This week on DineSafe, Toronto restaurants are staying on a roll, with zero closures in over a month. The worst offender this week is the Freshwest Grill, the burrito outfit in the Path, who got dinged for failing to wash hands when required and improper holding temperatures.

See the rest of this week's worst DineSafe results below.

Yum Yum Restaurant (2754 Danforth Ave.)
Inspected on: October 6, 2014
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 6 (Minor: 3, Significant: 2, Crucial: 1)
Crucial infractions include: Operator fail to ensure food is not contaminated/adulterated

Ka Chi (585 Bloor St. West)
Inspected on: October 10, 2014
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 7 (Minor: 2, Significant: 3, Crucial: 2)
Crucial infractions include: Operator fail to ensure food is not contaminated/adulterated. Operator fail to maintain hazardous food(s) at 4C (40F) or colder.

Arte Gelato and Caffe (946 Bloor St. West)
Inspected on: October 6, 2014
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 2 (Significant: 1, Crucial: 1)
Crucial infractions include: Operator fail to maintain hazardous food(s) at 4C (40F) or colder.

Sakura Sushi (394 Bloor St.)
Inspected on: October 8, 2014
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 3 (Minor: 2, Significant: 1)
Crucial infractions include: N/A

Freshwest Grill (100 Wellington St. West)
Inspected on: October 9, 2014
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 3 (Crucial: 3)
Crucial infractions include: Operator fail to wash hands when required. Operator fail to maintain hazardous foods at 60C (140F) or hotter. Operator fail to maintain hazardous food(s) at 4C (40F) or colder.

Caldense Bakery (337 Symington Ave.)
Inspected on: October 10, 2014
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 5 (Minor: 2, Significant: 3)
Crucial infractions include: N/A

The best local beers for fall needn't be simply another list of beers crammed with pumpkin spice. Innovative craft brewers in and around Toronto are making a ton of great beers that might help ease your transition from light summery beers to the more serious beverages of winter. Indeed, there's a local fall beer for every occasion.

Here are my picks for the top 10 local fall beers (and a suggestion of when to drink them).

Junction Road Black Lager from Junction Craft Brewery, 5%
One of the many under-the-radar and low-ABV beers made at Junction Craft's unassuming brewery on Cawthra Avenue, their Black Lager is a refreshing schwarzbier with dry, roasted malted and subtle chocolate flavours--meaning that while you won't get too tipsy drinking a few, it's hearty enough to hold up to chilly autumn drinking.

Drink one: Fireside while you burn a pile of leaves you spent all day raking.
Find it: Available at Junction Craft's on-site retail store in 500ml bottles for $3.85 and in growlers for $15 (plus a $10 refundable deposit).

Autumn Hop by Amsterdam Brewery, 5.6%
Possibly my favourite fall seasonal, Autumn Hop is wet hopped, meaning that fresh hop flowers grown in Collingwood, Ontario are added to the whirlpool stage of the brewing process. The result is a fresh-tasting, balanced beer with grassy hops aromas that are reminiscent of a pile of wet leaves.

Drink one: On one of those late fall days when you sit on a patio with a scarf on because it is clearly too cold to be sitting outside, but the sun is out and you're not ready to let patio season go, damn it.
Find it: Available in 500mL bottles in Amsterdam's retail store in Leaside and on Queen's Quay, as well as on the shelves of LCBO for $4.95

Epiphany No. 1 by Black Oak Brewery, 9.5%
"Inspired by the Trappist brewers of Belgium," Epiphany No. 1 is a new quadrupel from Black Oak Brewery. It's got a rich and sweet flavour and you can pick up some of the cherry wood in the aroma. For my money, it doesn't quite deliver on the complexities some might like from a trappist-brewed quad, but when you consider this one was brewed in Etobicoke, it ain't too shabby indeed.

Drink one: On the couch through the second half of a Sunday football game. The high alcohol means you can drink it slowly and not have to keep going to the fridge and you'll find that it will change (for the better) as it gets a little warmer.
Find it: Available in select LCBOs and direct from Black Oak's retail store in 650 mL bottles for $9.95. Also on tap at select Toronto bars. You can also try it Saturday October 18th from 2pm-10pm at Black Oak's 15th Anniversary Bash & Epiphany Launch Party. Tickets and more info here.

Great Lakes Brewery Saison Dupump 5.2%
The pumpkin beer that isn't a pumpkin beer, Great Lakes' Saison Dupump deserves your attention. It's brewed with Belgian saison yeast, so this one is more grassy, peppery, citrus than it is warm pumpkin pie and cloying whip cream sweetness in your face--although there is some subtle clove and spice in the aroma, it's not overwhelming.

Drink one: Since it has something for everyone, this might even do well served alongside thanksgiving dinner. Your beer nerd cousin will appreciate the subtlety of the thing, but it's mild enough that even Uncle Bob might put one back before he gets into the rye again.
Find it: Available at the LCBO and the Great Lakes retail store. $5.95 for a 650 mL bottle

Glory and Consequences by Indie Alehouse, 8%
Only available once or twice a year, this excellent Belgian dubbel with toffee, dark fruit, and cookie spice was just tapped at Indie Alehouse. An almost-candy-sweet, dangerously easy to drink beer, you'll find that a night spent drinking these exclusively will lead to etiher glory or...consequences.

Drink one: Look up that old friend of yours you haven't spoken in a long time because of that dumb fight you had and bring over a couple bottles. You'll probably bury the hatchet over boozy local or beer. Or fight to the death. Either way, heck of a night.
Find it: At Indie Alehouse, available in in 650mL bottles for $10.

Wet Hop Ale by Nickelbrook Brewery, 5.3%
Another wet-hopped pale ale, the appropriately named Wet Hop Pale Ale hails from Nickelbrook in Burlington. Brewed using Bertwell hops, which some say are Ontario's only indigenous species of hops, Wet Hop has a piney, herbal quality that's best enjoyed as fresh as possible.

Drink one: In the parking lot from wherever you buy it. So fresh! (Unless you drove. Then wait until you get home, please).
Find it: In limited supplies at the LCBO and Nickelbrook's retail store at $7.95 for a 750ml bottle.

Reserve Saison by Amsterdam Brewery, 6%
The product of a lot of experimentation and blending, Amsterdam's new Reserve Saison is a mix of several barrels from Amsterdam's cellar and two different fresh batches of saison, creating a unique blend of eight different beers that Amsterdam says has Brett forward aromas of stone fruit and funk that give way to a light acidity from the bacteria and wine lees from the barrels. You had me at funk.

Drink one: On your last picnic of the season. Bring someone special and pack some good cheese, grapes, and a cozy blanket. You'll definitely get laid.
Find it: Released on October 9 in a limited run of 1000 bottles, Reserve Saison will be available at both Amsterdam retail store for $13.50 per 750mL bottle.

Barn Owl by Bellwoods Brewery
Bellwoods has opted to do some awesome-sounding stuff with the latest batch of their single-hop pale ale series, Monogamy; including barrel-aging some of it with apricots, peaches, and brettanomyces yeast in order to create Barn Owl. The Bellwoods folks opted to bottle condition it and while this one isn't available for sale yet, given Bellwoods track record and that mouth-watering description, it's probably a safe bet that it won't suck.

Drink one: I haven't actually tasted this yet so it's tough to know where it might best be enjoyed, but, uh, hay rides are fun. Take a bottle on a hayride.
Find it: At the Bellwoods retail shop. Price TBD.

100th Meridian Organic Lager by Mill Street, 5%
Mill Street calls this amber lager a "quintessential American-style craft lager," and while I don't really know what that phrase means, it does make me thirsty. Made with organic barley malt, hops, and yeast that all come from west of the 100th Meridian, this thirst-quenching lager is all grainy, bready, biscuity malts with some extremely subtle dark fruit and a crisp dry finish. It's reliable and inoffensive and thus kind of like the cooler weather version of Mill Street's Organic Lager.

Drink one: Where the great plains begin. Obviously.
Find it: Available for $13.65 for a six pack of 341mL bottles at the LCBO

Harvest Ale by Muskoka Brewery, 7%
Cottage country's best fall seasonal is back this year with all its aromas of caramel, spice and malts and its excellent, dry, hoppy bitterness. Always a safe bet, in my opinion Harvest Ale is pouring even better this year than in any year previous.

Drink one: On the dock at as you put the patio furniture away and close up the cottage until next summer.
Find it: Available for $8.95 in 750 mL bottles at the LCBO

Ben Johnson also writes about beer over on Ben's Beer Blog. Tweet him invitations to jump in your leaf pile @Ben_T_Johnson.

The onslaught of brewpubs in Toronto is in full swing, with the latest addition to our growing inventory setting up shop on the Danforth. The slick space is adorned with a tin ceiling and plenty of TVs for sports fans, while the menu offers a mix of traditional pub offerings beside more adventurous fair (think Cornish game hen). The beer leaves me with mixed feelings, but it surprisingly might not be the main factor in determining the potential of this new spot.

Read on for my impressions of Louis Cifer Brew Works in the restaurants section.

Here's a powerful reason to get your vote in early in the upcoming mayoral election - aside from avoiding lines at the polls, and the joys of exercising your civic duty, and all that other stuff. A new initiative, Happy Voting Hour, is hoping to raise voter participation in Toronto and encourage early voting through that great universal motivator: Beer and snacks.

Here's how it works: Several bars have volunteered to host free happy-hour events on days advance polls are open (October 14 to 19), offering inexpensive apps and beer. (Take note: You don't have to have voted to swing by, and the events are non-partisan - voters of all political stripes are welcome.) A few restaurants and bars, including Rock Lobster, Dog & Bear, Cadillac Lounge, and Le Petit Castor, have already signed on to serve this Wednesday and Thursday, with more expected to sign on in the next day or so.

To find out more, check out the Happy Voting Hour Facebook event for the full schedule.

Now you can add a bit of Rob Ford to your morning breakfast routine. As of today, 500 boxes of the limited edition Ford Flakes cereal are now available for purchase with a chunk from each sale going to cancer research.

The cereal, which promises a Taste of Toronto, is a mix of flakes, honey and almond granola starring our current mayor's famous mug, seemingly to remind us of who put Toronto on the map.

Want one? We're giving away boxes to five lucky winners. Just enter our contest here or head on over to fordflakes.ca to buy your own box. The collector's item isn't cheap ($40 a box) but $20 from each sale will be donated to cancer research (if all 500 boxes sell out that will be a $10,000 donation). Plus, the box was designed by Brian Romero, the same guy who designed the Obamo O's for Airbnb.

If you order the cereal online, make sure you're based in Toronto (or planning a visit this month) as the boxes are only available for pickup on Saturday October 18th or October 25th from 11am to 4pm at 152 Spadina Avenue near the corner of Richmond and Spadina. No shipping is available.

Follow Ford Flakes on Twitter for more info and be sure to enter our contest here.

Mobile taxi company Hailo announced earlier today that it is shutting down its North American operations amidst fierce competition from services like Uber and Lyft. The Toronto branch of the company is, however, fighting to remain in operation under a licensing agreement that would allow it to run independently of the company at large.

"Hailo Toronto remains in operation and will continue to provide service to passengers and drivers," local head Justin Raymond told TechCrunch. "As it stands, the Toronto team definitely wants it to continue, and we're committed to that. There just need to be some details worked out with the Hailo parent company to keep it alive and make it thrive in Toronto as it has been."

Should a deal be able to be worked out, it will be interesting to examine what it is about the Toronto market that makes the company more viable here than other North American cities. Hailo now plans to focus its efforts on Europe and Asia, where it is active in over 20 cities.

Photo courtesy of Hailo

This home at 21 Ashall Blvd near St. Clair Ave and O'Connor Drive is the text book definition of big and bright. Walk through the front doors of this carefully staged home (you might see some familiar furniture here) and into a large living area that flows seamlessly from the living room to dining room. The house is already incredibly spacious, but the large windows just make it feel even roomier.

If the large living space on the first floor isn't enough for all your socializing, there's a large rec room downstairs. And there's also a separate entrance for a nanny suite, or maybe even a potential rental property if you want to help out with your mortgage on this $1.4 Million home. Living large ain't cheap, but in this real estate market, it could be worse.

SPECS

• Address: 21 Ashall Blvd
• Price: $1,388,000
• Lot Size: 41 x 110 ft
• Bedrooms: 4 + 1
• Bathrooms: 5
• Parking: 1
• Taxes: To be assessed
• Walk Score: 55

NOTABLE FEATURES

• Approximately 4000 square feet of finished space
• Separate door to basement
• Master walk in closet and large en suite
• Large windows throughout

GOOD FOR

Families looking for lots of space. Four bedrooms...five baths...it's hard to get this much space for the price at only a 15 minute drive from downtown. The understated design will appeal to those who don't want to think about a reno.

MOVE ON IF

If you're looking for a walkable neighbourhood, look elsewhere. This house is nestled between the Don Valley Parkway, Taylor Creek Park, and O'Connor Drive. If you want to go out for a quick dinner, you'll have to hop into your car. Not only is the Walk Score a low 55, but the transit doesn't fare much better, clocking in with a score of only 62. If you're looking for urban life, look elsewhere.

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

Thanks to Bosley Real Estate for sponsoring our House of the Week.

Paese Ristorante on King St. has served its last meal. According to a tipster, staff at the modern-Italian restaurant were phoned on Sunday night over the Thanksgiving weekend and told that the restaurant was shutting down, effective immediately. A staffer later confirmed the closure when reached at the restaurant by phone.

The eatery, just east of Peter St., was part of King West's tourist-heavy "restaurant row", serving brunches, hearty Italian dishes, and cocktails to pre- and post-theatre crowds. If you're a local who wants to keep getting your fix of taleggio, sausage and fig pizzas, you'll have to head way north to Paese's second location at Bathurst and Wilson.

Remember that storefront on Queen St. that was going to be a cupcake bakery, then an Americana-themed joint, then a sandwich shop, then something called Dear Jools and, finally, a Thai place called Thai-tanium?

The proprietor of 785 Queen St. West - Monte Wan of Khao San Road - has been playing with our hearts for a long, long time. But it looks like he's finally willing to make a bold step toward commitment - by opening up the space for one shining afternoon and letting people actually consume food there.

This Saturday, October 18, from 11am to 3pm, the restaurant will host a lunchtime pop-up event called Bro Appetit, featuring chow from a slew of local chefs and restaurants.

All your usual food-scene upstarts will be there: Come and Get It, Lisa Marie, Banh Mi Boys, Matt Blondin and Food Dudes' JUNK, and a half-dozen more. Admission is free, with all dishes $5 or less, so come out for yourself and see if the restaurant was really just an elaborate mirage the whole time.

Photo of the pizza at Come and Get It.

This year we partnered with the City of Toronto on the official Scotiabank Nuit Blanche photo contest. Participants tagged their best pics from the night with #snbTOBlogTO on Instagram and uploaded directly to our Scotiabank Nuit Blanche stream in the hopes of winning one of three prizes from Henry's Camera.

• 1st place: $500 gift certificate to Henry's Camera
• 2nd place: $100 gift certificate to Henry's Camera
• 3rd place: $50 gift certificate to Henry's Camera

The turnout was astounding, with almost 1,500 photos submitted for consideration. Of these, the following 10 have made the short list. Now your votes will determine the ultimate winner. Have a look at the images below and cast your vote!

Lead photo by jeff701fitzroy

Photo by doncharleone

Photo by johnbenedict

Photo by cyn_f

Photo by studiogabe

Photo by zjade

Photo by brad_g

Photo by abaluyut

Photo by Dominic Santiago

Photo by tonoariki

The voting deadline is this coming Sunday October 19th at midnight.

Photo by Yana and Denis in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Today in Toronto Indie Week will kick off five days featuring 250 bands at over 20 venues around the city with a launch party at the Hideout on Queen. If you're bored of publications hyping the same two dozen bands, now's the chance to discover some new music for yourself - or you could stick with the tried and tested and catch Merchandise at Wrongbar. People who still read (you're the best) can catch Pivot and the Coach House launch tonight, while design fans can wander Sukkahville's installations for free at City Hall. For more events, click on over to our events section.

• Music: Indie Week Launch Party 2014 (Hideout)
• Music: Merchandise + Lower + Beliefs + Eaters (Wrongbar)
• Lit: Pivot (Press Club)
• Design: Sukkahville (Nathan Phillips Square)
• Lit: Coach House Books Fall 2014 Launch (Garrison)
• Film: Lilting (TIFF)
• Comedy: Live Comedy with Friends in Toronto (Comedy Bar)
• Music: Beach Season w. Bizzarh, DCF and Niko Chan (Smiling Buddha)

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

Photo via Sukkahville

Cities like Toronto love to compare themselves to London. A major metropolis and world financial centre, the United Kingdom's biggest and most populated urban centre has been a trend setter for centuries, pioneering or popularizing many of the features standard to cities around the world.

Some 8.4 million people live in Greater London, even more in its sprawling commuter belt. The city has a massive and growing public transport network that comprises subways, surface rail, streetcars, light rail, buses, even a weird novelty gondola thing. Paying to ride transit is astonishingly simple, its endless tangled network of ancient streets includes pedestrian-friendly zones, and many of its best museums are completely free.

Here are 5 things Toronto could learn from London.

Don't stop with fare cards
Transport for London's Oyster card was one of the first contactless fare payment cards when it launched in 2003. In a city with a complex system of fare zones, the Oyster card made finding the correct (and more importantly, the cheapest) ticket delightfully simple. Tap on, tap off, and the card automatically deducts the correct fare up to the price of a day pass. Simple.

With the arrival of contactless credit and debit cards, TfL now allows riders to pay directly from a bank account--no fare card required. It works the same way: passengers touch a compatible bank card to a reader when boarding and exiting, and the system does the rest.

In Toronto, we're still paying cash and waiting for Presto, but the problem goes far beyond simply looking antiquated. Failing to keep up with fare technology is the number one reason why the King streetcar is a disaster. Without Presto and all-door boarding, some 60,000 people a day must shuffle past the driver, leading to between 40 and 50 percent of all delays on the line.

It may be that the fare card of the future is no fare card at all.

Pursue late night (even all-night) subway service
We've touched on Toronto's lack of late-night subway service in this series before, but it bears repeating: at the very least, the TTC should align its last train with last call at the bar. London mayor Boris Johnson announced all-night weekend tube service on the Piccadilly, Victoria, Central, Jubilee and Northern lines starting in 2015. Managing director of London Underground Mike Brown called it "the most exciting thing that has ever happened for London and its night-time economy."

The biggest obstacle to running the Toronto subway though the night is maintenance. The TTC uses the brief window between the last and first trains to carry out important repairs, so even a brief extension of subway hours would eat in to that time, possibly leading to more full weekend closures. For that reason, perhaps all-night service in Toronto makes most sense on Fridays and Saturdays.

Make fare increases routine and predictable
This idea, borrowed from CityLab's list of ideas U.S. cities should steal from London, appears to make some sense. In essence, Transport for London makes it clear that prices are going to rise every year, the only question is by how much. London's transit prices are already eye wateringly expensive, but behaving predictably goes some way to soften the blow for riders and politicians. Contrast that with the TTC, which drops a fare hike every few years to much consternation.

Kick out the cars
London's most famous attempt to quell its choking traffic was the Congestion Charge, a heavy £11.50 ($20.60) toll on all non-residential, inbound traffic, Monday to Friday (resident's permit holders qualify for a 90 percent discount.) The proceeds, minus the cost of running the system, is reinvested in the transportation network. Toronto probably isn't ready for such a scheme (the TTC is struggling to manage rush hour demand as it is,) but the city could work on making certain streets more pedestrian friendly.

Yonge Street between Queen and College or even Bloor is ripe for a makeover. Pedestrians heavily outweigh vehicles throughout the year, according to figures gathered by the local BIA, and yet there are still four lanes of sometimes high-speed vehicular traffic, making patios and other beneficial outdoor spaces impossible, or at least unpleasant.

London has a number of fully or semi-pedestrianized areas, like Carnaby Street, Leicester Square, and Covent Garden. Elsewhere, there are street layouts that allow cars but heavily favour foot traffic.

Find a way to make museums free (or very cheap)
Some of London's biggest and best museums and galleries--the Natural History Museum, Science Museum, and Victoria and Albert Museum--have no entrance fees thanks to a subsidy and tax tweak provided by the national government. There are fees to view special collections and exhibits, but anyone can walk in off the street and see dinosaur skeletons without opening their wallet.

It costs in the region of $20 to view the treasures of the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Royal Ontario Museum, except during a brief Wednesday night window at the AGO and on Friday afternoons at the ROM. Bringing a family to see the publicly-owned works of the Group of Seven or Rubens' Massacre of the Innocents can run in excess of $50. Perhaps private sponsorship or government subsidy could ease the pain.

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

Images: Garry Knight, Mike Knell, Simon & His Camera/Flickr.

Hailo Toronto will cease operations along with the rest of the company's branches throughout North America. When news broke that the company would cease North American operations to focus on European and Asian markets, a glimmer of hope remained for the local branch, which sought a licensing agreement with the parent company to continue what it characterized as "thriving" business in Toronto.

This news comes from TechCrunch, who first reported on the attempt of the Toronto branch to strike out on its own. According to the site, "a representative for Hailo says the company is shutting down all markets completely, and won't be striking a licensing deal in Toronto."

It's not all that surprising. If Hailo wants to sell its new overseas focus as something other than scampering away from North America with its tail between its legs, it probably makes sense not to leave a rather visible reminder of what could have been. So a clean break it will be, despite whatever potential the local iteration of the company might have had.

Photo from Hailo

Fall is my favourite time of year, but can easily be split into two categories. Early fall is when fantastic seasonal produce hits the shelf - squash is amazing, heirloom tomatoes are everywhere, and pumpkins abound. Later on in the fall, when the fresh produce runs dry, is when your pickles and preserves come off the shelf, and spices like clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon find their way into everything you eat or drink.

Each of the drinks on this list have taken a different approach to representing the quintessential fall experience, but there are a few recurring themes. This is definitely the time of year to be making cocktails with calvados, and any of the many amaros available at the LCBO are ideal for adding a delicately spiced bitter element to a drink. I'm also pleased to see anise working its way into drinks, in either absinthe or Pernod.

Here are my picks for the top 10 cocktails you need to try this fall in Toronto.

County General
This isn't the first time I've seen a bartender brûlée the cap of a sour, but the Farmer's Daughter cocktail ($12) seems to be the perfect use for the technique. Angostura 1919 rum is shaken with egg whites, lemon juice, a spicy ginger syrup and a house-made allspice dram. The foamy head is then dusted with brown sugar and torched to create a delicious meringue-like treat to slurp up once the drink is finished.

Montecito
James Taylor (Barchef, Happy Child) is helming the bar program at Ivan Reitman's much-lauded collaboration with chef Jonathan Waxman. It's nice to see Taylor's English roots make their way into his drinks, with cheeky names like the Up The Stairs cocktail. A blend of brandy, cider, pear liqueur and mint syrup is given a refreshing jolt with the addition of absinthe. It's a short, punchy cocktail without feeling boozy, so don't be surprised if you feel like immediately ordering another.

Toronto Temperance Society
Oliver Stern's cocktails over at this College Street member's bar might be a little difficult to try, but if you know somebody who can get you in, bite their hand off - the place is well known for making the most sensational drinks in the city. The Cary Grant is a blend of classic ingredients: bourbon, amaro, Grand Marnier, and Lillet Blanc, with a few dashes of cardamom bitters and a spritz of orange oil.

Portland Variety
The Corn Star features a heavily infused Tito's vodka. First, grilled corn husks marinate in the liquor, before it is fatwashed with brown butter. The resultant alcohol is rich and creamy; it's then shaken with salted caramel and almond milk before being dusted with a healthy portion of nutmeg. Reminiscent of an eggless flip.

Rush Lane
Jordan Bushell takes up only one part of an all-star cast of bartenders at this dedicated cocktail spot that neighbours Queen Street's famous Graffiti Alley. Together they've amassed an incredible collection of tools and toys to make cutting-edge drinks. The Cuban Shrub employs a brown sugar and apple cider vinegar gastrique, Havana Club 7, Zubrowka bison grass vodka, and Angostura bitters. The crystal clear ice sphere is pressed into shape before your very eyes too. The tartness of the vinegar is balanced exceptionally well. A must try.

Linwood Essentials
Jake Valianes is something of a newcomer to the Toronto cocktail scene, but he's not been afraid to stand out, with recipes involving PBR syrup and drinks served inside of books amongst many ideas that need to be seen in person. His fall offering, Uncle Randy's Dream Thanksgiving, is no exception. Shaking up cranberry-infused Havana Club with a carrot-infused maple syrup, lemon juice, parsnip tincture, and Angostura bitters, the only thing missing here is the turkey.

Lo Pan (upstairs at DaiLo)
Having relocated from the swanky surroundings of The Chase to the bar upstairs at one of Toronto's hottest new restaurants, Shane Mulvany has been hard at work making drinks to match the pan-Asian fare. The Itchy Go, Itchy E stirs together a nori-infused Bowmore single malt, Lillet Blanc, and roasted barley tea syrup before serving it up with a twist of lemon.

La Societe
Wes Galloway, formerly of Byblos, is now producing cocktails for this Mink Mile brasserie, as well as for the Trump Hotel's brand new Calvin Bar. His Autumn Sazerac stays faithful in technique to the classic drink, but mixes up the ingredients, pouring a stirred blend of calvados, turbinado sugar honey syrup, aromatic bitters, and cinnamon tincture, right into a chilled, absinthe washed glass.

Montauk
With Josh LeBlanc working on a new project with Montauk owner Dustin Keating, there's been a new cocktail sheriff in town. Step forward Michael Young (Spin, Blue Blood Bartenders) with a terrific range of new drinks at this snazzy little spot at the blooming corner of Dundas and Bathurst. Mount Gay rum is stirred with Amaro Nonino, Calvados, and a pumpkin spice vanilla bean syrup, strained into a Pernod-rinsed glass.

D.W. Alexander
Down in St Lawrence Market, this cocktail haunt has been defying the usual tourist-trap stereotypes that the neighbourhood dictates for a few months now - it's an excellent escape from the throngs on a busy weekend. Their ode to fall, Bright Autumn, uses Collingwood whiskey, Benedictine, sweet vermouth, tobacco bitters, and grapefruit zest to create a zippy, honeyed cocktail that can soothe a weary soul with ease.

Did I miss any? Leave your favourite fall cocktails in the comments.

Though Brown Sugar Bakery is now gone, a new shrine to French pastries has risen in its place. Chef Bertrand Alépée, a longtime restaurateur, created the new spot specifically to showcase his baking - everything from croissants and miniature pies to quiches and bread (which get assembled into croque-monsieurs, in true French form).

Read my profile of The Tempered Room in the bakery section.

If you play your cards right (that's not a pun - vote as you wish), this might be the fall election that packs on the calories you need to survive the winter ahead. Voting in advance polls already gets you cheap beer, and now a selfie at a polling station can earn you a free ice cream cone or truffle.

The democraclicious deal is being offer by Sweet Olenka's at 1050 Queen St. West and 2790 Lakeshore Blvd West today and Thursday only, so you'd better hit the polls quick (don't forget to snap a sweaty pic while you're making your last minute decisions). Why scream for ice cream when you can vote for it?

Vote and get a free ice cream cone or a truffle. #IceCreamElection just show us a selfie in front of a polling booth and get your free treat

— Sweet Olenka's (@SweetOlenkas) October 15, 2014

vote early, show us your selfie today&Thursday and voila we'll hand over a free ice cream cone or truffle. Sweetcivicduty! #icecreamelection

— Sweet Olenka's (@SweetOlenkas) October 15, 2014

Know of any more voting promotions? Add them to the comments.

Gyms with live DJs in Toronto have been growing steadily in number over the past few years, as downtown fitness studios attempt to pump up the workout experience for a young, party-ready client base. (It's just like going to the club, except a lot less alcohol and a lot more stationary bikes. The room temperature and clothing tightness, however, remain exactly the same.)

For years, spin gyms were on top when it came to live DJ fitness (which is fitting, if you love puns). More recent additions to the city's fitness scene will let you do yoga, full-body workouts, and even muay thai to live-mixed beats; now, you've got plenty options for pumping up the volume / your heart rate.

Here are my picks for the top 5 gyms with live DJs in Toronto.

Hard Candy Fitness
The Madonna-owned chain of gyms caused a stir in the city when it landed in Toronto last fall. While it wasn't the first in town to give fitness buffs a chance to sweat it out to live beats, it certainly gives DJs the most time on the schedule of any gym in town, with multiple live-spin classes booked weekly. Currently, they offer twice-weekly 90-minute "Electric Yoga" classes soundtracked by DJ QT Pie and DJ Alasi, as well as an interval-based 45-minute DJ Drive spin class.

Quad Spin
This Toronto chain of spin gyms has been hosting live DJ classes for years - way before upstarts like Hard Candy landed on the scene. Instructors and DJs lead the class through a series of tunes, letting the music set the pace for an impromptu interval session. They're added to the schedule at their King West and Queen East locations here and there - check the Quad site to find out if there's another one scheduled soon.

CYKL
The west-end spin gym is known around town for their fleet of Real Ryders - bikes that twist and turn like a real-world ride. If that's not enough to get you moving, they host monthly 75-minute spin classes soundtracked by DJ Jacopo and DJ Earlscourt. The next one's set for October 21 - check their schedule to stay on top of future classes. (If you miss it, there's always the Jack White-themed ride next month...)

Studio Lagree
The Lagree chain of fitness studios offers full-body, Pilates-ish workouts on a giant device called a "mega former" at King West and Forest Hill locations; every few weeks, a DJ will soundtrack one of their 50-minute classes. Follow them on Facebook to find out when the next one is happening.

Krudar Muay Thai
Krudar in Kensington Market just started doing DJ classes on Thursday nights. DJ Geoff Brown starts spinning house at 6pm, just as beginner's muay thai classes and spin sessions take over the gym. Punching to the beat: An excellent training technique.

Did I miss any? Leave your favourite gyms with live DJs in the comments.

Night clubs are not the most ideal setting for an after school program. Try telling that to Chandra Oppenheim, who in 1980 made a splash as a 12-year old fronting a band made up of adults. Hanging with the best of the best of New York's Lower East Side music scene, she was able to garner the respect of peers twice her age based on the strength of her EP, TRANSPORTATION.

This obscure release has been given new life thanks to TO-based label Cantor Records along with Chandra's own Rain Boots Records imprint, and on Friday October 17, Chandra will make a rare live appearance for the Toronto release show at Double Double Land.

The EP itself shows remarkable poise and considerable understanding of the world around her. Chandra Oppenheim's poignant lyricism seemed penned by someone wise beyond their years.

"I was putting something together, meaning observing my surroundings, relationships, societal constructions and beliefs and I was doing so in a completely free and uncensored way, as a child can," Oppenheim explains. "It was just like breathing. I was just doing it. I couldn't have analyzed it. I couldn't have written what I wrote. I would have censored myself. That's the great beauty of the young mind, a mind before self-censorship sets in. It's very valuable and we only have it for a short time."

For an artist so unknown the story of Chandra has been well documented. It is in fact, the type of story that music journalists and crate-diggers drool over: that record that no one knows about that will change your perception. The mere mention of NYC icons like CBGBs and The Mudd Club in the 80s would invariably invoke the name Blondie; only those in the know would know Chandra.

"I was naturally an outsider because I was a kid, and other than being in a band, had a kid-like life. I was in a safe little bubble and not really aware of the scene that I was a part of because I would be back stage, or on stage, rarely in the club itself," she says. "I remember feeling like people liked what we were doing. Audiences were enthusiastic, press was interested, and we were on the radio. So I'd say the music scene was accepting of me."

The daughter of well-connected conceptual artist Dennis Oppenheim, Chandra's obvious musical leanings were embraced and cultivated. It was he who connected her with his close friends from a band called the Dance. They were looking to start a project with a kid as front person and Chandra fit the bill.

Placing her seemingly simple lyrics over crash and burn post punk disco mutations, they were able to create something not only unique sounding but interesting for an audience: there was a matter-of-fact innocence to the proceedings that could not be faked. The fact that the project ran its course in just over a year is beside the point, and the obvious resonance of what was committed to tape can still be felt today.

"Back then I knew I liked what we were doing and I really like the Dance. It wasn't until several years later that I really understood and appreciated the high level of musicianship of these players," says Oppenheim. "The experience itself of writing the songs and playing with these musicians, I remember as being fun. I know we worked hard, but maybe because they were accommodating me in ways I wasn't aware of, it felt effortless. And it was of course incredibly satisfying."

Stand-out track "Kate" shows Oppenheim at her teenage best, filled with envy over the seemingly perfect life of her friend. "You're so weak/You're so sweet/You're too good for us," she jealously sings, though her delivery suggests that her feelings are not overly malicious.

After the project collapsed, Oppenheim formed an even shorter-lived project called The Chandra Dimension. Comprised of players more age appropriate they recorded an EP that was never released. The tracks from that EP will be included with the rerelease.

The release show in Toronto this weekend, where Chandra will take the stage with local weirdess Bile Sister for a performance of songs from Transportation, is an opportunity the singer is very much looking forward to.

"I am so excited! That probably doesn't sound very rock 'n roll, but that's me. If I'm enthusiastic about something, I don't hold back... I think it's going to feel great, cathartic, to sing these songs live with Bile Sister," Oppenheim tells me. "I'm looking forward to meeting everyone who has put this all together, seeing Toronto for the first time, being able to share this with my mother and my daughter, and last but not least, the celebratory beverage."

The TRANSPORTATION reissue release is Friday, October 17 at Double Double Land, 209 Augusta Ave. Advance tickets are available at Rotate This and Soundscapes.

Photo via Julia Cylia Reich on Facebook

The best Thai restaurants in Toronto are a contentious topic - with rivalries between restaurants and rapid expansions turning up the heat on Thai dining options citywide. Worth noting is the influence of Chef Nuit Regular (widely regarded as putting Khao San Road on the map) who, since parting ways with KSR, has opened a number of popular family-run eateries that embrace regional styles and street food specialties.

Even those not directly caught in the crossfire of competition between these downtown restaurants have been prompted to step up their game, resulting in destination-worthy Thai restaurants where status-quo pad thai is hardly the main attraction.

Here are the best Thai restaurants in Toronto.

See also:The Best Pad Thai in Toronto