I could have bored everyone with my specific meal but out of respect for the readers of this review I'll give you my overall opinion. I was wandering downtown looking for a romantic place to have dinner with my wife when I accidentally "discovered" this marvel; not that it is hidden - on the contrary. What caught our eyes was a nice attrium overlooking the sculpture garden. Speaking of view!!! We were lucky to get a table at what is called the solarium. Prompt, courteous and friendly service made the start even better. Actually we were asked if we celebrated any occasion - and when our answer was affirmative- we were offered a glass of champagne and a big smile. It really made us feel special. The menu had the right variety of items -not too long that takes 1/2 hour to read, not skimpy; very pleased to even see my favorite duck with wild berries and sherry reduction. After the owner stopped by to chat with us and verify quality of food and satisfaction, we found out more about this lovely place: everything is organic and freshly made. It was obvious after the discussion as my wife is an avid organic / good taste amateur chef. Finally, the killer was the desert: home made - the flufiest - cheesecake with fresh blackberries and blueberries and a touch of freshly picked mint. I'm not done yet; gooseberries, for God shake, too. I hadn't seen them since last meal at a FIVE star restaurant. Overall, a great place with EXCELLENT value, atmosphere and unmatched service. I can't wait till I go back again

I also signed up on this website just to leave this review. I had the same disappointing experience with poor service. Made reservations for Winterlicious almost a month in advance, waited at the door for 15 minutes in a crowd before being greeted, told it'd be another 45 minutes at least, decided to leave like others. Emailed the restaurant, only to receive poor excuses. They overbook the place and don't care about keeping you waiting.

Let me first say that I signed up to this site just to write a review for this restaurant. That is how bad my experience was. My party of six had reservations for 8:30pm. We were not seated until 9:30pm. While this is not entirely the fault of the restaurant staff, all that we received were a couple half-hearted apologies from the hostess. Extremely unprofessional. Once we were (finally) seated, the wait staff behaved as though they were rushing us. The waiter was abrupt and rude and food was slapped down on the table as though they were in a huge hurry and just wanted us out of there asap. The food was a huge disappointment. My scallops were rubbery and overcooked, yet also cold. My halibut was mediocre at best, as was the meringue I had for dessert. I eat out frequently and, while I have had some disappointing experiences, nothing has ever led me to bother writing a review. Now I see that people need these reviews so that they will not be fooled into trying a restaurant merely for its pleasant atmosphere.

We had the most wonderful evening. I had the soup du jour, puree of butternut squash with pears, and the prix fixe special of lamb in a red wine and raspberry reduction sauce with mashed potatoes and vegetables. My husband had calamari for starters, and then the veal special. The atmosphere was truly lovely and we enjoyed sitting in the solarium with a beautiful lush view overlooking the sculpture garden. The food was divine, the service fabulous, the mood outstanding.

My girlfriend had been here before, and she insisted that we both go back. After reading all reviews I was a bit concerned .However I took my chances, and I was pleasantly surprised, good food, the service is first class. It was a very positive experience and would definitely come back for a regular dining experience.

Waiter gives you an attitude when you ask for any details of the meal. It took 45+ mins for any food coming out from the kitchen. Ask for an ETA, all we got was a "Maybe". Food was horrible, it's like a in-flight meal, or something comes right out from the 80's menu. No idea how the owner allow waiter to treat customer like this (may be as self reflection). Or I missed the sign on the front door, it certain feels like I walked in to a joint ran by white supremacists.

This dish for Summerlicious is a total rip off. The Manager was completely unapologetic or accommodating. Rude to boot. He needed a swift boot to his stubborn head. Matthew was a divine waiter, though.

I made a reservation for 5 people to celebrate our friends retirement. We had heard good things and had always wanted to try La Maquette. But sadly we left with a bad taste in our mouth. The inside had really bad art on the wall, cheep glassware, my friend had a table leg in the way of her legs (very uncomfortable when wearing a dress), we ask our waiter to fix the table but he was not very helpful in doing so. The food presentation was not what you would expect from a 'fine dining' restaurant. Very basic and boring. The wine was way too overpriced. We left feeling like we spent way too much money for what we got. I don't see what is so special or romantic about this place, I found it to be very boring.

We had a window seat at La Maquette, overlooking the Sculpture Garden and the park. It was a Friday night and the classical guitar music provided just the right soft romantic touch, as did the lighting in the restaurant including the lovely glass-enclosed candle on our table. The main course was artistically presented and delicious, although the meat was a larger portion than we are used to eating. The owner, Ange, and our waiter were delightful. We could easily hear each other talk. A romantic evening!

I made a reservation for 15 people for the Winterlicious event last night. I even called about a week ago to confirm the reservation and they assured me everything was in order. My party and I arrived on time only to find out that they had GIVEN OUR TABLE WAY!!! We were so shocked and dissapointed! The owner was very blunt and rude and told us that she had "tried to get a hold of us for days to confirm the reservation". Though both my roomate and I were home every day this week and got no such message! The owner turned away from us and ignored us all not making any attempt to fit us in or arrange something somewhere else. She was so rude basically told us too bad so sad! We left and ate somewhere else... but the night had a black cloud over it thanx to this women who when we asked to speak to the owner said "I am the owner.. the line stops with me". Horrible service!! getting home today there were 4 messages on my answering machine from yesterday... but we were already on the road travelling to Toronto! These people are liers and have a horrible work ethic... not recommended for any special occasion!

We had a lovely evening. The food was wonderful, apart from something in the pate that didn't agree with me. Two others had it and reported no ill effect, so I can only assume that the wild boar liver was too gamey for my uninitiated stomach. The ostrich was wonderful - better than a good steak. The service was prompt and friendly and the music was pleasantly unobtrusive.

See comments about poor experience above. We had the same experience. Calamari which was almost raw. Cold dishes (salmon) and when it was returned almost 20 minutes later, it was still COLD and smaller than it was prior to being returned!! My dish (muscovy duck) was bland and undercooked! horrible experience and will never be back. No one has responded to my messages after the fact which really compliments their sub-par food and poor service. Sommelier deserves honourable mention which is why i am rating service better than 1.

Place is very romantic; food was great; service was incredible! Will definitely eat here again.

WORST DINING EXPERIENCE EVER!!!!! BEWARE!!! My girlfriend and I were celebrating a special occasion and I had booked this restaurant based on a few reviews that I had read on the Internet. When I initially made the reservation, I had requested to be seated in a quiet corner but near the live music. The restaurant assured me that they will do everything to accomodate my request. When we arrived, we noticed that there was a large party upstairs but was reassured by our hostess that the noise will be minimal. Then we were brought to our table - which was no where near the live music - which turned to be fine given that the musician cancelled for the evening. We order the foie gras (duck liver) as an appetizer - it took them over 25 mins to prepare this dish and it arrived at our table cold. We have had pan seared foie gras on numerous occasions but this was by far the worst ever. They took this back when we brought this to their attention. During the wait, our conversations were constantly interrupted by the servers trying to get wine from their shelves [which was placed right behind my girlfriend and the servers expected my girlfriend to move out of their way every time they needed to get a wine]. When the foie gras came back, we noticed that the portions were significantly smaller but we decided not to complain again. When our entrees arrived - the sea bass was virtually tasteless. It arrived with plain rice - which is surprising as I had expected something a little more creative given that the dish was almost $40. The ostrich was also disappointing, over-done and the vegetables were undercooked. At this time, it was interesting to note that the live music was actually the karaoke party upstairs and Justin Timerlake was the theme. When we requested if the servers can speak with the party to bring the noise level down - they replied, we can't there is a party upstairs. We immediately finished our food and requested the bill. Worst dining experience ever and will never go back.