When it comes to landmark establishments, the Liberty Entertainment Group has been a mainstay in Toronto’s diverse and demanding culinary landscape for the past three decades. Offering more than 500,000 square feet of space, the grand dame in hospitality has catered to a diverse clientele, from A-list celebrities and personalities to the well-heeled and local gourmand.
In addition to a new intricately groomed garden lining the entranceway, there’s a pair of heritage pink marble lions (made in Italy in the 1920s) that are a nod to Sir Henry Pellatt’s era. He built the castle as his private residence in the early 1900s.
BlueBlood’s outdoor dining includes tucked-away tables within private garden alcoves.
Led by President and CEO Nick Di Donato, the group is best known for its premium venues, from regal Casa Loma to the stately Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex. Restaurants Don Alfonso 1890 and newcomer Xango, a concept with chef Claudio Aprile of Colborne Lane and Master Chef Canada fame, plus King Street’s nightlife venue Arcane and the Rosewater Room.
BlueBlood’s outdoor dining includes tucked-away tables within private garden alcoves.
Seafood towers are assembled at the seafood bar, which prepares everything from king crab and lobster to fresh shucked oysters, chilled jumbo prawns and salmon crudo that come with housemade lemon-gin cocktail sauce.
Outside Toronto, the group’s efforts also extend to several international venues, including the Coral Gables Country Club and Cibo Wine Bar in Coral Gables, Fla.
The 40oz, 35-day castle dry-aged porterhouse (High River, Alta.) is presented whole tableside before being sliced for service. It comes with a trio of salts (smoked, black lava salt and Himalayan salt). Supplement the experience with a choice of sauces from cabernet béarnaise, chimichurri, cognac peppercorn and forest mushroom to red wine jus.
Being a hospitality stalwart in the current pandemic environment, two of its popular concepts—Blueblood Steakhouse and Cibo (King West, Yonge Street and Yorkville)—have evolved to meet the growing dining needs of Torontonians, offering both dine-in and delivery options.
In addition to deep cleaning and sanitizing procedures of all common areas and physically distanced tables, the restaurants’ servers wear masks, provide digital menus, wrapped utensils and contactless payments. There’s also online grocery and wine delivery services for those looking for access to the group’s pantry.
Experience refined dining in an upscale environment located within majestic Casa Loma. Set against the castle’s classic heritage architecture, BlueBlood’s modern and edgy dining rooms were designed by Liberty’s creative director and vice president, Nadia Di Donato. Decked out with unique heirloom antiques and modern
art pieces by Andy Warhol, Mr. Brainwash and Salvador Dali, the $3 million renovation dominates the main floor of the castle’s west side and was the winner of design et al’s International Hotel & Property Awards 2020. During warmer months, the restaurant’s seating expands outdoors, taking over Casa Loma’s formal gardens.
Helmed by executive chef Scott Saunderson, formerly of Michelinstarred restaurant Manley in Storrington, Sussex, the kitchen offers up a modern take on steakhouse classics with a section of the menu dedicated to fine beef cuts from around the world, including a list of wagyu from Mishima Reserve (US), MB9+ (Australia) and A5 (Japan).
Choose from choice cuts prepared to meet your preferences, or a wagyu filet tasting for $250. Surf upgrade options include lobster tails, crab legs, jumbo prawns and scallops. Cap the meal with a tableside prepared Caesar salad and/or crepes with rum flambé.
Wine director and sommelier James Peden is behind the $1.5 million international wine cellar that has a deep red list. Then there’s industry veteran Oliver Stern’s classic and custom-crafted cocktails, which include an Old Fashion menu using Rémy Martin as its base (the $500 King Louis features Rémy Martin Louis XIII Grande Champagne Cognac, Balvenie 30Yr, and bitters). Those looking for rare spirits will find an equally impressive back bar at their disposal, while beer and non-alcoholic cocktails round out the drink list.
BlueBlood Steakhouse
1 Austin Terrace
416-353-4647
bluebloodsteakhouse.com
CIBO WINE BAR
Less formal with a buzzier ambiance, Cibo features multiple locations in the city. The lofty Italian resto-lounge is outfitted with a blend of warm woods, industrial chic details and a floor-to-ceiling glass wine cellar filled with thousands of bottles to pair with the kitchen’s southern Italian fare.
Cibo’s Yorkville location is split over a couple floors and offers patio seating wrapped around the building it calls home.
Dominating uptown, Cibo Yonge Street boasts an eye-catching 40-foot open kitchen counter and casual patio that’s only overshadowed by its soaring two-storey, award-winning private wine room. The latter is known for having a harnessed wine angel who will float the racks to retrieve your bottle of choice.
Cibo’s grilled octopus comes with mixed greens, radicchio, purple potato green beans, and fried capers drizzled with lemon juice.
For intimate group dining experiences, there’s the White Room, a stunning open private event space below the restaurant that’s outfitted with exposed whitewashed brick, handcrafted one-of-a-kind crystal chandeliers and crisp marble flooring. For downtown dwellers, there’s Cibo King Street, known to have welcomed numerous celebrities, and Cibo Yorkville, a split-level open venue with a coveted casual Yorkville Avenue-facing patio.
In addition to fresh housemade pasta, there are also classics, like the spaghetti carbonara made with pancetta, egg yolk, Parmigiano Reggiano and cracked black pepper.
Touting the Ospitalita Italiana award of authenticity from the government of Italy, the menu features cocktails and wines next to fare that can be described as an intersection of traditional Italian classics, family recipes and contemporary staples.
Choose from a number of baked-to-order pizzas that might include classic Margherita to the Funghi that’s topped with wild mushrooms, fontina cream and white truffle oil.
They range from polenta fries and arancini to a platter of extravirgin olive oil slicked grilled vegetables and grilled octopus topping dressed mixed greens and fried capers. Crowd-pleasing pizzas with a vast range of toppings and pastas, with tried-and-true ingredients like grilled chicken, fresh clams or shrimp and lobster, dominate most of the mains. Substantial secondi include braised short ribs and Atlantic salmon.
Cibo Wine Bar Yorkville
133 Yorkville Ave.
416-925-2143
cibowinebar.com
ONLINE OPTIONS
The ABC’s of wine service
In a partnership with Foodball—a culinary fundraiser that supports Sinai Health Foundation—the group launched an exclusive online wine service that offers bottles selected by the group’s sommeliers at a discount. Delivered safely to your home, each three-bottle package of premium wines includes tasting notes and an original recipe by the restaurant family’s roster of chefs to pair with the curated collection.
The monthly subscriptions have no long-term commitment and have featured an amarone, a barolo and a chianti in the past that were paired with three recipes from Don Alfonso 1890 Toronto’s awardwinning executive chef, Saverio Macri.
CIBO Market
Venturing into e-commerce, the group launched Cibo Market (cibomarket.com) this summer to meet the changing needs of Toronto diners. Offering its clients convenient online, contactless grocery delivery, the new platform features pantry staples in addition to fresh, restaurant-quality seasonal produce and meats from the Butcher Shoppe. There’s also a selection of wines and spirits from Liberty Spirits’ cellar.
The haul from Cibo Market may include fresh produce, free-run omega 3 eggs, individually vacuum-packed meats, a selection of wine, and pantry staples including pasta, olive oil, and dried fruit and nut mixes.
Shop anytime for a dry-aged Angus tomahawk or Tajima wagyu steak with a bottle of red wine. Add a bottle of Dom Perignon or Remy Martin XO for that special occasion. The best part is that you can track the status of your delivery through a link that displays your GPStagged delivery vehicle.
