These Booths Were Made for Gawking: who sits where at La Société
These Booths Were Made for Gawking: who sits where at La Société
By Toronto Life |
By Toronto Life |
Illustrations by Jack Dylan
The cuisine is supremely so-so, but the glitzy atmosphere and A-plus people-watching at La Société—the crown jewel of Toronto’s see-and-be-seen scene—more than make up for it. Here, the inside scoop on who sits where.
THE BAR | THE PARTY ROOM | PURGATORY | SIBERIA | THE POWER NOOK | FASHION ALLEY | LADIES WHO LUNCH LANE | TERRACE | THE PROMENADE | THE FRONT ROW | THE HOT SEATS | THE ZONE OF EVALUATION | THE DREADED TABLE 57
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- When in town, <em>Avatar</em> and <em>Lost</em> actor<strong> Michelle Rodriguez </strong>likes to roll in wearing Lulus, read a book and order takeout. <strong>Galen</strong> and <strong>Hilary Weston</strong> tend to sit in the corner, hold hands and drink pinot grigio. Other barflies include construction matriarch <strong>Cathy Bratty,</strong> Four Seasons founder <strong>Isadore Sharp,</strong> socializer emeritus <strong>Jacqueline Latimer</strong> and gossip hunter-gatherer <strong>Shinan Govani.</strong>
- THE BAR
- THE BAR
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- Known for its wild office parties.
- THE PARTY ROOM
- THE PARTY ROOM
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- Situated in a serviceway and almost entirely detached from human interaction, this section is better only than <a href="http://www.torontolife.com/daily/daily-dish/from-the-print-edition-daily-dish/2012/06/26/la-societe-map/attachment/jun12lasociete_13/">the dreaded Table 57.</a>
- PURGATORY
- PURGATORY
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- Staff run the day’s reservations through Google and circulate noteworthy bios internally. These aren’t the worst seats, but if they put you here, it’s time to update your LinkedIn profile.
- SIBERIA
- SIBERIA
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- Home to the ultra-wealthy and -famous, and the perfect spot from which to scan for patrons of equivalent omnipotence. High-strung capitalist <strong>Kevin O’Leary</strong> likes snappy service and a good burgundy. He eats dinner here but prefers Fashion Alley for brunch with his family. <strong>Belinda Stronach</strong> and beau <strong>Rod Bell</strong>, who works for her foundation, like to canoodle in the back corner. Other Power Nookers include oil baron <strong>Peter Munk,</strong> sexy crooner <strong>John Legend,</strong> sexier supermodel <strong>Yasmin Warsame,</strong> investment guru <strong>Reza Satchu</strong> and actors <strong>Laurence Fishburne</strong> and <strong>Bill Paxton. </strong>
- POWER NOOK
- POWER NOOK
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- A favourite of the sartorially inclined due to its runway-esque spot on the Promenade. Frequent faces include fashion power couple <strong>Joe</strong> and <strong>Kim Mimran,</strong> Greta Constantine designers <strong>Stephen Wong</strong> and <strong>Kirk Pickersgill,</strong> Flare EIC <strong>Lisa Tant,</strong> social circuit staple <strong>Lynda Prince</strong> and fashion super-bloggers <strong>Julie D’Uva</strong> and <strong>Christine MacDonald.</strong>
- FASHION ALLEY
- FASHION ALLEY
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- Martini, gossip, eye roll, repeat. The corner banquettes are prized because they allow guests to face the action. In March, <strong>Jeanne Beker</strong> celebrated her birthday here, and owner Charles Khabouth concocted a celebratory cocktail of Crémant d’Alsace and elderflower. Other regulars: establishment mainstay <strong>Barbara Amiel,</strong> Pete’s better half <strong>Melanie Munk,</strong> Loblaw grand dame <strong>Hilary Weston</strong> and high society doyenne <strong>Catherine Nugent.</strong>
- LADIES WHO LUNCH LANE
- LADIES WHO LUNCH LANE
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- <strong>Suzanne Rogers</strong> and <strong>Jenna Bitove</strong> fancy a seafood tower and a bottle of Veuve to split. Kajillionaire <strong>Alex Shnaider</strong> likes California chardonnay and a view of Bloor. <strong>Susur Lee</strong> and his sons are frequent customers. Acadia chef <strong>Matt Blondin</strong> criticized his meal and sent it back. <strong>Michael Shay</strong> of Royal de Versailles sips Brunello in the corner. <strong>Sam Bresler,</strong> whose family is behind Park ’N Fly at Pearson, brings his own wine and declares it his “god-given right” not to pay the corkage fee. Other terrace regulars include indie kings <strong>Arcade Fire,</strong> motivator <strong>Deepak Chopra,</strong> Tragically Hip troubador <strong>Gord Downie</strong> and Crash director and Scientology pisser-offer <strong>Paul Haggis.</strong>
- TERRACE
- TERRACE
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- All routes—to your table, the bathroom and the bar—follow this thoroughfare. Eye Institute founders and chatterboxes <strong>Sheldon Herzig</strong> and <strong>Cherry Tabb</strong> take the longest to get to their seats.
- THE PROMENADE
- THE PROMENADE
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- Gargantuan wrestler and Sherlock Holmes actor <strong>Robert Maillet</strong> sat here. Other regulars include big-shot barrister <strong>Eddie Greenspan</strong> and E-L Financial head honcho<strong> Duncan Jackman.</strong>
- THE FRONT ROW
- THE FRONT ROW
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- Nicknamed “hot tubs,” these booths are the primest real estate. They go to parties of five or more (fewer if you’re a VIP), but you’ll need to look the part. Yankees third baseman <strong>Alex Rodriguez</strong> and ex–Leaf enforcer Tie Domi break bread in the front tubs. <strong>Harris Fricker,</strong> president and CEO of GMP, and his top executives will blow $1,000 on Bordeaux in a sitting. (Overheard recently: “Should we have another bottle of Bordeaux or fly to Vegas?”) When in town, <strong>Kim Cattrall</strong> comes in twice a week. Rush’s<strong> Geddy Lee</strong> and <strong>Alex Lifeson</strong> like the middle inside booth. Other hot tub regulars include <em>etalk</em> golden boy <strong>Ben Mulroney,</strong> singer, actor and marrier <strong>Liza Minelli,</strong> La Société owner <strong>Charles Khabouth,</strong> JCC benefactor <strong>Miles Nadal,</strong> Roots co-founder <strong>Michael Budman </strong>and Onex boss <strong>Gerry Schwartz.</strong>
- THE HOT SEATS
- THE HOT SEATS
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- <strong>The reservation system</strong> records no-shows, window requests, preferred servers and more, all of which allows servers to amp up the appearance of “memory.” Coats are hung here, although <strong>George Frankfort,</strong> partner at Lifetime Developments, requires that his be stored in the back office.
- ZONE OF EVALUATION
- ZONE OF EVALUATION
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- <strong>The ultimate insult.</strong> It’s smack dab in a service alley and has a view of precisely nothing. It’s been used only a dozen times—usually as punishment for jaw-dropping insolence in <a href="http://www.torontolife.com/daily/daily-dish/from-the-print-edition-daily-dish/2012/06/26/la-societe-map/attachment/jun12lasociete_12/">the Zone of Evaluation.</a>
- THE DREADED TABLE 57
- THE DREADED TABLE 57
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- These Booths Were Made for Gawking
- These Booths Were Made for Gawking
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(Photographs: George Pimentel, CP Images, Getty Images, Zuma Press)
The food is still shit.
Is it me or does the place get more recognition than it deserves?
Toronto life is shit for publishing non-sense like this, and I’m even more shit for reading this. Oh self important tier-2 city magazine!
I never heard of it
Thats all TL does, get us all in a tizzy with controversial topics. This place is awful, over rated, over priced and caters to the old lazy yorkville people upstairs in the condos (Sorry if u are and reading this ) but been there twice and would never ever go back. STOP saying its like paris – its not!!!! Awful! Average service.
what a stupid story , who authorizes this stuff?
write about something more important instead of kissing the asses what TL thinks are important things
what a joke!
Something tells me at least half of the names dropped in these pictures were just “circulated” by the management in order to drum up hype. Still sounds like the same 30-40 people who make up the core of Toronto’s “upper class”, and show up to almost every society event. There’s no variation, no new and surprising clientele.
We spend part of the year at our house in Italy and like to read Toronto Life to keep updated. But this??? Really, how boring and un-informative.
This makes Toronto Life look like a magazine full of douchebag writers. Never would I want to go to such a place, unless I had a lot of plastic surgery. Please provide your readers with something more substantial than gawking at the ‘popular’ kids in the ses pool we call Toronto high society. I would rather stay home and get high on myself.
Ben Mulroney is the biggest loser on television. Why would anyone want to listen to this dick head?
this place sounds truly dreadful!
I’ll take a pass
this place looks stunning ( especially the floor ) but the food is mediocre and the attitude of the staff quite unnecessary !
regardless of the thematic bOOOoooring traditional ‘french’ decor (even the french don’t do that anymore) this place activated what is otherwise dead at night section of bloor and took full advantage of great space inside and out.
great hamburgers and nice staff.
oh and where those toronto celebrities sit… also boooooring
LOL….I totally forgot about this place until I read this article. It is quite a ridiculous place, I didn’t event know it was a restaurant until I looked at the menu. I thought it was a cafe for cougar women in their 50’s who are single, and their faces are pulled so tight they can barely see! Why can’t these people get a JOB!! oops thats another story. All anyone was doing was staring at each other and judging people walking by. Toronto sometimes can be so sad. I work on Bay street and venture to Yorvkille to get away….but…I think I’ll stick to the brainy area of the city. Plus, I need to eat real food for God sakes!! :)