Doughnuts of the Tim Horton's variety might be available on what seems like every corner in Toronto, but for fancy, gourmet variants and regional delicacies like churros, paczki or sufganiyot, there's nothing quite like your local bakery to get your fix.

Here are my picks for the top doughnut purveyors in Toronto by neighbourhood.

See also:

The Best Donuts in Toronto
The Best Churros in Toronto

BEACHES
All organic, vegan, and gluten free doughnuts make regular appearances at Tori's Bakeshop. Shellacked in chocolate or pink icing with sprinkles, these babies boast moist cake thanks to the addition of apple sauce in the recipe.

BLOORCOURT
A seasonal assortment of vegan, gluten-free donuts ($2.50 each) are on offer during brunch at The Steady. The selection is always changing, but recent features have included a chipotle-spiked chocolate BBQ doughnut, caramel apple doughnuts and the deceivingly delicious bagel doughnut.

BLOORDALE
Through Being Cool Vegan Baking Co. carries the largest selection of vegan doughnuts in the city. On any given day, expect to find a multitude of fun flavours including creamsicle-inspired doughnuts, maple bacon, chocolate mint, toasted coconut, and cookies and cream.

BLOOR WEST VILLAGE
Anna's Bakery & Deli does Polish style doughnuts called paczki filled with plum, custard or raspberry for 80 cents each.

CORSO ITALIA
Zeppole ($3.95) are only available around Easter at Tre Mari Bakery, but bomboloni ($1.75), cinnamon twists, hand dipped chocolate, and custard cream filled doughnuts ($1 each) are fixtures year round.

THE DANFORTH
Von Doughnuts offers a rotating selection featuring more than a dozen daily flavours. Favourite features include honey bourbon crullers, honeycomb and chocolate, and a nostalgic riff on maple butter tarts turned into doughnut form.

DUNDAS WEST
Junked Food Co. is all about indulging and the Treat Yo Self doughnut ($7) loaded with banana, toasted marshmallow fluff, warm peanut butter, berries, and crushed pecans, is a perfect example. For a sweet and savoury experience try one of four grilled cheese doughnuts like the The Trailer Park Boy ($7) loaded with Cheese Whiz, bacon, Doritos and ketchup.

ETOBICOKE
The apple fritters at Sanremo Bakery have earned a cult following, though the rest of the selection should not be overlooked. Best of all you can have any doughnut here sliced in half, slathered in Nutella and then sandwiched around a scoop of gelato.

FINANCIAL DISTRICT
Jelly Modern Doughnuts started in Calgary but now operates three Toronto outlets. The selection changes daily, rotating through favourites piped with lemon curd or crowned with swirls of peanut butter.

KENSINGTON MARKET
Pancho's Bakery makes churros, sweet sugar rolled Mexican doughnuts piped with dulce de leche, chocolate or strawberry sauce.

KING WEST
Like many Italian bakeries, Forno Cultura only sells zeppole during the lenten season. In the off season, you'll find beignets ($3.50) are a fixture while lovely peach flavoured pesce ($3.50), rolled in sugar and topped with fresh rosemary are on special every weekend.

LITTLE ITALY
From 8 a.m. to noon each day, Bar Raval sells doughnuts in flavours like honey orange, and dulce de leche with espelette peppers ($2.75 each), plus torta de dehesa and fennel pollen, and dulce de leche with crispy jamon ($3.75).

MOUNT PLEASANT
Head to Thobors Boulangerie for bite sized beignets rolled in sugar and filled by request with pastry cream, raspberry jam, Nutella, or apple compote.

NORTH YORK
Amazing Donuts is kosher bake hop on Bathurst where scratch-made doughnuts come in classic flavours like rainbow sprinkle, chocolate glazed and Boston creme. At Chanukah, find classic jelly-filled Sufganiot.

OSSINGTON
The Saint Tavern's donuts of the day sell for $6, and while the selection is always changing, expect goodies like strawberry cream filled brioche doughnuts or double butter, chocolate glazed doughnuts sprinkled with Maldon salt.

PARKDALE
Glory Hole Doughnuts offers both cake and yeast varieties of doughnuts ($2.50 to $3.75 each). The lineup changes frequently, but count on signature flavours such as Cinnamon toast crunch and S'mores.

RONCESVALLES VILLAGE
While Benna's Bakery (home to delicious paczki) is currently closed, plan B for fresh doughnuts is La Cubana. Get an order of these house-made doughnut holes served warm for $5.

QUEEN WEST
Hot from the fryer and straight off the conveyor belt, the mini doughnuts are a highlight at Little Nicky's Coffee Shop. Have a dozen for $4 (or half a dozen for $2.75) dusted in fine sugar or rolled in cinnamon sugar.

SCARBOROUGH
Get your doughnut fix at Port Union Bakery where classics like dutchies and Boston cremes are house favourites. Buy single doughnuts for 85 cents each, $4 for a half dozen or $6 for 12.

ST. CLAIR WEST
Doughnuts ($2.50 to $4) are available on Saturdays and Sundays only at Emma's Country Kitchen and are known to sell out. The selection changes daily, though recent favourites have included a blood orange pistachio doughnut,and another glazed in chocolate and loaded with peanuts, pretzels and caramel.

WEST QUEEN WEST
Dough by Rachelle operates out of Beast Restaurant, where you'll find an ever-changing lineup of flavours like cardamom crullers, brown butter glazed yeast doughnuts, and the Cinnamon Ghost Crunch served during brunch Friday through Monday. Find them on select days at Sam James Coffee Bar in the PATH and on Harbord plus Sanagan's Meat Locker.

YONGE & COLLEGE
Delicious, house-baked doughnuts at the Loblaws on Carlton are an anomaly that are exclusive to this location. Find apple fritters fresh first thing in the morning plus an assortment of candy-bar inspired flavours (think Reese) and even the odd churro.

YONGE & EGLINTON
Uncle Betty's Diner serves doughnuts all day from brunch to dessert. Have them dusted in powdered sugar or cinnamon ($1.50) or made into an ice cream sandwich ($6).

YONGE & LAWRENCE
Recent winners of the Food Network's Donut Showdown, The Rolling Pin is home to over-the-top donuts frosted with peanut butter and jam or glazed with maple and sprinkled with bacon complete with DIY maple syrup shots. Single donuts are priced between $2.95 and $3.45, while a half dozen in any flavour costs $17 and a full dozen come in at $34.

YONGE & ST. CLAIR
Long sugar-dusted churros con chocolate ($8) are a perfect sweet finish when dining on Spanish tapas at Cava.

What did I miss? Disagree with my selections in the comments.

Lead photo from the Jelly Modern Doughnuts by Jesse Milns

The Craft Beer Passport is back in Toronto for another year, bringing discounted rates on locally made beers at 20 bars and breweries across that city. And this year, likely due to a bit of whining last year, there will be full pint options available at most of the participating establishments.

The way it works is simple: you buy the passport for $20, which gives you a choice of one of three beers at each the 20 places participating in the program for two bucks. Yes, you still have to plop down some cash, as $2 is legally the lowest price bars can sell beer, but you should be tipping anyway, so it was never going to be free at the point of purchase anyway.

The Craft Beer Passport isn't about getting drunk on the cheap (there are plenty of places to do that in Toronto), but about fostering the exploration of bars that take beer seriously in the city with the incentive of reduced prices. When viewed this way, it's a compelling option for drinkers looking to get to know the local beer scene.

The Craft Beer Passport is valid from June 1 to November 30, 2015. There's a launch party at Revival on June 4 and the passports are available for sale here.

Mike Babcock has been named the new head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. While there were reports yesterday that the longstanding Detroit Red Wings bench boss wasn't destined for Leafland, someone was misinformed or the Olympic gold medal-winning coach had a last minute change of heart.

Over the course of 12 seasons behind the Red Wings bench, Babcock posted a 527-285-119 record (plus 19 ties before the shoot-out was introduced). That record and the Stanley Cup he won with the team in 2008 made him one of the most sought after coaches in the league after he was granted permission to speak with other teams in early May.

TSN reports that Babcock has been signed to an eight year contract worth $50 million, which will handily make him the highest paid coach in the league (that's in the range of a star player's salary). This is the first bold addition by Brendan Shanahan since dispensing with GM Dave Nonis and the former coaching staff.

It is perhaps a bit strange to hire a coach before a GM (Cliff Fletcher did this with Ron Wilson prior to Brian Burke coming on as GM), but Babcock touts wide respect across the league, and the window to bring him in as coach was set to expire June 30th. What do you think of the move? Have the Leafs finally done something right?

Toronto artist Viktor Mitic's reputation is on the rise following the opening of a large scale show of his so-called bullet paintings at ARTISANworks Gallery in Rochester, NY.

While Mitic has grabbed headlines in the past for his notorious tour of a shot-up yellow school bus around Washington D.C. (including outside the White House), this show comprises more than 50 works and features many other celebrities.

The artist is also the subject of a documentary titled "Art or War," which describes his painting/shooting process as a subversion of the role traditionally assigned to the gun.

"The uneasiness with which people perceive weapons, since they were made for one purpose only (to destroy something living) puts me in an unique position," he explains. "I use weapons to re-create iconic images."

Of the many iconic images Mitic has crafted, few are more popular than his Rob Ford portrait, which was completed shortly after the crack cocaine scandal rocked the mayor's office in 2013.

You can check out a gallery of Mitic's images via the ARTISANworks website. The show runs until July 21.

Calling all Game of Thrones fans. If you're also into a bit of cosplay and have some pent up aggression to release, this post-season finale battle planned for Trinity Bellwoods Park could be the ideal way to blow of steam.

"Come one, come all as we gather one fortnight after the season finale of Game of Thrones," the event description reads. "We shall descend upon the meadows of Trinity Bellwoods and partake in an epic battle for the Iron Throne... All weapons must be padded. Non-players are asked to keep their distance."

The whole padded weapons thing is intriguing. One suspects that you could still do bit of damage even if your sword is wrapped in bed sheets. So you'll need to be strong and savvy to survive this battle of Bellwoods, just as you would if you were fighting in Westeros.

The battle gets underway at 3pm on June 28, but those looking to participate are asked to arrive at 2:30pm "to allow for preparations, rules of engagement & battle planning." Best of luck.

Photo by Randy Hoffman in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Today in Toronto it's time to embrace the arts. Head to the Lower Ossington Theatre to catch a performance of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. If you prefer movies over theatre perf, tonight is the night Inside Out kicks off. The opening gala will be held at the TIFF Bell Lightbox and promises an evening full of DJs and dancing (and, of course, thought-provoking cinema).

For more events, click on over to our events section.

• Cringe Worthy (The Garrison)
• Inside Out Opening Night (TIFF Bell Lightbox)
• Patrick Howlett: unitholders (Susan Hobbs Gallery)
• CINEMACABRE Movie Night (The Royal Cinema)
• Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Lower Ossington Theatre)
• The Hustle: Edition 5 (The Piston)

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

Film still from Fourth Man Out, screening at Inside Out

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

• Booyah, a new ice cream parlour serving Kawartha Dairy ice cream and house made cookies is now open at 16 Vaughan Road.
• Origination noodle house is now open in Chinatown at 421 Dundas St. West.
• Patchmon's Thai Desserts is now open at 2463 Bloor Street West serving up colourful jasmine cakes, sweet coconut jellies, and taro custards.
• Newly opened Japanese eatery, Yutaka is serving up sushi and robata at 157 Dundas St. West.

RECENTLY REVIEWED

• Concession Road
• Little Schmiddy's Hot Meat House
• McRamyun
• Kabuki Sushi Lounge

OPENING SOON

• New restaurant Crate is in the works at 1402 Queen St. East, formerly home to Rakia Bar.
• The Wickson Social, a new 130+ seat bar and restaurant is set to open towards the end of July at the base of the condo at 5 St. Joseph.

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

Photo from Patchmon's Thai Desserts

Toronto is home to a handful of gorgeous public gardens, from outdoor landscapes to indoor conservatories, making it easy to rediscover nature when you're trapped in what's otherwise an urban landscape. Spend a summer day getting serene with some pretty flowers or having your mind blown by some crazy plants. Most of these places are free and easy to access via public transportation.

Here are my picks for the top public gardens in Toronto.

Edwards Gardens
This former private estate is now a haven for flora lovers, blooming with wildflowers, roses and annual plants. Follow one of many walking trails and soak up the sights of wooden arch bridges, a waterwheel, rock gardens and neighbouring Wilket Creek Park.

Alexander Muir Memorial Gardens
Named after the guy who brought us The Maple Leaf Forever, you'll notice maple leaves are a recurring theme throughout this multi-levelled park near Yonge and Lawrence. It all backs onto a ravine system that's intertwined with walking trails, which lead you through Sherwood and Sunnydene parks.

Toronto Botanical Garden
Actually located within Edwards Gardens, the Toronto Botanical Garden houses 17 themed gardens, all of them award-winning. Book a tour of the LEED Silver Certified space and enjoy a refreshing jaunt through nearly four acres of immaculately pruned greenery and flora.

Allan Gardens
What could be more fun than 16,000 square feet of banana trees, orchids, jasmine, palm trees and other crazy plants? Allan Gardens has serious flower power, housing not only permanent collections but also seasonal installations that show off pretty -- and sometimes just plain weird -- plants.

Centennial Park Conservatory
This conservatory is comprised of a tropical house, an arid (cactus) house and a show house, all of which are bursting with intriguing species that'll put Dr. Seuss's fluffy trees to shame. Step inside to trick yourself into thinking you're on a lush, warm island.

Toronto Music Garden
Yo Yo Ma crafted this masterpiece of a garden, which is supposed to be an earthy interpretation of Bach's Suite No. 1 in G Major for unaccompanied cello, BWV 1007. Rolling and sprawling just to the west of the Harbourfront Centre, the landscape is beautifully backdropped by the lake.

Toronto Sculpture Garden
If you're tired of flowers, observe some human-made beauty at the Toronto Sculpture Garden. The space hosts regular exhibits to show off installations by various sculptors. One thing remains constant, however, and that's a very photo-worthy fountain at the east wall.

Kew Gardens
This massive park in the Beaches will keep you entertained for hours with a wading pool, playground, trails, a sports pad and a baseball diamond. It's also home to the historic Key Williams House (a.k.a. the Gardener's Cottage), which is a plant and flower lover's dream.

City Hall Green Roof
There are few better public places in the heart of downtown Toronto to take a moment's refuge than the green roof at City Hall. Although you're surrounded by the concrete of Nathan Phillips Square and the soaring towers of our civic heart, the elevated garden nevertheless feels like a world away from the hum and buzz of city life below.

St. James Park
Get your picnic on and photobomb some wedding parties at this stunning park, backdropped by the majestic St. James Cathedral. The gothic architecture and garden displays will put you in a Downton Abbey kind of mood.

What did I miss? Add your suggestions for the top public gardens in the comments.

Photo by Alexander Meoko in the blogTO Flickr pool

Look out Bang Bang, there's a new source for ice cream sandwiches ready to duel it out for summer line-ups. This all natural ice cream parlour just north of Trinity Bellwoods is scooping out flavours like Ontario strawberry and vegan cashew milk ice creams, which can be had in a cup, cone, cookie sandwich, and more.

Read my profile of Scoop Shop in the restaurants section.

As the last remains of Jilly's are removed from the facade of the Broadview Hotel, a good picture of the historic building's future has finally been revealed. Earlier schematics showed that renovation efforts would include a four storey addition to the building, which appears in the above rendering as a slick-looking glass box that will add significant square footage without overpowering the historic character of the structure.

The addition will be more prominent when viewed from Broadview Ave. rather than Queen St. East, from which it will appear somewhat hidden at the back of the building. City staff have recommended that the alterations to the building be approved (this rendering comes via a heritage report), which means that today's picture will likely be very close to what the final product looks like.

The new iteration of the Broadview Hotel will also serve as a restaurant, cafe and events space. So, yes, as was always expected, this development will very much be like the east side version of the Gladstone Hotel, and perhaps even a bit nicer. Let us know what you think of the rendering in the comments.

This popular Taiwanese chain already has a few locations around the city, but now it's opened a spot by Ryerson's campus just east of Eaton Centre. With quality drinks like a Wintermelon Tea Creama and Taro Fresh Milk that uses real taro, there are also options galore, like choosing the level of sweetness and ice you want as well as extras like adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream to your beverage.

Read my profile of Sharetea in the cafes section.

Weekend events in Toronto will have you nerding out when Anime North rolls into town this Friday. Gather up your cosplay gear and get geeky with hundreds of anime enthusiasts. If that's not your scene, Doors Open Toronto is also on tap. Take a peek inside some of Toronto's normally closed-off buildings and battle with other photographers to take the best pics.

Here are my picks for the top events happening in Toronto May 22-24, 2015.

FOOD & DRINK

Andean Flavours Culinary Tasting & Pisco Experience (May 22)
Andean Flavours is a must for Toronto foodies. The event brings together the flavours of Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile and Ecuador and pairs them with Molecular Mixology cocktails.

CraveTO (May 22)
Head to The Burroughs and get ready for a night of street eats, craft beer and live DJs as CraveTO hosts one of the biggest food-oriented parties in town. Best of all, all the food and drinks on offer are under the $6 mark.

MUSIC

Monster Rock Orchestra (May 22)
Ever wanted to hear "Livin' On A Prayer" played by a symphony orchestra? Now's your chance. Orchestra musicians will be playing all your favourite rock hits from Bon Jovi to Guns N' Roses this Friday at Dundas Square.

Raekwon at The Phoenix (May 22)
Less than a month after the release of his sixth solo full length, Fly International Luxurious Art, Wu-Tang member and Ice H20 Records label founder Raekwon hits the Phoenix this month. MKN

CBCMusic.ca Festival (May 23)
CBCMusic.ca is hosting a one-day music fest at Echo Beach this Saturday and the lineup is pretty impressive. Headliners include Bahamas, Patrick Watson, Coeur de Pirate and other indie icons.

MOVIES

Inside Out (May 21-31)
While Inside Out make a name for themselves with screenings year round, film lovers know the best time for queer cinema in the city is during the Inside Out LGBT Film Festival, marking its 25th anniversary this spring. Watch the trailer here. AJ

Cool as Ice (May 24)
Too broke to take your date to the movies? Head to the west end to see Vanilla Ice flex his acting muscles on the silver screen. Cold as Ice may be the cheesiest movie ever, but who cares when you don't have to drop a dime?

ENTERTAINMENT

Anime North (May 22-24)
The vendors, speakers, performers, and stars are the glitz of Anime North (shout out especially to all the local talent) but it's truly the geeky fans and the devoted cosplayers who make it one of the year's best spectacles and fan gatherings. AJ

Doors Open (May 23-24)
You know the deal: Toronto's historical or otherwise closed-access buildings will open the doors to the public. Ready your neck for looking up, and don't forget to bring a DSLR or you'll feel left out. AJ

Christie Pits Art Festival and Butterfly Block Party (May 24)
This Sunday Christie Pits is buzzing with events. The park is hosting the Christie Pits Art Festival and Butterfly Block Party at the same time. There will be a BBQ, baked goods, and much more to look forward to.

SHOPPING

Yard Sale for the Cure (May 23)
Shop for a cause this Saturday when Yard Sale for the Cure takes over Trinity Bellwoods. Peruse the park to find some second-hand treasures and make everything old new again.

TD Echo Beach Spring Market (May 24)
The TD Echo Beach Spring Market is the Junction's only flea market this summer (off-site as it is). Head there to find some cool vintage pieces, crafts and clothing.

For more events this weekend click on over to our Events section. Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit it for free using this form.

Contributions by Aubrey Jax and M.K. Newton

This two-level loft near King and Sherbourne is on the market for $785,000. It's a one plus den, two bathroom suite at 261 King Street East, located in the Abbey Lane Lofts. The six-storey building was constructed in 2001 by Harhay Developments, known for scads of other boutique projects in the city, and features 28 units with minimal amenities for a lower maintenance fee.

This trendy concrete suite brings more industrial charm to the east end. The multi-level unit feels spacious with double height ceilings and an open second floor for an office and bedroom. The kitchen is cozy ("small") but maximizes space with the living and dining area pooled as one.

There are a variety of layouts in the building and units priced competitively get scooped up quickly. This previous for sale was on the market for eight days and sold over asking for $579,150 while this larger unit sold for $795,000 after 18 days.

It's no wonder these units are going quickly in a neighbourhood close to the historic St. Lawrence Market and the Distillery District. Come this summer, the area will be hit by excess traffic and tourists during the Pan Am pandemonium. Leave the car in that underground spot and take transit located right outside the building.

Think this unit is the king on King East? Take a peek at the photos and have your say in the comments below.

SPECS

• Address: #406 - 261 King Street East
• Price: $785,000
• Square feet: 1,300
• Bedrooms: 1+1
• Bathrooms: 2
• Parking: 1
• Taxes: $4,475.42
• Maintenance fee: $649.05/monthly
• Walk Score: 99

NOTABLE FEATURES

• Two-level loft
• Cathedral ceiling
• Fireplace
• South-facing terrace with BBQ
• Underground parking
• Storage locker

GOOD FOR

A single or young couple. Already a spacious unit at just over 1,300 square feet, two floors and a terrace makes this unit feel bigger than it is. The large second floor bedroom is open, not great for noise, but ample space for a single or two cozy lovebirds.

MOVE ON IF

Industrial chic is not your thing. Although not your typical warehouse or church loft conversion, the suite still features the traditional concrete walls, exposed ducts and double height ceilings. A concrete interior can make the space feel cold but thankfully the south-facing unit invites warmth from natural light as well as a main floor fireplace.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Thanks to Zoocasa for sponsoring our Condo of the Week. To find your dream condo visit Zoocasa.com

In a city that boasts its fair share of scary economic stats (see here and here, for instance), this latest figure from a study undertaken by McMaster University and the United Way might be the scariest of all. 52 per cent of workers across the GTA and Hamilton are employed in temporary, part-time, and/or contract positions.

"The Precarity Penalty" highlights a number of pitfalls associated with non-secure employment, which include a lack of health benefits, job security, and career-based job training. Precarious workers have far higher rates of mental health problems than those with secure jobs, and widely report added stress to family life.

While low income earners are hit the hardest in this capacity, those without secure jobs report detrimental effects across the income range. And the trend away from secure employment is only increasing as traditionally secure manufacturing jobs become more scarce and the service and knowledge-based industries grow.

"Since the mid-1980s, the impact of precarious employment has spread beyond women and
racialized workers to reach the wider economy," the report's authors explain. "It has become increasingly prevalent in the knowledge sector, where employment is often project-based. It has become a dominant form of employment in the arts, media and communications sectors."

The shift to non-secure employment has also been witnessed in the academic world, where more and more faculty are employed as contract workers, a trend that has been at the forefront of numerous labour disputes at Toronto universities and colleges.

As far as solutions go, the report advocates for better job training, better notice for workers as pertains to scheduling, closer study of the labour market, and improvements to child care to lessen the burden faced by those lacking secure employment.

The Precarity Problem is based on a survey of 4,193 workers in the GTA and Hamilton, aged 25 to 65.

Photo by Bensopn Kua in the blogTO Flickr pool

The East Danforth is about to get its first Starbucks in the space previously occupied by Top Notch Pizza. There's been some community talk about it already, but a development application filed with the City of Toronto confirms that Seattle-based coffee giant has its sights set on northeast corner of Monarch Park and Danforth avenues.

Is this a big deal? Is it a surefire sign of gentrification? It depends on who you ask. The Starbucks Effect has long been pointed to as a potential boon to real estate prices, though the chain coffee shop's arrival is often accompanied by concerns about the health and vibrancy of local businesses, particularly cafes.

I'd suggest, however, that Toronto's love affair with independent coffee culture tends to insulate small businesses from the harm that could potentially be brought on by the arrival of a corporate neighbour. There was plenty of chatter when Starbucks finally arrived in the Junction, but the indie shops have hardly been driven out of neighbourhood. Quite the contrary.

With that in mind, one suspects that places like Red Rocket and Sweet Serendipity will do just fine when Starbucks eventually opens its doors. As for the g-word, it's easy to point to one development as the tipping point, but it's more prudent to take a holistic view of neighbourhood changes before using the term in a cautionary manner. That, at least, is what Starbucks does when it chooses its locations.

Photo by Peter Crock in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Toronto Food Events rounds up the most delicious events, festivals, pop-ups, winemaker dinners, supper clubs and other food related happenings in Toronto this week and next. You can find us here every Friday morning.

THIS WEEK

• CraveTO takes place tonight, Friday May 22, from 5:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at The Burroughes Building (639 Queen St. West). Tickets are $15 in advance for access to 14 local food and drink stations manned by vendors like Naansense, Oyster Boy, and Chimney Stax.
• Doors Open Toronto is on this weekend, May 23 and 24. If you get hungry along the way stop in to Steam Whistle Brewing where Momofuku Noodle Bar will be serving bao and noodles on the patio.
• Great Lakes Brewery (30 Queen Elizabeth Blvd.) host their 12th Annual Charity BBQ on Saturday, May 23 from noon to 5 p.m.. The family friendly afternoon will feature beer, games, free food and soft drinks.
• The second annual Toronto GMO-Free Festival & Farmers' Market takes over Christie Pits Park on Saturday, May 23 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Expect speakers, music, non-GMO food vendors, and an organic farmers' market.
• Head to Echo Beach for a Spring Market on Sunday, May 24 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. for an afternoon featuring 100+ vintage, craft and specialty food vendors.
• Chef Brent Maxwell (East Thirty Six) and Chef Terry Port (Centennial College) face off at the fourth Underground Chef Cartel battle taking place on May 26 from 6 p.m. at Valdez (606 King St. West). Tickets are $20.
• Chef Basilio Pesce (Porzia) returns to Biff's Bistro (33 Yonge St. ) for one night only on Tuesday, May 26 to square off against Chef Amanda Ray in a culinary battle. A special prix fixe menu will showcase French and Italian cuisine including highlights like spot prawn crudo, spring pea tortellini, and chermoula lamb saddle. Tickets are $95 per person, including tax and gratuities.
• Ki Modern Japanese + Bar (181 Bay St.) hosts a Sake Master Dinner with the Japan Prestige Sake Association on Tuesday, May 26. The five course menu with sake pairings is priced at $150 and kicks off at 6:30pm with cocktails, then dinner at 7pm.

UPCOMING

• Spotlight City Northern BBQ presented by Kensington Brewery has begun announcing its line-up with seven vendors confirmed including Barque, Buster Rhino's, Triple A Bar. The outdoor festival takes place over two session on Saturday, May 30 in the courtyard at the Dynamic Funds Tower (1 Adelaide St. East) over two ticketed sessions.
• Pukka (778 St. Clair Ave. West) hosts a Winemaker's Evening on Wednesday, June 3 from 6pm. This special multi-course dinner with wine pairings from Northern Italy winery Nals Margreid is priced at $49 and will feature dishes like chicken tikka with sweet potato samosa vegetable chaat, garam masala short ribs, and more.

Photo from CraveTO

Steamwhistle has been quietly making Toronto more bike friendly since it installed its first bike repair station outside the brewery back in in 2013. We once dreamed about a roll out of such cycling infrastructure after spotting it in other cities, and now it looks like our wish is set to come true.

As Biking Toronto reports, over the last year or so the beer company has installed similar stations at the Brick Works, the Duke of York pub, and most recently in front of Bike Sauce. They've also been busy across Ontario, installing bike repair infrastructure in cities like Ottawa, Guelph, London, Hamilton, Peterborough, Niagara-on-the-Lake, and Kingston (to name only a few).

According to the brewery, the plan is to continue expanding the network. Each station boasts a pump and 10 tools attached to a stand that helps to elevate the bike for easy maintenance work. It's wonderfully simple and useful should you need to do some mid-ride tinkering. More like this, please.

Photo by Reddit user palanski

Canada's Wonderland shock and awed for the very first time on May 23, 1981. A wave of giddy publicity crested as Canada swooned for its first ever theme park - a 370 acre nirvana of wild rides, colourful fancies and family entertainment located in Vaughan - so much that expected attendance on day one was in the ballpark of 40,000 people. In actuality, only 12,000 showed up.

On opening day Premier Bill Davis opined on the majesty of great Canadian entertainment, Wayne Gretzky helped raise the Canadian flag, and guests including Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera mingled with mascots of their cartoon creations. CBC's athlete of the year Kathy Sutton (née Cox, daughter of sculptor E.B Cox) arrived by parachute, just before 10,000 balloons were released and 350 white doves flew into the sky. Wonderland had arrived in grand style.

After both the Conklin family and Disney had rejected the city of Toronto as a suitable location for a theme park (owing to our sub-freezing temperatures that would sully profit for nearly half the year) in the early 1970s, powerhouse media conglomerate Taft Broadcasting waded into the lucrative Canadian market, choosing Vaughan over other coulda been contenders such as Cambridge and Milton.

There was initial outrage that the Americans were using this big shiny theme park as a Trojan horse for coarse American culture, however that soon gave way to the more vocal crowd who wanted giant roller coasters and didn't care any about their geo-pedigree.

To be fair, Taft scrapped plans to install a replica Eiffel Tower at the centre of the park (as it had been in Wonderland's sister parks Kings Island and Kings Dominion), instead constructing a mighty "Canadian" mountain ("Wonder Mountain").

Taft also brought with them ownership of Hanna-Barbera, an animation studio whose roster included Yogi Bear, Scooby Doo, The Flintstones and The Smurfs - perfect characters to embody the spirit of the park and make it even more irresistible to a legion of Saturday morning cartoon watching kids.

Original 1981 big boy pants rides included the Dragon Fyre (later Dragon Fire), Wilde Night Mares, the Mighty Canadian Mine Buster, Wild Beast, and the Rage (a swinging ship). Junior rides included the strangely spooky Ghoster Coaster, and Thunder Run. Gross food hit-of-the-midway was deep fried Broccoli, certainly a stimulating thing to eat before setting out on a corkscrew rollercoaster.

The children's area started out as "The Happyland of Hanna-Barbera", with three main areas including Yogi's Woods, Bedrock and Scoobyville (Yogi's Woods was converted to Smurf's Village in 1984). Families could also explore Medieval Faire, International Street, or walk to the very top of Wonder Mountain (sadly closed after a fatality in the early 1990s).

When asked to comment on what made Canada's Wonderland different from the perennial favourite the CNE, Wonderland's General Manager Howard Tate commented "We're different kinds of places but I'll say that this is a like a 1982 Cadillac. The CNE is a 1959 Ford".

While Wonderland's first summer season successfully wound up, plans for the next year began to take shape, including the filming of an episode of CTV's enormously popular series The Littlest Hobo on the grounds of the park. The episode "Forget Me Not" serves as one long commercial for Canada's Wonderland, and is probably the most Canadian thing you will see this week.

For those who were there when it opened, Wonderland was an utterly magical, indescribable place to visit: The CNE and Ontario Place would never be the same again, and as feared the dreaded big swinging Yankee theme park fostered expectations of massive spectacle everywhere. The era of low key amusement parks such as Crystal Beach were effectively over.

Wonderland has successfully evolved in quantum leaps over the last 34 years, adding bigger rides, flipping ownership several times and rallying with gusto to stay relevent during changing eras. That said, it would be near impossible for them to ever match that wonder-full launch in the summer of 1981.

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