I’m eating lobster bisque while a dancer twirls in front of me. It’s an unusual combo — seafood soup and ballet — but I grin inwardly: both experiences feed my senses at the elegant Avenue Bar and Lounge in Four Seasons Toronto.
An otherwise cold and windy day has been transformed by a French-inspired lunch complete with dance, cuisine and service par excellence.
Growing in popularity across the city, Four Season’s is quickly becoming well known for its unique and intimate fashion lunches. This time around, a Baroque-style event showcased unique jewellery from Solaris and dancers from the renowned Opera Atelier.
While I nibble on a crunchy lobster roll, operatic music from Jean-Baptiste Lully’s Armide spills from stand-up speakers. Two dancers adorned in purple and green gowns begin to glide across the floor, 18-karat diamonds glistening around their necks and wrists. Luxuriant bracelets and necklaces garnish the few patches of skin peeking out of their attire, and when the music quickens so do their feet: they twirl like young Evelyn Harts, smiling as the diners gaze with interest.
What catches my eye is more than just the pirouettes. The jewellery plays a big role in attracting attention away from a main course of Cornish hen partnered with buttered mushrooms. White gold sparkles off necklaces, bracelets and crocodile straps, the highlight being one heavy-looking necklace boasting 31 karats of diamonds and white gold. Other desirable goodies include a bracelet studded with amethyst and topaz stones, and a stunning ring made of Arabian-cut rubies.
An especially funny moment occurs as one dancer glides over to show off her accessories. Looking at me with a serious face, she pulls up the sleeve of her 17th-century clothing and says, “Oh, you like my bling bling?”
Indeed, everything is all bling at this Four Seasons event. Watches grace the dancers’ wrists, courtesy of prestigious jeweller Harry Winston (sold exclusively through Solaris in Canada). These aren’t average Swatches; some of the Winston pieces sport rose gold and diamonds circling the face, while others resemble mini bracelets with a yellow and white gold outer layer.
“This is a natural connection to have the opulence of our costumes meet the elegance of these diamonds,” says Kaija Robinson of Opera Atelier, an independent opera company celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
Dessert arrives, perfectly capping off the delectable cuisine and service. A packed house is treated to pear tart tatin with vanilla crème Fraîche. It’s hard to depart without seeing a full act of opera, or without a diamond-encrusted timepiece of my own. I guess there’s always next time.
