Are you a wealthy man about town or woman of leisure? Do you have a trust-fund that spews money into your pockets every month? Do you find yourself trying to keep up with the Jones's? Are you "the Jones's?" Do you have hordes of snobby, pretentious friends who only hang out with you because of the money you splash around? If you are, then my friends, than this is exactly the place to book for an up-scale tea-party, wedding reception, or birthday party, stag/ette party or roast.
Sadly I'm none of the above... I have been hired on numerous occasions to entertain the likes of the above at this very venue. I have sampled the menu, I have had a drink (or three) at the bar, and I have "aggressively" corralled the catering staff as a steady stream of Hors D'Oeuvre cavalcade themselves out of the kitchen all to get the freshest and tastiest treats before the likes of the above get to complain about them.
Am I bitter in my lot in life as a starving artist? Well no, but it is frustrating when you see a slab of prime-rib go by to every table that clearly cost more than what you're getting to perform for your entire 3 hour set. The ice sculpture of there in the corner? Yeah, that cost more than my entire band got. The centre-pieces on each of the tables? The cost of each would have paid my fixed expenses for 6 months!
The venue is steeped in Toronto history and I'm surprised it hasn't been featured on other Toronto bloggy type sites that do historical newsy type things on a regular basis.
I do have to agree with The previous reviewer Stephan J. as the load-in is craptackular... Unless you like walking through the mall with your entire kit, and then of course getting locked out since you don't have a magic key to the elevator that permits access.
Pro tip: use the north west entrance (corner of Queen and Bay) which looks like it only goes to office towers... The elevator will take you straight there in a flash provided of course you're not burdened with anything more than you can carry in your own paws in one go.
Will I be back? Only if I'm paid to go... to entertain as I doubt I would ever have the means or the reason to book this venue for whatever purposes (good or evil) I might have.