ver want something no more complicated than pint of draft while the better half is whining for a Gibson served straight-up with the alchemy of a five-star hotel lounge? Well, you can't split up just because of cocktail incompatibility, now, can you? And that was the very focus Tom Patterson and Ken Horne had when they took over the Paddock, rehabilitating it into well-behaved citizen.*

The Paddock received a major facelift five years ago to turn this landmark location into a semi-chi-chi bar. The upgraded version opened in the fall of 1998 in the refurbished shell of what was previously the Paddock Tavern (since 1947), but with a local chef, a solid sound system, and a quality - and often inventive - cocktail lineup.

It may seem counterintuitive to have a tavern-like bar with all the chic trappings of urban cool, yet here it is. The old-school drinks, vintage surroundings, mixed with current sounds have been luring an energized crowd here to mingle in the happy-hour vibe of a late-'40s and early-'50s era cocktail bar.

The current rendition of The Paddock is an enhancement of the original - a design that wasn't created with the intention of being "retro" or "kitschy," like many of Toronto’s retro concept bars. It was established long before either of those hopelessly common adjectives were defined terms; when retro sounded like the name of a new Oldsmobile.

Everything about this little bar indicates an era when people gathered for rounds of stiff stuff on the rocks, while ranting about Ike, the Russkies and Art Linkletter. The room is a living, technicolour snapshot of the ‘40s; owners Tom Patterson and Ken Horne dispensed with the Paddock’s previous lack-of-funds-inspired bar theme and reconnected their Queen and Bathurst venue with walnut accenting, wooden flooring, and paneling that looks like Hershey chocolate bars - all to attract a new crowd, good energy, and therefore, street cred.