Where to
eat, Drink
anD Party
Rub shoulders with
Hollywood royalty
at these surefire
festival hot spots
Where big names eat
small plates
Patria Where to make
a rezzie for tiff 2018
patriatoronto.com Chef Rob Gentile’s flagship
Italian restaurant reliably
attracts boldface celebs: Sandra
Bullock, Megan Fox and Bill
Murray have all eaten here.
The festival crush can make
it nigh impossible to get a
reservation in the cavernous
King Street space, so try heading
down the street to Buca’s more
relaxed sister-restaurant-slash-
café, Bar Buca (75 Portland
St.), for Campari cocktails and
porchetta sandwiches.
The lavish Spanish-style
tapas bar is one of the fest’s
choicest post-movie gathering
places. Jake Gyllenhaal and
Naomi Watts swung by after
the festival-opening screening
of Demolition two fests ago.
Watts returned a few days
later with her About Ray
co-star Susan Sarandon and
super-producer Harvey
Weinstein. Helen Mirren and
Elisabeth Moss also made
cameos. 478 King St. W.,
Where to party like your
parents are aWay
Buca
Buca
604 King St. W., buca.ca
The Addisons Residence Where movies are
alWays on the mind
theaddisonsto.com Moviegoers fill Charles
Khabouth’s Middle Eastern
spot year-round, snacking
on paprika- dusted marcona
almonds and sipping cocktails
before migrating a block to the
TIFF Bell Lightbox. During
the fest, star power displaces
the plebes: the space is all but
booked solid with cast dinners,
elaborate affairs fuelled by
the restaurant’s vodka-and-
pomegranate cocktails. Salma
Hayek, Adrien Brody, John
Travolta, Ethan Hawke and
King West meets high school
party house at the Addisons:
punch is served in Solo cups
and kitschy family photos hang
on the wall, but the sprawling
patio and games room
(foosball, tabletop shuffle-
board) are beyond a 16-year-
old’s most decadent fantasies.
In 2015, Tom Hiddleston and
Elizabeth Olsen—stars of
the Hank Williams biopic
I Saw the Light—feasted on
an ornate cowboy-hat-topped
cake. 456 Wellington St. W.,
Byblos
Julianne Moore have all partied
it up here before or after hitting
the theatre. 11 Duncan St.,
byblostoronto.com
Where the stars get Wet
Cabana Pool Bar
This spacious (and, yes, ostenta-
tious) lakeside club offers a
decidedly grown-up spin on the
pool party, with a casual-chic
dress code and the chance to
spot any number of celebs:
Drake, Will Smith and Justin
Bieber have all been known to
drop in for a dip. The food is
by Oliver & Bonacini, one of
Canada’s top fine-dining compa-
nies, but, frankly, anything tastes
great in the VIP cabana of the
right leading man. 11 Polson St.,
cabanapoolbar.com
Where you’re most likely
to spot an undercover star
Canoe
Chef John Horne is famous
for introducing Hollywood
A-listers to the finest seasonal
Canadian fare. Jason Priestley
and Molly Ringwald have
swooned over the restaurant’s
maple candied salmon, and
Robert De Niro fell for the roast
chicken—even if he deigned to
eat only the left breast and leg.
Eagle-eyed servers have spotted
September/OctOber 2017
where 19