World Press Photo, "the world's largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest," has once again touched down at Brookfield Place. If you haven't already paid a visit to the exhibit, it's worth doing so for the stunning quality of the work on display. From world events to portraiture to nature and sports photography, the range of images featured is remarkable. It's possible to lose and entire lunch hour slowly meandering through the hundreds of photos on exhibit.

The local stop is part of a 45 country tour that sees the photographs displayed in over 80 cites. For all the beauty on offer, it's important to note, however, that a number of the images are extremely disturbing. John Tlumacki's photo of the immediate aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing, for instance, is about a visceral as photography gets. Ditto for Taslima Akhter's image titled "Final Embrace," which captures the remains of the Rana Plaza building after it collapsed and claimed lives of garment workers in Bangladesh.

There are tender moments to be sure, but this is an exhibit that will challenge you to think about global affairs, and the role that photojournalism has in reporting them. The power of the photographs is undeniable, but the question is how long they'll stay in the minds of viewers after they've returned to work.

Installation Photos

World Press Photo is on display until October 21st at Brookfield Place.

Photo by Oscar Flores in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Today in Toronto visit the Toronto Lifestyle Market at the Gladstone for five curated days of designers, brands, trends, entertainment, and (pray for it) alcohol. At the Revue you can watch anime cult classics Cyborg 009, The Dagger of Kamui, and more for free.

A ton of touring musicians are in Toronto tonight, including the one and only Nas playing Queen Elizabeth Theatre tonight, Big Freedia at the Hoxton, and Cat Power at the Danforth. Then the Tragically Hip play a free show at noon at Yonge-Dundas Square, so it might be a good day to get a street meat lunch with your parents. For more events, click on over to our events section.

• Fashion: Toronto Lifestyle Market (Gladstone)
• Film: Anime at The Revue: Free Screenings (The Revue)
• Music: Nas (Queen Elizabeth Theatre)
• Music: The Tragically Hip free show (Yonge-Dundas Square)
• Music: Big Freedia (Hoxton)
• Music: Cat Power (Danforth)
• Lit: BookThug Fall 2014 Book Launch and Party (Supermarket Restaurant and Bar)
• Lit: Open Book Literary Salon (Harbourfront Centre)
• City: The Walrus Talks Resilience (AGO)

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

Photo by Alejandro Santiago

The juice cleanse is on the rise in Toronto. While there are a number of recently-opened fresh juice bars and bottled options scattered around town, spots that give you the option to jump on a liquid diet for a few days (or weeks) are a bit harder to come by. In a city that values a good burger/solid food in general, this comes as no surprise.

But for those keen on the purported benefits of the juice cleanse, such as flushing out toxins, charging up on nutrients and - as a result - feeling brand new, it's good to know who can provide enough juice to sustain you. Of course, this kind of detox isn't for everyone - make sure your physician gives you the OK.

Here are my picks for the top 5 juice cleanse options in Toronto.

See also:The best juice bars in Toronto

The Good Press
Founded by husband and wife duo Andrew and Leila Ois earlier this year, The Good Press is the newest organic juice bar in town. This past summer saw the launch of their standard juice cleanse: a packaged deal of six 500ml bottles at $68 per day, available for pickup at their store in Yorkville. All you have to do is walk in or give them a call to set it up! Later this month, The Good Press is starting a bring-a-buddy program where customers and their friends can come in for a consultation with a nutritionist and walk away with their first set of juices.

Raw Juice Guru
Online business Raw Juice Guru may not have its own storefront, but they compensate by delivering their super fresh cold pressed juices right to your door every morning. The drinks are handmade using certified organic fruits and vegetables - many of which are locally grown on their own farms - just hours before being dropped at your doorstep. Plus, each cleanse is uniquely designed by a nutritionist to meet your individual needs and restrictions. With rates ranging from one day at $90 to 28 days at $1800, there's an option for everybody.

Greenhouse Juice Co.
Greenhouse Juice Co. in Rosedale offers a whole slew of different flavours, including a tastebud-shocking lemon water with liquid cayenne and a soothing vanilla bean almond milk. The organic juice cleanse, available at a standard rate of $73 per day, combines eight beverages for consumption in a very specific order. If you're not able to pick them up at Greenhouse Juice's standalone store or at a pop-up in The Detox Market (367 King St. W), you can have them brought to you via electric delivery car.

Belmonte Raw
Belmonte Raw in Leslieville will sell you a juice cleanse set in three different "strengths:" deep, deeper, and deepest. Each one includes eight freshly made organic soups and beverages for daily consumption. This way, you can choose between easing into a raw liquid diet and going full force with the detox. Alternatively, they offer "transition" cleanses that include gourmet raw meals for a less daunting commitment. Prices range from $70 - $75 for a one-day cleanse to $2100 for a 30-day cleanse - all of which can be delivered to your home or office every morning.

Feel Good Guru
West Queen West's Feel Good Guru doesn't just make vegetarian dishes packed with nutrients - they offer juice cleanse options meant to give your digestive system a break and help reset your body. Whether you're looking to consume nothing but cold pressed organic juice for two weeks at $705 or complete a one-day cleanse at $65 after a wild weekend, Feel Good Guru has you covered with three 1L bottles a day - including their infamous "Super Green Fuel" made from 17 ultra-nourishing ingredients. They're fresh pressed every day to ensure maximum nutrient density and can be delivered right to your door at an extra cost.

Did I miss any? Leave your picks for Toronto-based juice cleanse services in the comments.

If you want to discover the next big band in Toronto, there's no better time to do it than in the fall. Lots of fresh-faced, idealistic undergrads are back in town and looking to achieve dreams of stardom (i.e. getting their newly formed band on a stage... any stage) in between rigorous school schedules. But with so many clubs touting live music every night of the week, where does one go find these diamond-in-the-rough, musical icons of tomorrow?

The following bars are the best at helping inexperienced bands get their foot in the door. While the venues (and spotlights) aren't huge, they're usually popular, wallet-friendly hangouts that draw audiences regardless of who's on the bill. It's a good setup for artists that haven't built a fanbase yet, and patrons who love new music but don't want to risk spending a lot to see someone who, uh, might need a few more guitar lessons before hitting the big time.

While the likes of the Dakota, the Garrison, the Drake, the Bovine,, Hugh's, Lula, Silver Dollar, and many more (whoah, this city) are also favourite haunts of ours for watching new talent grow, here are 10 of the best bars in Toronto for finding up and coming bands. RIP, El Mocambo.

Cameron House
One of the oldest and best-preserved elements of Queen West culture, the Cameron House has always fostered new musical talent and provided slots for Blue Rodeo, Barenaked Ladies and Ron Sexsmith before they were famous. The front room tends to feature established acts and artists in residence, but the back room is more free range and open to any genre. Bonus: the two-stage setup allows escape to greener musical pastures if one of the bands isn't sounding so hot.

Rancho Relaxo
This Tex-Mex resto and live music lounge is a staple for the college crowd. Bookings are almost exclusively for small, local acts, indiscriminate of experience, connections or genre - the typical weeknight upstairs could offer anything from folk songs to metalcore. It's close to lots of Kensington Market and College Street watering holes, too, so it's a convenient stop to make during a night out in the neighbourhood.

Smiling Buddha
Further west on the College Street strip, this unassuming kitchy-deco dive has honed a reputation for showcasing Toronto's future indie elite. Promoter Mark Pesci, who has built a solid resume uncovering great punk, noise and garage bands, takes care of programming for the bar, which often offers two shows at a time in the main room and the basement (you probably won't pay more than $10 at the door for either of them). Recent notable names on their stage include Metz and Greys.

Tranzac
A non-profit community space focused on the arts, The Tranzac is an ideal place for student bands setting up a show for the first time. Since it's located in the heart of the student-occupied Annex, a reliable stream of twenty-somethings frequent the bar for an affordable and fun night out. Head over if you're in the mood for mellow vibes along the lines of folk, blues, country and jazz (though the Tiki Lounge is known to get experimental).

Velvet Underground
Though its goth-club heyday is long gone, the Velvet Underground continues to be a steady base for anything that fits under the alt-rock umbrella. In between DJ nights, the venue books new and relatively unknown local talent for live shows with cheap or no cover to get in. The bar is one of the more spacious ones on this list with a large floor that's perfect for more danceable stuff. Plus: the Velvet Underground held the CD release party for Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill. If that doesn't cement it's musical legacy for you, I don't know what will.

Placebo Space
Located in Etobicoke, Placebo Space is just a short trip from Humber's Lakeshore campus and is the best place to hear the music students showcase their skills live. Owner Yunior Marino designed the venue as an inclusive place for new artists of all genres to try out their ideas in a welcoming environment, which is reflected in the unique art installations that adorn the rooms. As a result, expect to hear a lot of stuff you wouldn't normally get at more well-known and central Toronto bars, such as experimental, jazz, and world tunes.

Clinton's Tavern
This historic Bloor Street tavern is known for dance parties now, but has also hosted many early-career shows for Toronto bands that are famous today. The Cowboy Junkies, Jeff Healey and Barenaked Ladies all played on Clinton's back-room stage when they were just beginning their path to fame, and the bar continues to offer that opportunity to emerging artists now with a beautiful bar and killer sound.

The Sister
Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, The Sister in Parkdale dedicates its small stage to as many live bands as it can handle. The room's warm and more sophisticated decor, with lots of leather booths and dining tables for seating, make it a nice place to sit back and relax with live music for an evening. Having craft beer, an amped-up menu and renovated patio available certainly don't hurt, either.

Cherry Colas Rock & Rolla Cabaret Lounge
Since Tattoo rebranded and started to shed rock bookings, Cherry Colas seems to have picked up the mantle, with local bands that fall into more mainstream or hard-rock territory moving in, surely in part to soak up any remnants of Josh Homme and co.'s rockstar aura (exclusive gigs for Them Crooked Vultures and Eagles of Death Metal took place here). The red velvet couches and pinup-esque bartenders make for a decadent night out, and their Indie Week inclusion means many more upstarts will debut here this month.

The Rockpile East/The Rockpile West
I won't blame you if you think of the Rockpiles as places where bands end up instead of get started; notable headliners recently have been The Misfits, Anvil, and Vixen (if those don't sound familiar: congrats, you youngster). However, two important things to keep in mind about this bar-duo: firstly, they're both stewarded by Dominic Tassielli, former owner of The Big Bop. Secondly, Toronto's metal pioneers have historically come from outside the downtown core - hoody-adorned scenes in Scarborough and Etobicoke are more likely to give rise to new great heavy bands.

BONUS

Horseshoe Tavern
As one of the oldest and most famous rock institutions, the Horseshoe does tend to book big established acts more often than not. But for years, it's also stayed committed to featuring young independent bands at least once or twice a week with Shoeless Mondays and Dave Bookman's Nu Music Tuesdays (the latter of which has seen the local debuts of Tracy Chapman and Everclear). Cover is free for these nights, and the venue always helps the bands out promotion-wise by sending listings to all local media outlets.

Arty, fashion-forward general stores - the kind that pair designer denim with hand-printed greeting cards - are a dime a dozen in Toronto. But head past the Don into the east end, and the pickings start to get mighty slim. Spying a void that needed filling, Aziz Alam took over a former production house for Degrassi (yep, Degrassi) in Leslieville and converted it into a cheerful, two-floor spot that offers shoppers everything from made-in-Toronto button-downs and grooming products to novelty tees and goofy glassware hand-picked from the Drake General Store.

Read my profile of Good Neighbour in the fashion section.

The Toronto Underground Cinema is about to begin a new life. The theatre, which closed down in 2012, will once again be in use this Friday night, albeit in a different capacity.

The Queen and Spadina theatre has been leased out to Boomer, a show focused on cluing people into the politics of the 1960s. Show promoter Brian Walker says it's about making people think.

For now, the theatre will be a bit of a one-trick pony. Boomer is the only show that will play, according to Walker.

As far as what the spot will be called, that remains undecided. Walker says the theatre might be named after a sponsor of sorts, if that comes through. He won't, of course, even give me a hint as to who that sponsor might be.

Shows will run on Friday and Saturday nights, and Walker says this might expand to be about five nights per week, if they have a good run at the beginning.

So what exactly can you expect to see if you visit the theatre now? Walker explains that there are quite a few participative scenes that will draw the audience in. There will be live music in the form of tributes to The Beatles, Zeppelin, Rolling Stones and others alongside documentary footage, and the actors will tell the story of the baby boomer generation and the Cold War.

"[The building] won't be a museum. That's the wrong word. But it will be full of things that provide context. We want to show what it was like in the '60s, to look at how did we get here, and are we going in the right direction?"

The show will illustrate the pendulum that swins between generations, making one a series of uptight capitalists, and the next a freewheeling bunch of crusaders for peace.

Walker says that, in time, there's the possibility that the theatre and its 700 seats will be open to other organizations, such as TIFF, for special events.

Photo by Roger Cullman

It's got streetcars and a picturesque waterfront, but that's where the obvious similarities between Toronto and San Francisco end. As major world cities, however, the two share plenty of issues: disorganized street parking blocks roads, household waste is still being sent to landfill, and public transit is struggling to move people effectively.

The Californian city has some solutions to these issues that Toronto might borrow. How about a smart parking meter that's designed to manage demand and control rates, or a team of garbage inspectors armed with educational material, or timed transfers that allow transit riders unlimited trips within a 90-minute window?

Here are 5 things Toronto could learn from San Francisco.

Expand free public wifi
At time of writing, Toronto's free public wifi is limited to a handful of stations on the downtown portion of the subway and branches of the public library. It's a start, but other cities, like San Francisco, are offering gratis internet in public parks. Funded by a $600,000 gift from Google and launched just last week, the city's free public wifi covers 32 parks, plazas, and open spaces across downtown. New York offers a similar service, so do Los Angeles and Brisbane in Australia--proof that parks can be about more than just trees and grass.

Get smart about street parking
SFpark is San Francisco's high-tech attempt to match in real time the price of street parking with demand. Essentially, smart parking meters raise and lower rates based on how many of the surrounding spaces are occupied; prices rise when demand spikes and fall when there are an abundance of spots in an attempt to maintain between 60 and 80 percent occupancy.

The goal of SFpark was to create an even spread of available parking, prevent drivers cruising for cheap spots, and make it easier for shoppers to find space to stop. According to the most recent results crunched by City Lab, the meters have been a success on (almost) all fronts--the tax revenue from stores serviced by SFpark meters even climbed, suggesting customers were lingering longer. Perhaps Toronto could find a way to manage its street parking with an eye to improving streetcar service.

Work harder at recycling and composing
San Franciscans divert 80 percent of household waste from landfill by recycling plastics and turning kitchen waste into useful compost. Officials are trying to boost the city's already exceptional diversion rate, which is the highest in the U.S., to 100 percent by 2020. One way it's doing that is by employing "municipal cart inspectors"--garbage can inspectors.

Though residents can be fined for putting waste in the wrong receptacle, San Francisco's trash-rummaging waste team choose to educate rather than punish, explaining to confused citizens where that cardboard egg carton really belongs. Toronto's waste diversion rate is currently 52 percent, largely due to lax behaviour by apartment and condo dwellers. Maybe Toronto inspectors could knock on those doors first.

Give the people timed transfers
San Francisco public transit, a mix of heavy rail, light rail, and trolley buses, isn't renowned for its quality or effectiveness, but it has one feature Toronto is considering adopting: timed transfers. For the price of a fare, riders get 90 minutes of unlimited travel on buses and light rail throughout the city. That means passengers can make quick trips on public transit without paying two fares.

The TTC is conducting a pilot study of two-hour timed transfers on St. Clair. Implementing the scheme city-wide would cost about $20 million in lost revenue that would need to be covered by the city. Oh, and let's not forget San Francisco has an electronic fare card that works with the city's various transit providers and offers all-door boarding.

Invest in public toilets
Humans, like all animals, create waste. When we gather together in cities, we create a lot of waste. It's surprising, then, that Toronto provides practically no options for people in need of relief on the street. The TTC has a few bathrooms, the city operates a handful of facilities in public parks and squares, but elsewhere the onus is on private businesses to provide public washrooms.

People piss in San Francisco too, but there are at least public facilities in place to deal with the deluge--and that really is the right word. In 2010, according to the New York Times, there were nearly 10,000 public "incidents of human waste" cleaned up in just one neighbourhood, North of Market-Tenderloin.

The problem of public defection hasn't been solved in San Fran (In 1995, a plan to have ad company JCDecaux install 25 self-cleaning washrooms ended in a mess of skid marks, prostitutes, and dead bodies) but a financial commitment to 35 new downtown conveniences, approved in 2008, appears to be having an impact. There are even plans for a high-tech toilet, "the pPod," in Dolores Park.

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

Images: Nicolas Raymond, Carlos Felipe Pardo, Paul Sullivan/Flickr

If you want to sample almost a decade of coffee-roasting experience, look no further than Bloor West, just between the Junction Triangle and Roncy, where veteran roaster Troy Kelly has opened a brand-new cafe. All of their brews are roasted in-house from single-batch beans; they stand by their drip just as much as the espresso, and offer lattes made with farm-fresh whole milk and delicious baked goods to top of the whole experience.

Read my profile of Outpost Coffee Roasters in the cafes section.

Yonge and Eglinton has long been playfully referred to as Yonge and Eligible, although Doug Ford's adorable moniker of EglinGton certainly has a ring to it. My standby nickname for this hood will always be Yonge and Eg. Soaring condo towers signal the beginning of the city, and with retro 60's office towers getting refurbished and renovated, this uptown neighbourhood has enough restaurants, nightlife and entertainment to keep the influx of midtowners happy at home.

Here's how to spend a day at Yonge and Eg from morning until late night.

BREAKFAST AND COFFEE

Weekend or weekday, Boom Breakfast on Eglinton is a great spot to start the day. Whether I'm with friends or fueling up for the day solo, BOOM has elevated breakfast into something more exciting than just eggs and toast. The lineup out the door is occasionally daunting, but Mars has some decent greasy spoon options too.

If the day is too packed for sit down breakfast, then de Mello Palheta has the super dark roast beans to get me moving - and if the coffice crowd has already taken hold there, neighbouring La Boheme has more leg room, and tasty macarons to wash down with espresso.

MORNING ACTIVITY

Once I'm buzzed on caffeine, it's best to get moving before I get all shaky and start breaking things. If there's no polar vortex in sight, then park life it is with nearby Eglinton or Sherwood Parks offering green space for me and my pooch.

The on-site community centre in Eglinton Park (North Toronto Memorial Community Centre) boasts an indoor pool, fitness centre and loads of other amenities to exhaust and embarrass me. In shoddier weather, nearby Striation 6 is pay as you go and Ferris 360 offers a range of classes that promise a vigorous indoor workout.

After getting my 60 minutes in (thanks Bodybreak), then some retail therapy is in order. The BMV Book Store rewards my inner environmentalist and economist with their used books and vintage magazines. Across the street, Gamerama Video Games has some amazing retro finds for my beat-up but beautiful NES and they can do a swift emergency repair for my Xbox's red ring of death in about an hour.

LUNCH

Lunch can go as high or lowbrow as you want in this neck of the woods, and Burger Shack on Eglinton, while definitely on the lower spectrum, has some of Toronto's best greasy burgers, fries and milkshakes. If I'm still on a runner's high and not ready for a shame spiral, then I'll hit up The Healthy Butcher, just down the street by Avenue, for some tasty grab-and-go sandwiches, soups and other respectable homemade meals that won't leave me all farty and bloated. For pizza I'll walk south and grab a slice at Falasca SPQR. For fish and chips, it's Fish Street.

SHOPPING AND CULTURE

Intuition on Yonge may be no bigger than some of the walk-in closets from the mansions around the area, but considering how well curated the clothes are, that's a definite plus. I stock up on the latest trends for me, and always score a vintage looking T-shirt for my man. Next stop is Vortex Records, to scope out the latest trade-in movies and music, cause you know I still have a death grip on my 12" records. If I'm looking for something wallet friendly, then the local Toronto Public Library is a quiet place to zone out and read up on the latest non-fiction (fine, Outlander).

If you're in the mood for some primping, ladies (and fellas) have a lot of options in the area for getting fancy. One safe bet near Yonge and Eg is Pretty in the City. After getting my eyebrows adjusted and my nails polished, I shuffle a few paces up Yonge and arrive at Pure and Simple to further my primping with an urban renewal facial.

MID-AFTERNOON SNACK

Leaving refreshed and humming "Fancy" (Drake or Iggy, you decide) I decide to derail the workout even further with a stop at Bakes and Goods or The Cupcake Shoppe. The latter has a bounty of flavours (including the aptly named Yonge n' Eligible) so it's hard not to sneak a six-pack out of there, but cake pops seem somehow more sophisticated, so I opt for food on a stick and split.

With my cravings for the good stuff not quite satisfied, I hop down to Sugar Mountain seeking a big bulk bag of sour keys and browse through their British eats section for a Yorkie Bar (pfftt ... "not for girls").

DINNER

I shuffle south to Coquine for their classic French bistro fare, as well as a giant goblet of wine to go with my moules frites. If all that NES talk has me hankering for some proper Italian, north of Eglinton on Yonge is La Vecchia, whose Ravioli de Niro would make even Mario and Luigi proud. For pizza and vino I'll go to Sip Wine Bar. For a new spot and a bit of spice, Little Sister between Eglinton and Davisville fits the bill.

DRINKS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Since I left my jazz flute at home, I'll bypass the beats at Alleycatz and instead check out the comedians from Absolute Comedy. After the show, I'll boot down to the Unicorn Pub on Eglinton hoping to catch some live music. If it's a Kenny G cover band, then I'll sashay up to Spacco and play some billiards and catch last call.

LATE NIGHT EATS

While late night eats are mostly the chain gang (Golden Arches, the King, pizza etc...) if I'm feeling a proper sit-down meal is in order, then it's back to Mars Uptown, with fingers crossed that they are still open. Duke of Kent is also a good bet if you can get your order in before the kitchen closes (1am, earlier on Sundays).

What did I miss? Add your suggestions for how to spend a day at Yonge and Eglinton to the comments.

The best chocolate in Toronto begins with one thing - theobroma cacao seeds, fermented, roasted and ground. The removal of the shell reveals the nib from which all pure chocolate is produced. Just writing that sentence gets my mouth watering and the cravings flaring. One bite into any one of Toronto's best chocolate products, and you're apt to feel the same.

All of these chocolatiers take a slightly different approach, and may connect with the ancient Mesoamerican or old European traditions. Raw, dark, unsweetened, milk or even white chocolate (which, importantly, contains no chocolate solids) decorate the shelves and lure in chocolate fanatics who consider a taste of the potent elixir better than sex.

Here is the best chocolate in Toronto.

See also:

The Best Candy Stores in Toronto
The Best Hot Chocolate in Toronto
The Best Florists in Toronto

The future of Yonge and Bloor likely includes another soaring tower as details slowly emerge about the sale of Stollerys at One Bloor St. W. According to a report in the Star, the building has been purchased by Mizrahi Developments, which also recently snapped up 11 Bloor St. W, the former home of French Connection, and buildings to the south of Stollerys. That leaves one huge plot of land for redevelopment at the southwest corner of one of Toronto's most heavily trafficked intersections.

While there's been no official announcement from Mizrahi, should the speculation prove true, one can expect a marquee development to grace the corner with plenty of retail at street level. Who knows if it will match the height of the 70+ condo across the street at One Bloor East, but the multiple site purchases would suggest that a project of considerable scale is in the works. Bigger is better would seem to be the mantra at Yonge and Bloor, which makes a great deal of sense.

Photo by Jim Cagney on Flickr

The Atlantic, an unassuming, wood-panelled little spot on Dundas West, just got a massive boost from one of the world's most renowned restaurant critics. Giles Coren, head restaurant critic at The Times of London and host of reality-TV show Million Dollar Critic, is using his culinary influence to turn the spotlight on the tiny 20-seat eatery.

The premise of the show: Coren visits five restaurants in a given city and chooses one to review, resulting in an inevitable spike in traffic and interest for the victor. The critic checked out Opus, Agave y Aguacate, Small Town Food Co. and King Place - but not before Rob Ford bought him a hot dog. The Atlantic ensnared his interest, however, for its philosophical bent - no menus, and you pay what you feel the meal's worth - and for chef Nathan Isberg's focus on "eating from the bottom of the food chain", which frequently involves the addition of snails and crickets.

The verdict? "The mad, challenging, soulful, seriocomic Atlantic was without question the most brain-affecting restaurant I encountered in a joyful, food-filled week in Toronto." Read Coren's full review here - and then call The Atlantic for a reservation, because tables are about to go fast.

Today we're opening up voting in our latest Best Of poll. Now you can have your say in 10 categories including Thai and Korean restaurants, fitness and MMA clubs, contemporary art galleries and Pho.

Take the best of poll here

Voting in the poll ends at 2pm this Sunday October 12.

Photo by Michael Muraz in the the blogTO Flickr pool.

Today in Toronto trek between some of the best vintage shops Toronto has to offer at the Vintage Crawl (Halloween costumes, anyone?). Funnies are at the Revue with short videos and Carolyn Bennett (not the MP, but CBC COMICS), Tony Krolo (CBC COMICS), Alan Park (Air Farce), and more. Fresh Off The Boat is celebrating their opening on Queen (food alert) and Titus Andronicus, Ice Cream, and Programm are $3 at Tattoo if you RSVP. For more events, click on over to our events section.

• Fashion: Vintage Crawl
• Comedy: The Revue Comedy Show (Revue)
• Music: Titus Andronicus, Ice Cream, Programm, Ice Cream, Programm (Tattoo)
• Food: Launching FOTB (Fresh Off The Boat)
• Comedy: Lesbian Road Trip Comedy Hour (Steady)
• Art: Project Art - Pop Up Art Gallery Fundraiser (99 Gallery)
• Dance: Canadian Salsa and B Congress (Sheraton Centre Hotel)

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

Photo via Fresh Off the Boat

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

• Fresh Off the Boat, a new seafood-centric sandwich shop, debuted during Nuit Blanche last week at 404 Queen St. West.
• Stoney's Bread Company, the popular Oakville destination for soups, salads and sandwiches, has opened a second location at 1045 The Queensway in Etobicoke.
• Bobbette & Belle opens a second shop this week at 3347 Yonge St. north of Lawrence.
• Toronto chef Anthony Rose is converting the coach house on Howland Ave. behind Fat Pasha into a fine food store with a Jewish focus. Schmaltz is slated to open next week, after Thanksgiving. [Post City]

RECENTLY REVIEWED

• Ronnie B's Southern Kitchen & Taps
• The Queen of Chicken
• Danforth Pizza House

OPENING SOON

• Rumour has it that Kompai, a Taiwanese snack bar from same folks behind Liberty Noodle, is slated to open at Carlton and Parliament at the end of this month. Speculation has it poised to take over the address formerly home to Ginger.
• La Cubana, the lunchonette and brunch spot, is soon to open a second location at 92 Ossington Ave., overtaking the former home of Delux from same owner chef/owner Corinna Mozo.
• Looks like the new restaurant from Khao San Road owner Monte Wan is going to stick to the genre he knows best after all. After a year of advertising a series of faux restaurant concepts, the new spot at 785 Queen St. West will be called Thai-Tanium and is set to open October 18.

CLOSING

• The windows over at Swish by Han (38 Wellington St. E.) are papered up, with the spot soon to be replaced by a new pizza/pasta concept by the team behind neighbouring Pravda Vodka Bar. [Toronto Life]

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

As election fever (or fatigue) creeps over Toronto, multiple local eateries have begun offering a solution to get rid of that terrible taste being left in all of our mouths. Election-themed dishes have popped up on the east side of the city at Rendez-Vous Ethiopian restaurant, where they're advertising a menu of specials for each candidate.

Rob Ford (and, we can presume, Doug) get kitfo, appropriately for the beefy, gravy-obsessed brothers; Olivia Chow gets the vegetarian special; and John Tory is assigned tibs (meat and veggie stew). David Soknacki, meanwhile, has had his name stricken from the list, but you can still order his signature dish (cha cha, char-broiled beef with peppers and onions).

This comes hot and fresh out the kitchen right after the Lakeview Restaurant unveiled a slate of mayoral burgers last month. The Olivia Chow features Jack (Layton) cheese and NDP-orange peppers, and the all-Conservative-blue John Tory burg comes with blueberry BBQ sauce, blue cheese and blue corn tortilla chips. Meanwhile, the Rob Ford ("now Doug Ford", the menu amends) is essentially a high-class version of the Double Down: a bacon cheeseburger sandwiched between two pieces of their signature cornflake chicken, with gravy (obviously) on the side for dipping.

For good measure, there's a Morgan Baskin burger, named in honour of the race's favourite novelty teenage candidate; it comes with two soy patties, baby spinach and crushed Doritos on a bun, and if you order it, staff will give you a glass of Kool-Aid and Instagram you while eating it. All of the burgers can be made vegetarian, the menu notes, except for the Rob Ford.

Photo via thecjm on Instagram.

An organic skincare aficionado has opened up a natural cosmetics shop on Queen West, featuring a number of exclusive, nutrient-enriched beauty goods. Those looking for a new skincare regime or an alternative to drugstore products will find all the face serums, soaps, scrubs, toners and tonics they need. And good news for guys - there are a slew of products made exclusively for men here too.

Read my profile of The Cure Apothecary in the fashion section.

Good news taco fans - next Thursday and Friday will be forever known as Taco Tuesday (on a Thursday and Friday) but instead of the Kragle expect free beer and tacos. It's all part of the grand opening week celebration for Danforth restaurant Tilde which three months after opening figured it was better late than never to announce its arrival at Danforth and Pape.

The Grand Opening Week runs from October 14th - 18th but the highlight is the free tacos and beer samples on the 16th and 17th from 6pm - 9pm. Apparently there's no catch. Tilde says everyone who comes to the restaurant will receive 2 free tacos along with Beer Samples courtesy of Mill Street Brewery, Great Lakes Brewery, Black Oak Brewery and Wellington Brewery.

That's a taco day we can get behind.