Dee Dee Hannah's Inspired Reno Reinvents Date Night

She had us at the onyx bar and mother of pearl detailed walls. Dee Dee Hannah hits it out of the style park with her masterpiece work at Harbour Sixty. She turned our favorite steak spot into our favorite place to cozy up in our cashmere and silk and look fabulous. Said Hannah at the recent media launch, "The classic proportions and details on the exterior of the Harbour Commission building inspired the overall interior design concept."

Harbour Sixty, located in Toronto's historic Harbour Commission Building, is boasting a brand new look, thanks to a multi-million dollar redesign in honour of the venue's 10th anniversary. Owner Ted Nikolaou called on Dee Dee Hannah of Taylor Hannah Architect Inc. to renovate the space.

The multilevel, 7,500-square-foot restaurant now features a colour palette of blue, plum, black, and cream, and includes a Carrera marble open kitchen with a front façade in drop dead gorgeous blue agate; a formal dining room with Italian crystal lighting and an art collection (hung in the windows) that includes custom works by Joshua Jensen-Nagle; and a lower-level private dining room with Italian marble flooring inspired by Manhattan's Carlyle Hotel.

The restaurant's wine collection has also been relocated from a private cellar to front-and-center primetime real estate in the dining room. Talk about vintage eye candy. Selections are on display in temperature and humidity-controlled glass cases detailed with polished nickel. This expanded wine cellar allows the venue to increase its current wine list of 1,100 selections to as many as 2,200 selections.

Fellow food enthusiasts swooned over Executive Chef Bruce Kowalchuk's menu, which is centered around USDA Prime beef. My personal moment of Harbor Sixty bliss came with the opening salad of Heirloom Tomatoes, Buffalo Mozzerella and Serrano Ham. The fresh mozzerella sourced for the dish was possibly the best I've ever had. So impossibly moist, fluffy and gold-medal grade. Of course, the main event - a Bone-In Tenderloin Steak, Roasted Bone Marrow and Gaufrette Potato - rendered my entire table silent. Which is saying a lot when it comes to live-to-gab professional foodies. This most gorgeous cut was prepared and presented to absolute perfection. Paired deliciously with an Arrowood 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County.

New items on the menu include braised short ribs with chipotle spiced cream corn and double-smoked bacon and lobster-mashed potatoes with brie cheese and chives. Seafood dishes are with made with Dover sole flown in from France and jumbo Florida stone crab claws from Joe's Stone Crab in Miami.

Harbour Sixty has five private dining rooms available for functions. The Vintages Room holds up to 100 for cockails and up to 50 for dinner. The Louis XIII Room accommodates dinners for up to 18, the two main level private dining rooms hold up to 12, and the Comissioner's Room, located on the second floor, holds up to 16.

Harbour Sixty Steak House

60 Harbour Street

Toronto, ON M5J 1B7

By Si Si Penaloza, Editorial Director, WOMAN.ca

Si Si Penaloza
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