On September 8th and 9th TIFF hosted the Festival Music House at Toronto's newest venue, Adelaide Hall. This two-night, VIP, invite-only party boasts some of the most popular Canadian musicians to be found right now, and with a spotlight on amazing Toronto bands, no less. The first night of Festival Music Hall featured Michael Rault, The Darcys, Mother Mother, Diamond Rings, and Nightbox, and by the time five hours had elapsed, the crowd of hip, film- and music-loving attendees were dancing like teenagers at the end of prom. But if the first night was a show, the second was a production. It kicked off with the sultry tones of Alex Cuba, and featured Maylee Todd, July Talk, Dragonette, and Rich Aucoin, bringing down the house at the end of the night with confetti and a (very) sweaty dance party under Rich's oh so playful parachute.

Check out the bands and the energetic crowd in our slideshow.

Photos by JJ Thompson and Ryan Emberley

Toronto's struggling bike share network just got a big boost. Thanks to the work of BIXI proponent and Ward 27 Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, three major developers — DiamondCorp, Lanterra, and Canderel — have agreed to contribute $1 million towards the expansion of the network in exchange for reducing the number of parking spaces they're required to provide at new condo projects. This represents a delivery on a plan that Wong-Tam pitched to council back in May, shortly after it was discovered that BIXI was in financial difficulty.

Should more developers be convinced to do the same, our bike sharing program might yet be saved. At present, BIXI is roughly $4 million in debt, a burden that would ultimately fall on Toronto taxpayers should the program remain financially unviable. Of course, for this plan to work, developers outside of Ward 27 would also have to get on board, which means that other councillors would have to leverage parking requirements in a similar manner.

To some degree, it's a win-win situation. The developers ultimately save money (the $1 million investment is far less than the cost of building the extra parking spots), BIXI gets much-needed cash, and, theoretically at least, congestion is curbed. BIXI representatives have argued that the network must expand for the program to be successful. Here's a concrete way to do that without leaning on the city for funds.

Photo by Martin Reis

Six days down, five to go. We are currently in the eye of the TIFF storm, which gives us a moment to reflect on what's played. With the madness of opening weekend in the rear view mirror, I'd like to spotlight some titles that are gathering a great deal of critical and audience buzz. I've come up with five that seem to be the big talking points so far, which I've listed below. Revise your closing weekend schedules accordingly.

GRAVITY
Remaining screening: 12PM, Sunday, September 15 at The Ryerson
A spectacle of the highest order, the buzz over Alfonso Cuarón's first film in seven years seemed to reach a fever pitch upon its premiere in Venice a couple of weeks ago. And then it came to Toronto. Sure, it's not really a "festival film," (at least not anymore than Avatar is), and with it coming out in general release in approximately a month, it's difficult to call this one a priority. But everyone is raving about it, and for good reason. It's probably the greatest use of 3D to date, and blends the Hollywood space movie with the contemplative nature doc in a truly original way. It could have easily been called Veritgo, but I hear that's been taken.

12 YEARS A SLAVE
Remaining screening: 9PM, Saturday, September 14 at The Elgin
What is TIFF without some Oscar buzz? There was some trepidation with this one's unveiling at the festival after some shaky responses from advance test screenings and the film's curious omission from Venice competition. (it's not like director Steve McQueen's Shame took at hit from screening there first.) But rest assured: 12 Years a Slave is in it for the long hall. Apparently the Oscar races for Best Picture and Best Actor are over; Chiwetel Ejiofor is that good.

MANAKAMANA
Remaining screening: 2PM, Sunday, September 15 at Lightbox Cinema 4
There was good reason to be optimistic on this one going into TIFF. It won a Golden Leopard in Locarno, and the filmmakers' affiliation with Harvard's Sensory Ethnography Lab, which churned out last year's excellent Leviathan, meant we were in good hands. But try to find someone who finished this film who isn't raving about it and calling it one of the best films of this year's festival. (only ask those who finished the movie; apparently some people don't have patience for this kind of thing.) Minimalist, experimental cinema at its finest.

UNDER THE SKIN
Remaining screening: 3PM, Sunday, September 15 at The Ryerson
Like Alfonso Cuarón fans, Jonathan Glazer aficionados were on pins and needles awaiting his first film in nine years. Turns out the only to be afraid of was the film itself. Starring Scarlett Johannson as a seductive alien scouring remote highways and backroads for human prey, Glazer continues his flight to outpace Paul Thomas Anderson and Darren Aronfsky in the standings for who is the truest heir to Kubrick among contemporary filmmakers. After Under the Skin, Anderson and Aronofsky had clearly better step up their game.

LOVE IS THE PERFECT CRIME
Remaining screening: 3:30PM, Saturday, September 14 at Lightbox Cinema 2
We'll call this dark horse buzz. Chances are you haven't heard much ranting or raving about this one, and that's mainly because it's an obscure French film that's not exactly forming lines around the block, and you probably just haven't encountered anybody who's even seen it. But if you have, then you'll probably know why I'm including it here. More fun than any other film I've seen at TIFF so far, the Larrieu brothers know how to capture the manic spirit of chaos better than maybe any other filmmaker(s) alive. In terms of offering what movies are most capable of offering, this one covers all the bases.

What have been your favourite films at TIFF 2013 so far? Add your picks to the comment thread below.

Thanks to Grolsch for sponsoring our coverage of TIFF13

For 161 years, Corktown has changed around the little Francis Beale Buildings at King and Parliament. Streetcars arrived, breweries and distilleries came and went, and new highways punched holes in the housing stock. Through it all, the small inn and storefront held on, crumbling and falling into ignominious dereliction as its neighbours vanished.

Now, 30 years after the last residents moved out, the building is getting a new lease on life thanks to a drastic facadist treatment funded by its owner and neighbour, Little Trinity Church. In a few months, a replica of the original structure will be complete, and hopefully no-one will notice the difference.

The simple, two-storey brick property was finished in 1852 in a plain Georgian style once common in the city's east end. Leslie Scott, the first owner, opened the eponymous Scott's Hotel there with Francis Beale as a tenant, possibly a manager. By 1875, Beale, a bricklayer, had taken over the buildings and was running his own inn and store out of a second, more recent, building to the east.

In the 20th century the buildings fell under the ownership of Little Trinity Church and used as accommodation, occasionally a coffee shop. Its designation as a heritage structure by the province and city failed to stop the rot and slow internal decay and it was abandoned in the early 1980s, says John Van Gent, a warden at Little Trinity Church.

"The church went through a number of starts and stops about what to do with the property," he says. "Everything from selling it, to doing a joint venture with a charitable organization who would assist with the development, but all of it hinged around the lack of financing. The church didn't have enough money to do the renovation."

In 2008, Little Trinity embarked on a 10-year fundraising program, seeking the $4.5 million needed to bring the buildings back from the brink. The Anglican diocese chipped in $1.2 million of seed money and the rest was sourced from private donations, which it is still accepting.

Things didn't exactly go smoothly with the city's heritage department. Van Gent claims bureaucracy held up the project by several months and generated several unworkable requests. He says city staff wanted Little Trinity to build functional chimneys despite the new building having no fireplaces.

Heritage staff also called for a raised planter shaped like the footprint of the old building instead of a backyard children's play area, but eventually had a change of heart.

"It was completely ridiculous ... unless you were 60 feet in the air looking down you were never going to know what the hell the thing was."

In December 2012, a team of builders led by du Toit and E.R.A. architects shored up the crumbling brick facade and demolished everything behind, including the old foundations. From a hole in the ground rose an entirely new structure, cleverly disguised as the very thing it replaced, plus a little extra at the rear.

Little Trinity did heed some of the city's instructions: a special lime stucco coats the east wall, which is in keeping with what the original builders would likely have used; the original windows and doorways, shifted and bricked up over the centuries, are back in their original locations based on archival photographs.

The most noticeable difference is the restored bricks facing King Street. Once lost under a layer of faded sand coloured paint, the original copper tones now shine thanks to some dedicated sand blasting.

When construction finishes later this year there will be an upstairs meeting space, new church offices, and a storefront for Little Trinity's services and programs. A Victorian home down the street the church currently uses as office space will become a Christian education centre.

What do you think of the restored building? Is this a good example of facadism or should the church have found a way to restore the original structure?

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

Contemporary photos by Julia Stead. Historical images from the Toronto Public Library, Toronto Historical Board

The best Spanish restaurants in Toronto celebrate abundance and variety on the table, be it in the form of sausages, cold meats, cheese or seafood. Per tradition they are places to make a meal out of nibbling on small plates, and, where big platters are divided up around the table to conquer. Tapas might not be the trend it once was, but it's be fair to say that Toronto is experiencing something of resurgence when it comes to Spanish cuisine. A number of the restaurants on the list below have opened within the past year, and there appears to be no limit to our love of La Furia Roja.

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

See also:

The Best Tapas In Toronto
The Best Sangria in Toronto

Photo by Matt Ruten in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Toronto events on Thursday, September 12, 2013

PHOTOGRAPHY | TorontoTIME
The City of Toronto archives are pretty popular 'round these here parts so artist Harry Enchin's new show TorontoTIME is right up our alley. Opening tonight at Akasha Art Projects, Enchin's new show combines archive photos of the city's buildings, roads and famous hoods with recent snaps in photo collages, offering up commentary on the state of consumerism, infrastructure and more. The opening reception takes place tonight at the gallery. The show continues until October 26th.
Akasha Art Projects (511 Church Street, Suite 200) 7PM Free

ART | Stranger Than Fiction
Visual artists Cindy Buzádi and Bill Buzádi bring their paintings, sculptures, and 12-minute animated film Discovery to Gallery Catalyst this afternoon for Stranger Than Fiction, an exhibition where the fantastic trumps reality. The Buzádi's film follows an organ grinder who becomes increasingly hopeless as he struggles to fit in with society, which challenges his perception of reality. The film will be set up as a stage scene for gallery visitors to walk through while experiencing similar themes in Stranger Than Fiction's other pieces. The show runs until September 26th.
Gallery Catalyst (666 Queen Street West) 1PM Free

THEATRE | Strolling Player
A professional actor reminisces on a lengthy career on stage and screen, recounting the dramatic events of his life that rival the characters he portrayed. In Strolling Player, vet actor Richard Willis performs his memoirs, retelling stories of romance, pain and humour. The critically acclaimed performance opens at Red Sandcastle Theatre tonight for a ten day run. Tickets are available at the Red Sandcastle box office by calling 416-845-9411.
Red Sandcastle Theatre (922 Queen Street East) 8PM $20 general, $15 student/senior/artist

VIDEO | Tenderpits Trilogy: Parts 1 + 2: Tenderpits / Revenge of the Popinjay
Described as a risky, avant-garde autobiography, the Tenderpits trilogy is a mindfuck of horror in which a Canadian in New York City goes on a psychosexual killing spree, targeting heterosexuals. Videofag is never shy about screening controversial and difficult works and the first two parts of this trilogy are no exception. Want to save $3 on admission to tonight's screenings? Apparently all it takes is a dick pic to animalparts.dickpics@gmail.com. If you can't handle that, don't even bother going--these videos contain graphic images more risqué than that.
Videofag (187 Augusta Avenue) 8PM $18

ART | Nature of the Beast
Melissa Crook and Warren Nowosad take on some beasts in the new exhibit to open this weekend at Gladstone Hotel Art Bar. Quietly opening this afternoon, with a reception on Friday night, the two artists showcase drawings of animals and nature in both whimsical watercolour (Crook) and comical illustration (Nowosad). While Crook prefers the images of folk tales, Nowosad explores quirk with digitally illustrated hipster raccoons. This is a fun one with art pieces you'll actually want to buy. Nature of the Beast closes Monday.
Gladstone Hotel Art Bar (1214 Queen Street West) 12PM Free

ALSO OF NOTE:

• Reputations
• Vibonics EP Release Party

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

Photo by Harry Enchin

The province's Scarborough subway extension could be headed off the rails. TTC Chair Karen Stintz says the plan to extend the Bloor-Danforth line to Scarborough Centre falls short of the TTC's goal of reaching Sheppard Avenue and may not be technically feasible within the budget. Stintz made the remarks after meeting the Premier Kathleen Wynne.

Lawyers for several Toronto media organizations will resume a court battle later today for the search warrants issued during Operation Traveller, a sweeping series of drug raids in the city's west end earlier this summer. Legal teams are hoping to find a reference to Rob Ford or the alleged crack video somewhere in the sealed documents. The lawyers plan to argue the blacking out of 100 pages is excessive.

Toronto police could be about to stock up on stun guns thanks to an "opportunity" presented in its budget. Chief Bill Blair says he can't be sure how many tasers could be bought with the money or how many beat cops would receive them. There will be a public consultation at Old City Hall on Sept. 4 about whether cops should carry the devices.

Former Toronto mayor David Miller is pretty upset with his beloved Toronto FC. In an strongly worded open letter posted on Facebook, Miller criticized recent management changes, coaching missteps, and a proposed switch to artificial turf. To top it all, Miller says he's turning in his season ticket. Ouch. Will it make a difference?

A partially-complete building on St. Clair West at the centre of a battle over its proposed height could finally be about to see action. The property at St. Clair and Parkwood has been in limbo since the city demanded it be trimmed from nine stories to eight. A pre-hearing with the Ontario Municipal Board is scheduled for today.

Finally, a tiny property without running water has sold for $165,000. The detached home at Coxwell and Danforth Avenue, complete with a fenced yard and an electrical hook-up, was used as a garage and hobby shop until its owner decided to sell. The buyer hopes to do "something unique" on the property, according to the National Post.

IN BRIEF:

• Police dog Ranger credited with finding George Smitherman's missing husband [Toronto Star]
• In wake of tragic death, TDSB asks for road safety meeting [Globe and Mail]
• Colombian police say Toronto woman hid drugs in fake belly [CBC]
• Toronto's first death from the West Nile virus confirmed [CBC]

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

Image: Kamilla Guliyeva/blogTO Flickr pool.

While Playa Cabana Cantina might have taken the Junction by storm with its tequila and tacos, this under the radar spot just off the main drag is the place to go when craving some burritos, empanadas alfajores.

Read my review of Espresso Mi Vida in the restaurants section.

The south-east corner of King and Sherbourne has been the site of quite the battle over the past few years. King+Condos, a new 17 storey Condo has been tussling with the city over exactly what is OK to do with the three storey historic structure at its base. As we've seen with a few other recent projects, a (somewhat) happy agreement has been reached. More specifically one where in the Façade of the building will remain untouched(minus some cleaning), while the aged interiors will be entirely gutted. That is, to make way for us 21st century folk who apparently prefer metal walls and frosted glass in our lobbies over the dark wood finishes of the past.

While this site has been beset by controversy over the past few years, the area around it has experienced something of a rebirth, with quite a few new condo towers going up. When King+ throws itself into the mix, it will bring 132 new residential units to this now mostly thriving corner. Despite its awesome location about halfway between St. Lawrence Market and the Distillery District, this building will also have a few indoor amenities to keep you homebodies happy. These include a pretty nice (if a bit dreary) party room, as well as a fitness centre. Most buildings downtown have the benefit of not really needing piles of amenities to keep their residents happy. And, to the developers credit, it doesn't seem they have overdone it here.

SPECS

Address: 251 King St. E.
Storeys: 17
Number of Units: 132
Unit sizes in Square Feet: 415 - 1,405
Ceiling Height: 9 ft
Unit Types: Studio, 1 Bedroom, 1+Den, 2 Bedroom, 2+Den
Price: $244,990 to $899,990
Amenities: Party Room with Caterers Kitchen, Lounge/Bar, Fitness Centre, Guest Suite
Architect: Tact Design
Developer: King Plus Development
Interior Designer: Mike Niven
Completion Date: Late 2014

The Good

Few neighbourhoods boast this kind of mix between history and modernity, and that will always make this location desirable. The new bike lane on Sherbourne is a huge asset, and both the King and Queen Streetcars are relatively close by. Even though the historic interiors are gone, at the very least the podium of this building will show up most of your friends glass box entrances. And besides, if you don't invite your friends over no one will have to know your secret shame (unless they are a blogTO reader)! Everyone knows it's not "inner beauty" that counts.

The Bad

The street life here might leave a little bit to be desired. If you're moving downtown expecting the non stop shopping and dining you might find on the western legs of these streets it seems you are going to have to wait a few more years. The retail life, especially along Sherbourne, is still miles behind similar streets. It really is not a promising site when a good deal of the existing condo retail is low end chains. The lack of any 3 bedroom units may not be a problem for the right buyer, but it really is more of a detriment to a community that could stand to see a few more families.

Our Take

Although it might not be quite there yet, this location in time will easily be one of the most desirable locations in the city. And if living here is anything like the club music playing at the sales site might suggest (although something tells me it won't be), you just might be in for a bit of a party. A six figure party, that is.

Dylan writes about real estate for blogTO, follow him on Twitter @dylan_giuliano

Toronto Restaurant Openings highlights the latest restaurant openings and closings in Toronto and also gives a preview of what's coming soon. Find us here every Thursday morning.

OPEN NOW

• New Japanese pub, Teppan Kenta celebrated its grand opening last week at 24 Wellesley Street West.
• It's All GRK, the new gyro spot at 754 Queen Street West is set to open this Tuesday, September 17th. The fast casual eatery aspires to "restore souvlaki to it's rightful place as one of the worlds best take-away meals.
• Olé Olé Restaurant & Tequila Wine Bar officially opens at 169 King Street East this Sunday, September 15th.
• Hudson Kitchen at 800 Dundas West has been hosting events for TIFF, presumably that means they're almost ready to open to the public.
• Hunters Landing could be open as early as next week at 82 Fort York Boulevard. CityPlace condo dwellers rejoice!

OPENING SOON

• Agave y Aguacate (formerly of the El Gordo food court), is set to open in the coming weeks at 35 Baldwin. Yay more tacos!
• Gobo Sushi is opening another outpost at 836 College Street where Telepizza used to be.

Have you seen restaurants opening or closing in your neighbourhood? Email tips to liora@blogto.com

Photo from Hudson Kitchen's Facebook Page

The top five places to drink bourbon in Toronto pay less due to Don Draper than you might think. As much as Mad Men seems to have ushered in a revival of cocktail culture in North American cities, the hard stuff in Don's office is Canadian Club. That ain't bourbon. So why all the recent fuss over this corn-mashed stuff? Well, because, relatively speaking, it's cheap and it's so very delicious. Bourbon's popularity has spiked on a global scale (so much so that there's worry about the supply), but Toronto bars have been slow to embrace the trend on a widespread basis.

Perhaps in some sense, that's a good thing. It makes the places that do specialize in bourbon all the more special. Here's where to get good bourbon when drinking out in Toronto.

Grand Electric / Electric Mud
This is a two for one scenario as both places are owned by the same folks. Toronto's loudest, most buzz-worthy restaurants do bourbon right, with more than 25 variations of the corn-bred stuff on offer at any give time. You might not imagine Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve as the most obvious companion to a beef tongue taco, but it all works really well here.

The County General
As much as bourbon is a veritable trend, you'll be damned to find a good selection at the average Toronto bar. Enter the County General. The cocktail list might not make a big deal of it, but there's 20+ different bottles behind the bar here. Oh, and if it's an Old Fashioned that you're after, look no further. This one might be the best in the city.

Red Light
The list is ever-changing here (though you can bet on something that ends in Van Winkle at any given time), but the best part is the reasonable prices on good stuff like Elijah Craig ($6) and the tragically underrated Jim Beam Black ($5). The bartenders also know their stuff should you care to chat.

Monarch Tavern
Who knew? The Monarch is one of the best places in TO for bourbon lovers. From the widely available Jim Beam to the less common Booker's, the bar overflows with bottles of the brown kind. Take note. Not many Toronto bars care to stock more than Maker's Mark.

Spirithouse
While the focus at Spirithouse might be on cocktails, you don't need to cut your stuff with bitters and sugar if you don't want to. On the contrary, come here if you want top notch bourbon for the hell of it. Or do a barrel-aged concoction when you're feeling a little rich.

Photo by Jesse Milns

The best new food trucks in Toronto represent an entire new paradigm of street food in our city. From on-trend, seasonably inspired fare to wood burning pizza and retro-inspired classics, this wave of new food trucks has elevated street food in Toronto to new heights that were unimaginable in the wake of the A La Cart disaster only a few years back. While these new food truck operators await the city's endless stall to permit them to set up street-side, in-the-know truck hounds are aware that it's worth a bit of hassle to hunt them down.

View our slideshow of the best new food trucks in Toronto for 2013.

Photo by Kat NLMin the blogTO Flickr pool.

It could be a while before the police search warrants issued for the Project Traveller raids see the light of day. A judge yesterday said he wouldn't release any information before Sept. 20, if at all. Lawyers for eight media organizations are fighting to have the warrants released to see whether there is evidence Rob Ford is linked to members of the Dixon City Bloods gang. Lawyers for the defence are worried releasing the details could prejudice potential jurors.

Rob Ford is taking credit for a drop in Toronto's unemployment. The monthly, seasonally-adjusted jobless rate was 7.1% in August, down from 10% at the same time last year. Ford said the drop was "proof that my administration is on the right track" but didn't point to any specific policies that may have caused the change. Cllr. Adam Vaughan accused Ford of taking credit for policies created before his term.

The city has submitted papers requesting $660 million from the federal government for the Scarborough subway extension. City manager Joe Pennachetti sent the letter yesterday morning and a detailed report is due Oct. 4 in time for the Oct. 8 city council deadline to secure funding for the subway. If the money isn't found in time, or other forces derail the project, the line will revert back to an LRT.

A woman accused of throwing a cup of juice at Rob Ford at the Taste of Little Italy Festival is due to appear in court today. Twenty-seven-year-old Shannon Everett is charged with assault over the incident that allegedly took place with the mayor was walking among a crowd.

A judge will also decide the fate of Darwin the Ikea monkey later today. Owner Yasmin Nakhuda has been arguing for months that she should be allowed to retain custody of the little snow macaque, which made headlines during an escape in December. Darwin is currently being looked after at Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary in Sunderland.

Cllr. Adam Vaughan wants Toronto to set up its own version of the Ontario Municipal Board for minor variance issues. Currently, the provincial body has authority over small issues in Toronto. Vaughan says a recent case in Harbord Village that went against the city was the final straw. A section of the City of Toronto Act would allow the proposed change.

A G20 police officer has been found guilty of assaulting a protester. A judge ruled Const. Babak Andalib-Goortani used excessive force arresting Adam Nobody on June 26, 2010 at the Ontario legislature, tackling and striking him repeatedly with a baton. "A police officer is not entitled to use unlimited force to effect an arrest," Judge Louise Botham said in her ruling.

Some good news for the TTC. Its renovation of Victoria Park station, which features a green roof, bike parking, and barrier-free entrances, won an Urban Design Award for public buildings Wednesday. Awards aside, the interior tiles still say "CTORIA PARK" where the new windows have been punched out.

IN BRIEF:

• Toronto woman leaves life savings to police dogs and horses [Toronto Star]
• Weekend Road closures [Toronto Star]
• Shooting sends man to hospital [CBC]
• Angels down Blue Jays 4-3 to complete three-game sweep [CTV News]

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

Image: Andrew Badgley/blogTO Flickr pool.

The photos of the week collect each of the editor-selected photos of the day into one post for a contest to be decided by our readers. Sponsored by Posterjack, the photographer whose image receives the most votes will be awarded with a voucher code for a 24"x36" poster print of their work.

All the rules and fine-print can be found in the original announcement post on the blogTO Flickr page. One thing to add, however, is that the voting period ends at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, after which the winner will be contacted with the good news.

For those photographers whose images are featured below, please feel free to give us a little information about your shot — i.e. where and when it was taken — in the comments section. Who knows? Maybe your description will sway voters in your favour!

Lead photo by syncros.

2.
Photo by Kat NLM.

3.
Photo by Matt Ruten.

4.
Photo by Anna Reixach.

5.
Photo by Black_Tux.

6.
Photo by Hands Eye Photography

7.
Photo by AshtonPal.

Up until now, the beer available at The Indie Alehouse— whether it be in a glass from bar or in growlers from the location's onsite retail space — has been emblazoned with a simple Indie Alehouse logo that was originally created by local designer Patrick Duffy.

That's soon set to change when Indie Alehouse will unveil their first beer labels. And, like he's done with most things related to the growth of his business, when it came time to create those labels, Indie Alehouse's Jason Fisher opted to embrace a decidedly Junction-focused approach.

In order to create art related to his beer-- thus far only in poster form — Fisher has engaged local artists like Jon Todd and Shea Chang who run Smash and the print shop below it, or Dave Murray, a local artist likely best known for his typographical work like the Toronto neighbourhood word map posters. Fisher will list five or six beers that Indie's brewing and if anything strikes an inspirational chord with the artists and they've got free time, they make a poster for that beer.

The process is decidedly informal, much like the clearly staged photo of Fisher and Murray that accompanies this post. Fisher provides a two-sentence blurb about the beer and its history and the artists have free reign, with one exception. "No swastikas," Fisher jokes, "but other than that, they can pretty much do whatever the hell they want."

The pay hasn't been much (Fisher kicks back the money from $40 poster sales to the artists responsible), but once the poster art becomes a beer label, this seems destined to be an even more mutually beneficial relationship: Indie Alehouse gets labels created by local artists and those artists get to add their very own beer label to their portfolio; and as Murray confirms, it's a relationship that's pretty agreeable to the artist. "It's fun for me. It allows me to kind of break out my defined style I use and just play around," he says. And naturally, there's one obvious perk for occasionally cash-strapped artists. "Jason keeps me pretty well lubricated," he says.

But much like when he went looking for someone to furnish his restaurant, Fisher's ultra-local approach isn't so much a desire to be cool or trendy as much as it's just a matter of convenience, nor, as he's willing to admit, is the idea all that original.

"I didn't invent it," he says, "When I went to [famed US craft brewer] Dogfish Head, they had a bunch of art on the wall, and it was all kind of funky. I asked them about it and they said, we have a couple of friends who are artists and we tell them about the beer and they use it as inspiration. That always kind of stuck with me, but I never had any friends who were artists before I came to the Junction. Then I met Dave and I met John and I kind of pitched the idea." But no one really got into the idea until Fisher explained one of his more colourfully-named beers. "I said, 'We're making a beer called Cockpuncher and we want a poster,' and John said, 'Done.' So here we are."

As for which beers in Indie's always-changing lineup will be worthy of labels, aside from some of the mainstay brews, it's up to the artists. If they're not interested, there won't be any art. If they do find one irresistible, even if it's a one-off, it could get its own art. For example, the forthcoming "Burning Boat" a 12% ABV Chocolate Barley Wine rumoured to be debuting during Toronto Beer Week and based on the story of Cortez landing and setting his boats on fire so his own troops couldn't go home clearly needs its own label.

Additionally, Indie will soon be taking the idea of beer collaborations to another level when they team up with Bellwoods brewery and will call on Dave Murray and Bellwoods' label artists Doublenaut to collaborate on the label.

Expect to see 750ml art-emblazoned bottles of beers like Jump the Shark, Zombie Apocalypse, Rye so Sour, and Spadina Monkey rolling out of Indie's retail space before Christmas time. Then the only question will be whether to recycle those empties or hang them on the wall.

Ben Johnson also writes about beer over on Ben's Beer Blog. You can follow him on twitter @Ben_T_Johnson

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

• Valdez (606 King West) hosts Summer's Last Rooftop BBQ Fiesta tomorrow, Saturday, September 14th. Head over between 3pm to 6pm for a complimentary Valdez Mojito and stay for the Chef's special; a Latino 5-spice pig roast.
• Toronto Beer Week is this week! The list of events and participating venues is extensive so check out our top picks.
• The Senses modern Chinese pop-up continues this week at the SOHO Metropolitan Hotel (318 Wellington Street West) with a menu featuring specialties like Peking duck and five spice calamari.
• The Roncesvalles Polish Festival is on this weekend from September 14th to 15th. Go for yummy, Polish eats like pierogies, bigos, kielbasa and borscht.
• Bar Volo (587 Yonge Street) presents The Funk, a night of funky brews and funky beats on Saturday, September 14th. Non ticket holders can still get in after 7pm for $5.
• Not Far From the Tree presents City Cider on Sunday, September 15th at the heritage orchard at the Spadina Museum (285 Spadina Road). The family friendly event will feature great food and press-your-own cider.
• This weekend's Cold Tea (60 Kensingon Avenue) patio party will feature a Porzia-style BBQ on Sunday, September 15th from 3pm.
• El Tromba Tequila and the yet to open Queen West restaurant, Fonda Lola will present the World's Largest Tequila Tasting on Thursday, September 19th at 99 Sudbury. Tickets are $39 and include a full flight of tequila plus tacos.

UPCOMING

• ESÉ Antijitos will pop-up on Sunday, September 22nd at 5:30pm at the Monarch Tavern (12 Clinton Street).
• The Jamie Kennedy Culinary Series will do a Mexican edition on Friday, September 27th from 6pm to 9pm at the Gardiner Museum (111 Queens Park). Tickets are $150 a person ($135 for Gardiner Museum members).
• Tickets are available now for the Rusholme Park Supper club dinner, Knifeless, a fundraiser dinner at The Depanneur (1033 College Street) by and for chef Andrew Eade who had his knife kit stolen out of his car after a catering gig this summer. The three course menu on Sunday, September 22nd at 7:30pm, will be prepped entirely without the use of a knife.
• Tickets are available now for the two year anniversary of the Toronto Underground Market, and the Saturday, September 28th event at the Evergreen Brickworks (550 Bayview Avenue) will feature The TUM Alum Collection presented by Hot Bunzz. The daytime edition is family friendly from noon to 4pm, then, the adults-only (boozy) edition runs from 5pm to 10pm.
• Porzia (1314 Queen Street West) is booking tables now for pop-up dinner featuring guest chef, Anthony Walsh (O&B) on Sunday, October 20th starting at 7pm.

Photo from our profile of Valdez

Eighties nostalgia is a Gowan-esq strange animal. Bizarrely it actually started to manifest itself before the decade had even come to a close, and has been feeding on its sparkly, padded shoulder wearing, Diet Coke swilling, cocaine tooting, Magnum PI mustached dreamy Max Headroom neon self ever since.

Like an obscure body in the S-K system, the lasting legacy of the '80s for those unlucky enough to not have lived through it seems to be primarily the music, but for those who survived it, it is the fashion that still roars. Easy enough to laugh about it now, it was like the culture had developed Stockholm syndrome with bad taste. Even the garish orange browns of '70s have aged more gracefully.

Here are 10 slices of pink-hot Toronto fashion from the '80s, captured on videotape and forever destined to haunt the acrid memories of those who lived through them.

Ritchie's bridal consulting for post-apocalyptic weddings, fembots and stern faced Euro sleaze.

Hard to swallow the freshly minted Hudson's Bay chic over evolved from this kind of awesome no budget wonder.

Bernie G's thread empire didn't get to see out the decade, but for the '80s his sharp suits "looked good" on all good Toronto hoons city wide.

Best known in Toronto as the place where kiddie favourite Today's Special was lensed, Simpsons department store was always a menagerie of the most excessive '80s lifestyles. Example: they only rented out Betamax videotapes.

Before acquiescing to market forces and watering down its brand to an almost Coors Light level of debasery, Mark's Work Warehouse used to be a proud blue collar joint where working men got suited and booted, although this commercial sounds as if they raided all the scary records from Boards of Canada's hidden stash.

Yeoman panty providers Whisper managed to capture the essence of 1986 in a mere 30 second television commercial.

Another lasting piece of '80s goldenrod was brand obsession, and if you were a jeans guy/girl, Sergio was your drug dealer.

GWG sought fame on the back of rising hockey god Wayne Gretzky, who actually found much more infamy and street cred in the decade with his playground friendly Joey Moss PSAs.

The Leather Attic dance was often imitated, never bettered.

Where better to end than the "Centre" of the city, a place where Toronto's
thermonuclear '80s fashion congregated and retail outlets from Simpsons to Stitches sold on the best and worst of the times.

While the '80s might have ended on a calendar, it never died in the same way other decades did. The eternal fascination with the Martian like culture that got as much right as it did wrong continues to amuse, bemuse and influence in equal measure. It was larger than life, and no amount of posing or homage could ever hope to capture that it's punch to the face with a velvet glove aesthetic .

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.

Toronto Bourbon Week is set to clink its first glass September 27, 2013. And it's about time. As much as the craft beer scene has exploded in this city over the last half decade, on a global scale, bourbon's popularity has skyrocketed. A number of Toronto bars have caught on with the trend, but collectively speaking, it feels as though we've yet to give bourbon its due with dedicated events and tastings. That is, until now.

Led by Cass Enright, a big player in the city's beer scene as the founder of The Bar Towel and the Golden Tap Awards (amongst other projects), Toronto Bourbon Week is meant to bring together lovers of Kentucky's finest export in casual settings that privilege passion over pretension. Toward that end, things are kept simple with seven events spread over the seven days. Hosted at venues like The Monarch Tavern, Bar Volo, 3030 Dundas West, The Indie Alehouse and Acadia Restaurant, each night will feature a different selection of quality bourbon, some of which is difficult to get one's hands on via the LCBO.

Here's a few highlights to look forward to:

Sept. 29th— Start your day better than ever with the Bourbon Brunch at Acadia, featuring family style breakfast and two barrel-aged bourbon cocktails.

Sept. 30th— If you're into classic cocktails, this is your night. The Monarch, one of the better stocked bourbon bars in Toronto, will give the old school its due with concotions like the Old Fashioned and the Mint Julep. Sign me up.

Oct 1st— Given the organizers beer focus, it makes sense that these two interests would come together at Bar Volo. The main event is a lateral tasting of popular bourbons against barrel-aged beers.

Oct 2nd— Ursa hosts a bourbon-themed mixology competition featuring some of the city's best-known bartenders participating as competitors and judges.

Oct 3rd— This is the big one. The week's closing night is a full blown bourbon derby with 20 brands to sample and live Bluegrass on the stage.

Each event is priced differently, so check the tickets page for more details. And for updates and additional info, head over toToronto Bourbon Week's Facebook page and Twitter.

Photo by Natta Summerky