Toronto might be getting a Mermaid School this summer. Already active in Montreal, AquaSirène marries the world of synchronized swimming and cosplay. So, if you find yourself constantly humming the tune to "Under the Sea, " news that the school has expansion plans should have your inner Ariel all a flutter.

The school presently offers courses on mermaid training, mermaid rentals (yes, you read that correctly), and kids party packages.

When reached about her plans for Toronto, founder Marielle Chartier-Hénault told us she didn't yet have a location but was planning for something by the "end of the summer."

If the attention the school has received is any indication of future demand, AquaSirène will be helping plenty of Toronto mermaids live-out their Splash fantasies.

Would you attend a mermaid school? Let us know in the comments.

For more info on the school, check out the AquaSirène Facebook page.

33 Rosedale Road, listed for $4,750,000, has an indoor swimming pool, a secret room and an extensive book collection. On the market for the first time since it was built in 1980, the home is a serious book lovers paradise infused by natural light and a rare circular layout.

The features of the home are both dizzying and intriguing. There's a sunken family room, twisting staircase and a circular skylight overlooking a zen-like space. Downstairs is a billiards room, a pool with a retractable glass roof, and a hidden bookcase door, leading to a secret wine cellar and storage area.

Nowadays, $4.7 million seems like a steal in this posh Rosedale neighbourhood. From CEOs to celebrities, the area is filled with movie star mansions and ultra expensive real estate. Just check out this neighbouring property at 30 Rosedale Rd. The eight bedroom estate with a home movie theatre and a sweet infinity pool was previously listed for a mind-blowing $14,800,000 before lowering its asking price.

Have a closer peek inside this '80s Rosedale pad.

SPECS

• Address: 33 Rosedale Road

• Price: $4,750,000 
• Lot Size: 50x352 FT
• 
Bedrooms: 4+1

• Bathrooms: 6
• 
Parking: 2 

• Taxes: $20,439

• Walk Score: 90

NOTABLE FEATURES

• Indoor swimming pool
• Spa bathroom with a quadruple rain shower head
• 8 person sauna
• Landscaped backyard overlooking a ravine

GOOD FOR

A renovation? Sure, it's a $4.7 million estate but it still could use an upgrade. According to the realtor, the property was built on a large parcel of land with room to expand in the back. Design plans are available if you're up for building an additional floor with an underground parking lot for 11 cars.

MOVE ON IF

The yearly taxes frighten you. At $20K, most Rosedale billionaires won't even flinch at the cost, but for some, that's a part-time salary.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS
Worth the asking price? Have your say in the comments.

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.

Photo by Kurtis Chen in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Today in Toronto geeks, gamers, circuit benders, and new media art-heads can mingle at Vector Game Art & New Media Festival's third year. Running from February 18-22 at Interaccess, Bento Miso, and Videofag, the multi-venue fest will feature a huge game art centric exhibit, plus music performances, early computer animation screenings (hint: Star Wars tie-in), a new media panel, the return of workshop GlitchJam, and a live action laser maze.

If you're looking for a new roomie, say, maybe a roomie who's moved beyond second hand IKEA furniture territory (one can dream), the Toronto Roommate Mixer is back. Then, Bush is here. Happy 2015. For more events, click on over to our events section.

• Art/Games: Vector Game Art & New Media Festival
• Music: Father John Misty (Danforth Music Hall)
• Sleepovers: TMI: Anti-Valentine's Day Edition (Henhouse)
• Awkward: Toronto Roommate Mixer (Hemingway's)
• Film: SIEGE aka Self Defense - A Laser Blast Presentation (Royal Cinema)
• Games: Punk Rock Bingo (Beaver)
• Comedy: The WEIRDO Show Finale Episode 47 (Comedy Bar)

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

Image: Jochen Zeirzer's Coin (2013) at Vector

It's easy to overlook this tiny take-out counter, but you shouldn't. In addition to traditional stuffed Chilean pastries, the walk-up window and caterer offers an astounding selection of original flavours - none of them more impressive than the iconic s'more, reinterpreted with Nutella and bananas and encased in a graham cracker shell.

Read my profile of the Empanada Company in the restaurant section.

Toronto shirts, hats and totes are everywhere in town right now. It's the cuddliest, most "yay, us!" fashion trend ever, and I am super into it.

If you, however, are getting sick of seeing folks walking around emblazoned with "YYZ" and "Turonno" and cute little streetcars and any neighbourhood you can think of emblazoned on their chests and heads, you probably just haven't seen the latest additions to the well-dressed civics nerd's closet: The Neighbourhood Project line of tees.

Sure to hit any typography lover square in the brainstem, the taupe-on-black tees immortalize Toronto neighbourhoods in the form of type-based logos. Scarborough gets a roller disco-inspired font, The Beaches gets slab type worthy of a vintage postcard, and Chinatown is rendered in a sloping, modern typeface that evokes late-night neon signs.

Other customer favourites so far, the designers say, include Koreatown, Etobicoke, Little Italy and Cabbagetown.

The shirts sell for $24.99 - check out available designs here. (They also do dog sweaters.)

It's getting significantly harder to be a beer nerd in this city. Every other bearded flannel enthusiast in the city fancies himself a connoisseur and you can't swing a tulip glass in this town without hitting a lady training for her next level of Cicerone certification.

In an effort to keep you one step ahead of the untapped-addicted masses, here's a list of five Toronto breweries you might not have heard of so that you might drop a little beery knowledge next time you're at the bar.

Sweetgrass Brewing Co.
Owned by the husband and wife team that owns the The Auld Spot, Sweetgrass Brewing Co. contract brews Sweetgrass Golden Ale, a 4.9% unfiltered Belgian-style ale, at Wellington Brewery in Guelph. Find it on tap at The Auld Spot (obviously) and a handful of other local bars.

Shacklands Brewing Co.
Brewed and packaged at Junction Craft Brewing on Cawthra Avenue, Shacklands' brewmaster Jason Tremblay makes some downright decent beers including a pale ale, a belgian dubbel, a farmhouse saison, and a series of IPAs. You can find Shacklands beers pouring at a handful of Toronto bars.

Woodhouse Brewing Co.
A contract brewery that makes just one beer, Woodhouse Brewing Co. is named after its founder, Graham Woodhouse. A former Labbatt employee, Woodhouse saw the craft beer light and now peddles his decent and easy to drink Amber Lager to an ever-growing number of Toronto's bars.

Muddy York Brewing
Brand-spanking-new Muddy York is an honest-to-goodness brewery (i.e. head brewer and founder Jeff Manol actually has a physical location where he brews his own beer) and the company just released their first beverage, the 4.7% Muddy York Porter. Find it on tap at The Wren, The Mugshot Tavern, and more.

Amber Brewing
The big selling point for Amer Brewing is that they offer the cheapest kegs of beer in the city, and that's probably all that needs to be said. At $155 per 58L keg, Amber's "Toronto House" is significantly cheaper than the competition. Their website even offers a helpful breakdown of potential profit margins for bar owners. You know if you're in a place serving Amber Beer, it's a place that seeks out quality first (of course, it probably won't be called Toronto House).

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

Photo via Sweetgrass Brewing Co.

It may seem strange to find an Italian fine foods shop in Little Portugal, but this new store on Dundas West has something for everybody. From quality olive oil and fresh pasta imported straight from Italy to Neapolitan espresso and the perfect piped-to-order cannoli (plus panini, gelato and anything else you can think of), you almost feel like you just took a trip to the boot-shaped nation (minus the cost of a plane ticket) after a visit here.

Read my profile of Solita in the grocery stores section.

Coming off the coldest weekend of the year, there's not many nice things to say about this winter. While perhaps not as gruelling as last year, the steady days and nights of temperatures below minus 10 just gets tedious. We've already shown just how beautiful winter can be in the city, but there's something unique about the appearance of the city in the midst of a deep chill.

From lake steam to ice formations, this is Toronto in the midst of a deep freeze.

It'd be hard to imagine a neighbourhood set to change more dramatically than Yonge and Eglinton over the next decade or so. Sure, it might get some competition from the rapidly rising South Core, but with the impending arrival of the Crosstown LRT, multiple block-long condo developments in the works, and a major makeover on the way for the Yonge Eglinton Centre, Toronto's main midtown intersection will likely be unrecognizable in by 2020.

In fact, plans are so robust in the area immediately surrounding the intersection that the development footprint is already set to push well south of Eglinton towards Davisville. With the departure of the sprawling Art Shoppe last year, the block between Soudan and Hillsdale was ripe for a major development, which Freed Developments and CD Capital have recently announced. The Art Shoppe Lofts + Condos will be a 28 storey tower with retail at grade due for completion in 2019.

It's not surprising that such a prime parcel of land was swept up for condo redevelopment, but it does underscore the tremendous changes in store for the neighbourhood. It seems like only a few years ago that local residents were protesting the rise of the Minto Midtown towers, but it's actually been a decade. In that span, the area has become ground zero for density-increasing development, which now spills over into the low rise regions surrounding the intersection.

The best Caribbean restaurants in Toronto stand out, despite a healthy amount of competition across the city. The best in this class are mom and pop shops that, for the most part, have been in business for years, dishing out island staples like roti, doubles, jerk meats, and all sorts of fritters.

Here are the best Caribbean restaurants in Toronto.

See also:

The best jerk chicken in Toronto
The best roti in Toronto
The best Jamaican patties in Toronto

Food catering companies in Toronto accommodate boardroom breakfasts, working lunches and company-wide functions. Sandwich platters that can be doled out on a napkin, or boxed sets are among the most serviceable picks, but there's no need to let weekday routines result in boredom, as there are an abundance of options available citywide.

Here are my picks for the top 10 corporate and office food catering companies in Toronto.

See also:

The best catering companies in Toronto
The top 50 catering options in Toronto
The top 10 BBQ caterers in Toronto

Epicater
Epicater isn't a catering company, but rather an app that connects corporate clients with restaurants, food trucks, and chefs. Epicater curates office lunches and events (accommodating for any restrictions of course) and streamlines invoicing and delivery while offering an unlimited variety from vendors like Sense Appeal and NuBagel.

Food.ee
Similar to Epicater, Food.ee delivers restaurant lunches to offices. Its roster of partnering vendors includes Porchetta & Co., Salad King, Feast and Portland Variety (to name just a few), so it's unlikely your office will ever grow bored of the selection.

Little Fin
This casual seafood lunch counter in the Financial District offers executive class catering options including platters of chilled seafoods or assorted sandwiches, and boxed lunches featuring a fish'wich, side salad and sweet.

Nadege
The arrival of this French patisserie in the PATH, means that ordering a platter of croissants, sandwiches or petit choux for the board room table has never been easier.

Delica Kitchen
This lovely luncheonette boasts locations in midtown, as well as, east-side and west-side locations that bookend Queen Street. Catering orders can be delivered across the GTA, making breakfast meetings and working lunches more bearable with platters of muffins, croissants and fruit, or artisan sandwiches and salad bowls.

Cafe Plenty
Also new to the Financial District, the second outpost of this indie cafe offers a simple menu of office-friendly fare including assorted muffins, sandwiches, salads and sweets for breakfast and lunch. Order mass quantities straight off the menus or pre-packaged lunch boxes complete with a sandwich, salad, dessert and drink.

The Edible Story
Based out of a production kitchen on Richmond East, The Edible Story tailors every menu to match its client needs. Among the workplace/oriented offerings find stellar sandwiches like the salmon nicoise, roast beef with caramelized onions, or veggie-friendly sweet potato and avocado.

Foodbenders
This caterer on Sterling Road will custom cater breakfast or lunch for corporate functions. The menu changes seasonally, but expect to find options like breakfast sandwiches and yogurt parfaits for breakfast meetings, and a lunch menu offering sandwiches, salads, house baked foccacia, and hearty rice bowls.

The Goods
The Dundas West kitchen is devoted to vibrant nutrient-rich salad and grain boxes, soups and smoothies, and can cater for groups of ten to 400. Groups with dietary restrictions will find this shop especially accommodating.

Food Dudes
This full service, all-purpose caterer will feed your next corporate breakfast, lunch or dinner from their varied menus. Spoil your office fir choice with options that include everything from breakfast canapés and buffet stations, BBQ lunches and hot homestyle meals.

What did I miss? Add your favourite corporate caterers in the comments.

As the last remains of the tower portion of the Inn on the Park succumbs to demolition efforts, Tridel has released preliminary renderings of the development that's set to replace what was once Toronto's premier suburban hotel destination. The initial design work was completed by Peter Dickinson before his death in 1961, which resulted in resort complex that leaned heavily on the triangular forms popularized by Frank Lloyd Wright in the previous decades.

For decades, the Inn on the Park was a beacon of luxury that rose up above the Don Valley at Eglinton and Leslie. Opened in 1963, the company added a 23-storey tower in 1971 bringing the total number of rooms on offer to over 500. Not your average hotel, the Inn on the Park boasted innovations like a nightclub, fitness centre, and massive convention centre long before such things were commonplace.

Things would go downhill in the 80s. A fire at the outset of the decade brought heaps of bad publicity and the once luxurious atmosphere had lost its lustre. The very idea of vacationing in the city become passé (something which also led to the ultimate demise of the Lake Shore motel strip). By the mid 1990s, the Inn on the Park was subsumed by the Holiday Inn chain. A decade later it was closed down, a shell of its former self.

The original hotel was demolished in 2006, leaving only a slight trace of the former grounds. Wrecking crews have now almost finished with the tower from 1971, though a drive up Leslie St. still reveals its ghostly remains -- for now. This was an iconic Toronto institution in its heyday, something that would be hard to grasp for those passing by today.

But after a series of plans fell through, it would appear that the future of the site is now coming into focus. In place of previous visions that included seniors' condos and car dealerships, Tridel has released preliminary plans for a series of condo towers that will take the name On the Park in an homage to the previous occupant of the land.

According to Urban Toronto, the new buildings will range "between 28 and 39 storeys [and contain] 1,380 residential units [alongside] 20 three-storey townhouses and 943 square metres of commercial retail space." The Crosstown LRT is about to stop at the doorstep of these buildings, so the rise of condos here was pretty much inevitable.

The designs for the new buildings lack the modernist flare of the Inn on the Park, but do feature a mixture of polygonal footprints, which ever so subtly gesture to the old Dickinson design. It really would have been nice to see some heritage preservation here, but those of us who remember the old hotel will still be able to imagine it perched atop the hill.

Postcards from Chuckman's Blog. Ruins photo by Michael Sakalauskas. Rendering courtesy of Tridel.

Today in Toronto the Artist Project opens at the Better Living Centre. Instead of a typical gallery curated art fair, here you'll find the artists themselves working their own booths. The opening night party is 7-10pm, then the fair runs over the weekend. Check out our review of last year's show here. Then there's good news for cult film fans: Trash Palace move into their new digs at Cinecycle tonight (read about what's up here).

The most exciting event tonight for music fans, though, will undoubtedly be BadBadNotGood and Ghostface Killah sharing the stage at The Opera House. Earlier in the evening Artistic Director of the Music Gallery (and blogTO guest contributor) David Dacks will interview Toronto's new Music Development Officer Mike Tanner. Thin Edge New Music Collective will also perform. For more events, click on over to our events section.

• Art: Artist Project (Better Living Centre)
• Music: BadBadNotGood featuring Ghostface Killah (The Opera House)
• Film: Trash Palace present Watermelon Man (Cinecycle)
• Party: Series Four Label Reveal Party (Garrison)
• Theatre: Black Men in Theatre (918 Bathurst)
• Film: Cinemacabre Movie Night (The Royal)
• Music: An Interview with Mike Tanner (The Music Gallery)
• Music: Bile Sister + New Zebra Kid + Schonsee (Gladstone)
• Art: Jeff Tutt and Josh Thorpe (Diaz Contemporary)
• Music: Ariel Pink (Phoenix)

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

Photo of the Artist Project by Derek Flack

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.

OPEN NOW

• Bar Raval, the new all-day Spanish taverna from Grant Van Gameren and partners Mike Webster and Robin Goodfellow, is now open at 505 College St., formerly Teatro.
• Backwoods Smokehouse & Whisky Bar is now open where Red Sauce (and Acadia before that) used to be.
• The previously reported-on Remarkable Bean has opened its second location in Leslieville at 1103 Queen St. East.

RECENTLY REVIEWED

• The Empanada Company
• Billy Jacks Po'Boys
• D & Y Sushi
• Flor de Sal

OPENING SOON

• Tapas Slider, a new burger joint, is in the works at 655 College St.
• H Bar is soon to open in the old Sweet Lulu space at 859 Queen St. West.
• 7 Dim Sum is taking over 867 Danforth Ave., previously home to the Teatree Cafe.

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

Photo from H Bar Toronto

There aren't very many places to try Somali cuisine around these parts, and this new bricks and mortar version of a food truck that launched last summer is determined to turn more Torontonians onto these flavourful eats. Addictive made-from-scratch sauces go great with cooked-to-order hot salads, wraps, rice dishes and samosas, which may just be some of the best in the city.

Read my profile of Kal & Mooy in the restaurants section.

Stores to buy chairs in Toronto will help you find the perfect pieces for dining, entertaining, office or lounging. Toronto's furniture studios and showrooms are pros at catering to homebuyers and business owners alike, placing all manner of styles at your fingertips.

Here are my picks for the top stores to buy chairs in Toronto.

Shelter
Blending into their neighboring home décor, furniture and design shops along Caledonia Road, Shelter Furniture presents an abundance of modern, classic, Scandinavian and vintage inspired side and dining chairs within a brightly-lit industrial space. It's perfect for design-conscious decorators on a responsible budget.

Elte Market
Elte Market recently arrived in the Castlefield Design District to cater to Toronto's younger-generation condo occupants. Within their sprawling warehouse, shoppers will find an extensive selection of contemporary and classic pieces that manage to be both luxurious and affordable.

Queen West Antique Centre
This antique centre is literally a hidden gem in the heart of Parkdale - it's a grey building with no visible signage. If you happen to know where you are going - or are lucky enough to find this store - it's a goldmine of 1960s antique chairs. They buy and sell pieces from recognizable designer names that have maintained a perfect condition.

Design Republic
Located in the Burroughs building on Queen West, this retailer is a perfect fit for the neighbourhood, offering a selection of trendy and affordable dining chairs and bar stools. Shop here if you are looking for statement pieces that are both fun and functional.

Design Within Reach
The King West shop welcomes sophisticated shoppers with a taste for timeless, mid century modern designs from design legends like Charles and Ray Eames, Philippe Starck and Michael Thonet. (They will soon open a second showroom near King and Sherbourne.)

Klaus
On King East since 1968, Klaus stocks a line of eclectic contemporary and postmodern chairs meant to complement their imported European designers, including Tom Dixon and Moooi.

Morba
The windows at this Queen West favourite are illuminated by multifarious pendant lighting, inviting patrons in off the bustling street to peruse their large selection of vintage chairs. From mid century modern to current-day design, Morba caters to local eateries, residential prospects and a corporate clientele.

Calligaris
Though Calligaris has been around for nearly a century, their designs are strikingly modern - the Italian company combines form and function elegantly. Located on King East, near a number of high-end competitors, Calligaris sets itself apart by offering low to mid-priced design.

Kiosk
Transplant yourself into Kiosk on King East and you could easily mistake your surroundings for a French or Italian design museum. This store caters to serious designers, collecting exclusive art forms that come along with an exclusive price tag.

Stylegarage
Recently relocated into a two-storey location on Ossington, Stylegarage is reminiscent of summers in a wood cabin, with a style that blends modernity with warmth. The first floor offers custom made pieces (8-16 weeks), while the second hosts Gus Modern who keep their manufacturing space fully stocked to ensure arrival within a week.

Did I miss any? Leave your picks for where to buy chairs in Toronto in the comments.

Photo of Shelter by Dennis Marciniak.

A new Toronto "gentleman's lounge" aims to blur the line between bar and barber shop. Modeled after the kind of shops his dad and grandpa used to frequent, barber and owner Jeff James does shaves and cuts in a welcoming, memorabilia-plastered space - but he'll also happily package in a scotch or a beer with your services.

Read my profile of Rod, Gun & Barber in the fashion section.

If you're of the opinion that Franken-poutine has gone too far or cry sacrilege every time you see a Toronto chef take a little creative license with this dish, then the following is not going to assuage you.

Poutineville in the Annex is a bonafide Québécois-born restaurant - and even they're dishing out poutines that are as obscene as they come. Take the Dragon ($13), for example. It's a poutine that isn't content with simply being just any old mess of fries, curds, and gravy.

This poutine has a traditional base (the essentials are all there in true form), but is amped up with a spicy gravy flecked with chili flakes and topped with a trio of hot wings and hot pepper rings.

It's just one of many outrageous variations at this restaurant, where there's also the option to build your own quirky creation. It's just poutine afterall - have fun with it.

Thanks to IBM for sponsoring this post. IBM Watson's cognitive system helps chefs create new recipes and helps businesses cook up new ideas.

Know of any Toronto restaurants doing interesting takes on poutine? Let us know in the comments.

Toronto artist Alex Millington is never short of ideas, and starting March 7th, he'll reveal the first clue to his newest brainchild, The Urban Goose Chase: a hunt around the city for a piece of artwork, namely a golden goose crafted by Millington himself.

While there's no household in Toronto that couldn't use more locally crafted, gleaming winged bric-a-brac, the fun here is obviously in the hunt itself. Millington's previously treasure hunts have taken place at York University, once in the book store (The winner found $100 cash and a golden ticket in a copy of Catcher in the Rye) and once featuring sculptures around campus.

Millington tells me about the first art hunt, started through a comic strip he authored. "I constructed a hunt around the sculptures at York. I had hidden envelopes containing instructions to the next clue within each sculpture. The comic itself acted as the catalyst for people to go out and look for them... the prize was for the winner to be illustrated in the next publication."

"The woman who won the space in my next comic expressed to me in a long letter that the hunt had reassured her that there are, indeed, good people in the world and that finding my comic had, to some degree, prevented her from hurting herself that night."

The Urban Goose Chase will spread the love and adventure inherent in the independent project downtown for the first time. After the first clue appears on his website on March 7, "people can expect to travel around the core of Toronto. Every clue is accessible to all. Each clue leads you closer and closer to the golden goose, and the first one to successfully find it takes it home."

To participate, keep a close eye on Millington's website and our Twitter feed on March 7th.