Situated in the heart of the Financial District, the partnership of Joe Alberti and Gary Chivers has launched Vertical on the mezzanine level of Canada's tallest building, First Canadian Place. Vertical features a stylish 70 seat main dining room, two private dining rooms that seat 12 & 16 respectively and a separate bar|lounge highlighted by a stunning 40 foot sandstone bar top. The mezzanine patio & lounge overlooks the parkette and waterfall of First Canadian Place facing King Street.

Under the direction of Chef Tawfik Shehata, the ingredient driven seasonal cuisine is inspired by southern Italy and the Mediterranean with a focus on simplicity and freshness. The menu is prepared in a lighter, healthier style indicative of Mediterranean influenced cuisine. Whole grilled fish, fresh pasta and naturally raised Ontario beef are specialties of Vertical. For the second year, Vertical has taken the eat local movement one step further by planting its own organic garden in Stouffville in collaboration with Chef Brad Long of Restaurant Makeover fame. The bounty appears daily on the menus and includes heirloom tomato varieties, fresh herbs, swiss chard, radishes, zucchini & beans among others. Fall harvest has brought us squash, heirloom pumpkins & decorative gourds.

The wine list is a compilation of passionate producers who we feel grow varietals that best express their region. The list is focused mainly in Italy complemented by selections from Spain and Portugal. New World selections include the regions of Australia, California, Washington, Oregon, Canada and New Zealand. Special attention is paid to the regional wines of southern Italy focusing on the value driven, high quality wines of Campania, Puglia and Sicily. Twenty five wines are available by the glass or in a unique individual 9 ounce carafe called a 'quartino'. A selection of Riedel stemware from The Wine Establishment (www.thewineestablishment.com) has been chosen to enhance the varietal characteristics of the wines on the list. Vertical has received the "Award of Excellence" from Wine Spectator magazine in both 2007 & 2008. Corkage is $25 per bottle and is waived if you also order wine from our list.

Vertical is proud to showcase the original work of two local artists; the paintings by Cory Tower and the photographic panoramas by Rick O'Brien (www.flickr.com/photos/o_brien). We are open Monday to Friday for lunch and dinner, and are available for private functions or catering on weekends. We are also available for private functions at breakfast, please contact us for details. Complimentary parking for dinner guests is available in First Canadian Place from 5pm