What Happened to The Liberty After Restaurant Makeover? (Toronto, ON)

The Liberty was a Toronto restaurant that NOW Magazine's Sarah Dearing reviewed on 2005-02-17 as Liberty Bistro, at 25 Liberty Street at Atlantic Avenue. The review says the room had been Liberty Street Cafe, which NOW had reviewed favorably the previous spring, that the original owners had left, and that a new team had overhauled the menu before Restaurant Makeover redesigned the space. The episode (S1E7, 'The Liberty') aired 2005-05-17. Google Play's description says the owner was a first-time restaurateur who had left a photography career and who needed professional help with the concept. RealityTVWorld's show page credits chef Lynn Crawford and designer Glen Peloso.

NOW's review is the most detailed account we found of what the makeover changed. It reported that the former purple-and-pumpkin color scheme was replaced by bright yellow, chocolate brown and pale steel blue, that the room was opened up and brightened, and that the new furnishings included black leather couches, bar stools and chrome-accented chairs. The reviewer wrote that the new look felt less casual and comfortable than the old room. The review also said the show would air that spring, with reactions from the owner, regulars and a food critic.

We found no description of the final menu, staff changes or the relaunch night. The link between the episode and this address rests on NOW's statement that the show redesigned this room, because the Google Play listing gives no street address.

Under the series format described by RealityTVWorld and Wikipedia, the owners' funds were matched up to $20,000 (later $15,000), but no source we read gives the budget for this episode.

BlogTO reported, in an announcement whose URL is dated 2012-09 and whose page shows no date, that chefs Daniel Lynn and Tracey Coutts had taken over the space formerly occupied by the Liberty Bistro for a higher-end restaurant called 25 Liberty. BlogTO's own listing for 25 Liberty, which carries no date, is marked as closed. We found no source on what operates at 25 Liberty Street today.