinner was very good. The bill for me with 2 glasses of wine, a bottle of sparkling water, tax and tip came to $ 80.

Nicholas Nickleby - Part 1

In 1980, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Nicholas Nickleby became a theatrical legend. Now the Chichester Festival production, the first since the original, looks set to do the same. It is simply the grandest, most exciting theatrical experience you are likely to have all year.

Eye Weekly

David Edgar’s original version of Charles Dickens’s 1839 novel was in two parts and ran to a total of eight and a half hours. Edgar later revised the play for Chichester and Part 1 now runs three hours and Part 2 three and a half - this is the version which took London's West End by storm. Slowly this triumph made its way across the pond where the only North American showing of this same production is in Toronto until April 20th.

We had tickets to see part one of Nicholas Nickleby on Saturday. Because of the wonderful reviews we had read there was no way were about to miss the first part of the play due to a minor trifle AKA 'the worst snowstorm on record for the month of March'.

The production involves 27 actors and 5 musicians who play more than 150 unforgettable roles in a comic masterpiece, presented across the two separate plays. We see part two on March 29th. Some folk have the two plays scheduled for the same day - I for one don't think I could digest 7 hours of theatre in one day. 

During the first part we met such characters as only Charles Dickens could create: Nicholas, defiant of those who wrong the people he loves; wicked Uncle Ralph, who cares for nothing but money; Wackford Squeers, the cruel master of Dotheboys Hall; the poor, abused Smike - and many others you won't soon forget.

The story contains the typical Dickensian themes as goodness and virtue battle cruelty and avarice in a funny, moving, exhilarating saga of Victorian England. The cast does a superb job of balancing the story that sometimes veers from farcical comedy all the way to deep and dark drama.

The production has gotten raves in Toronto and back in England (even Toronto's alternative paper Now gave it 4/5! Which is saying something! They hate everything commercial.)

The story concerns Mrs. Nickleby (Abigail McKern) and her two children Nicholas (Daniel Weyman) and Kate (Hannah Yelland). Left destitute after the death of their father, the siblings fall under the control of their hardhearted uncle Ralph Nickleby (David Yelland), who separates the two.

In Part I, we follow Nicholas through various careers as schoolteacher, under the sadistic Mr. Squeers (Pip Donaghy), and actor, in the company of the ebullient Vincent Crummles (Jonathan Coy), climaxing in the most uproarious performance of Romeo and Juliet you’ll ever see.

The directors Jonathan Church and Philip Franks have created a great whirling epic with swift-moving sequences sped along by characters who often narrate their episodes before entering a scene. This staccato style can be challenging to follow at first but greatly moves an expansive story along to crescendo.

As Edgar emphasizes in the story, this is a dark world controlled by money and power, but one in which the virtuous and powerless can still hope to create a just society that takes as it duty the protection of its least fortunate members. The parallels to our 'modern' society are strong and just as real as they were in 1839.

Twelve Angry Men

Last night Mom, Paul, Ruth, Catherine, Diamond, and I (AKA the theatre group) went to see the next play in our subscription series . . . Twelve Angry Men. I had not seen the movie nor read the book so I was in for quite a treat.

For those of you not familiar with the story . . . what seems like an open-and-shut murder case becomes a twisted puzzle of prejudice and intrigue. Twelve jurors are corralled in a room for their deliberations in the trial of a young man awaiting a manslaughter sentence for the murder of his father.

As prejudices are tested and evidence weighed, the entire jury is forced to look past the show of the courtroom to unearth the shocking truth. Faced with playing the hangmen, these dozen men must first face themselves.

It's really been far too long since we've seen a good old-fashioned, well-made play that's packed with interesting characters, spirited dialog and high dramatic tension, but also has some serious moral points to make. The play races from drama to drama with no intermission; in fact, it was probably the quickest 90 minutes I have ever spent in a theatre.

Reginald Rose's 1954 teleplay about a dozen jurors trying to decide the guilt or innocence of a young man accused of murdering his father has been remade many times over the years, but when you see it given the Rolls Royce treatment, you appreciate what a skilled piece of work it is. When the jurors walk into the room, they are 11 to one in favour of conviction. Only a soft-spoken architect (Richard Thomas) pauses and starts asking questions. Before too long, the tide begins to turn and what was a foregone conclusion is now a nail-biting suspense drama.

But Rose is smart enough to give us more than that. A whole society is on trial here, accused of bigotry, small-mindedness and self-obsession. What's frightening about the script is that – with very few alterations – it could still take place in most North American cities today. It's obvious that the young man on trial and his murdered father are both members of a minority group, but Rose cannily never reveals which one. Back in 1954, the venom could have been directed at blacks or Puerto Ricans. Today, the objects of hatred could be as a wide as the world we live in.

There's no room, to single out all of the 12 jurors by name, but believe me when I tell you that they were all doing an excellent job. Thomas commands attention, not just because of his star status, but due to the fact that he's mastered the fine art of underplaying with strong conviction. As an unassuming architect who suddenly turns a jury's mind around, Thomas uses intelligence, charm and moral commitment as his very effective weapons.

Julian Gamble and Kevin Dobson carry the brunt of the play's anger and bigotry, with Dobson delivering one of the most spine-chillingly racist speeches you've ever heard on a stage. Gamble may seem to bluster a bit too much at first, but he has a final scene that is suddenly and unexpectedly moving, and it makes up for his earlier excess.

Alan Mandell and David Lively are both witty, yet touching, as a pair of elderly men who prove themselves far younger in heart and mind than many of their colleagues, and Jeffrey Hayenga is a pleasure to watch as a stockbroker who seems to have ice water in his veins until it really matters.

And through it all, director Ellis shapes the material with a flawless touch, blending reality and artifice with a deft hand.

Twelve Angry Men is the kind of play they don't write any more and that's a pity.

It's engaging, entertaining and enlightening all at once: a triple-crown you don't encounter very often.

And it was the first must-see of 2008.

The Bright Pearl - Dim Sum

Yesterday we had our hearts set on a Dim Sum feast after visiting the ROM. Paul insisted that we go to a dim sum restaurant where they wheel the food around the restaurant on a cart (as compared to the restaurants where you actually place an order). It makes for a fun experience. You signal to the server that you are interested in somethng on the cart. She places it on your table and marks off your bill. often you don't have a clue what you're getting . . . this becomes the adventure!

I suggested that we go the Bright Pearl, a Toronto chinatown landmark. Alongside Kensington Market, this majestic eatery contains its own fish tank. Filled with live lobster, Vancouver crab, and bass, it reflects the fresh seafood offered here. The dim sum is another all-day staple, although early morning and mid-afternoon happy hours offer freshly steamed shrimp or pork, beef balls or ribs, steamed BBQ pork chicken or sticky rice and spring rolls. 

After being seated in the expansive dining room, we listened to the chatter of happy customers and the clicking of china and chopsticks. Once our cups were filled with soothing jasmine tea the fun began. Luckily there was a visual dim sum pamphlet at our table, which helped us identify some of the selections.

This is what we enjoyed:

Beef balls with bean curd skin, shrimp balls, and scallion pancake

BBQ Pork buns (my favourite)

Spicy shrimp

Steamed shrimp dumplings

BBQ pork

Fried shrimp balls

Shrimp spring rolls

Steamed pork buns

Fried shrimp dumplings

crispy chicken wings

Lemon chicken

When the time came to leave we paid the bill ($ 73) and rolled ourselves out to the car. We were stuffed but happy!

The New, Improved ROM

Today Mom, Paul, and I headed into Toronto to see the new galleries at the Royal Ontario Museum (known as the ROM). The Lee-Chin Crystal is part of Renaissance ROM, the Museum's renovation and expansion project. Considered to be one of the most challenging construction projects in North America for its engineering complexity and innovative methods, the Lee-Chin Crystal is composed of five interlocking, self-supporting prismatic structures that co-exist but are not attached to the original ROM building, except for the bridges that link them.

One of the fascinating things about this wonderful new addition is the story behind it. Inspired by the ROM’s gem and mineral collection, architect Daniel Libeskind sketched the initial concept on paper napkins while attending a family wedding at the ROM. The design was quickly dubbed the 'crystal' because of its crystalline shape.

The exterior is 25% glass and 75% extruded-brushed, aluminum-cladding strips in a warm silver colour. The steel beams, each unique in its design and manufacture and ranging from 1 to 25 metres in length, were lifted one by one to their specific angle, creating complicated angle joints, sloped walls, and gallery ceilings. Approximately 3,500 tons of steel and 38 tons of bolts were used to create the skeleton, and roughly 9,000 cubic metres of concrete were poured.

While the exterior is fascinating it was the insides that we were wanting to explore on this cold January day. We paid the admission fee and went to see the recently opened Dinosaur exhibit. This dramatic new space leans out over Bloor Street W., offering visitors a glimpse into the gallery even before entering the Museum. Once inside, visitors encounter 350 specimens, including 50 dinosaur specimens, of which 25 are fully-mounted skeletons. The 5.4-metre (18-foot) ceiling inside the gallery is high enough to accommodate the tallest specimens while allowing others to be suspended artistically overhead.

Most of the dinosaur fossils are divided into one of two themes, Life on Land and Life in the Sea and range from the Jurassic (200 to 145 million years old) to the Cretaceous (145 to 65 million years old) periods. Triassic period fossils (250 to 200 million years old) will be shown in another gallery to open in 2009.

One of the highlights is “Gordo”, the Museum's massive 27-metre (90-foot) Barosaurus skeleton, the largest dinosaur on permanent display in Canada and one of only two Barosaurus skeletons on display in the world. Several of the dinosaurs on display are long-time ROM residents that have been remounted for the new display including Albertosaurus, Corythosaurus and a number of hadrosaurs that are easily recognizable by their distinctive tubular head crest, some measuring over one metre long. The most well-known hadrosaur, Parasaurolophus, a very rare species, is one of the ROM's best and most complete specimens. Other featured specimens on display include the full skeleton cast of a Tyrannosaurus rex and a real Triceratops skull.

The Temerty Dinosaur Galleries also includes nearly 300 fossils of other life forms, including other terrestrial reptiles, plants, and insects that shared the land with the dinosaurs. An expanded marine section displays fossils of marine reptiles, such as ichthyosaurs, as well as fish and numerous invertebrates, many of which provided food for the reptiles. Visitors can view one of the Museum’s newest specimens, the six-metre (20-foot) ichthyosaur, Eurhinosaurus longirostris from the early Jurassic period (approximately 180 million years ago), which the Museum acquired through the assistance of the Louise Hawley Stone Charitable Trust.

Four interactive audio/visual stations add a dynamic new way to discover the gallery's specimens. A series of short and engaging video segments reveal how dinosaurs may have walked and interacted and feature fascinating overviews of more than 12 dinosaurs and other creatures. Explanations are provided by curatorial staff from the ROM’s Palaeobiology section. Integrated with the surrounding exhibits, touch-screens allow visitors to choose a subject that interests them and discover fun facts on each of these ancient creatures.

Other areas of the gallery include TD Bank Financial Group Continents Adrift Exhibits, the Evolution of Birds, and K-T Extinction, which discusses the events that may have led to the extinction of the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period. This leads visitors into the next gallery, Age of Mammals, which picks up the story of evolution at this point.

Neither mom or I had voiced it but it turns out  both of us were anxious to see what had been done with the fabulous mosaic which used to be on the vaulted ceiling of the old entrance. For more than 80 years visitors entering the museum looked up and saw a beautiful shimmering mosaic which depicted the ROM's mandate in vivid colour. Leaving the dinos, we made our way to the new Canadian and First nations galleries. Before we entered, we looked up and saw the mosaic in all of its glory. The folks at the ROM have done a fabulous job of embracing the new while at the same time as respecting the old.

Urban - Restaurant Review

a shameless self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 15 out of 464 photos.

You can vote by clicking here

Remember a 10 is good!

Feel free to e-mail the link to friends and loved ones!

*smile*

---

One of the most challenging aspects of our theatre evenings out is where to go for dinner pre-theatre (live is difficult isn't it? *smile*) We have to balance 6 different tastes, budgets, and varying degrees of food snobbery (OK, I'll admit that I am the food snob). Ruth suggested going to a restaurant close to the theatre that we had not tried - Urban.

Among a string of restaurants in the Theatre District along King West, sits this metropolitan diner. The  Executive Chef Michael Harbour oversees all work in the kitchen, providing an eclectic collection of dishes. With a Mediterranean theme, the restaurant features pasta, pizza, omelettes and seafood for lunch. The dinner menu includes cashew-crusted halibut, pan-roasted Muscovy duck breast, and Australian Big Eye lamb chops. The casual, contemporary diner adds the touch of comfort for colder evenings with a wood-burning fireplace.

The restaurant was featuring a three course prix fixe menu for $ 35. Most of us elected to give that a whirl.

I started with the duck spring rolls. The order came with three crispy spring rolls stuffed with duck confute. The hoisin sauce was laced with freshly squeezed lime juice which provided a nice counterpoint to the duck. The flavors in this starter came together quite nicely.

For my main course I decided to try their take on Osso Buco. The traditional veal shanks were braised and then slowly cooked in a red wine tomato based sauce. They were served with with fondant potato and sauteed french green beans. This was a good dish but not a great one. Both Paul and I agreed that the recipe that Jane shared with us and we made in the spring was far tastier!

For desert I selected a pear and cranberry crumble. This was classic fall fare as far as I was concerned. served with creme anglaise this desert was full of fruit and the wonderful flavours of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and cloves. YUM

All in all it was a great meal. The food was good, prices reasonable, and the wine list passable. The only drawback was the service. While it started off well it went downhill. Now in fairness, this seems to be a pattern for the Toronto theatre district. For some reason whenever we go out to dinner prior to a show the waiter is reluctant to bring the damn bill when we want it. In my mind it is inexcusable to take 45 minutes to bring the bill - when people ask you for it bring the flipping thing!

a shameless self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 15 out of 464 photos.

You can vote by clicking here

Remember a 10 is good!

Feel free to e-mail the link to friends and loved ones!

*smile*

---

Sweeney Todd

a shameless self-promotion . . .

One of our photos from Italy has been entered in a photo contest.

Our photo is currently number 15 out of 463 photos.

You can vote by clicking here

Remember a 10 is good!

Feel free to e-mail the link to friends and loved ones!

*smile*

---

Last night was the first show in our theatre subscrition series. It was odd that the first play was at the end of November. In the past the shows were far more spread out. Oh well, I guess that they wanted to really build up to a big show - and they did!

SWEENEY TODD, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is considered one of the great musicals of all times (some people consider it the greatest). The 1979 Stephen Sondheim musical, which plays at the Princess of Wales Theatre until December 9th, is based on an urban legend from Victorian London about a vengeful barber who kills his clients and serves them up as meat pies in his next door neighbour Mrs. Lovett's pie shop.Written by Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler, it is a musical that isn't easy to stage.

I confess to being quite curious about how they would handle the story. Musicals are normally light and frothy things, so how does a show about a mass murderer and cannibalism play out on the stage? I had also heard about how when the show premiered back in /79 the special effects were exuberant and folks were splattered with the fake blood gushing from the victims necks after Sweeney had dispatched them to another place with his straight razor. Yuck

But by re-imagining the masterwork in a revolutionary way, British director John Doyle has found the key to making the musical come to life. By having each of the actors in his production also perform a musical instrument, Doyle has given the legendary tale of 19th century London barber out to seek bloody revenge a new thrilling dimension. The chamber-like production allows audiences to become acutely conscious of every note and sound, whether bowed from a single cello or chimed from a triangle.

This production was the toast of the 2005-06 Broadway season, winning unanimous raves from the critics, many major awards (including a Tony for best director of a musical and a Drama Desk for best musical revival) and nightly standing ovations. I can see why - the staging and actor was outstanding; spare, focused, yet nuanced.

I did a quick YouTube search and found this clip from the original Broadway show:

While the words remained the same the rest of the show was completely different! In fact, you wouldn't really recognize it as the same show.

And . . . just in time for the festive season is a film adaptation of Sweeney Todd starring Johnny Depp, Alan Rickman, and Helen Boham Carter in a movie by Tim Burton.

Next up in two weeks: Dirty dancing.

Jamie Kennedy's Kitchen

Toronto golden boy chef Jamie Kennedy launched his own experiment a few years back with the wildly popular JK Wine Bar, where tapa-sized dishes are paired with splashes of rare wine.  Now he’s opened an adjacent restaurant with a more standard three course menu format based on his love of local organically produced, hearty ingredients.

The minimalist dining room feels like a Scandinavian designer’s loft, with plenty of well thought out space using just the right wood touches.  At the centre of it all, a giant cube of sandwiched dark plywood layers has tables backing onto three sides, the seats built right into the sculpture. Giant low hanging blown glass orbs bathe the rest of the wooden tables and chairs in soft white light, providing an airy yet intimate atmosphere.

As with the wine bar next door, the sommeliers have paired the courses with apropos picks from the encyclopedic wine cellar.

First up for me was the famed 'Streets of Toronto': an appetizer tasting trio of Italian meatballs in a zesty tomato sauce, a freshly prepared ceviche, and a miniature grilled cheese sandwich made with artisinal cheeses. While we waited for our first course we enjoyed our wines and a wonderful aracinni made with lobster - WOW!

My entrée was the mixed grill which consisted of a long skewer with chunks of perfectly seasoned and grilled meats. I was served a plate of sauteed mushrooms glistening in a rich red wine reduction, the server removed the meat from my skewer onto the mushrooms and served the warm cornbread on the side. As she did so she explained what each of the meats was - por, lamb, beef, smokey bacon, and pork liver. The combination of flavours was amazing. The rest of the party enjoyed the black cod, pork tenderloin and the rib eye steak - all pronounced their meals to be incredible.

For dessert I enjoyed the sparkling sorbet - three freshly made sorbets in a large martini glass. When it was served there was no sparkling . . . 'what gives?' I wondered. Well the sparkle started when the waitress filled the glass with champagne. It was a great finish to the meal.

When I paid the server brought still more treats - miniature lavender truffles and mini trail mix cookies.

It was an incredible meal - well-prepared foods, impeccable service, and well selected wines. If you want a splurge to try this restaurant!

Jamie Kennedy Kitchens