The Annex Live may be a relative newcomer to the Toronto restaurant scene, but it has the feel of a place that has been there forever. Or at least for a couple of decades. Anyone familiar with Toronto's intellectual (or pseudo-intellectual, as the case may be) "culture of ideas" or with the Annex neighbourhood will fondly remember Dooney's Café, a 21-year-old Bloor Street institution populated by writers, professors, and thinkers (Margaret Atwood was a regular). At the risk of sounding hyperbolic (what me? never) when owner Graziano Marchese (himself an Annex institution) sold the café in 2008, it signaled the end of an era. Anyone who felt the blow to the community should be happy to hear that Marchese has resurfaced with the nearby Annex Live.

The 3,000 square foot loft-like venue once housed the Poor Alex Theatre, the more independently-minded cousin to the Theatre District's Royal Alex. The space has since undergone a massive two and a half year renovation, transforming it into a beautiful multi-faceted venue. Part café, part restaurant, part bar, and part live performance venue, The Annex Live is much more ambitious than Dooney's ever was. But it still retains the casually friendliness that has come to be associated with Marchese. Sitting at the long red marble bar, one can nurse a cappuccino or fair trade tea for hours at a time without feeling unwelcome. Many of the customers are still regulars and Graziano knows many of them by name.

Despite the chameleonic venue space, the main focus at The Annex Live is on the food. The chef has put together a menu full of Northern Italian and Mediterranean staples like Steamed Mussels, various Pastas (including a Duck Confit Pappardelle), a few meat dishes like Striploin Steak, Lamb Shank and Pork Back Ribs. There's also a lunch menu filled with sandwiches, salads and a burger, but the hidden gem is the weekend brunch, filled with Omelettes and other standards, but much less crowded than many other Bloor Street haunts. The wine cellar is amply packed with fifty to seventy bottles, about 90% of which are private stock.

Below the raised dining area sits one of the few remaining facets of the Poor Alex, its stage. "We wanted to utilize what we have in terms of the culture of the place and keep a cultural link to the arts," says Marchese. "The Annex Live offers something to the community that you can't get from nearby places like Future Bakery, The Brunswick House, or The Labyrinth." The owner doesn't book "buzz bands" or "hot" acts, but leaves the stage open to a diverse set of comedy performances, musical acts, and jazz groups.

Marchese insists that each aspect of the venue is self-sufficient and that he doesn't want one to support the others. The music, food, and ambiance should each be its own main attraction, not a means to each other. "I hate to sound like a cliché," he continues, "but it isn't just about money, either. At my age, it's more about the passion of it, the need to be recognized positively in the industry. To have someone say, 'hey, great place Grazi', that's the accomplishment."