
I finally visited Gusto 501 over the weekend. The place is amazing -- both the food and the architecture. And I don't know about you, but the food always seems to taste better when you're surrounded by great design. If you haven't yet been, I would strongly encourage you to go. Designed by PARTISANS for restaurateur Janet Zuccarini, it's a 6,700 square foot multi-level complex made for the consumption of Italian food and drink. Now, I could go on about its elaborate clay walls, its vast double height spaces, and its massive operable glass facade (supposedly it's one of the biggest anywhere). But really the best thing to do here is just show you. So here you are. All photos by Nic Lehoux. Architecture by PARTISANS. (Don't mind the snow. It's actually lovely in Toronto right now.)












Earlier today Slate announced that King Street Food Company will be bringing a new Buca restaurant concept to the north west corner of Yonge + St. Clair in 2018.
(BlogTO calls Buca one of the best Italian restaurants in the city.)
Below is a rendering of the new podium design at 2 St. Clair West, which is where they’ll be going. The design/rendering is by Gensler (the same talented group that did Ravine Bench).

The corner is going to be transformed into a double-height space and the architecture is meant to express that feeling of grandeur at the intersection. There will also be an outdoor patio at grade.
We are all super excited about this.
If you would like to read the full press release, you can do that here.