After reading a review of this place in Toronto Life where it earned Top Ten New Restaurants for 2016, I sought this place out while my wife went shopping.
The small footprint of a restaurant, on the corner of Yonge and Richmond inside the Saks Fifth Avenue store, is gorgeous. 22' ceilings, brass appointments surround an octagonal bar that is the showpiece of the venue.
Floor to ceiling windows flood the place with natural light and enhance the ambiance accompanying the Bose ten speaker array which pumps out interesting jazz-esque music. Interesting art adorns the north wall. Everything feels good here.
The food unfortunately couldn't live up to the surroundings, despite the impressive looking menu.
Quail's eggs to start were great- adorned with chives and a small amount of mayonnaise.
I had the brisket burger which was unfortunately lacklustre- the accompanying potatoes were very good. The burger came with charred cucumber, but pickles or tomatoes may be a better option to a very dry burger. Brioche bun, and hearts of romaine couldn't lift this dish beyond mediocrity. My wife had a King Crab and egg scramble which was too spicy.
Eight craft beers on tap. The Bloody Caesar I had was too spicy for me, with fairly basic accompaniments.
A really nice place to watch the world from- I was hoping for more from the food.
Service was quite good.