Here's a look at 10 new venues scheduled to open in the coming months.
1. The 267-room Ritz-Carlton Toronto—a $300 million, 53-storey hotel and residence on Wellington Street across from Roy Thomson Hall—is set to open in early February. A five-storey podium at the tower’s base houses 20,000 square feet of conference and event facilities, including two ballrooms with 7,500 and 3,000 square feet apiece, each with wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows. Also on site: a restaurant from Chef Tom Brodi, a 23,000-square-foot urban sanctuary with a yoga and Pilates studio, an indoor pool, and a spa and salon with 16 treatment rooms, including two executive suites.
2. Donald Trump is building his first Canadian project, the Trump International Hotel & Tower, at Bay and Adelaide streets in the city’s financial district. The 60-storey property will include 261 hotel suites, a full-service spa, a conference centre, and a restaurant on the 30th floor. The hotel's 12,000 square feet of event space will include a grand ballroom and grand salon. A champagne and caviar bar will be in the lobby. The hotel is slated to open in the spring.
3. Next to Maple Leaf Gardens, the Holiday Inn Toronto Downtown Centre is set to open in February after an $18 million renovation. The property, which formerly operated as the Days Inn Carlton, has 514 rooms and more than 9,000 square feet of meeting space spread over nine function rooms, the largest of which holds as many as 130. Meeting spaces, including three dedicated boardrooms, are equipped with ergonomic seating, audiovisual equipment, and Wi-Fi. The hotel also has a spa, a coffee shop, and two options for dining: the Carlton Restaurant, which serves bistro-style cuisine, and Thirty Bar & Lounge.
4. The Scotiabank Convention Centre is scheduled to open in Niagara Falls in April. The centre will be about 500 yards from the Canadian Horseshoe Falls in the Fallsview Tourist District. The 288,000-square-foot building will house an 80,000-square-foot free-span exhibition hall, a 17,000-square-foot ballroom, 26,500 square feet of meeting and breakout space, and a 1,000-seat theatre.
5. Oliver & Bonacini's flagship restaurant, Canoe—on the 54th floor of the TD Bank Tower—will reopen at the end of January following a monthlong renovation. Designer Lindsey Anacleto of Anacleto Design is creating a new look for the space, which originally opened 14 years ago. Upgrades will include polished concrete floors and the addition of a soapstone bar, walnut tabletops, metal wall installations, and rustic chandeliers. Canoe has two private dining rooms that hold 60 when combined. The restaurant seats 140 and holds 250 for receptions.
6. Charles Khabouth, C.E.O. of INK Entertainment, is preparing to open an authentic French bistro in the Colonnade, a heritage building on Bloor Street, in May. The traditional brasserie, being designed by Munge Leung, will include a 7,000-square-foot dining room and two 1,000-square-foot patios—one on the second floor and the other at street level, just outside the Cartier windows. The restaurant, which is yet to be named, will hold 400 people total, and a semiprivate dining area will accommodate groups of as many as 26.
7. Chef Tom Brodi will helm the kitchen at Toca, the flagship restaurant set to open in the new Ritz-Carlton in February. The restaurant's Canadian menu will focus on homegrown, naturally raised, and fresh-caught ingredients. The venue will have a contemporary design with natural materials and a earth-tone colour scheme. The restaurant will have an open-concept kitchen, a walk-through pastry corridor, a glass-encased cheese cave, and a glazed-brick interior. Toca will hold 120, with a private dining area for groups of 12. A chef's table will seat eight.
8. Elena Morelli and Guido Alberto Saldini, the owners of the Queen West restaurant, Noce, are preparing to open Aria—a 3,300-square-foot restaurant with 30-foot ceilings in the base of the new Telus Tower at 25 York Street (adjacent to Maple Leaf Square). Stephen Pile Architect Inc. is designing the venue, which will offer contemporary Italian cuisine. The dining room and lounge will seat about 109. A terrace will hold 60. Aria is set to open in mid-February.
9. Domenic and Jack Scarangella, the brothers behind Mercatto, are preparing to open their fourth location in the Toronto Eaton Centre in February. The restaurant, called Trattoria Mercatto, is taking over the space formerly occupied by the City Grill. The space, being designed by Munge Leung, will hold about 165. A semiprivate room will hold 24, and a patio will seat about 110 during the warmer months. The menu, created by executive chef is Robert Rossi, will feature regional Italian dishes.
10. Victor Restaurant and Lounge at Hotel Le Germain on Mercer is scheduled to undergo renovations in January. The bar will have a greater prominence, facing the window wall overlooking Mercer Street; a semiprivate dining area—distinguished by a newly installed peacock window—will occupy the bar's former domain and will hold as many as 40. Chef David Chrystian's new menu will showcase dishes that correspond to local neighbourhoods with shared plates offering Greek and Indian flavours. The restaurant holds 50 and will continue to be available for buyout.
