Every neighbourhood needs a fish and chips shop to call its very own, right? St. Clair and Christie residents, your ship has finally come in. This new family-owned spot coats five types of fish in golden, not-too-greasy batter for a hearty meal that's sure to lure in plenty of locals.
Read my review of Sea Witch Fish and Chips in the restaurants section.
Rob Ford has released his own TTC fantasy map transit plan as the Toronto mayoral campaign enters the final stretch. The vision is what you might describe as a doozy: 32 kilometres of subways at projected cost of $9 billion. Ford calls for the extension of the existing Sheppard Subway to McCowan, the first phase of a Yonge Street Relief Line, the burial of the Eglinton Crosstown, and an 11km line on Finch Avenue West.
Where does the money for all these projects come from? That's the giant question mark bobbing above this fantasy map. Aside from snatching some money way from approved LRT lines (Sheppard and Finch), none of these subways have funding in place. Ford's plan calls for a variety of strategies to pay for infrastructure expansion, but is unsurprisingly bereft of specifics.
You've got tax increment financing, selling the air rights above subway stations, public-private partnerships, development charges, future assessment growth, and the sale of existing city assets along proposed subway lines. None of these worked for the subway that Ford campaigned so hard on last time. The Bloor-Danforth extension will only be possible with loads of cash from other levels of government and quite possibly a property tax increase.
In other words, this plan is actually somewhat conservative. If the exercise is just to dream up what would make an ideal subway system in Toronto with no attention paid to the harsh realities of funding transit expansion, then one thinks it would look a whole lot better than this.
The best bread in Toronto may be made of some simple ingredients - flour, water, a leavening agent. But your taste buds won't even notice - they're too busy being dazzled by the results to care.
The history of bread making goes back at least 30,000 years and crosses the globe, and has been a staple of the human diet for centuries. Closer to home, the Canadian prairies were once considered the breadbasket of the world. Toronto maintains this rich history with some truly great bakeries; take a slice out of life and sample their wares for yourself.
Here is the best bread in Toronto.
See also:
The Best Baguette in Toronto
The Best Challah in Toronto
The Best Croissant in Toronto
The Best Bagels in Toronto
Extended last call is back for TIFF 2014, with roughly 50 restaurants and bars getting in on the fun. While the concentration of establishments open super late (early?) during the festival is concentrated around King West and the Lightbox, there are exceptions to the rule spread around town. You can expect the action to be at fever pitch at places like Soho House (good luck getting in), the Drake (and 150), Montecito and the Thompson Hotel. And, hey, if you're not doing the whole schmoozing thing but just want to drink past 2am, bars like the Paddock and the Hideout will be your friends.
Here are the restaurants and bars serving booze until 4am for TIFF 2014.
Thanks to the Equalizer, starring Denzel Washington, for sponsoring our coverage of TIFF 2014.
Parties at TIFF are half the fun of the festival; the late nights, the celebrity sightings, the sad attempts at pretending you're Colin Farrell's brother to get on a guest list. Silver-screen stars are converging on Toronto between September 4 and 14, and though the number of celebrities at a given bash is directly proportional to the tightness of the guest list, there are plenty of public events thrown into the mix, open to revellers with and without their own IMDB pages.
To help plan your festival experience, we've rounded up some of the most promising (and most star-studded) invite-only, ticketed and free events happening at TIFF 2014.
TOP PARTY VENUES
These venues are hosting multiple parties throughout the festival. Whether you can get in sometimes depends on who you know, how much you're willing to pay or if you mind waiting in line.
Bars with extended licenses
Here's the one most directly relevant to the majority of Torontonians; your favourite bar is likely to be open and serving until 4am (whether Jake Gyllenhaal is there or not). About 50 bars are taking advantage of the later serving hours, with more likely to be announced as the festival gets off the ground.
Soho House
Though they're being very hush-hush about who will be partying there and when, Soho House is always a safe bet for celebrity-spotting (from the outside, obviously; the guest list at this member's-only club is strictly enforced). A number of pre- and post-premiere are set to go down at the Adelaide St. club; last year, Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Fassbender were spotted hanging out on opening night.
Adelaide Hall
The annual Festival Music House showcase continues this year at Adelaide Hall. The event puts some of Canada's best indie acts (this year's selections include the New Pornographers, A Tribe Called Red, and Diana) before an invite-only crowd of industry folk. Mostly, the hope is that some music co-ordinator will pick your song for their next flick, but there's usually a famous face or two in the crowd (Kiefer Sutherland once was spotted on a recent visit). It all goes down September 7 and 8.
Rdio Music Lounge/Grolsch Open House
And now, a TIFF concert series you can actually get into. As part of their brand-new street festival, TIFF will be hosting open-to-all live performances from some of the very same artists playing for the ivory-tower crowd at Festival Music House the next night. The lineup includes heavy hitters like the Dears, Maylee Todd, Buck 65 and Jason Collett. Grab some beers from you-know-who at the Grolsch Open House (here's what it looked like last year), back for its second year, or snag eats from food trucks like Gorilla Cheese and Buster's Sea Cove. (They won't be free, but what can you do?)
America and The Calvin Bar
The newly-renovated restaurant at the Trump (formerly Stock Restaurant) will play host to a handful of events, including the AMC Supper Suites Lunch shindig on September 6 celebrating TIFF selections Miss Julie, Welcome To Me and Kill Me Three Times; expect the films' stars (including Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell, Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell) to make an appearance. Later in the week, America will be graced by the afterparty for 99 Homes, starring Andrew Garfield, on September 8.
Storys
The massive four-floor event complex at King and Duncan will be hosting parties throughout the festival, with events scheduled for September 4-6, 8 and 12 (including what appear to be premiere parties for Welcome To Me and Kill Me Three Times). The club will likely remain an exclusive fortress that can only be breached through insane fame or connections.
The Spoke Club
The Nikki Beach pop-up club returns for another year at TIFF, with the international chain of party venues bringing splashy white decor and a whole lot of palm fronds to the Spoke Club between September 4 and 7. To make reservations, check out their website (remember, it's an eight-person and two-bottle minimum).
Buonanotte
The Mercer St. Italian spot will host events and cast parties daily September 6-11, the first of which is a party hosted by model Stacey McKenzie. Look for details on events - private and public - to keep trickling out.
SEPTEMBER 3
3rd Annual TIFF Gala
This glamorous fundraising bash kicks off the festival with a $1,500-a-plate dinner, live entertainment, a cocktail reception, and a live onstage chat with Al Pacino. (Stargazers with a specific interest in Al Pacino, your time has come.)
Producer's Ball at the Royal Ontario Museum
Over at the ROM, Canadian media types will gather for a lavish bash in celebration of World Vision Canada. Familiar faces include Jian Ghomeshi, George Stroumbolopolous and Kardinal Offishall.
SEPTEMBER 4
Rock Steady at the Drake
Nail art from Pinky's, free tattoos from Speakeasy, and tons of specialty cocktails - the Drake sure knows how to throw a party. Toronto's favourite boutique hotel will keep the tunes spinning and the bar open late for the entirety of TIFF, but their public opening-night party should be circled on your calendar. DJs include Bit Funk, Montrilla and Cyclist; cover is $10.
Party In The Core at Drake One Fifty
Meanwhile, back in the downtown core, the Drake's Financial District offshoot will host a (free, public) afterparty for the Grolsch Open House's opening night. Motown act The Big Sound will play, and Brendan Canning DJs.
The Captive Canadian Release Party
Atom Egoyan's latest flick will be feted at the Great Hall on Thursday night, though the film itself is actually absent from the TIFF lineup. Either way, you may or may not be able to catch a glimpse of Ryan Reynolds.
#omgTO
The Young Emerging Actors' Assembly's opening-night party is set to go down at Studio Event Theatre, with a slew of Canadian movie mainstays, including filmmakers Bruce La Bruce and Kate Melville, set to attend. General admission begins at 11pm for $10.
SEPTEMBER 5
TIFF Bachelor Party
Nothing says "international film festival" like a party featuring past and present stars of The Bachelor. Rub shoulders with some dudes who at one point chose partners on reality TV at Flirty Girl Fitness.
Mongrel Media Party
The Canadian movie distributor is throwing its annual TIFF bash at the Evergreen Brick Works; though details are currently scant, the firm's TIFF14 selections include the star-studded Clouds of Sils Maria - maybe there'll be a K-Stew appearance?
SEPTEMBER 6
Russell Peters DJ set at Uniun
The Canadian standup (who evidently began his career as a DJ - thanks, Wikipedia!) returns to the Adelaide St. club to kick off another TIFF with another DJ set. Tickets are $15.
Films of City Frames afterparty
Giorgio Armani brought in some up-and-coming filmmakers to create short films inspired by the designer's new sunglasses line. That's not much of a hook for movie buffs, but the whole thing culminates in a industry-only party atop the CN Tower, DJ'd by none other than Mark Ronson.
Hello! Canada TIFF gala
The celeb-studded gossip rag throws an equally celeb-studded bash each year; this year's event, at the Ritz-Carlton, honours the magazine's picks for the top 25 new stars at TIFF. (That list is forthcoming, but whoever the magazine's going to honour, it's a safe bet you'll be able to spot them on the red carpet.)
Hugo Boss / The Riot Club post-premiere party
Hugo Boss and GQ will be celebrating the premiere of The Riot Club, a drama about the secret lives of upper-class Brits at, curiously, Toronto's hottest new French restaurant. (Apparently, the climax gets super Lord Of The Flies-y. Everyone might need a stiff drink after that.) The invite-only bash goes down at 11pm.
SEPTEMBER 7
2014 Artists for Peace and Justice Festival Gala
The annual fundraising gala moves to Casa Loma this year, where guests will enjoy a black-tie dinner followed by some "very special musical performances" - past musical guests include Eddie Vedder and Rufus Wainwright, though it's not yet known who will appear this year.
eOne Films party
The distribution company will pack 1,500 industry guests inside the Moss Park Armoury for their annual bash. In addition to Can-con-approved guests like Sarah Gadon, Atom Egoyan, David Cronenberg and the Trailer Park Boys (!), Charlotte Gainsbourg, the dowager empress of difficult indie films, has been confirmed to attend.
ACT Sundays: Lil Jon
The TIFF-adjacent (if not directly related) fun at Uniun continues with a DJ set from Lil Jon. Turn down for what, indeed. Tickets are $20.
SEPTEMBER 8
Whiplash premiere party
The TIFF selection, which follows a young man's quest to become a top jazz drummer, will reportedly be followed up with an industry-only evening of music on the rooftop of the Thompson Hotel. Lead actors Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons are set to attend.
SEPTEMBER 10
Best Buddies gala at the Carlu
This year, the $15,000-a-table gala fundraiser honours actress Goldie Hawn - we don't think Kate Hudson is in town, but if she is, she'll be here.
SEPTEMBER 12
2001: A Space Odyssey - The Party
Young Lions Music Club continues their TIFF tradition of turning a Stanley Kubrick film into a blowout party. This year's selection is the director's legendary exploration of space travel, the human condition, and giant obelisks. (The event, at 99 Sudbury, is also the pre-party for TIFF's Stanley Kubrick exhibit, which launches in October.) Tickets are $15.
Thanks to the Equalizer, starring Denzel Washington, for sponsoring our coverage of TIFF 2014.
Did we miss any TIFF parties? Add them to the comments.
Barcelona, Spain's second largest city, has a lot going for it. Tourists flock in by the millions, the central city is dense and well served by public transit (a mix of subways, streetcars, and buses,) and the weather is unfailingly pleasant. So what can Toronto learn from this ancient Mediterranean city? A whole lot, it turns out. From high-tech garbage collection to gorgeous pedestrian-only spaces, there are a lot of Barcelona ideas Toronto could steal.
Here are five of the best.
Reap the rewards of a dense city
The "Eixample," Catalan for expansion, is the name for the dense urban area beyond the old walled city of Barcelona. Championed by urban planner Idelfonso Cerdá and started in 1859, the new portion of the city was based on a series of square blocks, each with a chamfered corner and an internal courtyard.
The plan wasn't realized how Cerdá had hoped: the four-storey height limit was tossed out (though the buildings stayed mid-rise,) many of the courtyards were filled in, and one of the grand avenues was cancelled, but the Eixample helped create a dense urban centre where about 36,000 people live per square kilometre. Downtown Toronto has about less than half the density, around 14,120 persons per square kilometre. Overall, the Catalan city is about three times as dense as Toronto, which helps support a well-developed Metro system, among other things.
Be more generous with free gallery and museum days
Barcelona, like many other European cities, waives the admission fee to several of its galleries and museums on Sunday afternoons, allowing citizens and tourists to see famous works by Picasso, contemporary installations, and even Roman ruins without taking a hit to the bank account. The Art Gallery of Ontario currently offers free admission on Wednesday nights, but the Royal Ontario Museum and Bata Shoe Museum do not.
Learn how to pedestrianize
Toronto is, against all good reasoning, terrified of handing over streets to pedestrians on anything other than a temporary basis. Even when crowds are spilling off the sidewalk directly above a subway, the city insists on allowing traffic to spoil what could be great downtown public spaces. Barcelona, which has streets ranging in size from broad avenues to tiny gothic alleys, has, much to its benefit, countless pedestrian-only areas. Its most famous, La Rambla, is one of the city's principal tourist attractions.
Yonge Street between Bloor and Queen is ripe for pedestrianization (it's happened before) and the recent winner of an urban design competition selected by Toronto's chief planner envisioned giving the space back to the people who use it most--people.
Go all out with street festivals
For roughly five days at the end of September, Barcelona's La Mercè festival sends the city into a frenzy of fireworks, parades, street performances, and public art. Roads are opened up to pedestrians and there a giant mannequins of kings, queens, and religious figures.
The festival, part of which is a public holiday, is so raucous this tourism guide recommends wearing eye protection and long sleeved clothing to avoid being singed by sparklers. You couldn't shoehorn something like La Mercè into Toronto, but this city could perhaps engineer a city-wide, multi-day festival that coincides with a public holiday and perhaps the new Open Streets event. It might even give people a reason to skip the cottage on the long weekend.
Get smart with trash
From tiny garbage trucks designed to fit down narrow streets to self-emptying and intelligent garbage cans, Barcelona has a waste collection down to a fine art. Some receptacles are connected to a giant vacuum system so that anything dropped inside is instantly removed. Some "basic" garbage cans are fitted with a sensor capable of detecting when the container is full, alerting a central office.
In 2009, the city adopted rules requiring some garbage vehicles to be electric or powered by renewable fuel sources and implemented restrictions on the amount of noise the vehicles were allowed to produce. Something for Toronto to think about as it mulls contracting out garbage collection east of Yonge.
See also: 5 things Toronto could learn from New York
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
Lead image by Vaidotas Mišeikis, subsequent images by Chris Bateman/blogTO
Today in Toronto it's ba-a-a-ack: the whirlwind of the Toronto International Film Festival will launch almost two weeks of screenings, parties, and celeb hunting. One of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, TIFF was named by Time as fall's most influential festival, period. More importantly, these bars are open until 4AM. Speaking of parties, catch NGUZUNGUZU at Bambi's or you'll be sorry.
Videofag is celebrating TIFF (or not) by hosting a Simpson's themed art show featuring about two dozen artists. Bry Webb (Constantines) is at AGO First Thursdays, and 416Gallery will open a new art space on Queen East. For more events, click on over to our events section.
Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly.
The top florists in the Financial District can all be found in the PATH, the underground maze - er, I mean, network - of pedestrian walkways connecting more than 50 buildings and office towers in the downtown core. With over 200,000 office commuters passing through each day, some are bound to need flowers for their assistants, significant others or heck, even themselves at some point.
Here are the five best places to purchase floral arrangements or plants in the PATH - and please do try your best not to get lost down there.
Ringe & Associates
Located under Scotia Plaza, Ringe takes floral design seriously. They do it all: floral and plant/garden services for both individual and corporate clients. You may even have seen their work on TV; they've done on-set arrangements for shows like Suits and FlashPoint as well as the HBO film Grey Gardens.
Pistil Flowers
With two locations - one at Brookfield Place and the other at First Canadian Place - Pistil takes a contemporary approach to its floral arrangements. In addition to unique bouquets (there's a luxe "Doghouse"/"I'm sorry" bouquet for when you really screw up), these bright, inviting shops sell terrariums and potted orchids to liven up office spaces or homes.
Tidy's Flowers
In business since 1877, Tidy's is the city's oldest florist, and a classic go-to for Bay Streeters. Fresh flowers, bouquets, gift baskets and even La Rocca cakes for every occasion can be ordered and delivered to anywhere in the world. Its elegant-looking shops can be found in Commerce Court North and the Richmond-Adelaide Centre.
Flower Creations
Gerberas are this florist's top sellers, but staff are more than willing to help you decide on what's appropriate for your particular purposes. Drop in and browse from their colourful selection of bouquets, baskets and cards at their shop at the Standard Life Centre or the kiosk under the TD North Tower.
Anemone Flowers
Tucked away in the concourse below 55 University Ave., this family-run shop aims to please with its friendly, personable service. Anemone can recommend something for every life event, from blooms that welcome the births of babies to sympathy/funeral floral arrangements and everything in between.
Did I miss your favourite florist in the PATH? Give it props in the comments.
Road closures in Toronto for the weekend of September 6 and 7 rounds up the key transportation shut-downs affecting the city, including street and TTC closures.
KEY ROAD CLOSURES IN TORONTO
Queen's Park: Bloor--College. The southbound lanes of Queen's Park will be closed for resurfacing work from Friday, September 5 at 6:30 p.m. to Saturday, September 6 at 7:30 a.m. Use Spadina, Bay, or Yonge, the city says.
King: Spadina--University. The Toronto International Film Festival is back, which means a portion of King going to be closed to all vehicles (streetcars included, see below,) starting after the morning rush hour on September 4 until midnight on September 7. From September 8 to 11, one lane of King in each direction between John and Duncan will be open. The road will return to normal September 12.
TTC CLOSURES
504 King and 508 Lake Shore: King The TTC's 504 and 508 streetcars will be on diversion during the Toronto International Film Festival from 10 a.m. on September 4 until 4 a.m. September 8. Heading east, the 504 King will travel north on Spadina, east on Queen, and south on Church back to King. Westbound, the 504 will go north on York, west on Queen, and south on Spadina back to King. See here for details of the 508 Lake Shore diversion.
506 Carlton: Church--Parliament.The 506 streetcar will be on diversion 7:00 am to 11:00 pm, September 6, and 7:00 am to 9:00 pm, September 7, 2014. 506 Carlton streetcars will divert in both directions via Carlton, Church, Dundas, Parliament and Gerrard.
Line 1: Bloor--Lawrence. There will be no service on a portion of the Yonge line this weekend between Bloor and Lawrence due to track work and signal upgrades. More than 60 shuttle buses and Wheel-Trans vehicles will bridge the gap, the TTC says. Regular subway service is due to resume on Monday, September 8 at 6 a.m.
ONGOING CLOSURES
Adelaide: Simcoe--York. Adelaide will be reduced to one lane starting September 15 for watermain replacement and road reconstruction. This project is due to be completed by mid-November.
Don Mills: York Mills--Lawrence. The southbound curb lane of Don Mills is closed until November 30. An additional southbound lane will be closed Mallard--Bond from 9:30 to 3:30 daily for watermain work.
Parkside: Bloor--Lake Shore. The road will be partially closed for resurfacing and sidewalk repairs for about eight weeks starting in early September. One lane will remain open in each direction at all times.
Over and above the special closures this weekend, construction projects across Toronto result in numerous other road restrictions across the city. For a comprehensive list of such closures, you can consult the official map maintained by the City of Toronto (also available as a PDF.)
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
Yorkville Plaza II is the second phase of the revitalization of the former Four Seasons site at Avenue and Cumberland. The earlier first development, The Residences at Yorkville Plaza, converted the former luxury hotel into a 32-storey condominium. This is the new portion of the development, often referred to as the Cumberland Tower. Coming in at 40 storeys, the project distinguishes itself by promising "affordable luxury" in a neighbourhood known for its opulence. Suites start at $349,000 and go up to $750,000 -- a far cry from the $30 million asking price of the west penthouse at the new Four Seasons.
SPECS & AMENITIES
THE VERDICT
How does a developer manage to offer affordable luxury in Yorkville (if, indeed, it is actually possible)? Well, it's fundamentally a size game. The entry level suites here aren't exactly sprawling, starting at just under 400 square feet. There's over 100 of these in the building. As you can gather, this isn't the type of development that's looking to cater to growing families who are trying to decide between a condo and a home.
That philosophy makes considerable sense in a neighbourhood like Yorkville, which is central to pretty much every amenity under the sun and rapid transit. This is something that's been done in dense cities like New York for decades, and one imagines that there's a large segment of young professionals who'd rather have access to a Yorkville address, luxury pool and spa than to an extra 150 square feet of living space.
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS
Read other posts in this series via our Toronto Condos and Lofts Pinterest board.
The top venues for experimental music in Toronto are as offbeat as the shows they host. From a church dedicated to avant-garde programming to cozy/cockroach-inhabited second floor walk ups, experimental music makes its home where it can in a city of condos and $9 smoothies, er, juices.
Out of necessity, noise, improv, drone, and weirdo gigs galore pop up at any venue that will open its doors to the less-than-musical, from bars to living spaces. Fringe events happen everywhere from Jam Factory (current home of Feast in the East) to Holy Oak to The Garrison to Wychwood Barns (not to mention the odd under-the-bridge show). Few venues in the city make a go of it hosting even semi-regular experimental shows, so kudos to anyone who's ever said "sure, why not" to a post metal-gaze modular noise jam.
For those seeking disharmony and the challenges that accompany it, here are Toronto's best experimental music venues.
The Music Gallery
In a town dominated by musicians looking make quick dough writing commercial-ready indie jingles and playing to halls of young adults who just showed up for a free beer, the Music Gallery has emerged as Toronto's most established voice in the experimental and sound art community. Tucked away in a modest yet lovely downtown church, the acoustics are great, minds are open, and the vibe is relaxed (drinks in the courtyard!) yet reverent to the art. They also host Toronto's annual X Avant New Music Festival each fall.
The Tranzac
Oh, the stories the carpet in the Tiki Room could tell. Named by Nadja as Toronto's best venue (not great enough to keep the world renown duo in Toronto, unfortunately) this multi room and multi use space run by the Toronto Australia New Zealand Club (yeah, random) has hosted some of the city's most memorable experimental shows including Bummer in the Summer and the Nihilist Spasm Band. Without the tiny, casual bar room in front many fringe artists would find themselves with nowhere to play. The Tranzac also houses the Toronto Zine Library.
Double Double Land
Few DIY spaces experience longevity, but after four years hard-to-find (up the alley and up the stairs) Double Double Land in Kensington Market have proved they have all the sugar and caffeine it takes to create a sustainable hub for extra-non-commercial concerts, dance parties, and art events. Few Toronto venues deliver quality programming as consistently: at DDL, whether an event is jammed to the point of heat stroke or sparsely attended, one won't soon forget it (personal fave: Angels in America, 2011-ish). It's also a good spot to shoot music videos.
Array Space
If there is such a thing, Array is a home for Toronto's more classic avant-guard. The studio space on Walnut hosts low key performances, workshops, and jams. They were one of three Toronto venues to participate in Weird Canada's Drone Day, but the ship is run so tightly that when I showed up late, the music was already over. Rare form.
Geary Lane
It may look suspect to include a space officially open for less than an entire summer, but such is the lifespan of the DIY venue. As Tad Michalak (Feast in the East) put it (shout out time): "it's really hard to keep these venues, often DIY ventures, alive... Teranga when it existed was a real hub, so was Korova Milk Bar, Jeff Garcia's Earthship, Somewhere There [now a transient collective], Placebo Space [now in Etobicoke]." The vast warehouse space (with swanky upstairs patio!) aims to de-sketch-ify the genre, with founders Man Finds Fire committed to supporting outsider art.
Bonus
RATIO
Officially opening shortly after Geary Lane (as in, last month), low profile Ratio is located in Kensington Market in a second floor space that feels as homey as Weird Canada's shortly lived Infinite Library. They've only hosted a few shows so far, but see above re: ephemeral venues and check this one out while you can. The vibe is ideal for detail-oriented music, with pillows on the floor, benches along the walls, and a relaxed but serious appreciation for live performance - even if it is sometimes just an artist turning dials, brow furrowed.
Photo of Wild Bengal Tigers (Germaine Liu & Jason Doell) at The Music Gallery via Facebook.
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.
NOW OPEN
OPENING SOON
OTHER NEWS
Have you seen restaurants opening or closing in your neighbourhood? Email tips to liora@blogto.com
Photo via Butter Avenue on Facebook.
Elm Street is definitely not a nightmare in this city. Instead, it's a calm respite from the craziness of Yonge Street in the downtown core. It contains some classic old stalwarts but has also had an injection of some exciting new businesses lately.
The section from McCaul to Bay is the hospital district, which makes for a relatively uninteresting walk, save a sprinkling of lunch options. However, the stretch from Bay to Yonge is a pleasant stroll past a cluster of historic Victorian-era buildings. The high concentration of restaurants here reminds me of the Baldwin strip, and houses an equally enticing collection of good eats - amongst a few other amusements - at all price points.
Here's an overview of what Elm has to offer.
The Queen and Beaver (35 Elm St.)
A nice patio option in the summer that's less formal than some of the others on Elm, this gastropub (the owners are also responsible for The Oxley in Yorkville) serves upscale British grub like rabbit and potato pie or a hand chopped burger with chips (translation: fries). For those with a real hankering for the English experience, there's roast beef and Yorkshire pudding on Sundays. Wash things down with a cask beer or a Pimm's cup. Jolly good.
Patties Express (4 Elm St.)
Another new takeout option on this strip for a quick bite, it's difficult to resist freshly baked Jamaican patties (even after having gorged on buns from Lucullus). Choose from a simple menu of beef (at three different spice levels), curry chicken or veggie patties with or without coco bread, and drink a Ting or Kola Champagne to complete the Caribbean taste experience.
Pizzeria via Mercanti (87 Elm St.)
Housed on the ground floor of a 19th-century heritage building owned by the YWCA, the second location of Romolo Salvati's Neapolitan pizzeria (the first is in Kensington Market) features a sweet patio with picnic tables in addition to the indoor dining areas. The $10 lunch special where you can get a small margherita pizza with a side salad is a good deal.
TLP Sandwich Co (15 Elm St.)
A hip new takeout sandwich joint from the owners of Barberian's (see below), the signature TLP contains tomato, lettuce and peameal bacon (the acronym also stands for the Three Little Pigs, which is a reference to the three owners, in case you're wondering). The place is still solidifying its permanent menu, but so far other offerings include the Charlie Blake, with slow-braised beef, and the Calamar, with crispy squid and "lemony" mayo. Definitely one to add into the lunch rotation if you work nearby.
Adega (33 Elm St.)
Right next to the Queen and Beaver, this Portuguese and Mediterranean-influenced restaurant specializes in seafood done right. The Cataplana, a stew of mussels, shrimp, clams, squid and fresh fish in a tomato broth, is a reliable favourite. A fine selection of Portuguese wines and ports add to Adega's rustic, Old World charm ("adega" does mean "wine cellar," after all).
Arts & Letters Club (14 Elm St.)
The original Spoke Club or Soho House of this city, the Arts & Letters Club is a gathering place for people who work in the arts and for those who appreciate them. The Group of Seven were all members and lunched here regularly. Founded in 1908 (and moved to this National Historic Site building in 1920), this club only began to permit female members in 1985, so the ghost who haunts its library is most likely a dude. Membership fees increase with age, and prices are much more reasonable than those other two too-cool-for-school clubs.
Barberian's (7 Elm St.)
Barberian's is a classic steakhouse that's been around since 1959. It's a favourite for a pricey night out, with an extensive wine list of over 3,000 bottles that you can reserve ahead of time; the restaurant's menu even has a "special" where you can get a 14-oz. Barberian's Steakburger for 99 cents if you purchase a bottle for $100 or more. Needless to say, the steaks, not to mention the wine cellar, are stellar.
Elmwood Spa (18 Elm St.)
The Elmwood's landmark heritage building is gorgeous. With its stone base and red-brick Roman arches, I feel chills just walking up the stairs to the front entrance. Originally built as a YWCA in 1891, the spa now welcomes both women and men (although 80% of the clientele are female), and frequently makes best-of lists. Four floors of spa, with 34 treatment rooms (including the Sapphire couples suite, which boasts a fireplace and personal shower), two restaurants (including Bangkok Garden), a juice bar and a water therapies area with complimentary use of the whirlpool, swimming pool and steam room when you book a treatment, are the recipe to luxe relaxation.
Lucullus Bakery (31 Elm St.)
This downtown locale of Lucullus looks a little more fancy than its counterparts in Markham and Richmond Hill. Set in a 19th-century historical building that used to be a home, it's really a beautiful space for a bakery. Get there early or your favourite Chinese buns may sell out (BBQ pork buns were all gone the last time I went). They've also got a mix of affordable Asian and Western hot meals made to order in the back kitchen. The spacious upstairs seating area has some cool decor, and with the added bonus of free WiFi, this should be the perfect study spot for Ryerson students.
Bread and Bowl (2 Murray St.)
The service is super attentive and friendly at this relatively new weekday meal option for hospital and office workers in the area. You can create your own freshly made pizza, salad or sandwich here, or if you aren't in the mood to be creative, just choose from their solid signature offerings. There are also grab-and-go baked goods like muffin tops (what do they do with the bottoms?!) and ridiculously gargantuan brownies to go with espresso bar drinks.
Bite Bar (57 Elm St.)
If you're into bite-sized baked goods and/or dessert-themed evening cocktails and martinis in an unapologetically girly setting, then this is your place. Adorable one-bite cupcakes, mini cheesecakes, tiny tarts, micro macarons and itty-bitty donuts in gourmet flavours can be paired with alcoholic liquid sweets in the form of maple bacon bourbons and chocolate salted caramel pretzel-tinis.
BeSixFifty Hotel (650 Bay St.)
This shiny and new 22-room boutique hotel replacing the grungy Bay Street Motel is an appealing option for tourists (or staycationers) who want easy access to the bright lights and bustle of Yonge-Dundas Square. An iPad and free WiFi in rooms, as well as discounted gym access up the street at Hard Candy are just some of the perks. Even if you don't stay overnight, the bright and welcoming 650 Cafe Bistro next door serving Mediterranean-inspired eats is a worthy visit on its own, as should be the hotel's soon-to-open rooftop lounge and bar.
Sliced (650 Bay St.)
Sharing a building with the BeSixFifty Hotel at the intersection of Bay and Elm, this primarily takeout breakfast and lunch spot tries to emulate Pret a Manger with ultra fresh, preservative-, hormone- and additive-free sandwiches, soups, salads and baked goods made using local and organic ingredients. It's a bit pricier than Pret, but has a like-minded social conscience: all perishable items that aren't sold by the end of the day are donated to Second Harvest.
Get to know more Toronto streets via our Toronto Streets Pinterest board..
A pilot project to put food trucks in Toronto parks last summer fell through, but the fallout behind the failed project is still raging. That goes for organizer Suresh Doss, who's reportedly still out $36,000 in fees owed to him by food trucks - and now, it's true for chef/food truck owner Zane Caplansky, who landed in hot water after telling a Toronto Star reporter that people in parks are are more likely to be "unemployed" or "looking to score sex or drugs" than those hoping to buy food from a food truck.
Doss spearheaded the plan last summer to put 24 food trucks in five city parks over the lunch and dinner hour. The project, which was met with complaints from residents and lukewarm sales, lasted just a few months, and 10 of the food trucks left Doss holding the bag for their rental fees for the space.
One of the non-paying trucks was Caplansky's; the owner says the truck only took part in the project for only a couple of days, adding, "I think he has too much sense to ask me for money."
His controversial comments, which drew instantaneous backlash online Wednesday, were made by way of arguing that a public park is not the best place to host food trucks: "People who go in parks are unemployed people, people walking their dogs or people looking to score sex or drugs -- not people looking for food."
"I hate neither parks nor the people who use them," Caplansky wrote on his blog Wednesday night in an attempt to clear the air. "Food trucks in parks? Different story." He says he had concerns about the project from the beginning, with Doss committing to put a spread-thin lineup of city trucks in all five locations at lunch and dinner, serving already-light crowds in undertrafficked parks.
In terms of the remarks themselves, he says he regrets "any hurt feelings my out-of-context quote may have caused. Intended as a bit of humour, the words should have never come out of my mouth."
Photo by Natta Summerky
Toronto's getting another condo with - as New Yorkers would say - a "poor door". The Aqualina Bayside development, coming to the city's waterfront in 2018, will feature full-priced luxury units, as well as a number of subsidized, affordable lofts that will be offered to artists through Artscape - with separate entrances and amenities for each.
It's currently a hot-button issue in the Big Apple, where an Upper West Side development with separate entrances and common areas for higher - and lower-rent residents has drawn so much public attention that the city is planning to forbid the separate entrances.
At Aqualina Bayside, the lower-rent portion of the building will be owned by the city and managed by Artscape. City director of affordable housing Sean Gadon told Metro that the separation is what helps keep costs down.
"The residents have their own amenities space that doesn't include...things that you would find in an upscale condominium. The affordable component is designed to be affordable."
Interestingly, Toronto already has a two-entrance, mixed-housing building -- another Artscape project, the Triangle Lofts, opened in 2010. Affordable housing co-ops and TCHC housing have also been housed together in separate-entrance buildings for decades - though the doors being used to separate populations of two widely disparate income levels is a new development.
Toronto has a new destination for food and booze, and while there's already a wealth of options in the city, this pub distinguishes itself with a menu of tacos, griddled burgers and guac assembled tableside. Thirsty? There's also an impressive line-up of 20 (mostly craft) beers, plus wine and whiskey on tap - oh, and cocktails in boots. Need I say more?
Read my profile of Local Public Eatery in the restaurants section.
Guess the province knows when it's sitting on a condo-related goldmine. The Ontario government has announced it plans to shut down its LCBO store on Queens Quay (2 Cooper St.), as well as its adjoining head office and warehouse, and sell the land. The plan, according to a release, will "unlock value from more than 11 acres of waterfront real estate in downtown Toronto."
The Ontario government plans to use the cash to fund new infrastructure in the province. (Maybe they'll use the cash for Rob Ford's fantasy subway!) However, it looks like all those folks living in the waterfront condos of the future will still have a place to stock up on booze.
Ontario's request for proposals requires prospective buyers to "provide LCBO with a new head office facility and downtown retail store to lease for the relocated Queens Quay store," with a stipulation that the retail store must be in the Queens Quay area.
Photo by Grant D in the blogTO Flickr pool.
Change has been creeping into in Moss Park, but the neighbourhood recently welcomed a sudden glut of brand-new faces - specifically, a rotating slate of food trucks based out of the TireSource parking lot at Queen and Jarvis, known as the Toronto Food Truck Alley. And though the Mystic Muffin a block south has always been coated with goofy, irreverent signs touting the virtues of their sandwiches and apple cake, there's now a new addendum down at the bottom of a chalkboard advertising the salad specials: "You deserve better than food trucks".
It's nothing personal - "I do my things," says Mystic Muffin owner Elias Makhoul, who's been on the corner for more than 21 years. But he does think his little lunch counter, which sells pita wraps for about $5 and lunch combos for about $10, offers a value the new guys can't: "If you want to pay $10 for a little thing, they can do it.
"Tell them Elias said 'Bring them on'," he laughs.
The new food trucks have been drawing a moderate reception since they turned up earlier this summer, with a slow August for the area's food businesses - mobile and brick and mortar alike - ready to rebound as students return to school and workers return from vacation. The space, which usually plays host to a rotating lineup of one to three trucks, is undeniably spartan - it's set up in the parking lot of a still-operational auto shop.
That's where Tatiana Shabotynsky, owner of the Pink Grapefruit takeout counter across the street, takes some exception to the new project. "People get confused - they're like 'That's Food Truck Alley? It looks like a food truck.' Sometimes, there's just one."
Shabotynsky, who's been working to form a Moss Park BIA, says she wants the alley to do well - but believes a more steady lineup of trucks, in a less-slapdash environment, might be more enticing to diners. "If they were to have an actual alley, it would have to be a street or something - they can park there, bring out chairs, maybe shut the street down if they're in business. I think that's what people were envisioning more than what it is." (She adds, however, that city red tape would likely make that a massive uphill battle.)
"I do hope for the best for it. I want it to be better-promoted. I want it to not be in a tire parking lot," she says. "Put up picnic benches and all that. Do it properly. I think that's what needs to happen, and then maybe the food trucks would feel a little bit more safe to promote themselves and have more of a permanent home - give it a real go."
Ultimately, she says, she'd like to see the trucks, and the alley's organizers, show some investment in the community. "The businesses that I've talked to - we want to do a big thing showcasing businesses in Moss Park, change Moss Park together. But you only do that, or are motivated to do that, when you've made that type of financial commitment or long-term commitment - which the mobile trucks don't do," she says. If business gets bad, trucks can pack up and leave anytime, while brick-and-mortar locations, moored to the spot, have more of an incentive to find new ways to improve traffic and business in the area.
"It doesn't mean (the trucks) don't want to - they might want to. But there's probably a lot of permit restrictions that prevent that from happening."
Over at Fahrenheit Coffee, owner Sameer Mohamed and barista Benedict San Juan have noticed the lunch crowds' traffic patterns changing. "Normally, they'll cut across Lombard and go down to (St. Lawrence Market). Instead, I see more going northward," Mohamed says.
Adds San Juan: "I've noticed there have been a few instances where we've had people who specifically went for the food trucks, but on their way back, they noticed us," though he says that's just a handful of new customers.
Though the changes have been small, Mohamed's in full support: "Anything that drives traffic to the area, makes people more aware of what's happening in this area, we're happy about."
It's also been driving snacks to their store. "A couple people have actually traded churros they got up there for a coffee - so they've done very, very well for us," he laughs.
Web developers love reinventing Toronto in map form - you can listen to street sounds, watch transit run in real time, and see how the city's evolved over the centuries. Here's a new one for the green-space nuts: A map that aims to list every single tree in Toronto.
The Toronto Tree Map project, by Mathew Brown, a postdoctoral fellow at U of T, uses public data, like the city of Toronto's tree database. Zoom in close and click on an individual tree, and you'll even see information on the type and the diameter of each (which can be edited and updated by the public).
Parks aren't included in the current iteration of the map, which makes them look, curiously, like deserts in the middle of a tree-heavy city. In residential areas like the Danforth and High Park, the tree cover is dense; in St. James Town, you can pick out just a few.
Photo by Carlos Bezz in the blogTO Flickr pool.
