Located in Toronto’s boutique Templar Hotel, Parcae opened as an artistic and modern speakeasy in November. Designed and created by Solid Design, the entire venue is finished in stone, marble, and solid hardwood fixtures with accents of raw steel over 4,000 square feet. The bilevel venue has a 60-person cocktail den and a lower-level dining room with an adventurous seasonal menu. The entire space holds as many as 195 guests.
British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver opened his first restaurant in North America, Jamie’s Italian, at the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in December. The menu offers simple, Italian-inspired dishes, including pizza and pasta made daily on site, an antipasti station, and cured meats. With an open kitchen and a relaxed, vibrant atmosphere, the 8,300-square-foot space seats 240. A semiprivate dining area seats 24. Plans call for a second Jamie’s Italian in neighboring Mississauga later this year. The 6,500-square-foot space will be located in the Square One Shopping Centre’s “luxury wing” expansion.
Part art studio, part gallery, and part café-bar, Paint Cabin opened in November in east Chinatown. Owned and operated by Gord Wong, the 1,200-square-foot space has cottage-like decor and kitschy charm. The open-concept space, which seats 40 or holds 85 for receptions, features a communal art table, café seating, and an art studio outfitted with easels and moveable furniture to allow for various event layouts.
The girls' school Branksome Hall opened its Athletics and Wellness Centre as a venue for private events in January. Designed by MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects, the contemporary building features a natural palette with limestone, tile, and brick, plus accents of glass, wood, and metal. The center has two spaces suited for events. The White Oak Suite is 5,700 square feet, or 8,900 square feet with the concourse, and seats 350 guests or holds 500 for cocktails. The Silver Birch Suite measures 7,145 square feet, or 9,425 square feet with the concourse. It seats 400 or holds 550 for receptions and can be used in conjunction with a rooftop terrace. The venue opened in early 2015.
The beauty salon Ritual renovated its Wellington Street West home in September to be better suited for private events. The 2,650-square-foot venue holds 60 people for cocktail-style events; planners also can book the service stations to seat 23 people for treatments that include hair, makeup, nails, and brows. The salon’s new look is modern, clean and bright, with white furniture, light hardwood floors, and a wall decor piece that asks, “What’s your favorite ritual?”
In December, former Langdon Hall chef Jonathan Gushue opened a new farm-to-table concept restaurant in Kitchener. The Berlin, which inhabits a four-storey heritage building built in the late 1800s, keeps much of its old-time charm with original solid maple floors, exposed brick, and audiovisual equipment. The restaurant covers 3,100 square feet and has a street-level dining room that seats 85 or holds 120 for cocktails and a separate event space on the second floor that holds 100 for receptions.Â
Famed Toronto chef Anthony Rose opened his sixth venture on the Dupont strip in a long-vacant spot. The Parisian-style bar Bar Begonia serves a seasonal menu of traditional favorites such as tartines, foie gras, and boeuf bourguignon. The 1,200-square-foot space was built and designed with Palmerston Design. The 40-seat dining room and 30-seat patio feature polished marble tabletops and wooden benches.
Opened in December, the Shameful Tiki Room Toronto brings a vintage Polynesian kitsch to the Parkdale neighborhood. Spread over 1,400 square feet, the venue holds 70 for receptions. The main bar is situated in the middle of the restaurant with two semiprivate dining barrel areas at the front and back of the bar. The decor includes tiki carvings made by artisans in California and puffer fish lamps.
Formerly a pop-up at the Toronto Underground Market, the Saucy Perogi now has a permanent home in the Dundas West neighborhood. The menu features several varieties of the potato dumplings, along with schnitzel and craft beers. The 1,100-square-foot venue features reclaimed wood, a marble bar, and Polish street art decorating the walls. It seats 75, including at a harvest table for 12. It opened in November.
Create a virtual celebrity photo opportunity with Air Graffiti Dallas’s new augmented reality technology. The new system, which launches this summer, is intended for brands that are looking for ways to leverage their celebrity endorsement contracts. Air Graffiti Dallas shoots a brief video of the celebrity in advance, for example, walking into the shot, waving, or bouncing a ball. At the live event, fans stand in a designated photo area, and the video of the celebrity is virtually added to the image. Guests receive copies of the images, which can include sponsor branding, to share via email, text, or social media.
