I recently went to the Corner House during Winterlicious. I called to make a reservation for Friday February 3^rd and was greeted by a recording saying the restaurant was full for the remainder of Winterlicious. Desperate to get a Friday reservation, I went on-line to “Open Table” and was able to get a 8:15 pm reservation for Friday. Thank goodness for on-line restaurant reservations!

Ecstatic we were able to get a reservation at “the most romantic restaurant in Toronto”, as determined by Toronto Life Magazine, we left a little early to be sure we arrived in time for the reservation. My boyfriend and I had both dressed up, unsure of what to expect, since we had never been to The Corner House before. We had simply been referred to it by friends.

We entered the small side door of the converted home and were immediately greeted by dim romantic lighting, fantastic aromas, beautiful décor, as well as, a crowded entry way filled with guests. We turned to the couple in front of us quizzically and were told the hostess had already greeted them, but that she would be right back. When the hostess, who we later learned was Michelle who is one of the restaurant owners, greeted us she explained the restaurant was quite busy but that we would likely be seated shortly for our reservation. She urged us to move up the stairwell to accommodate the waiters bustling to the tables in all of the different seating rooms.

As the entryway became more and more packed Michelle and the servers kept their cool. They joked while squeezing by patrons, were pleasant with guests who departed, and even told us what the dishes were when we looked particularly desirously towards a plate. Michelle maintained a firm hand with the staff as she coached them and was communicating with each server about the meal pace at each of their tables. At some point a bus boy going down the stairs dropped a glass off his full serving tray, instead of loosing his cool, he made a joke and kept going with his task. Immediately two other staff members came over and cleaned up while pandering and joking with those of us waiting to for a table. Slowly but surely everyone in the entry way was seated, including a party of 17, a group of 6, and several couples including us.

Michelle genuinely thanked us for waiting and told us, along with the other two couples who had arrived before us, that she was setting up special corner tables for each of us.

When we were finally seated, we were pleased to have a lovely corner table right next to the gorgeous fireplace with several elegantly lit candles decorating it's interior. Our server and wait staff were both incredibly pleasant and professional. Our server was so knowledgeable that he was able to advise us about a wine pairing that would go with both of our entrees. Our server was attentive, polite, and charming throughout the meal. The cherry on the cake had to be Michelle, who came over just after our appetizers were served to be sure we liked the table and to see how we were enjoying the food. Her genuine interest, made us feel like royalty, if only for a night. Each course was better than the last and we left our plates completely clean. The flour-less chocolate cake that I had as a dessert was to die for. It was rich, flavorful, and had a just hint of raspberry. I would buy this straight from the restaurant for my own parties and events, if I could. This is something I might look into.

When we decided that we were so full we were ready to be rolled out of the restaurant, we returned to the main entrance where our coats were handed to us by Michelle. All the while we complemented her on the fantastic food. Michelle surprised us by calling her husband, Herbert who is the head chef and co-owner, out of the kitchen to meet us. The couple was extremely humble and kind and their genuine interest made us both feel at home.

Over all The Corner House has great customer service, superb quality food, and romantic ambiance, which will definitely keep us coming to this Toronto treasure for many “date nights” to come.