Figuring we were both already dolled up, my girlfriend and I went for a post-event drink last night. The bar up front seemed a bit exposed to the lobby but the bar in back was pleasantly secluded and looked onto the expansive and lush patio. The patio being full, we took a seat at the bar while we waiting for a table outside to open up. Our bartender was a guy named Chris who was absolutely amazing. Funny, friendly and professional he gave us a great wine suggestion (a bottle of great chardonnay, the name of which I cannot remember) and food suggestions, skip the poutine which was too heavy, go with the pleasant smoked salmon salad, light and flavorful.
Even though the bar was fairly empty I was still without a stool, giving the lone spare to my GF (chivalrous as ever). Also, the decor didn't strike me as particularly nice - not unpleasant, but not the kind of seating you would expect for a world-class hotel. We had our glass and waiting. We saw two seats open up but the hostess never came to get us. Eventually we had to ask Chris to help us out, which he dutifully did. By the time we were out, the nicer seats had filled up again, but our chairs by the fireplace were still great. As mentioned, the patio was beautiful, and even though it's in the city center it feels secluded and peaceful, albeit with a magnificent view of the CN Tower.
All in all it was a great evening, but I couldn't shake the feeling that after dropping about $100 for wine and a split dish, the whole thing could have been a bit more polished. A great bartender can only take you so far, and the rest of the staff didn't seem to live up to the Ritz name.