With the Toronto International Film Festival less than a month away, restaurants and bars around the city are expected to be preparing for the celebrity storm. Here are two spots getting preliminary buzz:
A loft-style private dining room is set to open at the popular new restaurant Grace by the first week of September. Continuing the modern yet traditional decor found in the main dining room, designer Patti Cuccia used a grey palette, Mennonite wood barn beams, and simple plywood farmer's tables to furnish the 30-seat upstairs space, which holds 50 for receptions. Following Gibson's success at her former Los Angeles restaurants Bella and Parc, the private room is predicted to be a celebrity destination.
Despite his departure to Manhattan in the fall, Susur Lee's anticipated new restaurant Madeline's recently opened in the former Susur location. Decorated with rich colours, velvet banquettes, and dark wood, the restaurant has a Mediterranean-influenced menu of sharing plates and seats as many as 80. A 20-seat private room is set to open at the end of August, and the space is available for full buyouts.
