It was a sad day when the Toronto veteran jazz institution, Montreal Bistro, closed last year, so it’s especially heartening that Liberty Group took over the Courthouse on Adelaide Street East and has turned it into a jazz club.
At this time, Liberty Group’s plans are coming along but not yet fulfilled. Right now, the club space is open. Their kitchen serves a few small plates but the focus is certainly on the entertainment. The Reluctant Chef and I decide to stop in on the weekend. Of course, we are starving as we always are! We order several of the dishes: lamb kebabs, bruschetta, panini, and mushroom quesadilla. My main comment is: Is there a chef in the house? The lamb kebabs are best, if I can even use that word; but served on over-salted arugula and certainly not homemade chutney. The mushroom quesadillas, which could use salt, are bland. The panini is tasty but only because it is so salty! The fries are passable. The wine list is pedestrian. But the talent on stage is pretty good.
Apparently Terroni is moving into the space downstairs and is rumoured to be trying something more than pizza and pasta with this new outpost. Our waiter tells us that the idea is to send people upstairs for the jazz, but that the Courthouse will only be taking reservations at that time as they expect demand will soar. We certainly hope they are right. At midnight the last set was done; the house did not fill up for the last (11:30pm) set, which surprises us. In other jazz towns, like Chicago or New York, midnight is the last official set and lineups are around the block. Toronto is a sleepy town, so best of luck to Liberty Group!
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