Canoe on Shore Leave for Renovation

The day is dawning when Canoe Restaurant, which pulled in its oars for the month of January to perform renovations, will be afloat once more. And, to hear the plans for Oliver & Bonacini’s flagship vessel, the renewed accommodations will be more seaworthy than ever.

Designer Lindsey Anacleto, a managing partner of the eponymous firm that has overseen the design and development of such high-profile clients as The Body Shop Canada, is looking to refresh the space, for which the proprietors have just renewed their 15-year lease.

Upgrades to the million-dollar revamp include the addition of polished concrete floors, a full paint job, a soapstone bar, banquettes, walnut tabletops, unique metal wall installations and rustic chandeliers. The Canadian provenance of the place will be evident in such interior design touches as wool carpets with pine cone, moss and birch bark motifs; a unique topographical wall map of Canada; and a custom entranceway featuring 150 vintage porcelain replicas of the iconic beaver-embossed sealer jar.

Flatware, staff uniforms and service areas will also be the subjects of refurbishment, and the two private dining areas—one of which holds 30, the other 40—will be soundproofed to up their privacy quotient.

More than a physical reno, the Canoe overhaul features some tweaks to the menu, courtesy of executive chef Anthony Walsh and chef de cuisine John Horne. Culinary offerings here have always focused on regional Canadian cuisine, with starters like maple-cured BC salmon and mains like dry-aged Ontario ribeye putting the restaurant on the map. This reinvention will feature more of the same, partner Michael Bonacini has said, and will “keep Canoe pointed true north.”

Canoe is expected to re-open on January 29, in time to offer $25 fixe-prix lunches, and $45 dinners for Winterlicious (which runs January 28 to February 10).