t’s one of those occasions when you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing at the time it happened: “Sassafraz burned down!” So maybe it’s not on par with September 11 or Princess Diana’s death, but the loss of one of Toronto’s trendiest hotspots undoubtedly created a strong shockwave throughout the city. The reactions ranged from shock and distress to sarcastic cynicism to outright derision and disdain. But it would be hard to find an indifferent soul anywhere from Yorkville to the furthest corner of Scarberia.

Throughout its existence, Sassafraz has been much more than just a restaurant. It’s been a celebrity hotspot, a place to see and be seen, and for many, the perfect punchline. Sassafraz has also been the place of choice to dine for anyone with a recognizable name. The mottled list of celebs includes such diverse names as Lindsay Lohan, Carlos Delgado, Alex Trebek, Julianne Moore, and Brad Pitt, just to name a few. It’s also a favourite of affluent Torontonians who want to rub elbows with their more famous brethren and with curious wanderers who just want to gawk.

As the December 13, 2006 kitchen fire caused the restaurant to erupt into a sea of flames and black smoke, an astonished population filled the streets to gaze in disbelief as Toronto’s most storied restaurant was damaged seemingly beyond repair. In the months that followed, Sassafraz’s future was uncertain. The fire destroyed most of the upper floor and caved in the roof. The only salvageable part was the heavily smoke-damaged foundation. Many wondered if the owners would think it worth the time and money to rebuild.

Doubts were eventually relieved as Sassafraz began construction to eventually reopen. In the aftermath of the fire that shook Yorkville, the media and internet reactions were endless, both positive and negative. Many mourned the loss of such an important landmark. Others mocked the restaurant’s inflated reputation and far-too-expensive drinks. Some, like myself, wondered how celebrities like Tom Cruise would keep from starving without foie gras, caviar, and cosmopolitans to sustain them.

The owners closely followed the immense media coverage of the restaurant’s fiery demise and paid close attention to the feedback from blogs and websites (always a good plan). Ingeniously, they cultivated the restaurants spotty reputation rather than shied away from it. The scaffolding surrounding the construction site bears sarcastic quotations from sites such as Torontoist and blogto (“…tough to put out a fire with twelve dollar martinis”) alongside the more positive elegies. But where’s the quote from Martiniboys?