O&B and The Bay, together…potentially forever. The two-mega companies have done another fusion of resources and talent, overtaking the Arcadian Court space and giving it a complete overhaul. Nicki and I took a little jaunt over to the launch party on Tuesday night. It was an intimate affair. (You know, only 1,500 of O&B’s closest friends, clients, media, bloggers, and restaurant-passersby.) But there was food, wine, and Bobbette & Belle enough for all.
Arcadian Court is a near-century-old Toronto institution of sorts on the 8th floor of the Simpson Tower that used to cater to the well-to-do crowd and later in its tenure housed events galore. It was given a bit of a facelift in the 80s, to accentuate – somewhat ostentatiously so – the Art Deco-style of the space. O&B and The Bay brought in DeSignum Design to map out the renos. (DD is also responsible for the look of Bannock and Foodwares.) Gone is the fluff of the past, and in its place is refined elegance, with beautiful elements adding a layer of class that had gone missing from this historic space. Now cementing the Arcadian’s forte, large-scale events and weddings would be sublime in this venue. (We heard they’re booked out for weddings for the next two years already.)
As we walked around the 6,773 sq. ft. Arcadian Loft – an addition to the grand renovation – we beelined for the bar for a glass of wine then looked to our right to take in the, uh, intrigue of the onesie-wearing dancers (faces covered). Next…the hunt for food in the 8,086 sq. ft. Arcadian Court. Between deep-fried truffle mac n’ cheese, BLTs-hold-the-carbs, spicy sweetbreads that tasted like buffalo chicken wings, and sushi by EDO (with these darling pink and yellow soy paper wraps stuffed with shrimp), our waistlines were pissed but our palates pleased.
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Au denouement, they’ve done it again. O&B and The Bay have successfully shown the fruits of their partnership, restoring a historical venue’s falling glow and restoring prominence. Check out the highlights in the vlog below. (We tried to film more for ya, but there were so…many…people!)
Arcadian Court and Arcadian Loft | 401 Bay Street, Simpson Tower at Queen and Bay Streets, Toronto
