Montecito is a collaboration between Toronto-born director Ivan Reitman and Californian Chef Jonathan Waxman. At an epic 12,000 square feet with 280 seats in 7 different zones, this memorizing restaurant will have daily menus that feature local and seasonal products that pay homage to Canadian ingredients, sourced directly from Canadian farmers. Located in the Entertainment District on Adelaide, Montecito is open for lunch, dinner, brunch and late night bites.more...See more text
Being a director of box office blockbuster movies requires attention to detail. Acclaimed director Ivan Reitman relied on that when designing his restaurant Montecito, located near the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Ivan was frustrated with the dining experience in Toronto’s Entertainment District so he teamed up with Jordan and Tom Bitove of the Toronto based Innov8 Hospitality group to open Montecito in 2014.
“Ivan thought there was no consistency in the quality of dining, from a service and food point of view,” says co-owner Jordan Bitove. “My brother Tom and I sat down with him and talked a lot about the food movement in California, the farm to table movement, locally sourced food. That became our focus – being able to deliver that experience to Toronto.”
At 12,000 square feet and nearly 300 seats, Montecitomanages to have a quiet atmosphere. It’s split into four distinct sections so patrons can enjoy their meal without feeling like they’re in a huge hall.
“We went into a massive amount of detail on the look and feel of the restaurant,” says Jordan. The owners looked at every aspect of the restaurant, down to the colour of light bulbs, so that diners can enjoy a complete dining experience.
