Splendido
After light renovations by Michael Rietta of Giannone Petricone, the mysterious, old and high-priced Splendido, one of Toronto’s to-be-seen-at restos of the 90s, has flung its doors, windows and menu open to a broader clientele. They’ve cut prices in half and promoted the bar from antechamber to destination. A warm tongue-in-groove cedar arc dominates, and gives the bar its own identity, accented with 100-watt polycarbonate Zebra pendant lights by Viso. The 18 upholstered Arper stools, with two bar menus (calma and rapido), have been attracting people who are not so much mourning the passing of the Champagne trolley as celebrating the Harbord strip’s first upscale cocktail bar. Try their mango vodka-based signature 88 Harbord.
Price range: meals: $100-$120/ per person; bar cocktails $12-$16. – Bert Archer
Photo by Lorne Bridgman
Featured in Designlines Fall 2009
