There were no closures on DineSafe this week, though a number of offenders really should've known better. Amaya, Ali Baba, Fortune Seafood and Margarita's have all been on this list before, multiple times in some instances.

Here is the rest of this week's delinquents on DineSafe.

Waterfalls Indian Tapas (303 Augusta Ave)
Inspected on: March 4, 2014
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 3 (Minor: 1, Significant: 2)
Crucial infractions include: N/A

Fortune Seafood Restaurant (3833 Midland Ave)
Inspected on: March 4, 2014
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 8 (Minor: 4, Significant: 2, Crucial: 2)
Crucial infractions include: Fail to keep toxic substance in compartment separate from food. Store hazardous foods at internal temperature between 4 C and 60 C.

Amaya (108 Ossington Ave)
Inspected on: March 5, 2014
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 6 (Minor: 3, Significant: 3)
Crucial infractions include: N/A

The Burger Shack (233 Eglinton Ave West)
Inspected on: March 6, 2014
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 8 (Minor: 3, Significant: 4, Crucial: 1)
Crucial infractions include: Operator fail to ensure food is not contaminated/adulterated

Moonbean Cafe (30 St. Andrew St)
Inspected on: March 6, 2014
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 1 (Significant: 1)
Crucial infractions include: N/A

Fox & Fiddle (1083 St. Clair Ave West)
Inspected on: March 7, 2014
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 1 (Significant: 2)
Crucial infractions include: N/A

Margarita's Fiesta Room (14 Baldwin St)
Inspected on: March 7, 2014
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 4 (Minor: 1, Significant: 3)
Crucial infractions include: N/A

Ali Baba (501 Yonge St)
Inspected on: March 7, 2014
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 9 (Minor: 2, Significant: 7)
Crucial infractions include: N/A

This newly opened all day brunch spot on St. Clair West is crazy about waffles, making them the stars of the menu and pop-art inspired decor (taking waffle-mania even further than at the original location on Lansdowne). Expect to find breakfast, dessert and even mini burger sliders sandwiched between waffles on the menu.

Read my profile of Starving Artist (St. Clair West) in the restaurants section.

104 Lowther is a Annex Victorian with plenty of character features like inlaid hardwood floors, stained glass windows and original fireplaces.

Like turrets? This house has three, providing more than enough cozy reading nooks for everyone in the family. This is quintessential Toronto architecture on a huge corner lot, located just a short walk from Bloor Street.

The living room, dining room and bedrooms are all large and the master bedroom includes access to a south-facing deck. The kitchen has some new appliances and a mirrored backsplash, but the galley style might make you feel a bit cramped. Although the house itself is quite large, there isn't much of a backyard to speak of: in terms of outdoor space, you'll have to make do with just the sizeable front yard, covered porch and deck off the master. There's potential to convert the basement into a rental apartment, but keep in mind renovation costs.

SPECS

• Address: 104 Lowther Ave
• Price: $1,650,000
• Lot Size: 47 x 48 corner lot
• Bedrooms: 4 + 1
• Bathrooms: 3 + main floor powder room
• Parking: 1 space
• Storeys: 3
• Taxes: $10,000.71 (2013)
• Walk Score: 98

NOTABLE FEATURES

• Renovated kitchen with new stainless steel gas stove and built-in oven, microwave and dishwasher
• Large oak staircase with wainscoting and original flooring
• 2 working wood-burning fireplaces, along with 1 decorative fireplace

GOOD FOR

Someone looking for a classic red brick Victorian that hasn't yet been gutted of its charm and character. For this price, you should also really want to live in the Annex - the house is so close to restaurants, shopping, the University of Toronto and transit that it would be a real shame to stay inside.

MOVE ON IF

This house veers traditional rather than modern, so move on if you're not thrilled at the idea of regularly oiling all that wood. Also, it's worth noting that this house is actually semi-detached. The adjoining house is completely separated by a recent sewer linkage, but there are a few walls that will be shared with neighbours. Proceed with caution if you're hunting for privacy.

MORE PHOTOS

TIFF's Food on Film series returns for its second season this week with a line-up of delicious programming that is sure to resonate with foodies and film buffs alike. Screenings happening at the Bell Lightbox, one Wednesday a month until July will be paired with guest chats hosted by Matt Galloway (CBC's Metro Morning) following each film.

Without giving away any spoilers, here's a round-up of what's playing and who will be there.

Chungking Express (1994) (Wednesday, March 12th)
Set in 90's Hong Kong, this film by director Wong Kar-wai explores themes of love, lost and found against a backdrop of markets and noodle shops. It's a fast paced noodle-stand opus that offers both substance and style.
The guest: Peter Meehan, food writer and editor of Lucky Peach magazine will chat about the role food plays in relationships and urban living.
Suggested snack to sneak in: A can of pineapple and a spoon.

Today's Special (2009) (Wednesday, April 9th)
Set in the kitchens of New York, this film follows a second generation immigrant forced by circumstance to enter the family's Indian restaurant business and forgo his dreams of working in elite kitchens. It's totally a feel good movie.
The guest: Film star, best-selling cookbook author and authority on Indian cuisine, Madhur Jaffrey will speak on culinary comedy and the connections between cooking and culture. Stick around following the show to have her sign copies of her cookbooks.
Suggested snack to sneak in: A bag of chevda. Just try not to crunch too loudly.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) (Wednesday, May 7th)
The classic tale of down-luck Charlie who's dreams come true when he finds a golden ticket admitting him to a behind the scenes tour of the worlds greatest candy factory. The film is brightly coloured and oozing with childhood nostalgia.
The guest: Christina Tosi, chef, founder and owner of Momofuku Milk Bar and the 2012 recipient of the James Beard Rising Star Chef award, will chat about this classic film and share insights into her own approach to dessert creation.
Suggested snack to sneak in: Just bring a carton of milk 'cause Christina Tosi plans to treat audience members to sweets from NYC's Momofuku Milk Bar.

Hey Bartender (2013) (Wednesday, May 28th)
This documentary celebrates the serious profession of cocktail making, its history and the bartenders who have elevated the craft. It's an impassioned introduction to elite mixologists that'll leave you hankering for a good stiff drink.
The guest: Charlotte Voisey, award-winning British-born mixologist and host of The Proper Pour video series, can be sen briefly onscreen as well as in person to discuss the high-octane world of bartending devolve into new age of cocktails
Suggested snack to sneak in: A flask.

My Dinner with Andre (1981) (Wednesday, June 18th)
This film is almost entirely a dinner scene that captures a slice of life between two men sharing a meal and conversation. Nothing happens and yet it's totally engaging.
The guest: Toronto Star columnist and professional dinner party host, Corey Mintz, supplies food for thought after the screening with a talk centered around the art of entertaining guests.
Suggested snack to sneak in: Skip snacks. Book a table for two somewhere fancy, or head out for an Amaretto spiked coffee after the event.

Soylent Green (1973) (Wednesday, July 9th)
The sci-fi classic set in dystopic 2022 imagines an overpopulated world of unrest and scarcity. Get ready for the iconic ending!
The guest: Dave Arnold, inventor and co-founder of Booker and Dax will explore themes of industrialization, sustainability, and food nostalgia in this cult classic.
Suggested snack to sneak in: An energy bar...and be thankful for mandatory ingredient lists.

Disclaimer: The TIFF Bell Lightbox in no way endorses sneaking in food or drink to its theatres.

The top cheap Chinese restaurants in Markham and Richmond Hill are an extremely diverse bunch. The two towns (sorry, one town and one city) have long been known by purists to be the mecca of excellent Chinese food. From Canto-Western, Indian-style Hakka, Taiwanese, to traditional Cantonese restaurants, the varieties of excellent Chinese food in the region resemble something out of a United Colors of Benetton catalogue.

Here are the top cheap Chinese restaurants in Markham and Richmond Hill.

Jim Chai Kee
You can't have a list involving cheap Chinese food and not include Jim Chai Kee, unarguably THE king of delicious oversized wontons the size of tennis balls. A satisfying meal for two consisting of shrimp wonton noodles with a side of vegetables is pretty much the only thing you can get here, but at comfortably under $15 (that's including taxes, people) and a service speedier than Taylor Swift's average relationship length, it's pretty hard to beat this place.

Hohomi Rice and Noodle House
Located geographically smack-dab in the centre of Markham, this newcomer to the Chinese-Vietnamese fusion restaurant scene is something of a fast-rising contender to the heavyweight title of cheap Chinese restaurants. They have an insanely cheap $6.95 lunch special menu (try their delicious Hohomi chicken wings or the golden curry chicken) as well as an even-crazier $7.95 dinner special menu (featuring a staggering 27 distinct menu items including the delicious spicy green chilli chicken). Winner.

Phoenix Restaurant
Phoenix serves up mouth-wateringly delicious Canto-Western dishes along with what I consider to be the best Hainanese chicken rice in Toronto ($8.35). I also love that they have so many items on offer that their menu is pretty much book-sized. Their various baked rice dishes, a staple in HK-style Western restaurants, are all delicious and a dinner for two including their famous Napoleon black sesame ice cream will cost you only around $25 after taxes.

Papa Chang's
Tucked into a nondescript plaza and featuring one of the oddest seating arrangements in a restaurant (it really feels like you're just sitting in a small warehouse space), Papa Chang's is always full of patrons munching down on their cheap but delicious Taiwanese specialties such as the crispy popcorn chicken which can be ordered in a bento box combo with spring rolls, veggies, and rice for only $6.99. Another good option here is the signature Taiwanese beef noodle soup ($5.99). Add a side order of skewer fried fish ($4.49) and you'll have a satisfying meal for two for under $20.

Congee Queen
Congee Queen has new locations popping up everywhere (or it at least feels that way). The restaurant chain offers plenty of reasonably-priced dishes such as a massive plate of Cantonese fried noodles ($10.25) but the unbeatable value lies in their lunch specials where you can scoop up a delicious (if a tad oily) roast duck rice ($7.25) or a BBQ pork rice ($6.75). Service can be a bit hurried but that's only because there's likely a long line of would-be customers waiting for your table.

Yuan Yuan Restaurant
A branch of the Scarborough location, this relatively new restaurant is located inside the wonderfully obscure Richlane Mall. It specializes in Northern Chinese cuisine so expect a lot of noodles and buns. Their lunch special is where it's at with dozens of dishes to choose from (all at $6.99). The best part is that their so-called lunch period extends to 6pm which means a cheap dinner too if you eat early enough. The spicy Szechuan Dan Dan noodles and the smoked pork wrap are two of the items to get here.

Tangerine Asian Cuisine (7690 Markham Road, Unit 4C, Markham)
This popular Indian-style Hakka restaurant chain is one of the best places to chow down in Markham. The lunch selections are diverse and start from as low as $5.95 for a plate of chicken Hakka noodles or the still-ridiculously cheap $6.95 for their delicious crispy ginger beef. There are also locations in Scarborough and Whitby too.

Kum Hong BBQ
This is one of THE places to go when craving simple, unhealthy, yet delicious old-school Cantonese BBQ pork or roast pork on rice. Payment is cash-only and the dining area mostly consists of stools (making this more of a takeout joint) but the long lineups during mealtimes are proof they're doing something right. You can't really go wrong forking out $5.50 for two kinds of delicious meat and rice. Sometimes squid is available but I'd suggest sticking to the pork and duck. Simplicity is the way to do it here.

Hong Far Cafe
While it calls itself a cha chaan teng, Hong Far's dining options really makes it more like a full Chinese restaurant. At first glance it doesn't look like much with the usual tacky multicoloured papers filled with various menu specials adorning the walls and well-worn menu booklets but, man, is the food here good AND cheap. Daily specials (available throughout the day) will set you back only $6.25. Go for the deep fried pork chop with spicy salt on rice or the well-sized Yeung Chow fried rice.

T&T Food Court
Fans of the T&T supermarket chain will know it's always a sure bet for a range of budget-priced meals ranging from crispy fried fish to beancurd rolls ($3.99 for small and $7.99 for large). Keep an eye out for the special of the day where the large size portion of the dish can be yours for only $5.99. Be sure to check out the dim sum counter too.

What did I miss? Add your Richmond Hill and Markham cheap eat picks in the comments below.

Writing by Darren "DKLo" Susilo. He hangs out on the twitter and his own mansion. Photo of the Tomato Pork Chop Baked Rice at Phoenix Restaurant by Stephen Chung.

St. Patrick's Day in Toronto tends to get a lot of flack. People like to call it amateur hour, and it's often lamented that the day has become simply an excuse to drink excessively and dress provocatively in green kitsch. And while there's some merit to that, people who love St. Patrick's Day would argue that the day is a great excuse to drink excessively and dress provocatively in green kitsch.

Both sides clearly have their points, and so to make everyone happy I've compiled this list of Toronto's top St. Patrick's Day parties, which take place both on and before the official March 17th date. You can either take note of them so as to avoid the throngs of party-goers wearing green plastic crap and getting shitfaced on Guinness and Jameson, or you can use this as your personal guide to the best places to wear green plastic crap while getting shitfaced on Guinness and Jameson! Sláinte!

For all your drinking needs, you might also want to check out these other handy resources:

• The Best Irish Pubs in Toronto
• The Best Pubs in Toronto
• The Best Beer Selection in Toronto
• The 10 bars with the most beer taps in Toronto
• The top 10 cheap craft beer deals in Toronto
• The top 10 bars with gluten free beer in Toronto

PRE-ST. PATRICK'S DAY

St. Patrick's Day Loft and Laneway Party at 2nd Floor Events
Get a jumpstart on St. Patrick's Day at this loft and laneway party this Saturday March 15th. Expect a full day filled with classic festivities. Expect to hear sounds from some of Toronto's top local DJ's. Free ping pong will be offered from 2-6pm downstairs at Spin. Plus, there's food courtesy of Micha Kennedy Fries and Caplansky's Food Truck.

Steam Whistle Brewery
Regardless of the occasion, you can typically count on Steam Whistle's parties to provide two things: people dressed up and having a good time and copious amounts of beer. The party kicks off at 2pm on Saturday, goes to midnight and costs $20 to get in. There's entertainment from Brogue, Poor Angus, and the Woodgate-Shamrock Irish Dancers and some of the proceeds will help support the Toronto St. Patrick's Day Parade Society. Arguably the biggest, loudest, most crowded shindig on this list and undoubtedly your best bet for fresh, local beer.

MULTI-DAY CELEBRATIONS

Ceili Cottage
This year, Ceili cottage has five full days of events leading up to St. Patrick's day, beginning on Thursday the 13th with an Irish music jam session and a Guinness pouring contest in their yurt. On Friday there's a cocktail soiree where the appropriate attire is apparently "smoking jackets, Raybans, big hats, fascinators, and fabulous shoes." On Saturday there's a meet, greet and sampling with John Cashman of Cooley Irish Whiskey, and on Sunday there's the St. Patrick's Open Oyster Shucking Contest. On the big day, they'll open at 11am with live music and Irish dancing throughout the day.

An Sibin
In what seems like a good way to test your stomach's mettle, Friday at Au Sibin is "Black Friday" with $6 Guinness and $3 Jägermeister shots. Presumably, if you don't have too much of a "Black Saturday" as a result, you can head back to Au Sibin for live music all weekend, 32oz pitchers of Harp for $9.50 on Sunday and, for Monday, "Two floors of Madness!" including a live celtic jam session and $3.45 shots of Jameson.

PJ O'Brien
On Friday and Saturday night, PJ O'Brien's will feature music from Mike O'Grady, then on Sunday the bar opens at 11am and live music kicks off at 3pm with Mike O'Grady. On St Patrick's day, there's live music starting at 2pm with Amore and then from 6pm onwards it's (can you take a guess?) Mike O'Grady. There will also be Irish dancers on Sunday and Monday (no word on whether or not Mike O'Grady will also be dancing).

Stout Irish Pub
Cabbagetown's best pub gets the party started on Friday and features the ol' buy a litre of Steam Whistle and keep the leprechaun boot deal all weekend (presumably these are big leprechauns). On Sunday and Monday there's music from Celtic duo The Fair Wind, $5 jello shots all weekend, and a complimentary Jameson's sampling on Sunday between 5pm and 7pm. Plus there's face painting. Because Ireland.

Quinn's Steakhouse and Irish Bar
The Sheraton Centre's Irish bar (and sister pub to PJ O'Brien's and The Irish Embassy) will feature a similar lineup to the Embassy given that they too will feature the music of Rick and Bauer and Friends as well as The Wheelhouse Band between the 14th and 17th, but they're also throwing in a band called Raggle Taggle Gypsies Friday night, so there's that. Arguably the best place this weekend to find travelling business people drinking Irish drinks and making bad decisions.

WHERE TO GO ON MARCH 17TH

Allen's and Dora Keogh
Popular adjacent sister bars on the Danforth, Allen's and Dora will likely both be busy on Monday. Both venues will feature a menu showcasing contemporary and traditional Irish food and live music kicks off at 1pm. Dora will have Dab Quigley and Patrick Ourceau playing until 3pm. The Julian Taylor Band takes the stage at 3:30pm and from 8pm until closing there's music from The Gurriers. Next door at Allen's, traditional Irish music begins at 3:15pm, then The Aideen O'Brien Band takes the stage at 8pm. Admission to both bars is $10.

Mill Street's Brew Pub's St. Patrick's Day Brewmaster's Dinner
Join Joel Manning and the folks at Mill Street Brew pub on Friday for a five-course meal that incudes dubblin coddle, spicy pecan pub salad and Irish red jus corned beer colcannon. Naturally, each course is paired with a delicious Mill Street beer, including the brand-spanking-new (and thus far only available in Ottawa) Grapefruit League Imperial IPA. Tickets are $59.99

Mill Street Beer Hall
Next door to the brewpub, The Beer Hall will be celebrating with live music from The Steel City Rovers beginning at 5pm and they'll be serving beer flights featuring Cobblestone Stout, Vanilla Porter, Coffee Porter, and Valley Red Cream Ale. Additionally, there will be $10 stein specials on all day and complimentary appetizers at 5pm.

Brazen Head, The Foggy Dew, Murphy's Law, The Pour House, Pogue Mahone and Watermark
Let's be honest, for the entire FAB Concepts line-up of Irish pubs, St. Patrick's Day is basically Christmas. Their websites feature countdown clocks year-round and I imagine that March 17 usually accounts for a large chunk of their annual profits. In short, you can assume that all their locations will be a safe bet for raucous, vaguely-Irish overindulging on Monday and probably most of the weekend, too. And just to make sure you're wearing green, all of the FAB Concepts owned Irish pubs are offering a $15 St. Paddy's Day t-shirt that allows you to bypass the line at any of their locations on Monday. Binge-drinking guilt easement: $5 from every t-shirt sale goes toward Muscular Dystrophy. You're drinking for a cause!

The Galway Arms
Let's be honest, the details don't matter because if you live in Etobicoke and you're staying in your neighbourhood for St. Patirck's day, you're going to The Galway Arms. Ford Country's best bet for a well-poured Guinness is guaranteed to be busy on Monday (and probably all weekend, too). Get there early.

The Gladstone
The Gladstone will feature food and drink specials on Monday and has brought in two DJs to mark the occasion. There will be musical selections from DJs AJ Frick (of Abracadabra) and Christian Hamilton (of Dementia 13). The listing for the event is the only one I've seen that explicitly tells you NOT to bring your cat, so pet owners take note.

The Irish Embassy
The Irish Embassy is celebrating St. Patrick with a full line-up of Irish musicians, including Rick Bauer and Friends all weekend long and The Wheelhouse Band on Monday evening. There will also be Irish Dancers from the Doyle Academy and a menu that includes Irish stews and corned beef. There's no cover so you can probably expect the place to be rammed most of the weekend and in particular on Sunday before, after and during the St. Patrick's day parade.

The Roy
Currently celebrating their five year anniversary all week, The Roy is already offering up $5 specials March 10th-14th and they will roll the party right into St. Patrick's day celebrations on Monday with music from The Better Half from 3pm-8 pm and Irish Stew to soak up some of the booze.

Beau's All Natural and Rodney Dangerfood at The Drake
One of Ontario's favourite craft brewers is throwing a St. Patrick's Day party and everyone is invited. Join Ottawa's Beau's All Natural Brewing Company at The Drake on Monday where chef Jon Koplimae of Rodney Dangerfood will be serving up Hush Puppies made with Beau's Lugtread and Irish Stew Poutine. The soundtrack will be classic Irish Rovers and The Mahones and, to cover your "green beer" needs, there will be plenty of Beau's Tom Green Milk Stout. Get it?

FOR THE ANTI-ST PATRICK'S SET

$5 pints Mondays at barVolo
Since St. Patrick's day happens to fall on a Monday this year, I'll be taking refuge from the drunken throngs at this cozy Yonge Street craft beer institution where you'll find select pints available for just $5 every Monday. There won't be any green beer and, if you're out on your own stumbling, green-clad pub crawl, please don't join me.

Thanks to Alexander Keith's Galaxy Hop Ale for sponsoring this post.

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

Photo by PLTam on Flickr

There's some major Canadian fashion design talent about to hit Toronto's runways; designers who got their start at Hermes, Stella McCartney and Viktor & Rolf, to drop a few small names.

They've shown in New York and Paris, studied at Parsons and Central St. Martins, and netted a slew of awards. But despite their impressive pedigrees and well-stamped passports, the foursome of designers remains almost entirely unknown in Canada.

And even though they've got international fashion titans on their resumes, the big top circus under the World MasterCard Fashion Week tents, which holds a captive weeklong audience of Canadian media members each season, is entirely out of their reach.

It's a very common tale for fashion show producer Paola Fullerton -- and the reason that she created the shOws, her showcase of emerging designers, in 2011.

Forty-four-year-old Fullerton, a fashion industry veteran, speaks gushingly -- a mile a minute -- about the "kids" she invites each season to display their collections at her independent event, which she's mounting tonight and Wednesday at the Storys Building.

"I'm utterly amazed by them, constantly. I just think they're so extraordinary. I think they're international brand ambassadors for our country."

The public can't attend the shOws -- it's "one hundred per cent" an industry-only event, Fullerton readily admits. But there's a good reason to pay close attention to what comes out of them each year: Some of Fullerton's "kids" include now-household names like Mark Fast and Jeremy Laing.

This season's crop includes Bellavance, who sold their last collection exclusively to Opening Ceremony; Stella McCartney alumna Kaelen; and Steven Tai, whose work has appeared in British and French Vogue.

While Fullerton's chosen creators are all Canadian, they also operate their lines out of New York or Paris, and show their collections in much-larger, more highly-scrutinized fashion weeks in their adopted hometowns. That begs the question: Why isn't the Canadian media eating up the fact that these designers are internationally-approved?

In New York, where Bellavance designers Nolan Bellavance and Ava Hama debuted their F/W 2014 collection at an intimate presentation, "there's like 450 designers showing over something like eight days," Bellavance says.

"It's really easy to get lost in the mix there, because it's a sensory overload." Hama adds. "People are seeing tons and tons of shows every day."

Fullerton says Canadian fashion outlets are stretched thin on voyages to international fashion weeks: "Rather than seeing, say, Todd (Lynn) and risk missing Burberry, they of course had to, based on demand, go see Burberry."

If recognition on their home turf is what these expat designers are craving, the obvious solution would be for designers to just hit the runway at Toronto's fashion week, which hosts delegations from every media outlet in the country.

But the answer -- as it so often does -- comes down to cash. IMG, the event-planning juggernaut behind Toronto's fashion week, charges designers thousands to expose their collections to an audience of media and buyers at Fashion Week; the starting fee for a small designer has been floated at around $7,000 or so. (They also charge media outlets for their weekly passes, sponsors to market their wares to the throngs inside the Fashion Week tents, and members of the public for tickets.)

"I think it's really un-doable for a young brand such as ours, and many brands who are in the same position as us. It's impossible to have that type of funding," Hama says.

Fullerton, on the other hand, doesn't charge her designers -- or attendees -- a cent.

"Their support means so much," Bellavance says. "We don't have to worry about finding the funds to pay for a spot to show, and to coordinate all the things you need to coordinate for a fashion show, because everything's just provided for you. It's humbling." (Hama adds that sort of opportunity is "impossible to find in the U.S.")

The event is funded through "sponsors, and my own dignity," Fullerton cracks. "I'm begging and borrowing and pleading and getting people to knock down prices -- I have no shame when it comes to planning the shOws."

The focus, then, is entirely on talent that deserves that hard-won backing. "I have to make sure the quality's there, because otherwise, you guys would stop coming, and that would hurt the designers," she says. "I never want it to be a situation where it's like 'Oh, you've got the money? Come on over!'"

That's perhaps the greatest testament to its relevance in the Canadian fashion scene, even with WMCFW a week away. With deep-pocketed international companies increasingly looking to use the fashion week runway to build brand awareness in Canada, the shOws goes out on a limb to give a platform to cash-strapped designers with something extraordinary to offer.

"I think we need to do everything we can to nurture and build their creativity," Fullerton says. "These are kids who are doing extraordinary things, and they need to have a place where they get to be the focus ... and not just become part of the noise."

Photo by Mauricio Calero

In addition to being a go-to place for screenings, deals, and panels, conventions like ComiCon are an excellent time to mingle with artists. First-timers and veterans alike get the privilege to meet and interact with creative and fun people whose word and artwork touch us. With its "Artist Alley," ComiCon has taken strides towards breaking down the barrier between artist and reader, much to the benefit of the fan experience. So while cosplay might be the most entertaining aspect of the convention, interacting with the artists is surely the most enriching.

Here are 10 Toronto comic artists worth keeping an eye on.

Mike Monize
Specializing in post-surrealist pop art, Mike Monize's freeform paintings take influence from Dali, Warhol, and contemporary graffiti artists. Wild and brightly-coloured pieces done with ink and airbrushing filled with eyes, teeth, and staircases can be seen all over his table, celebrating and demonstrating what he calls "the hierarchies of complexity."

Lidia Figliomeni and Georgina Poularkis
These two are often seen sharing a table together, though they both exhibit a unique style. Lidia's colourful pieces carry an airy dreamlike quality to them, while Georgina's are highly detailed, more sombre and subdued in their colouration but considerably more action-packed in subject matter.

Sanya Anwar
Sanya Anwar is the creator of the Eisner Award-nominated comic 1001. Aside from her book, Sanya also offers bookmarks and prints. Using no more than three or four colours in her prints, the line-work and palette complement each other well. Her pieces carry a range of styles and emotions from dynamic and tortured to sensual and mercurial.

Luis Arellano
Ecuadorian-Canadian sculptor Luis Arellano stands out as a craftsmen. His table is decorated with ornate, highly imaginative and terrifying busts and statues. Each one of Arellano's pieces takes just twelve hours to complete, and he's often seen sculpting at his table. Watching him work is hypnotic, and the end results are always fascinating.

Meaghan Carter
With a style that mixes Bruce Timm's gritty cartoon aesthetic and the sensibilities of a Hayao Miyazaki film, Meaghan Carter's modern fantasy webcomic and graphic novel series Take Off! is both quirky and cool. She's also a skilled colourist who collaborates with other artists.

James Edward Clark
Comic artist and illustrator James Edward Clark is doing the rounds as a sort of punk-rock artist. Each page in his series Evil looks like a scene from an old grindhouse movie. Stylish portraits of Rob Ford that give the mayor a demonic quality are sure to be popular.

David Cutler
David Cutler is a Newfoundland-born artist behind Zombies Versus Cheerleaders, Grimm Fairy Tales' Robyn Hood Vs. Red Riding Hood, and the Heroes of the North tie-in comic. His style carries a familiar feel to mainstream comics of the late '90s and early 2000s, but is a bit cheerier than his influences.

Marco Rudy
Several mainstream artists do the comic convention circuit, but few have pieces as maddening to look at as Marco Rudy's. The artist behind Marvel Knights: Spider-Man and the new Swamp Thing possesses a haunting and intricate style. Sprawling inked layouts are complex to look at and a wonderful deviation from the standard comic page.

Lamin Martin
Few illustrators have mastered the painterly style of fantasy artists like Frank Frazetta and Boris Vallejo, though Lamin Martin would be an exception. Best known for his dragons, ladies, and dragon-ladies, Lamin's awe-inspiring pieces - whether they feature Victorian-era zombies or colossal architectural monsters - are worth checking out.

Ty Templeton
Ty Templeton is something of a legend in Toronto, known not only for his work on the Justice League Unlimited comics and Batman '66, but also as the Silver Snail's first customer and the man behind Comic Book Boot-Camp. His art is charming with lots of heart.

Leonard Kirk
American expat and St. Catharines resident Leonard Kirk is perhaps best known for his work on the most-excellent Agents of Atlas. Although he lives further from Toronto than the rest of his compatriots, he always has time to head out to Toronto's bigger events, and has gained notoriety for his well-crafted convention sketches.

Photos by Mauricio Calero

Toronto of the 1980s is a less grimy place than the previous decade, if not quite as spick and span as the city is today. Although development of the skyline wasn't quite as dramatic as it had been over the previous 20 years (which, in fairness, witnessed the birth of modern Toronto), other obvious visual shifts can be spotted throughout these photos. PCC streetcars and the red Gloucester subway cars are no longer ubiquitous, automobiles get smaller and smaller as the decade proceeds, and slowly but surely the surface parking lots and the railway lands are developed.

Don't get me wrong, there's still plenty of messy urbanism on display, but the 1980s is a far cleaner decade than the one that it followed. If photos of Toronto in the 1970s seem to be tinged with a sepia tone of nostalgia, those from the '80s tend to be more stark, highlighted by bold colours. One thinks of the new colour scheme of the CLRV streetcars, which ditches the maroon and yellow of its predecessor in favour of red and white.

While Scotia Plaza was a major addition to Toronto in 1988, the forward-looking nature of the decade is perhaps best exemplified by SkyDome, which opened in June 1989. Although the building is often associated with the '90s thanks to the Jays back-to-back World Series wins, what was once known as the Ontario Stadium Project represents a city looking for the next big thing. And aside from the various accolades the building got when it opened - try to bear in mind just how fancy that roof seemed at the time - SkyDome ushered in development of a huge swath of land below Front Street that was covered in rail lines - one that is now predominantly marked by condos.

Piecing together a city's history on a decade-by-decade basis isn't an easy task, as many trends and developments stretch beyond 10 years. But with the development of the rail lands, the steady disuse of the Inglis Factory on Strachan, and the rise of the first condominiums in Toronto, the 1980s can likely be seen as a transitional decade, one in which the city embraced a completely modern version of itself and left its industrial heritage and the grime associated with it behind.

Photos from the Toronto Archives, Wikimedia Commons, and Ontario Archives

Photo by carlosbezz in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Tonight, the TIFF Bell Lightbox hosts Food On Film, an amazing and unique series that focuses on "culinary cinema" and runs on various Wednesday evenings at 6:30PM. The exhibition Generations of Queer opens at OCAD Universtiy tonight with a reception, and panel discussion with the artists. For music fans, TO's retro rockers Slim Twig and LA's Jack Name share a bill at The Garrison. Plus, nerdy freebie alert! This afternoon Silver Snail is giving away limited-edition-cup-masks from it's Black Canary Espresso Bar. For more events, click on over to our events section.

• Food on Film
• Generations of Queer: Opening Events
• Slim Twig & Jack Name @ The Garrison
• Pivot Reading Series
• Who Was That Masked Macchiato

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

Image from Chungking Express via TIFF's website

This Week in Fashion rounds up the week's style news, store openings and closings, pop-up shops, sales and upcoming fashion and design events in Toronto. Find it here every Wednesday morning.

NEWS

Babes & Gents, a new brand based in Ottawa, recently launched online pre-orders for their Toronto-centric collection of t-shirts, drop-crotch pants, and snapbacks. Each item is emblazoned with the city's name, maple leaves, "1834" (the year Toronto was incorporated), or all of the above. Some even go as far as parodying designer logos like Balmain and Hermès. Prices range from $30 - $190 and the last day for pre-order is April 4th.

EVENTS

The Ryerson Technical Association of the Graphic Arts (RyeTAGA) is back at it again with Luminous - their second annual fashion show and after party - taking place at the Mod Club (722 College St) tomorrow (March 13) at 9 pm. Featuring classic yet dramatic garments by students and sponsors like Cabaret Vintage, the Film Noir event will boast no shortage of talent. Tickets start at $15 online or $20 at the door.

From tomorrow (March 13) until Saturday (March 15), Phillip Car - the owner of renowned shoemaker Saint Crispins - will once again set up at Leatherfoot (24 Bellair St, unit 7) for a three-day trunk show. He'll be bringing in new models and personally measuring clients for made-to-order and bespoke styles. To book an appointment, call 416-967-3668 or email events@leatherfoot.com.

This Friday (March 14), Toujours x Fidèle - a Toronto start-up that was born in Paris - is opening a magicalpop-up shop at 2 Lakeview Avenue, complete with pink lemonade and love letters. Celebrate the launch from 8 pm until 1 am, and get first dibs on the limited-edition womens' clothing and glassware made by local artists using deadstock materials. If you can't make it, the Suburban Daydream will be open until March 30.

Along with many other industries, fashion is taking a noticeable turn towards the digital age (note the growth of e-commerce and the oddly significant influence of fashion bloggers). Fashion Forward is hosting the third installment of Fashion in the Digital World next Tuesday (March 18) from 6 pm onward at the Hard Rock Café (279 Yonge St), featuring panellists from online destinations Stylicious, BroVisor, ManUp, Fashion Star Boutique, and The Statemint. Aside from their presentations and Q&A sessions, there'll be allotted time for networking with industry professionals. Tickets range from $10 to $20 and are available online.

SALES

All sale merchandise from every TNT store is available to rummage at the outlet location (388 Eglinton Ave W), meaning you still have a fighting chance at finding that one ridiculous coat you wanted last season in the right size. Everything's going for 70% - 80% off until March 31st, so be sure to head over ASAP to avoid missing out.

Image via babesngents.com

This Dutch menswear brand has opened its first Canadian store in Yorkville after making a killing pretty much everywhere else in the world. But, it's not your dad's suit store -- if the clothes aren't a dead giveaway, the decor definitely is.

Read my profile of Suitsupply Toronto in the Fashion section.

The most widespread rumour in Toronto politics looks set to finally be confirmed later today. Olivia Chow is going to quit the House of Commons and register to run for mayor of Toronto on Thursday, The Globe and Mail reports, citing "senior sources" close to the campaign.

The addition of Chow, who has been widely tipped to run for more than a year, would bring the field of leading contenders to five, with Rob Ford, John Tory, David Soknacki, and Karen Stintz also in contention. She would become the only left-leaning candidate in the field so far.

It's not clear what form Chow's campaign will take, though she will undoubtedly represent the starkest contrast to Rob Ford. The Globe and Mail says she will present herself as a fiscally conservative "change" candidate, citing her family's background as immigrants from Hong Kong.

Before being elected MP for Trinity-Spadina in 2006, Chow held a seat on Metro Toronto Council from 1991 to 1997 and was a city councillor from 1997 to 2005 alongside her late husband Jack Layton.

Without officially expressing an interest, polls over the last 12 months have consistently put the MP roughly level pegging with Rob Ford.

What do you think of the news? Can Chow win Rob Ford's suburban vote and beat the political veteran John Tory?

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

Image: Ryan Kelpin/blogTO Flickr pool.

This new cocktail bar takes over for the Foundation Room at the foot of Church St. With something like a speakeasy meets library vibe, it's a lush space - but it's really the drinks that steal the show. With a mixture of house (a.k.a. modern) cocktails and those that could be termed the classics, the menu has broad appeal and doesn't skimp on quality ingredients.

Read my review of DW Alexander in the bars section.

In the later half of the 1960s, Toronto became a modern city. Yes, we managed to build a single-line subway a decade before, but it was the arrival of two buildings that dramatically transformed Toronto: New City Hall (1965) and the TD Centre (1967, first tower). Both structures were the work of accomplished international architects and both were unlike anything the city had seen before. An elevated photo of Viljo Revel's City Hall on opening night looks quite distinctly as though it announces the arrival of the future in Toronto.

At the outset of the decade, Toronto's skyline was a collection of sepia-toned banks, hotels and church steeples. It was a quiet place relative to today, and far more conservative. The restaurant scene was virtually non-existent and good luck finding booze on Sunday or anywhere in the Junction, for that matter. But for all the apparent dreariness, places like Yorkville and Yonge Street south of Gerrard were alive with activity, both day and night. The former was a hub of hippie culture and a musical incubator for the first half of the '60s before eventually giving way to the more retail-driven culture that defines the neighbourhood to this day.

Another major development in the 1960s, seen particularly in some of the aerial shots of the city outside the core, was the dawn of apartment block housing. Between 1959 and 1969, large-scale concrete apartments appear en masse to house the city's growing population, one which is less tied to the downtown core than ever before. The suburbs began their ascent in the '50s, but it's the following decade in which development kicked into high gear.

The Toronto of this period has been termed a "boom town" for all the changes that took place in such a short period of time. With a new subway and expressways, the city grew up a lot in the 1960s, a process that would, arguably, only increase in the decade that followed.

See also:

• A 1970s Toronto photo extravaganza
• A 1980s Toronto photo extravaganza

Photos from the Toronto Archives and the Wikimedia Commons

The best restaurants for a business lunch in Toronto are opportune spots to woo clients and close big deals. This portfolio of top tier restaurants makes working through lunch seem like a perk, and for anyone with a highly-coveted expense account, these are the places to give them a workout.

Here is the list of the best restaurants for a business lunch in Toronto.

See also:

The best wine bars in Toronto
The Best Restaurants for Private Dining in Toronto
The Best Event Venues in Toronto
5 under the radar event venues in Toronto
The top 5 new event venues in Toronto for 2013

If the 9 to 5 work week wasn't already dragging you down, Monday's sign sale at Honest Ed's probably had you white knuckled at your desk, watching tweet after tweet and Instagram pic after Instagram pic of the huge line of freelancers, artists, shift workers, restaurant industry types, pensioners, and the un(der)employed (plus maybe some braver than you just playing hooky) snaking around the block outside Honest Ed's.

Then something changed. You heard they were waiting in line for three hours, four hours, or more. You thought to yourself, "haha." Sure, the signs are instantly recognizable as pieces of Toronto history and are embedded with the emotions of many an anxious am-I-lost-or-is-that-the-exit shopping trips or summertime strolls through the Annex, but who in their right mind would spend eight hours getting some flimsy sign used to sell sunscreen and soap?

Of course, you now know you were too hasty in your judgement, friends: some of those line-standers stand to make a day's wages or more off their loot on Ebay, Kijiji, and Craigslist, while according to David Mirvish, they paid "anywhere from eight cents to $30 for their souvenirs." Signs are popping up online now for anything from about $50 to $600, and before you scoff and ask who's buying, note there are plenty of "signs wanted" adds offering a hundred bucks or so, too. Head, desk.

Here are five "outrageous deals" online right now.

The Canadian combo: Girl's Justin Bieber Sleepwear $4.99
Also the best use of scare quotes going, there's nothing more Canadian than this combo: teen dream Biebz and Honest Ed's. Yet prices for this Justin-branded wear are in US funds, which seems somehow fitting, and at $51 USD (C $56.53) with free shipping it's currently the best deal you'll find on a sign. Bidding is open, so nobody tell the Beliebers.

The sex bomb: "Vaseline Lotion 525ml $4.99"
This Craigslist seller claims to have waited in line for nine hours on Monday, so $100 begins to seem fair for this hot little number (which the seller wisely chose not to pass onto their mother). Anyway, a hundred bones is a small price to pay to turn your home into a love palace -- it could work out to a nickel per bone, right? "Wet Ones" might be a nice companion piece.

The nostalgia: "Ladies or Misses Baseball Caps $1.99"
Baseball caps for under two bucks, and doesn't this just make you think of Geena Davis, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell throwing down on the green fields of yesteryear. Hold on, I think I have something in my eye. Actual baseball caps you can get for C $138.00 on Ebay? These Sochi Olympics Russian baseballs caps, a signed Billy Williams, a fancy Gucci Kids hat, this vintage LA Raiders cap, or a Waterford Crystal St Louis Cardinals World Series 2011 cap - baseball, I never knew you were so weird.

The sketchbag: "As Advertised "Listerine" Cool Mint Mouthwash 1.5 litre $4.99"
Your shabby-chic (honestly just shabby to most) drug den could be a bit peppier, and I'm not talking uppers, unless you're holding. A vintage ad for Listerine will show off your dark, self effacing sense of humour, and the hidden meaning and context of "cool mint" will be a conversation cornerstone for many a sesh to come. The sign's sitting at C $99.75 right now, which is about what you'll get on Church for your mom's TV, plus the seller used Comic Sans so they probably need the money for something illicit. Bonus: Knife Set, because you're living hard.

The gouger: "RARE HONEST ED'S SIGNED & HAND PAINTED ORIGINAL OVERSIZED SIGN TORONTO MIRVISH"
The "biggest thing going" on Ebay right now is this auction for three 60 inch long signs: "Welcome," "Fleece Wear," and "Christmas Trees." Smell a deal? Wait -- the winner of the bid only gets to select one sign, with the option to triple their bid for the whole lot of three. As of this writing two bids have bumped the auction up to $609.67, so this isn't just a case of someone dreaming big. There's just something about that bubble font.

Photo by Steven Hoang in the blogTO Flickr pool

Toronto is the best city in the country when it comes to public transit. Yes, you read that correctly. According to a new report from Walk Score, we narrowly edged out Montreal for the top spot among Canadian cities. Of the 34 cities ranked, Vancouver rounded out the top three. Key criteria to the ranking, which is based on a score out of 100 (of which Toronto received 78 to Montreal's 77), include types of service (light/heavy rail, buses), transit coverage, and frequency of routes/stops.

This must come as quite the shock if you find yourself regularly complaining about public transit in this city. Could other big cities really have it worse? Assuming the methodology is sound, the answer is a resounding "yes." Because here's the real mind-boggling part. While Toronto tops the list for Canadian cities, it also ranks a very respectable third when stacked up against US centres, surpassed by only San Francisco and New York.

What do you think? Is it time to fill out the TTC Compliment form, or is this just an instance of others having it worse?

Photo by Empty Quarter in the blogTO Flickr pool.

After 10 years, Sunny Fong is trying to finally kick VAWK out of his apartment. Through eight seasons at Toronto's fashion week and a Project Runway Canada win in 2009, Fong -- one of Canada's best-known emerging designers, and a perpetual critical darling -- has been running the line out of his living room.

Two days before Fong's model fitting and six days before his show (featuring a "Middle East meets street style" fall/winter 2014 collection), the parquet-floored home near Church and Wellesley is a flurry of activity. Four of Fong's assistants (some part-timers, some interns) bend over workspaces and sewing machines, cutting fabric, stitching black tulle, and painstakingly slicing patterns into leather -- piece by piece -- with an Xacto knife.

"It's funny, because on Instagram, people are like 'Oh my god, your place is a lot smaller than I thought!'" he laughs.

"I'm not afraid to tell people I work out of my apartment. Because the reality is, when I went on the show, that's how it was, and that's how it is," he says, adding he has celebrity clients come on up for fittings. (When you dial up, the buzzer's screen reads "VAWK/FONG".)

"I'm trying to keep the costs low. It's part of running a business."

Fong and his feminine, luxurious pieces shot to Canadian fashion fame in 2009, when he won the second season of Project Runway Canada -- an honour that came with a $100,000 prize. But the fashion world is an expensive place -- especially when you're trying to sustain a small business.

"I think people think that I 'made it' when I won that $100,000 on Project Runway," he says. "(They're thinking) 'You showed at Fashion Week eight times.' But if you divide that 100 grand by eight -- and then I said on the show that I had debt already, like 40 grand, so I lost half of it."

That six-figure sum, Fong estimates, only carried the line for about a year.

Recently, he's been keeping the line going through collaborations -- most recently, a capsule line for eBay Canada and lobby uniforms for the Shangri-La Hotel. He also does custom work, including wedding and event dresses (notable folks he's dressed include Katy Perry, Serena Ryder and Elisha Cuthbert). But those don't make for a reliable income source, and the line has trickled out of stores due to a few missed buying seasons, drying up the brand's revenue further.

On the advice of a friend, Fong launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo in advance of VAWK's F/W 2014 show Monday night. He's hoping to recoup funds he's floated to put this collection together, put new pieces into production, open an e-commerce store, and reach a larger buyer base in the U.S. and internationally.

Fong set a $30,000 target for the campaign, a sum he calls "not too crazy". (For comparison, he estimates an average runway collection costs $10,000 to produce.) "That would help launch e-comm, covers my costs for the shows, and then possibly take the line overseas, build the next collection" over the next six to 12 months.

Perks include $20 for a leather key fob, $60 for a keychain and a ticket to next week's show, $150 for a scarf, and $3,000 for a custom-made gown.

But despite Fong's profile within the industry, the response to the campaign has been slow; 18 backers have pledged $1,420 with four days to go at the time of this post.

Though it's a considerable shortfall, Fong says he's "not surprised", though he voices some disappointment at the gulf between the enthusiasm people show for his line and their lack of willingness to actually help it get off the ground.

"I mentioned I was showing at Fashion Week, I had over 300 likes (on Facebook). So I thought, maybe, at least those 300 people..." (Requests for free fashion show tickets, meanwhile, have not slowed down.)

Fong says he's learned that while cash prizes can be boons to young designers (at the very least, he says, you'll get back what you spent creating the collection you were just judged on), the non-monetary benefits of those awards can be just as helpful, if not more.

"If (young designers) just got half the money and got a business manager or somebody in business to do sales, Canadian fashion would be a lot further," he says. "It's easy just to (give someone) a lump some of money and say 'Here, you're on your own'."

He points to the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund awards that boost new designers in the U.S: "If you have Anna Wintour's stamp of approval, or that type of mentorship that they get, I think it's more valauble than money sometimes. Cause then you can take that and leverage it -- that's why I get the opportunities I get.

"We don't help each other enough in our industry."