Located at 20 Beaconsfield Avenue, this beautiful house is only a stumble away from Toronto standbys such as the Drake and Gladstone hotels. Highlights of this home are the Victorian features it has managed to maintain. There is beautiful stained glass throughout - at the entrance, in the living room, and upstairs too. Wood floors add to the charm, as do the beautiful plaster mouldings. But really, the windows! I could go on about those all day.

Even if it's staged blandly, you can tell that the house is fit for modern living, with an open concept on the first floor and a large master bedroom. The kitchen and bathrooms have been renovated too, although the style of the renovations unfortunately doesn't totally jive with the rest of the home. Speaking of modern living, though, this house includes a private drive and a detached garage with two parking spaces. Finally a house where you don't have to choose between cars and an urban location!

SPECS

• Address: 20 Beaconsfield Ave
• Price: $1,188,000
• Lot Size: 30 x 122 ft
• Bedrooms: 3
• Bathrooms: 3
• Parking: 5
• Taxes: $5,245
• Walk Score: 95

NOTABLE FEATURES

• Private drive and 2-storey coach house
• Prime location just north of Queen Street
• 10 foot ceilings
• Stained glass windows and plaster mouldings retain Victorian character

GOOD FOR

Urbanites who drive. This house is located in a prime location just off West Queen West. It couldn't be better for access to shops, restaurants, and bars. But it also has this rarity - a driveway and a garage! So if you love living downtown, and work in Mississauga, or if you love living downtown but also love your cars, this is a god spot for you!

MOVE ON IF

You're looking for a thoroughly modern feel. As mentioned, upgrades have been done to this house to make it feel a bit more 21st century. The bathrooms and kitchen have been renovated, and the first floor has a spacious feel. The really charming parts of the house, however, are the 19th century elements. This is a classic Toronto bay and gable house with heritage status, and it's best suited for someone who wants to keep it that way!

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Read other posts in this series via our House of the Week Pinterest board.

Writing by Isabel Ritchie

The Polaris Prize short list was announced today, whittled down from a long list that included Toronto's Drake, Austra, DIANA, Odonis Odonis, PUP, Owen Pallett (still ours, sorry MTL), AroarA, Fresh Snow, BADBADNOTGOOD, Bry Webb, The Strumbellas, Yamantaka // Sonic Titan (half ours? totally ours?) and even The Darcys (hair flip!) - plus Jessy Lanza, Basia Bulat, and Shad, because Hamilton and London are our snuggle buddies. So, which Toronto acts are still in the running for $30,000 (so long til next year, credit card debt!) and the opportunity to have "Polaris Prize winner" forever in their press kit?

The Polaris Prize short list for 2014 is as follows:

• Drake - Nothing Was the Same
• Jessy Lanza - Pull My Hair Back
• Tanya Tagaq - Animism
• Shad - Flying Colours
• Mac DeMarco - Salad Days
• YAMANTAKA//SONIC TITIAN - UZU
• Timber Timbre - Hot Dreams
• Owen Pallett - In Conflict
• Basia Bulat - Tall Tall Shadow
• Arcade Fire - Reflektor

If you have no idea what's going on, that might mean you're not a Canadian blogger or musician (congratulations all nine of you for clicking this anyway). The Polaris Music Prize is Canada's answer to the Mercury Prize (UK), awarding albums of artistic merit made by Canadian artists rather than handing out ribbons for sales figures, friends in high places, or most pomped hair. The money is, Polaris posits, just there to add legitimacy to the title.

Lofty ambitions aside and $30 grand aside, the prize is more than anything a barometer of Canadian music journalists' tastes, perhaps more often than one would hope determined by factors like "I really liked this band in highschool and I'd like to thank them for it" (seems to be less of that this year, thankfully) or "this is what my Twitter pals are voting for."

Polaris is a dry affair fraught with awful jokes made by awkward well meaning industry types, but last year things got interesting for a minute when Godspeed You! Black Emperor (many a highschool favourite) won (with Toronto's METZ and Metric in the running) and promptly issued a statement against the prize for forcing Canadian artists to compete, taking on flashy sponsorships, and holding a flashy (ish) party in downtown Toronto to announce the winners. To which most unfunny industry types shrugged and said yo, that's the business, wise up, dudes. Collar adjustment.

Godspeed then emulated most other Polaris winners before them (including Feist and Fucked Up) by donating the $30K to an admittedly weird charitable cause: giving instruments to prisoners in Quebec (which turned out to be more difficult than they thought). Who will this year's winners give their prize to against the better advice of their long suffering friends and relatives? It will be hard to outshine Godspeed's pick, those assholes.

Now that the Canadian music media have begun to place internal bets (no, seriously, this is their World Cup) on picks to win out of hard work of the artists from whom they derive their living, is this the short list you hoped for? What's missing? Are you excited for the second Drake/Shad face-off?

The Polaris Prize gala is September 22 at the Carlu in Toronto. Tickets will be available to the public and most nominees will perform. Drake won't show but if Tanya Tagaq is there it will be worth it.

Photo by Brian Morton

Bay Street is joining the growing number of downtown streets getting bike lanes and sharrows -- those painted arrows -- this summer. In addition to Peter, Simcoe, Richmond, and Adelaide, the north-south corridor is getting brand new markings, some of which are already open for use.

The Toronto Cycling Twitter account sent out pictures of the newly completed lanes yesterday.

Although the timing comes as a surprise (no one was talking about bike lanes on Bay St. of late), the new road layout has been a long time coming. The designs, which call for painted bike lanes between College and Dundas and, further south, between Front and Queens Quay, were approved in 2010 under David Miller. Sharrows will fill in the gaps between lanes.

"This is something that's been in the works for quite a while, actually," says Dan Egan, the city's cycling manager. "It's just that there's been construction happening ... it's part of an ongoing process to get Bay Street designated as a [bike] route all the way down."

Last year, the city completed the installation of painted bike lanes from just north of Bloor to Davenport Road.

The full set of bike lanes and sharrows from Davenport Road to Queens Quay is due to be completed by next year.

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

Ways to cool down this summer in Toronto aren't limited to hibernating inside with the air conditioning at full blast. On the contrary, there's plenty of fun ways to beat the heat that allow you to embrace the dichotomy of summer: as much as we crave warmth in the winter, once it finally arrives, all we can do is think of ways to get relief.

And yet there's fun in precisely this tension, this full experience of the heat of summer, which we can recall when we get our first sniff of fall in late August. So while the Chill House is still yet to open its doors and the splash pads are probably best left to the kids, there are still plenty of options for the rest of us to take respite this season while not hiding from the heat.

Here are 10 ways to cool down this summer in Toronto.

Take off all your clothes at Hanlan's Point
One way to cool down when it's positively scorching is to dispense with as much clothing as possible. For some this entails donning the latest swim suit and heading for the beach, while for others it entails busting out their birthday suit. You can't get any less encumbered than naked, and, as the city's only clothing-optional beach, Hanlan's Point is the place to do it. It's also a great beach for swimming with some of the best water quality ratings in the city.

Have a chlorine bath at a public pool
Toronto has 57 outdoor pools at which to beat the heat, keeping alive a long tradition of swimming-as-air-conditioning in this city. Many of us are lucky enough to enjoy AC these days, but there's still nothing quite like a communal dip to bring the body temperature down. Personal favourites include the Gus Ryder pool at Sunnyside, Alex Duff at Christie Pitts, and the Joseph Piccininni Community Recreation Centre at St. Clair and Lansdowne.

Hit up a rooftop pool
The Thompson's rooftop pool tends to get most of the attention -- perhaps because of its infinity design overlooking the Toronto skyline -- but it's not the only rooftop pool worth sneaking into checking out. The indoor/outdoor pool at the Sheraton Centre is one of the nicest around and the public can access it for $30. The Hyatt Regency has also recently made its facilities publicly accessible Thursday through Sunday for $39.

Stroll through the mist garden at the Four Seasons
Did you know that that Toronto has a mist garden? Tucked beside the Four Seasons in Yorkville, the Claude Cormier + Associés and NAK Design Group built park is small in stature, but the perfect place to spritz some relief upon yourself when the mercury spikes. Mistings take place once every few minutes and last for about a minute until the next interval. This is one of Toronto's hidden gems of a park, and never better experienced than on a hot and sunny day.

Get brain freeze from a frosty drink
Free Slurpee Day comes but once a year, and sadly, that day has passed. Thankfully, we Torontonians have access to a whole raft of boozy slushies, from Momofuku's cherry-sake slush to Disgraceland's rainbow of fruit flavours. Our restaurants and bars also mix up some killer margaritas (which are not actually supposed to resemble slushies, but are mega-refreshing nonetheless). The caffeine-dependent can switch to cold brew for the summer. And if you haven't tried a frozen beer yet, get on that.

Hide out in a movie theatre
What better way to escape from the sun's oppressive rays than a windowless room? Transport yourself to another time and place (one where it's not 32 C outside) at one of the summer's most-anticipated film events, including Richard Linklater's decade-spanning Boyhood and the TIFF Lightbox's retrospective on American masters like Robert Altman and Jim Jarmusch. If none of that strikes your fancy, check out what's playing at Toronto's best movie theatres near you.

Take a craft beer cruise
The city's first ever beer cruise is set to set sail on its maiden voyage aboard the Riverboat Gambler in mid-September. Think of it as a romantic pleasure cruise: just you, twelve of Ontario's best craft brewers (including Beau's, Great Lakes, Junction Craft Brewing, and Wellington) and the open sea (er, lake). Your $39.95 admission gets you a commemorative stein and tokens to trade for samples of brew. Tickets are available here.

Build an ice cream sandwich
Customizable ice cream sandwiches are the new frontier of frozen desserts. Toronto's got lots of great places that will happily stack your scoop of Rocky Road onto a cookie, but the current top player in the ice cream sandwich game might be Bang Bang Ice Cream and Bakery, who will even put your ice cream on a macaron for you. (If fried stuff is more your speed, head to Uncle Betty's to get your ice cream smushed between donuts.)

Hole up in a shopping mall
Ah, air-conditioned comfort: Pairs nicely with a side of consumerism. If you'd like to walk around for hours at a time and never have to go outside, Toronto's top shopping malls will have what you need - and a lot of things you don't. If you're feeling peckish, both the Pacific Mall and the Eaton Centre also made it into our list of the city's best food courts. Bring me back some fro-yo.

Reaquaint yourself with Lake Ontario
Toronto's beaches deserve a better reputation for how clean and safe the water is to swim throughout the summer. While some like Sunnyside struggle with water quality more than others, the old 80s fear-mongering that swimming in Lake Ontario will ensure that you're first born has two heads is slowly starting to fade as word gets out that the majority of our designated swimming areas enjoy Blue Flag ratings, the highest you can get. Everyone has their favourites, but I still think that Woodbine Beach is the best for a dip given its gradual drop-off and the quality of the sand under foot (nearby Kew, for instance, is already more rocky).

Thanks to Pure Leaf for sponsoring our summer adventures. For more things to do this summer, check out our Best of Summer page.

Writing by Natalia Manzocco and Derek Flack. Photo by Nickon in the blogTO Flickr pool

Is your stomach (and wallet) in need of a little relief along the subway line? Next stop: cheap eats! No matter what station the train pulls into next, there are tasty and inexpensive options in the vicinity; tacos, patties, pizza and ramen...in some instances you don't even need to ascend to street level.

Here are the best places to find cheap eats nearby all 69 TTC subway stops.

Get a large version of this map here. And don't forget to download our free iPhone app where you can always look up places nearby TTC subway stops.

See also:The top 69 bars in Toronto by TTC subway stop

YONGE UNIVERSITY LINE (1)

• Finch - Nak Won
• North York Centre - Ajisen Ramen
• Sheppard - Gol Inc.
• York Mills - Garden Deli
• Lawrence - Ciccio Sanwiccio
• Eglinton - Falasqa SPQR
• Davisville - Boar
• St. Clair - Holy Chuck Burgers
• Summerhill - John & Sons Fish and Chips
• Rosedale - Black Camel
• Bloor Yonge - Picnic
• Wellesley - Fat Bastard Burrito Co.
• College - I Went to Philly
• Dundas - Urban Eatery
• Queen - Ritz Caribbean
• King - Petit Four Bakery
• Union - IQ Food Co.
• St. Andrew - Kupfert & Kim
• Osgoode - Kanga
• St. Patrick - Mean Bao
• Queen's Park - Burrito Planet
• Museum - Wymilwood Cafe
• St. George - Innis Cafe
• Spadina - It's All GRK
• Dupont - Roti Cuisine of India
• St. Clair West - Gourmet Gringos
• Eglinton West - Rap's
• Glencarin - Zito's Marketplace
• Lawrence West - Mainsha
• Yorkdale - Dine on 3
• Wilson - Costco
• Downsview - Baba Ganoush Shawarma

BLOOR-DANFORTH LINE (2)

• Kipling - Apache Burger
• Islington - Mitzie's Jerk
• Royal York - Kingsway Fish & Chips
• Old Mill - Ooh Waffles
• Jane - Falafel World
• Runnymede - Bread & Roses
• High Park - High Park Deli Express
• Keele - Lunch Box
• Dundas West - Nonna's Place
• Lansdowne - Brock Sandwich
• Dufferin - Pancho's Bakery
• Ossington - Pam's Roti
• Christie - Tacos El Asador
• Bathurst - One Love Vegetarian
• Spadina - It's All GRK
• St. George - Innis Cafe
• Bay - The Good Press
• Bloor Yonge - Picnic
• Sherbourne - Pita Land
• Castle Frank - Mr. Jerk
• Broadview - Caribbean Dutchpot
• Chester - Messini
• Pape - Zorba's Restaurant
• Donlands - Square Boy
• Greenwood - The Fuzz Box
• Coxwell - Bus Terminal Diner
• Woodbine - Celena's Bakery
• Main Street - Sultan Shawarma
• Victoria Park - Bun King Bakery
• Warden - Bakery on the Go
• Kennedy - Caribbean Splash

SCARBOROUGH RT (3)

• Lawrence East - ACR Hot Roti & Doubles
• Ellesmere - Hopper Hut
• Midland - Patty King
• Scarborough Centre - Villa Madina
• McCowan - St. Andrew Fish & Chips

SHEPPARD LINE (4)

Did we miss your go-to for cheap eats at a certain stop? Add your suggestions to the comments below.

Photo by Georgette in the blogTO Flickr pool

Today in Toronto Design Exchange will marry food and design at swanky event Table Talk, featuring their Tapas exhibit and local chefs. The Craft Exbeerience will raise pint glasses and money for The Remix Project while at the Ossington Brian Finch will host "Tales of Minimum Wage" featuring six story tellers. Look for me at the next installation, Tales of Below Minimum Wage: five or six or eleven regrets. Art and zine fans will want to be at OCAD: there's an art opening, a zine celebration, and a talk on Italian Feminism of the 1970s. For more events, click on over to our events section.

• Design/Food: Table Talk (Design Exchange)
• Zines: An International Zine Month Celebration (OCAD Zine Library)
• Art: Getting Rid of Ourselves (OCAD)
• Beer: The Craft Exbeerience (The Burroughes)
• Community: #ShareFestTO (CSI)
• Film: Outdoor Screening - Clueless (Harbourfront Centre)
• Film: Outdoor Screening - Blood Brother (Daniels Spectrum)
• Film: Outdoor Screening - Billy Elliot (David Pecaut Square)
• Party: The Final Weekday Nitelife (The Beaver)
• Party: The Last Queer as Fuck of Summer (The Steady)
• Lit: Tales of Minimum Wage (The Ossington)

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

Image: Table Talk

Something new is happening in Little India. A coffee shop and shared workspace has opened next to a centre for immigrant women. Inside there's a training centre that teaches women skills in food prep and cooking, office facilities and even a yoga room. All of the proceeds from the cafe support the centre, meaning your caffeine budget is going to a good cause.

Read my review of The Social Gardener in the cafes section.

Curbalicious is a truly DIY affair - owner Brittney Pawlick spent months in a metal shop re-doing the food truck with her own two hands. Similarly, even though she's not a chef by trade, Pawlick's love of cooking leads her to devise all kinds of dishes - from schnitzel sandwiches to meatloaf poutine - using her favourite ingredients. Judging by the truck's packed summer schedule, it's clear she's on to something.

Read more about Curbalicious on Toronto Food Trucks.

Michie Yamamoto, who used to pull espresso shots at the Rooster Coffee House, has struck out on her own with a new coffee shop just a couple of blocks down from her former employer's King East location. Expect a quirky-yet-Zen atmosphere, rich espresso, and a selection of baked goods that range from "healthy" to "unhealthy".

Read my review of Tandem Coffee in the cafes section.

The Beaches Jazz Festival in Toronto kicks off its 2014 edition Friday at Woodbine Park with local favourite KC Roberts and r&b artist Jay Douglas. The festival attracted local attention recently amid funding controversies over the festival`s inability to secure the Celebrate Ontario grant they regularly receive. Fortunately for the fest the provincial government restored the grant after being criticized for awarding Drake's for-profit OVOFest a $300,000 grant.

This year's featured artists include Dumstaphunk, Teeny Tucker, and local Reggae legends Messenjah, who are reuniting for the first time in 15 years. Over the years the festival's shifted its focus from jazz to a variety of different genres. Planners have also done an admirable job of diversifying the festival as a whole - not only is there free live music every night, but a range of activities with a focus on community building - plus food trucks galore.

Here are my picks for the top five things to see and do at the Beaches Jazz Festival.

StreetFest
The StreetFest is a main draw for festival goers. Queen Street East is cordoned off from Woodbine to Beech where thousands of people occupy the two and a half kilometre stretch. With a performance on every corner and a constant stream of food vendors, it's easily the festival's most popular attraction. The StreetFest runs from July 24th to July 26th.

Taste of Jazz in Woodbine Park
This year's edition of the Beaches Jazz Festival is housing a food truck bonanza that boasts over 20 different trucks with names such as Cin City Donuts, Gorilla Cheese, and Fidel Gastro's. The food truck alley will be in Woodbine Park on July 22nd and 23rd between 5pm -10 PM.

Jazz in Motion
The festival's photography exhibition is back for its 4th year in Woodbine Park between July 18th and 20th. The goal of the exhibition is to promote "images that best define the essence of jazz music, jazz musicians and the audience which supports them." The exhibition is juried, with the top three photographs receiving prizes. If you're lucky enough to be in cottage lang and happen to miss the festival, the exhibition will be on display from July 23rd until August 9th at Above Ground Art Supplies in the Beaches.

Jazz Workshops
On top of the various musical acts throughout the week, the festival also holds an array of workshops with local artists to help promote their art while also teaching others of their craft. Learn how to play New Orleans style Brass or take a dancing lessons in Woodbine Park. Workshops are free but do require an RSVP. Workshop RSVPs can be sent to coordinatorbeachesjazz@gmail.com.

Beaches International Jazz Festival Tune-Up Run
We`ve covered the foodies and the artists - now the fitness enthusiast needs a reason to show up. The Tune-Up Run, organized by the Canadian Running Series and the local Running Room has three different distances with fundraising efforts going towards Toronto East General Hospital. The 20K starts at 8am on July 27th at the iconic Leuty Lifeguard Station with the 10K and 5K following at 9:00am. and 9:30am respectively.

The Beaches Jazz Fest runs from July 18-27.

Writing by Jacob Thompson. Photo via Facebook.

The only problem with loving brewery-fresh local beer is that, up until now, you've had to actually leave your home in order to get it. Well, fellow lovers of pantless-beer-enjoyment, you're in luck: as of Thursday, Steam Whistle will be introducing free delivery to select areas in the city.

Harkening back to the golden age of milkmen (if milkmen were way cooler and brought you beer instead of stupid milk), Steam Whistle's new "door to door" delivery service will launch downtown and cover the area from Bathurst to Yonge between and Dupont Street & Queens Quay West. To start, the service will only be available Thursdays and Fridays between 5pm and 9pm, but presumably if the idea takes off we might see their delivery service grow in terms of its geography and hours.

Would-be pilsner drinkers can order 12 bottles for $24.95, 24 351ml cans for $49.95, or Steam Whistle's bitchin' new "Can Van" (10 cans in a box that looks like a retro van) for $22.95. During delivery hours, you can place an order by calling or texting 647-992-BEER and outside of delivery hours you can place an order in advance by emailing doortodoor@steamwhistle.

Fresh beer from the brewery to your house! Whether or not you put pants on to answer the door is up to you.

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

The Brawl on Bay Street is an bi-annual boxing match featuring high-powered financial executives that's now entering its 14th year. Designed as a sort of Freudian displacement for all the testosterone and combativeness that defines life on Bay St., the concept is pretty straightforward: executives with little to no boxing experience are given a few months to train before engaging in a slugfest in front of all their colleagues at Arcadian Court. While a novel concept, unless you know one of the fighters, it's tough to get too excited about a couple of traders bashing each other's brains out.

That changes with the release of a new mini-doc about the event. If you've ever watched HBO's 24/7 series (which is mostly focused on boxing, but also features hockey teams participating in the Winter Classic), you know that the lead up to a boxing match is remarkably compelling. Directed by Jon Pottins and Justin Brennon Smith, this short film introduces us to two would-be boxers who couldn't be more different, and as they open up on screen, life on Bay St. becomes a little less stereotypical and cliched. Have a watch.

Rob Ford's first post-rehab debate saw the incumbent mayor return to his most popular (and contentious) talking points: subways, tax dollars, and spending, though this time it appeared his opponents were prepared for the script.

On transportation, Ford tried to position himself as the "transit mayor," saying that he had "built" the Scarborough subway (never mind that it's some way from actually being an active construction project) while David Soknacki tried to convince the crowd the fully-funded LRT was still the best option for the area. "It's not a fantasy plan," he said. "It's completely paid for, ladies and gentlemen."

John Tory jumped at Ford's pledge to watch every tax dollar, criticizing the mayor for being at the helm during budget overruns at Union Station and Nathan Phillips Square renovations. Karen Stintz, a Scarborough subway advocate like Tory, focused on traffic congestion.

Ford also declared himself the "king" of helping residents of Toronto Community Housing. In the past, the mayor has toured TCHC buildings. Ford was a supporter of ousted community housing CEO Eugene Jones.

The debate was held in a happy hunting ground for Ford, a Pentecostal church in Scarborough. The audience cheered the mayor's name at several points during the proceedings and laughed when he said he would have another "crack" at killing the land transfer tax. Outside, prior to the start of the event, Ford supporters and protestors argued heatedly.

You can re-watch the debate here. Who do you think came away strongest?

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

Toronto's first Ice bar and lounge is finally set to launch. Tomorrow The Chill Ice House will open its doors in the former Drake General Store space at 82 Bathurst Street (between King and Wellington). Assuming the heat waves return, the frozen lounge will be another welcome alternative to cooling down in Lake Ontario.

The official Toronto Ice King (sorry) club will feature -5 degree Celsius climate control and more or less ice everything, from furniture and decorations to dishware. If Chill Ice House sanitizes ice plates and cocktail glasses using liquid nitrogen, I know some dishwashers who'd be glad to make the salaries of cryonic scientists.

The lounge also has a speak-easy warm-up cabin for those who find the chill a little too intense. As a dainty person, I appreciate the consideration. While the lounge opens tomorrow (July 17), the official opening party on July 24th will feature an ice DJ booth (cheeky requests may or may not be honoured), and live ice sculpting. Dig out your cutest winter gear three months early unless you want to wear the courtesy parkas provided at the door, or refuse to don a jacket altogether and live on the edge.

An earlier version stated the lounge opened on July 24th, but it will in fact open July 17, 2014.

Photo via Facebook

Hurting for healthy lunch options near the office? About to fall prey to the siren call of that Manchu Wok in the PATH yet again? Look for this health food company and their brand-new bike cart to ride in and save the day.

Oats & Ivy hit the road last month, popping up in the Financial District to dole out nutritionist-approved, sustainably-sourced lunches. So far, their menu of from-scratch dishes include nutritious salads (like Mexican bean or beet/arugula) and sweet treats (which are often raw, vegan or paleo). Next week, they'll roll out cold-pressed juices, smoothies and nut milks.

The company has big plans past the humble bike cart: August will see the launch of an e-store, where they'll sell their desserts and drinks to a wide audience, and a storefront in the downtown is planned for spring. In the meantime, check out the Oats & Ivy website to find out where they're headed next.

Photo via Oats & Ivy

Summer and road closures go hand in hand in Toronto, but this year has been particularly harsh with a string of shutdowns stretching along Queen St. as the TTC repairs aging infrastructure. The latest neighbourhood to feel the squeeze? Riverside, which has spent the past month cut off from traffic - and TTC service via the King and Queen streetcars - by a major closure at Queen and Broadview. The road has been torn up since June 30, and with nine days to go in the project, local restaurants and shops are struggling.

Michael Summerfield, of Prohibition, estimates a 30% to 35% drop in business this month. "I know we're probably one of the least impacted," he adds. "There are some places that are just completely dead - they probably have a 60, 70, 80% drop in sales."

They mulled shutting down the restaurant for the month, but instead opted to drum up extra business by giving away a $50 gift card at lunch and dinner each day, as well as offering a $500 "VIP party" to their most frequent customer in July, a promotion that he says has softened the blow slightly. Summerfield adds Dimensions Custom Framing also began offering a $50 discount on $200 purchases to coincide with the shutdown.

"The city and the TTC really don't care about the businesses in the area - 'cause if they did, they'd do more to try to help us," Summerfield says. "Do we get a break in our taxes? Are we compensated for the lost revenue? I understand this stuff has to be done, but considering the area that this is in, and the fact that we cater mostly to locals, you'd think they'd try to work with the businesses more."

It's not just businesses taking notice of the lull: Food blogger Joel MacCharles, of wellpreserved.ca, visited three restaurants in one night this week and found a grand total of eight diners between them. He's hosting an event tonight at Hi-Lo Bar to drum up business for some of those local spots, with proceeds going to charity.

Organizers will raffle off more than 40 prizes from area businesses, including Left Field Brewery, Rock Lobster, Boots and Bourbon, Aft and - of course - Dangerous Dan's.

The best BBQ restaurants in Toronto embrace the time-honoured cooking traditions of the Southern states. What was once a catch-all category for anything covered in mesquite sauce is yielding some serious smoke-infused fare: bark-encrusted ribs, briskets ribboned with fat, and spoon-torn pork shoulders.

In Toronto, traditionalists who take great pride in emulating regional styles are increasingly being joined by a new wave that's taking creative license when it comes to skewing flavours toward other global locations, or taking advantage of rare and interesting proteins - say, duck or offal. While in most cases good BBQ needs nothing more than a side of wet naps (white bread works too), on this list you'll even find smoked meats making their way into tacos, poutine and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Here are the best BBQ restaurants in Toronto.

See also:

The top 10 under the radar BBQ restaurants in Toronto
The top 10 BBQ caterers in Toronto
The best ribs in Toronto
The best BBQ chicken in Toronto

Photo by Dan Arsenault in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Today in Toronto The Ossington Stop wants to give you free lunch. "But it's not even on Ossington!" you say while chowing down on free Russian steamed bun with pork, cabbage, and carrot salad, Southern-style chicken n' waffles with honey garlic sauce, and baked BBQ side ribs with "deep goodness" slaw. You stare the gift horse in the mouth like it's the abyss and you're a first year philosophy student. Broke philosopher or not, do not forget to tip your server or may you forever free-fall in this abyss.

The Open Roof Fest is screening Frank featuring Michael Fassbender and a performance by bluesy Toronto band Catl. Fashion hunters can hit up Coal Miner's Daughter's birthday party on Queen West (giveaways!) or pony up $3 to attend a clothing swap at Evergreen Brick Works (11am-1pm). For more events, click on over to our events section.

• Food: Free Lunch at Ossington Stop (Ossington Stop)
• Film: Open Roof Festival (99 Sudbury)
• Art: Puzzling Overgrowth (Weird Things)
• Film: Shorts That Are Not Pants (Carlton Cinemas)
• Music: Ken Park and Zoo Owl (Milk Glass Co.)
• Art: Vivian Maier: Photographs of Children (Stephen Bulger Gallery)
• Fashion: CMD is 5 (Coal Miner's Daughter)
• Fashion: Summer Community Clothing Swap (Evergreen Brick Works)
• Art: Artist Talk with Tony Scherman (MOCCA)

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

Photo: Ossington Stop - baked BBQ side ribs