Toronto Food Events rounds up the most delicious events, festivals, pop-ups, winemaker dinners, supper clubs and other food related happenings in Toronto this week and next. You can find us here every Friday morning.

THIS WEEK

• Summerlicious is on now at almost 200 participating restaurants offering prix fixe lunch and dinner menus across the city (check out our photo contest here for a chance to win gift certificates at local restaurants).
• The Taste of Lawrence street festival takes over Lawrence East between Warden and Birchmount Road from Friday, July 5th to Sunday the 7th. The east end street party will feature live entertainment, a midway and food from local businesses and vendors.
• Corso Italia is also on this weekend, July 5th to 7th and will shut down St. Clair Avenue West between Dufferin and Lansdowne. This street festival promises local food vendors, a sidewalk sale, live music, buskers and a Steam Whistle beer tent.
• The Rusholme Park Supper Club and Evis Chirowamhangu present a South African-Inspired Dinner at 7:30pm on Saturday, July 6th at The Depanneur (1033 College Street).
• The Empanada Throwdown is on the Harbourfront Centre (235 Queens Quay West) on Saturday, July 6th at 7pm. Sample platters will be on sale featuring new spins on the popular Latin American stuffed pastry from six contenders.
• Tasty Thursdays begin on July 11th and will run weekly until August 29th at Nathan Phillips Square from 11am to 2pm. The lunchtime event will feature live music along with food trucks and vendors like The Food Dudes, Blue Donkey Streatery, The Real Jerk and Vesta Lunch to name just a few.

UPCOMING

• Mark your calendars for T&T Waterfront Night Market. The free event will take place at the Toronto Port Lands (222 Cherry Street) on July 19th to 21st and feature 150 vendors in an Asian-style street food alley (read: parking lot).
• Tickets ($20) are still available for DOS happening on Friday, July 19 from 7pm to 2pm. The DJ'd art show will feature 40+ artists and food from La Carnita and Chicago's Big Star.
• Lobster Fest starts on July 28th and will be offered Sundays at on the Sky Yard at The Drake Hotel (1150 Queen Street West) until August 25th. The $35 dinner features a lobster, six sides and a bottle of Keith's.

OTHER NEWS

• Lisa Marie (638 Queen Street West) is doing $5 Extremo Sandwiches from the front window today, Friday, July 5th starting at 11:30am until 1:30pm

Photo of Taste of Lawrence

The CN Tower has memorably provided stout entertainment to Toronto and its visitors for almost four decades, but sadly history has not been kind to its original kid-friendly mascot, a humble, balloon animal wielding clown on stilts who went by the name of Diego.

David Garrick, former general manager of the Canadian National Exhibition first spotted Diego Gonzoloz walking on stilts in the 1975 Toronto Santa Claus Parade. Garrick had been drafted by the CN Tower to take over its public affairs department just as it was opening, and saw great potential in the form of a towering clown. "I reached way up high and gave him my business card, and asked him to call me." recalls Garrick, now retired. "I started him on just weekends, when the crowds were backing up the elevators."

Seen briefly in the clip above, Diego was on hand for the CN Tower grand opening ceremony, and remained a fixture until the early 1990s. Finding great favor with visitors, especially children, he roamed around the lobby of the Tower, making balloon animals and generally keeping people amused while they waited for their turn to ride up the elevators. Garrick remembers "He was so good with children and making balloons for them while on stilts that he was hired full time. My payroll clerk who was hard-nosed from the railway side said I have penned a lot of cheques for clowns, but this is the first real one I have signed."

Look closely at the photo above, and in the top centre you can just make out Diego's legs, surrounded by a scrum of adoring children. According to stilt maker Gary Ensmenger, stilts have been helping sideshow entertainers walk tall for over 600 years, creating a playful twist on physical reality and elevating street performance to, uh, lofty heights. Laugh Makers magazine, a title dedicated to the arts and science of Carny folk, wrote in 1990: "The term "Stilt Walker" is already obsolete because it does not delineate what we are accomplishing as performers on bending-toe stilts. We should replace the term with "Stilt Performer" or "Stilt Acrobat" and leave the stilt walking to folks on drywall sticks."

Doc Bandoli, a popular Toronto entertainer also remembers Diego well: "I myself used to do gigs on stilts for years and I did a few at the CN Tower where I met Diego. He always stayed at the inside ground floor because his stilts were so high, and after walking around a bit he would always perch himself on a concrete ledge and make balloon animals for the kids."

Unsurprisingly, it was children who championed Diego. Perhaps his most lasting impression came in the form of a popular souvenir glass which came free with purchase of specially mixed kid drinks served At the Top of Toronto, the CN Tower restaurant now known as 360. Not only can these still be found knocking around local thrift stores, but probably as well around the world thanks to the booming CN Tower tourist trade in the 70s and 80s.

After a fleeting cameo in the utter train wreck that is CBC's The Opening of SkyDome: A Celebration, Diego disappeared. Dave Garrick left his position as President of the CN Tower to help launch the Skydome: "Diego stayed on until the stilts became too hard on this knees and I do not know where he went, as I left the tower to go to Skydome".

Numerous attempts to track down more information on Diego have proved futile, as for whatever reason the CN Tower's current publicity department sees no value in acknowledging his contribution to the overall experience during its formative years. However, as the sheer number of visitors who attended the Tower between 1976 and the early 1990s must number in the hundreds of thousands, there are likely many more visual recordings out there of this jolly, stilted clown who kept young ones busy and engaged while their families awaited a ride to the top of Toronto. Hopefully one day his legacy can be respectfully marked.

Retrontario plumbs the seedy depths of Toronto flea markets, flooded basements, thrift shops and garage sales, mining old VHS and Betamax tapes that less than often contain incredible moments of history that were accidentally recorded but somehow survived the ravages of time. You can find more amazing discoveries at www.retrontario.com.

Given that I so frequently provide guidance on how and where to drink in Toronto, it seems irresponsible that I have yet to provide any advice on how to handle the after effects, namely your hangover.

So, while I don't provide any guarantees that any of these will actually work for you, the following handful of great local options for the morning (or afternoon) after drinking might just help you fight the pounding in your head and the taste of death in your mouth after your next epic night on the town. As for the stains on your shirt and the shame in your soul, well, you're on your own.

1. Fight fire with fire at Fynn's of Temple Bar with their London Calling Caesar ($12)
With dill and cucumber-infused gin, cucumber, Worcestershire, and jalapeño Tabasco, the UK-inspired version of this Canadian classic is a bit more refreshing than some of the other options on the bar's excellent Caesar menu — a list that includes caesars with bacon infused vodka and pepperette garnishes. Bonus: With all that greenery involved, this is a beverage that's got all the nutrients you might need to tide you over until the idea of eating something seems less heave-inducing.

1b. If you're going to need a few Caesars, you might skip Fynn's $12 offering and opt for the bare-bones version at Lakeview. It's just your standard Caesar, but at $4 a pop, you can economically have a few to battle those extra nasty hangovers.

2. Show your stomach who's boss with The Bristol Yard's breakfast pie ($12)
Some might opt to nibble dry toast with a blue Powerade the morning after drinking, but I say jump in with both feet. The breakfast pie at The Bristol Yard is something like what you might get if a Scotch egg had sex with a pork pie. It's a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage and covered in pastry. Just the thing to kickstart your morning. And hey, if you keep it down, you're golden.

3. Hide in the dark of a matinee at at Revue Cinema($11 plus snacks)
Perfect for days you can't conceivably socialize, the anonymity of Toronto's not-for-profit cinema provides the perfect hiding place from your hangover. Nurse yourself back to health with popcorn, licorice, and fountain pop while taking in a matinee. Bonus: For those extra haggard weekends, Revue Cinema features Silent Sundays, a celebration of silent cinema for those days when even trying to listen to dialogue is too painful.

4. Soak up the booze with Bacon and Eggs from Rose and Sons($12)
A fatty breakfast isn't a new idea for a hangover cure, but if you're going to do it, do it right. I'm talking about Rose and Sons "Eggs-3" — a breakfast platter that includes three eggs, hashbrowns fried in schmaltz (yeah, that's rendered fat) and your choice of bacon, sausage, or a pork chop. Pro tip: opt for the bacon. It's made in-house and cured in Dr. Pepper.

5. Clear the cobwebs with coffee from Pilot Coffee Roasters ($2-$4)
For those that opt to fight hangovers instead of wallowing in the funk of the day after the party, why not caffeinate with in-house roasted, single source, Direct Trade coffee at Te Aro? This is coffee for people who really fucking love coffee and should be more than capable of opening your bloodshot eyes. The coffee shops (one on Queen East and one on Ossington) even host coffee tastings so you can sample brews the owners sourced themselves by travelling to the location of growers, including a cold-drip version made from distilled ice cubes that takes six hours to make. Or you can just get a Tim Hortons Ice Capp ($1.98). That works too.

6. Get stoned at Vapor Central ($5 to get in, BYOW)
It's a hangover cure that's been around since the beginning of time — or at least since your first year of university: the wake and bake. Provided you don't have too much to get done the day after a spirited bout of putting back beers, why not write off the next day too and mellow your harsh hangover by burning a few at "Toronto's original vapor lounge"? There's bongs and vaporizers available for rent, and, most importantly a well stocked (snack) bar. Just make sure to bring your own pot, there's a strictly-enforced no sharing/selling/mooching rule in effect.

7. Fill your belly with The Cubano special at Delux($15)
The "Cubano special" is a bit of a misnomer given that it's not really all that Cuban, it's served in a restaurant that's primarily French, and it's really just a combo. Nevertheless, the $15 is well spent for a pressed Cubano sandwich that features finely-shaved, cider-cured pork, cheese, and grain mustard and comes with fries, a side of thinly sliced jalapenos and a why-is-it-so-much-better-in-a-glass-bottle coke. It's quite simply a delicious lunch and, with any luck, by the time you finish it you'll be game for one of their mojitos ($8).

8. Take a spa day at Elmwood ($95-$1000)
Obviously this is a rather expensive cure for a hangover and you might question the logic of rewarding yourself so lavishly for your debauchery, but if you can swing it, a day at Elmwood will go a long way to making you feel like a million bucks again (or however much you usually feel you're worth). Spa treatments here run the gamut price-wise (facials from $100-$250, massages from $95-$300+); however, almost all treatments include complimentary "Water Therapies," meaning you can show up early and hang out in the whirlpool, steam room, and swimming pool. Bonus: Monday through Thursday Water Therapies are included with the price of manicures and pedicures, which can cost as little as $42, so float in the pool for a few hours while the booze wears off and then get your nails did.

9. Outclass your hangover at Le Select Bistro
Everybody seems to be hopping on the big greasy brunch bandwagon these days (see some of my choices, above), but for my money, the best brunch in town is to be had at Le Select Bistro. The fare is classic Parisian cafe-style and the atmosphere and clientele make it seem almost an inappropriate place to be hungover. Feel like a grown up trading in the greasy eggs and Caesars for Atlantic salmon gravlax on a croissant ($12.95) paired with a Kir Royale ($9.00) and shame your hangover away with fabulousness. But feel free to keep your cheap sunglasses on.

10. Sweat it out at CrossFit Toronto ($25)
If you want to kick your own ass for behaving so poorly the night before, drop in for a serious workout at the city's first crossfit gym. It's basically a 5000 square foot playground that's got sure-to-make-you-swear-off-drinking toys like strongman logs, Atlas stones, and sand bags to throw around. If you get sick of kicking your own ass there's even martial arts classes. The first session is free, with a drop-in fee of $25.

Ben Johnson also writes about beer and drinking over on Ben's Beer Blog. He's also aware that the only real cure for hangovers is not drinking at all or, as some of his uncles taught him, never stopping your drinking, but these things seem to help. What's your Toronto hangover cure?

Open since the beginning of June, this primarily take-out spot on Lawrence Avenue is already building a name for itself as the go-to spot in Toronto for tasty, authentic (and cheap!) Tanzanian eats.

Read my profile of Pili Pili in the restaurants section.

The Bloorcourt hood is about to get an injection of cinematic display and prowess. On July 15, the Bloorcourt Screen Shot will put on its first screening, sponsored by Tallboys Craft Beer House. The Screen Shot is set up to be a regular event showcasing the work of local artists, with the goal of giving filmmakers a new platform for discussion. The first film they show will be the premiere of the film Shoe Shine by Dubai-based Canadian filmmaker, Amil Shivji.

Screenings will be free to the public, but all events are 19+ due to the hoppy nature of things. There will be music by Paula Perri at 8 p.m., and the film begins at 8:30. The film's director of photography will be in attendance as well, leading a Q&A session following the film.

The Bloorcourt Screen Shot goes down at Tallboys Craft Beer House at 838 Bloor St. W. Check out full event info on their Facebook page.

Photo by Enfys photography in the blogTO Flickr pool

Cheap wine that doesn't singe your throat on the way down is a relatively rare commodity at the LCBO. That said, there are a select few bottles that meet the categories "cheap" and "drinkable" in the general stock at the booze store; you just need to know which ones. Many of these wines — particularly the reds — do best when paired with food as they tend to be fruit forward and marked by a healthy dose of acidity. I find that the reds on this list do well chilled down a little lower than you might tend to go with wine of higher quality and complexity. Chilling wine too low will obliterate its flavour, but with these wines it can produce the illusion of balance.

A note on the word "cheap." What constitutes inexpensive will vary from individual to individual, but with this list I've tried to keep the focus on wines that are less than $10. The final two on the list come in above that ceiling, but stay under $12.

Here are my picks for the top 10 cheap wines available at the LCBO.

Villa Regia 2011, $7.95
It doesn't have much by way of body, but this Douro Valley red is easy drinking and fairly well balanced — which is to say that no one element (like say, acidity) stands out. This is a good wine to pair with casual food like grilled burgers.

Mezzomondo Negroamaro 2011, $9.00
One of the LCBO's longstanding values in red wine, this Negroamaro from Italy is a great food wine. It's not particularly complex, of course, but with a lively acidity and plenty of plum on the palate, it pairs perfectly with simple pastas and pizza.

Castillo de Monséran 2011, $9.95
Garnacha (or Grenache in French) is a grape that tends to taste like the sun — or at least that's what I think after I've had a bottle of it (my face somehow usually looks sunburnt at this point, too). Hailing from Carinena in Spain, this is a soft red wine with lots of dark fruit and low tannin. It's a great value at $9.95.

Farnese Casale Vecchio Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2010, $9.95
Oh, Farnese — you got me through grad school. Although the price has krept up since back then, at less than 10 bucks it's hard to go wrong with this food-friendly Italian red. Even if you start the night with the good stuff, it's useful to have some of this around for continued drinking later.

Foral Duoro, $8.95
Another red from the Douro Valley in Portugal (one of the most value-oriented regions out there), this is probably my top pick on this list. In fact, it's hard to believe that this comes in at sub $10, as it I've had plenty of bottles of $20+ wine that pale in comparison. With lots of vanilla and pepper, this is good on its own or paired with something like a flank steak.

Aveleda Fonte Vinho Verde, $8.95
Not enough people drink Vinho Verde. Slightly effervescent, it's a white wine that's perfect to drink outside during the summer. It's not fancy, but it's easy to drink, pairs well with simple seafood dishes, and tends to be friendly to the wallet.

Trapiche Astica Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon 2010, $7.55
This Argentinian take on a white Bordeaux isn't remarkable, but it's got a good balance of citrus and pepper notes, and goes down easily enough. Most importantly it avoids that flaw that defines so many cheap whites, it doesn't have an overly alcoholic undertone.

Cono Sur Bicicleta Viognier 2011, $9.95
OK, the name is ridiculous — so much so that I hesitate to recommend anything from this winery. But this Chilean Viognier (a varietal common to the south of France) is one of the better cheap whites out there. It has pleasant honey and citrus notes and can even hold up against meatier fish. Reluctantly recommended.

Pelee Island Blanc de Blanc Vidal Riesling VQA, $10.95
Ontario wineries tend to do Riesling well. And any list of cheap wines should have a Riesling on it because of how versatile the grape is. Good on its own or with seafood or a cheese plate, this is a surprisingly good one for $10.95, and it's as local as you're going to get as far this list goes.

Bodegas Castano Hecula 2009, $11.80
Probably the best wine that you'll find at the LCBO under $15 (never mind $12), this red is composed of Monastrell (also known as Mourvedre), which produces deep and rich red wines, chock full of cherry and floral notes. Pair this with a good striploin or even roasted chicken.

Thanks to the New Listerine UltraClean for sponsoring our wine-soaked adventures.

The best izakaya restaurants in Toronto are where to go when a sushi or ramen fix just won't do. It seems as though there's always a new Japanese food trend on the rise in Toronto and aside from the flock of noodle soup shops that sprung up last year, the izakaya craze was just as prevalent.

The Japanese equivalent of a pub (just with far more creative edibles), izakayas are meant to be places to drink first, and eat second - though the two are relatively synonymous, and at the very least, harmonious. Order a few spots of sake and share in the tapas-sized snackums and consider it time and money well spent.

Here's the list of the best izakaya restaurants in Toronto.

See Also:

The best Japanese Restaurants in Toronto
The best ramen in Toronto
The best AYCE sushi in Toronto
The best cheap sushi in Toronto
The best splurge sushi in Toronto
The best take-out sushi in Toronto

Weekend events in Toronto is our guide to events happening this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Here's what's happening in Toronto this July 5-7, 2013.

MARKET

Toronto Chinatown Night Market
Finally: Chinatown gets a proper night market with lion dances, kung fu demos, cultural games and food stalls. Beginning this weekend and running on Saturdays throughout the summer, Chinatown will be open late on Huron Street with performances happening on the stage facing Dundas at D'Arcy. Check out the schedule of events at chinatowntcsm.com.
Huron Street (between Dundas West and D'Arcy), Saturdays from July 6-August 17, 2013, 12:30PM Free

FESTIVAL

25th Annual Afrofest 2013
Musicians from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Sudan, Nigeria and more gather at Woodbine Park this Saturday and Sunday for the 25th annual Afrofest. Toronto's largest celebration of African music and culture will feature dance performances and songs by artists using traditional instruments. Children's entertainment will be available in a separate part of the park with educational workshops and activities and the African Marketplace will offer plenty of food and crafts for purchase. The festival runs rain or shine!
Woodbine Park (Lakeshore Boulevard East and Coxwell Avenue), July 6-7, 2013, 1PM Free

Corso Italia Annual Street Festival
St. Clair West shuts down this weekend for the annual Corso Italia festival, where Italian food and arts pour out of storefronts and into street stalls. Performances by Juno Award-winning artists like JRDN and Neverest will take place throughout the weekend alongside dance teams and street performers but the food is the real attraction here. Stuff your face with sfogliatelle, pizza, gelato and cannoli while shopping the boutiques and drinking. The festival runs until late all weekend.
St. Clair West (between Dufferin and Lansdowne), July 5-7, 2013, 10AM Free

THEATRE

Fringe Festival
Theatre kids, you have one week left. This weekend is the high noon of the Fringe Festival and there are so many good shows worthy of your attention. If you're looking for the festival's latest this weekend, try Drowning in Wasabi, Kill, Sister, Kill or The Hystericon. Still not sure what's right for you? Check out our handy guide of 15 shows we're eager to see.
Various locations across Toronto, July 3-14, 2013

For more theatre listings, check out our This Week in Theatre post.

FILM

Christie Pits Film Festival
Free Sunday evening films in Christie Pits park are an annual summer thing and this weekend is the beginning of the weekly event. Screening That Thing You Do!, this no frills event is a simple screening when the sun goes down. No activities, food trucks or performances, this is a film festival for cinephiles and those who can stand the mosquitoes. Bring a chair or just lie out on the grass to watch this 1996 Tom Hanks directed film.
Christie Pits Park (750 Bloor Street West), July 7, 2013, 9PM Free

For more film listings, check out our This Week in Film post.

FOOD

Summerlicious
The city's best restaurants open their doors a bit wider by offering affordable prix fixe menus to the public during Summerlicious. With lunches priced from $15-$25 and dinners from $25-$45, high-end restaurants are within reach for foodies on a tight budget. Beginning this weekend, Summerlicious runs until July 21st with restaurants now taking reservations. Call ahead and call soon as ideal dining times are already being snapped up. If you're going, don't forget to submit your Summerlicious photos to our photo contest.
Participating restaurants across Toronto, July 5-21, 2013

For more food listings, check out our weekly food events post.

MUSIC

Vans Warped Tour
Vans Warped Tour rolls into town this Friday for a one-day show at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre. Bands like Grizzly, Architects, Run DMT, Citizen and The Used perform at this festival-style event, which runs from morning until night. Beginning in the early morning and running until late, the schedule includes almost 100 bands, autograph signings and tons of free swag. Check out the Warped Tour website for the full schedule and details on the day's events. Tickets are still available through Ticketmaster.
Molson Canadian Amphitheatre (909 Lakeshore Boulevard West), July 5, 2013, 11:30AM $62

Toronto Urban Roots Festival
TURF got underway yesterday, but there's lots and lots of good stuff left to come fromt the inaugural edition of the festival. Have a look at our full preview for the all the details.

For more music listings, check out our This Week in Music and July Concerts posts.

FASHION

Vitaly Design Pop-Up Shop
The boys behind Toronto's most personable jewelry brand are at it again. Following the success of their first pop-up, Vitaly Design previews their latest collection with heavy discounts on their regular merchandise at their latest pop-up/party at Oz Studios this weekend. Running until Monday, the show will feature other local brands like Keyway Designs, Monte & Coe, Varsity Brown and more. Performances by b-boy crew Aeon will take place on Saturday night along with DJ/Producer Cosella spinning. With support from Sapporo, this pop-up will turn into a nighttime destination so stop in to say hello if you're in the neighbourhood!
Oz Studios (134 Ossington Avenue), July 5-9, 2013, 12PM Free

For more fashion listings, check out our This Week in Fashion post.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Cheeky Girl Launch Party
Fashion and travel photographer Jared S. Rosenbaum premieres Cheeky Girl, a collection of intimate portraits of women and their figures, at 2186dundas this Friday night. On display at the gallery until Monday, the 13 photographs of women are what the American Apparel photographer classifies as tasteful erotica. The show will include sales of original Polaroid photos and a book of Rosenbaum's works for purchase. Swing by for a cheap drink and to see what's happening in the west end's art community this weekend.
2186dundas (2186 Dundas Street West), July 5-9, 2013, 8PM Free

ARTS & CRAFTS

Gladstone Flea: July Edition
The Gladstone Flea picks up where it left off in June with the July edition taking place on Saturday. With market fares including vintage finds of the fashion, craft and knick knack variety, everything that is set out to sell at the Gladstone Flea is hand-picked by flea "curators" like organizer Laura Hopf, Worn Fashion Journal's Haley Mlotek and Meg Sinclair of Muttonhead. The flea runs until 4PM but, be serious, the good stuff goes early.
Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen Street West), July 6, 2013, 10AM Free

The Sassy Little Craft Show
Sassy little things of Toronto, there's a new craft show in town and it's not your grandmother's kind of party. The Sassy Little Craft Show launches on Sunday afternoon at The Central, just behind Honest Ed's, with crafts by local vendors and vintage pickers and collectors, but the difference with this show is that there's a patio to sip your drinks on. The bar will be open and the outdoor patio will be fair game. Support local independent artists and spend the day craft-picking outdoors with a drink in your hand. Nothing sassier than that.
The Central (603 Markham Street), July 7, 2013, 2PM Free

Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly.

Photo from the Chinatown BIA

Photo by Alisdair Jones in the blogTO Flickr pool.

In this edition, we feature a number of comedians who have managed to break away from the stand-up comedy archetypes...

SUN JULY 7 / SOWUNMI & FRIENDS / RIVOLI / 334 QUEEN W / 8PM / $15 ADV $20 DOOR

When you watch as much comedy as I do, you start seeing archetypes rather than individual performers. There's the sexual mad lib comic who strings together swears, the edgy, opinionated comic who rehashes social commentary sans punchlines, etc. Your headliner, Paul Thompson, is one stand-up that has been able to set himself apart. How? He looks like he's genuinely having fun up there, which is surprisingly rare to see on the comedy scene. Oh, and just like the first time, Jordan Sowunmi will sell this Bad Boy out, so come early to avoid disappointment!

TUES JULY 9 / CLASSY DRUNK / THE EMMET RAY / 924 COLLEGE / 8PM / FREE

David Dineen-Porter, your headliner, is yet another unique comedian about to make his presence known throughout North America. His stand-up is strong, his improv stronger, and his sketch-writing stronger still. He's...ugh, just watch the video and you'll see what I'm talking about. While you're there, pay special attention to Chris Robinson. He has some awesome material, and it's given him the confidence to go completely silent for stretches at a time, a feat that few comedians can pull off without seeming awkward.

SUN JULY 13 / WEST END GIRLS / COMEDY BAR / 945 BLOOR W / 8PM / $15

This edition of WEG aims to raise money for Jo-Anna Downey, a Toronto comedian and producer who was recently stricken with ALS, a disease that has affected her ability to speak. Along with the reliable Laurie Elliott and Cal Post, pay special attention to Sarah Donaldson. She's another fresh face that's not afraid to go off-script in front of a big crowd. Oh, and her Kendrick Lamar joke is one of the funniest things that I've heard all year!

About the Author: This is Michael Jagdeo, and I refuse to write about myself in the third-person. My blog, Diary of a Stand-up Comedian, walks you through the up's and down's (they're mostly down's, really) in my quest to become a killer comic in Toronto.

A pack of crazy pyros from Toronto are making dreams come true for other crazy pyros this year at Burning Man. They've won a grant to create a fire arcade dubbed the Charcade, where all of the games "spew fire." It sound utterly terrifying, but also kind of undeniably badass. The trick is, they've got to raise $10,000, which they're working toward using Kickstarter. (They're at about $2,000 now).

The whole setup is lead by maker and artist Christopher Guard, in conjunction with Site 3 coLaboratory at Bloor and Ossington. In total, they intend to build "10 colossal fire-erupting Skee Ball machines," among other horrifyingly awesome structures. Fire art games include but are not limited to Super Street Fire, Rock Inferno, Dance Dance Immolation, Riskee Ball, and
Touch Me. Check the project the group put together for last year's Burning Man on Gizmodo to see what these nerds are capable of. And remember, kids, it's all fun and games until someone loses a...what have you.

Photo from the Burning Man Facebook page

Along with the nearby Body Blitz East, this new spa is helping make King and Parliament a destination for the ultimate pampering experience. It offers essential services like massage, mani/pedis, and facials, as well as a super friendly attitude.

Find out more in my review of Prologue Lifestyle.

The Daily Dose of Imagery went silent yesterday after a 10 year run as Friday marked the first day since its inception that Toronto photographer Sam Javanrouh didn't post a photo. It's a remarkable achievement for Javanrouh who won awards, gained freelance clients and drew millions of site visitors from around the world who checked in daily to see his often surprising, inspiring and brilliant images most of which were shot in Toronto.

It's not a stretch to say that the Daily Dose of Imagery was one of the most famous so-called photoblogs and helped put Toronto on the map way back when as the photoblog capital of the world (if one could be anointed). On his blog, Javanrouh writes he made the decision last year to wrap things up at the 10 year mark and shift his focus to non-daily postings to his Tumblr and topleftpixel blog. He's also given us something of a parting gift by uploading his entire Daily Dose archive to Flickr where photos can be viewed full screen and in slideshow format.

Yesterday I caught up with Javanrouh and asked him for a brief look back at the last 10 years.

10 years of daily posting is a huge feat. Were there any days you thought you'd break your string?

There were many challenging days. From technical problems to physical fatigue, I faced them all. Technical problems in the first five years were the main challenge. Failing connections, host server being down, no internet cafes on a trip, and dead computer were a few of the problems I had.

Technology got much better over the years, and the fact that I could pre-post when I was away made it much easier. I also had nights when I was too tired and fell asleep, just to wake at 5 in the morning rushing to prepare a post for the day. And then there were times when I couldn't find an interesting photo to post. Those were the hardest.

Now that the run is over, how are you feeling about your decision to end it?

It feels bittersweet. I'm not used to going to bed whenever I feel tired. When you do something everyday for 10 years it becomes a part of you. Yesterday was the first day of no update on ddoi, and that definitely didn't feel right. The fact that I can finally get some rest is good, but when I read so many emails and comments from people who had ddoi as their startup page I feel like I'm letting people and myself down stopping it. Ask me again in a month, I might feel a little better about it then!

Do you have a favourite photo from the last 10 years?

Choosing just one photo is impossible for me, and I've tried. Also whenever I post a photo I'm done with it, and almost can't look back at them subjectively. I'd like to think I haven't shot my favourite photo yet.

What's the one photo that got the most reader reaction?

There were a bunch of posts that got a lot of attention for different reasons.

Here are a few that I can think of: The Jumping Girl was one of the most successful ones, since it got the attention of good clients. Lightning in Sunset and Pumpkin Field were two of the most popular ones, and also the most stolen ones. A few posts like this one got my site banned in my home country Iran. Sleeping Man and Dog was one of the controversial ones. Downtown Strips was also very popular, partly for my use of Adobe Flash on a photo at the time.

What advice would you give to someone else thinking of starting a daily photo blog?

1. Always have a camera on you.
2. Walk everywhere.
3. Look around everywhere you go. You'll find a photo in most surprising and unexpected places and moments.
4. Say goodbye to sleep.

We can still find you online. Why the move to the Tumblr site?

I wanted to continue posting images and video (not daily), but I wanted them to be bigger and on a platform that's very simple and requires little maintenance. Tumblr felt like the best and most minimal option out there. I also started a WP blog for my other posts related to photography.

Did you agonize over what photo to end it with?

Yes I was going crazy, but later I decided that I'll end it on a much quieter note than I initially imagined. I had a lot of ideas but decided to choose a very simple image.

For some of our coverage of Sam Javanrouh and the Daily Dose of Imagery over the last 10 years, check out these two posts for further reading:

Toronto through the lens of Sam Javanrouh
The Best Photoblog in Toronto

Australian Rules football is a weird game, but then so is just about everything that comes out of the world's largest island to the uninitiated. The sport, followed by the millions in its native country, combines elements of soccer, rugby, and football with a healthy does of mayhem added for good measure.

For two consecutive years in the late 1980s, the game with "few rules and no equipment" made the long trip across the Pacific to Toronto, bringing with it an enthusiasm that still continues in the city and Canada today. Footy had landed.

First, a little background. Like American football, players use both their hands and feet to chase down a non-circular ball. Unlike the gridiron, there are no pads, helmets, or gloves, and and the game is played on a large oval pitch, making it ideally suited to cricket stadiums. The picture above was taken before a match between Hawthorn and the Sydney Swans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2005.

Teams score by kicking the ball between two sets of vertical posts. 6 points are awarded for a "goal" - scored by kicking the ball between the centre posts - and 1 point is credited for a "behind," when the ball goes between the outer set. A typical team's score might be "16.12 (108)," indicating the players scored 16 goals and 12 behinds for a total of 108 points.

Games are played in four 25-minute quarters and there's no extra time if it's a tie unless it's to separate two teams in a major tournament.

Still with me? Good. In the late 1980s the Australian Football League (AFL) - then the Victorian Football League (VFL) - was continuing its tradition of playing overseas exhibition matches in an attempt to generate an new markets for the country's most popular domestic game.

The first such official match was played between local rivals Melbourne and Geelong on a Honolulu field in front 1,500 people in the late summer of 1963. A few days later, the teams played another game in San Francisco to a crowd double the size. Sporadic games to small crowds continued until a regular pre-season tournament was established in 1986, starting with a game at The Oval cricket ground in London.

The first AFL game to be played in Canada was held at B.C. Place in Vancouver. 32,789 people attended the game - a surprising number considering the relatively niche appeal of the game - which is still a record for Aussie Rules games played outside of Australia.

The sport landed in Toronto on the 16th October 1988 with a match between the Hawthorn Hawks and the Collingwood Magpies at Varsity Stadium. The teams were competing for the second annual Foster's Cup, a knock-out tournament to decide which team would be crowned the "pre-season premiers."

Tickets cost $14 and $18 at Varsity and TSN carried the spectacle live. In the end, the Hawks won the game 119 to 105 in front of a crowd of 18,571. Dean Cluff, a rugby player with York University watching the match called it Australian No Rules Football. "It's a little more out of control than rugby," he told the Star.

The league marketed Aussie Rules on its rough-and-tumble gameplay, a tough sell in the land of ice hockey. One advert in the Toronto Star described the sport as "the toughest game in the world ...100 minutes of bone crushing action."

It's certainly a physical game - a quick search shows players shoulder-checking, running in to each other, and dishing out concussions without the protection of helmets and pads like in hockey and other contact sports. Soft tissue, joint, groin, and tendon injuries are all common. Most players wear only a plastic mouthguard.

The AFL authorities obviously liked the reception in Toronto. A repeat of the Foster's Cup game was scheduled for the following Fall at the SkyDome between the Geelong Cats and the Melbourne Devils. 24,639 people turned out to watch the match, which ended in a 13-point win for the Devils, including sports writer Tom Slater.

"At times it resembled resembled a gang of skinheads swarming a kid with a new blaster on Yonge St., except the kid knew how to fight back," he wrote, bemused, in the Star. The "puzzled crowd" booed the Demons from the ball-up (the start of the game) perhaps because they were losing. The Cats built an early 24-0 lead only for the Demons to come from behind. Toronto liked a winner in the late 80s, it seems.

For those of you that deciphered the scoring system, the full result was Melbourne 14.19 (103) - Geelong 13.12 (90).

A few months after the SkyDome game, the covered stadium hosted another sport popular in Australia - this one played with a bat and ball. The West Indies played the Rest of the World, an all-star team composed of players from cricket playing nations, in the first ever top-flight indoor cricket game in the world in aid of United Way.

Unfortunately, the "Rest of the World" team was significantly weaker than hoped - many of the players had other commitments.

The Aussies took their hard-hitting roadshow back to Miami, London, and South Africa in the years after the Canadian games, leaving behind seeds of enthusiasm that gave a boost to the fledgling Canadian Australian Football Association - the official governing body of Australian Rules football in Canada.

Just before the second exhibition game, the first CAFA match between the newly-formed Mississauga Mustangs and the Toronto Panthers played for 1st Conacher Cup match in Toronto. Today, AFL Canada, as its now known, oversees four leagues, including the Ontario Australian Football League.

OAFL includes local teams the Toronto Eagles (originally the Panthers), High Park Demons (formed from the Mississauga Mustangs), Broadview Hawks, Etobicoke Kangaroos, Toronto Downtown Dingos, and the Toronto Rebels. Games are played in a scattering of locations: High Park, Humber College North, McCleary Park, and David A Balfour Park.

Today, AFL Canada oversees 14 men's and women's teams in 4 Canadian provinces. The national men's and women's teams, Northwind and Northern Lights, compete agains other countries such as Ireland, South Africa, and New Zealand in Australian Football International Cup.

As I write, the Toronto Eagles, the most successful team in the history of the league with 13 titles, are currently leading OAFL Division 1 with 16 points. In Australia, Hawthorn - the team that played the Collingwood Magpies at Varsity Stadium - is currently on a record 10-game winning streak.

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Images: Chris Bateman/blogTO, Toronto Star Archives, Broadview Hawks FC

Photo by PataGata in the blogTO Flickr pool.

This recently relocated fitness studio was founded by a former personal trainer, Lululemon ambassador and current Supervisor of Special Events for the City of Toronto. He's created a space that's as good as any to sweat for those into spinning, gravity training or TRX.

Read my profile of Movemeant in the fitness section.

The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition (TOAE) is one of a number of outdoor art fairs that takes place in Toronto each summer but aside from the one at the Queen West Art Crawl in September this one is the most diverse and most popular. Running through the end of today, TOAE always seems to suffer from some inclement weather but what it doesn't lack is talented local artists (and artisans) all eager to sell their paintings, photography, sculpture, pottery and other creative wares. Buying art doesn't get more local and accessible than this.

Here are some photographic highlights of 10 artists taking part at this years TOAE.

THE TOAE continues today from 10:30am-6:30pm at Nathan Phillips Square

Photos by Irina No

It's fitting that, since the stretch of St. Clair between Dufferin and Lansdowne was the home to Toronto's first legal outdoor cafe, it should host a street festival. Outdoor cafes are nothing new here (even though city council once fought mightily against the concept that people might want to eat outdoors) and neither are street festivals, but you'd think that Corso Italia's street fest was like San Gennaro in New York City - that it had been going on for decades, or at least since the city poured out onto the street in 1982 to celebrate Italy's World Cup win.

The Corso Italia Fiesta is, in fact, in its fourteenth year, which means that for much of its history it was held while St. Clair was a construction site as the streetcar right-of-way was built. Today, the raised concrete streetcar lane is a platform for kitchens and food trucks, an impromptu stage, and an extended curb for festival goers to sit on while it stores the midday heat on what often feels like the hottest weekend of the year.

The Corso Fiesta is also my local street festival, and as the neighbourhood changes, it evolves almost imperceptibly to note the changes. On the side streets, the older Italian families have been slowly selling up and moving on, and the character of the street has become more Portuguese and, lately, Latin American. Which means less gelato and veal sandwiches and more bifana and pupusas.

This year marked a first with the arrival of a high end food truck courtesy of Hogtown Smoke. The Corso hasn't gentrified quite as sharply as neighbourhoods further east, but downtown house prices are making the tidy homes of Earlscourt more attractive to young couples.

You still can't get a good coffee without running the gauntlet of the older gentlemen idly watching soccer and fixing you with an only slightly suspicious glare, but that will change. Until then, Hogtown Smoke didn't seem to be doing the roaring business they might have done in Leslieville or the Distillery District, as locals still seemed to prefer the grilled mortadella sandwiches at Tre Mari or the taco plate from King's.

In the meantime it was business as usual. The mayor was there, drawing the sort of supportive crowd that suggests that he might have four more years in office, and the midway was still in operation on the eastern end of the festival near Dufferin, with the same collection of tired-looking rides and just one bouncy castle fully inflated.

Music was eclectic - there are more congas than accordions on the Corsa these days, and after a cover band ended their set with "Jane" by the Barenaked Ladies, a block away a band led by a man with a three-necked electric bouzouki start into a set of Greek-inflected jazz fusion. In the brief pause between the two, a family band set up on the streetcar median launched into a tarantella, stopped after a few bars and begged the crowd to start dancing. A nonna and her daughter obliged, and a few locals began tentatively hopping from one foot to another. For at least one more year, the Corsa remained, at least notionally, Italian.

The Corso Italia Festival continues today until 11pm

Photo by Benson Kua in the blogTO Flickr pool

Toronto events on July 8th, 2013

COMMUNITY | Mad Pride Toronto: A Celebration of Madness
Mad Pride is a week-long "celebration of madness," showcasing the art, heritage and culture of Canadians suffering from mental illness, and raising awareness of both the issue, and the discrimination that many suffer. Today's events include the official Mad Pride "launch" at noon, followed by the first of several "Think Tank" sessions that will run throughout this festival, today's focusing on psychiatric treatment and the disabled. Shortly thereafter, a lecture/discussion delivered by the Leadership Project, entitled, Now We're All Crazy - What's Next?. At six o'clock, things shift into a different mode, with a two hour screening of the film, Mars Project, the story of a Khari Stewart, a Canadian rapper suffering from mental illness, whose story is intended to reveal shortcomings in the Canadian health care system where mental health is concerned. Mad Pride runs until the 14th.
Ryerson University, ENG103 (245 Church Street) film at 6pm

FUNDRAISER | The Calgary Stamp-AID Fundraiser
Tonight, a special fundraiser at The Gladstone Hotel to assist the victims of the recent flooding in Alberta. A great lineup of TO comedic talent is ready to add levity to the situation, including Gavin Crawford, Ryan Belleville, Jenn Robertson, and Ron James, with The Rumoli Brothers hosting. There will also be magic by Baldini, and videos featuring Sean Cullen, Colin Mochrie, and others. Music will be provided by Terra Hazelton and Jay McCarrol. There will also be a silent auction to raise a few extra dollars, and send people home with cool stuff. Payment is by donation, and all funds will go directly to the Red Cross' Alberta Flood Relief Fund.
The Gladstone Hotel (1214 Queen Street West) 9PM pwyc ($20 suggested)

CULTURE | Trampoline Hall - Mark Reale Curates
Trampoline Hall returns to The Garrison tonight! This very popular mini-symposium of sorts rounds up a new selection of interesting and intellectual speakers each time, and each deliver a talk on a subject deliberately chosen to be outside of their area of expertise. The result are often hilarious and... slightly bizarre. Tonight's lineup has been curated by Mark Reale, and Collin Gribbons will discuss Street Golf: The Beautiful Game, Zemina Meghji will speak about "humans and robots", and Adil Dhalla give his take on "sleepovers at the office". Trampoline Hall is hosted by Misha Glouberman, and usually sells out, so do arrive early or get tickets in advance.
The Garrison (1197 Dundas Street West) 7:30PM $6

THEATRE | The Adventures of a Professional Corpse
The Toronto Fringe Festival carries on today with a number of productions to choose from, including one this afternoon if you're enjoying a 'staycation' or just looking to escape from the heat and enjoy some Canadian theatre. Alexandra Rambusch's The Adventures Of A Professional Corpse is a comedy-drama inspired by mystery and pulp fiction magazines of the 1930's and '40s, but with a comedic element in place. The protagonist, James, a young man who has left school to work at the family business, discovers a special potion that can simulate death, and then the adventure begins. It turns out there could be a career in 'dying'. In addition to this afternoon, there are several other performances of The Adventures Of A Professional Corpse during the Fringe Festival, which concludes July 14th.
Tarragon Theatre (30 Bridgeman Avenue) $10

Also Of Note

• Nite Comfort: Chanteclair, Dirty Inputs + Well @ Handlebar
• Elvis Monday
• Anime Fandom and Otaku Culture: A Talk by Dr. Sandra Annett
• Cocktails for Calgary

Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly.

Photo from Adventures of a Professional Corpse