Sara Says...

A one-of-a-kind red Steinway piano adorns the stage on which the top names play. The audience files in for the live band. They sit at bistro tables, booths and up top on the second floor overlooking the balcony, all with anticipation of great music… and food. No other venue can match it. Chef Brad Macdonald’s challenge is to create an accessible yet exciting menu that can wow a different audience every night of the week. Vibrant dinosaur kale and brussels sprout salad plays all the notes with light lemon citrus and toasty pine nuts, while a colourful medley of beets scores with creamy chèvre mousse, blood orange coulis, and maplewalnut pralines. The rooftop patio crowd loves the chicken karaage. Crunchy morsels of meaty Japanese-style fried chicken with yuzu aioli are lively pop-in-your-mouth bites. During the applause, our waitress appears in perfect time with risotto—a rich confluence of sweet corn and smoked bacon with plump seared diver scallops. Tender red winebraised short ribs sing for a wine pairing. Chandeliers and velvet drapes raise the romance of this eclectic gem, where every nook affords a different view and feel. The Jazz Torte of chocolate sponge, pecan-praline butter cream and luxurious dulce de leche mousse makes us applaud the chef.