Weekend events in Toronto will help get you out of a winter slump with everything from art exhibitions to rap battles. The Artist Project will take over the Better Living Centre this weekend, showcasing 5,000 works by over 250 artists. If your more into seeing a lyrical throwdown, head to 99 Sudbury to catch this year's instalment of the Blackout Rap Battle.

For more events this weekend click on over to our events section.

MUSIC

Hip-Hop Karaoke 9th Anniversary (Feb. 19)
Hip-Hop Karaoke is celebrating its 9th anniversary at Revival this Friday with Del the Funky Homosapien and Grolsch Creates. If you're over watching aspiring singers butcher Mariah Carey and Journey, this makes for a solid alternative.

Long Winter (Feb. 17-19)
Long Winter, a seasonal staple, will end its year this weekend with a show at The Great Hall. Expect to see acts like For Esme and The Wooden Sky plus a bevy of art, performances, installations, dances and readings.

Blackout 6 Rap Battle (Feb. 19-20)
Venture to 99 Sudbury on February 19 and 20 to watch the lyrically gifted go head-to-head in the city's biggest rap battle event. If you want a taste of what's in store, check out the KOTD event trailer here. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Drake will be making an appearance this year. Tickets will set you back $55 for a two-day GA pass.

ART

Winter Stations (Feb. 15-Mar. 20)
If you spent October 1st fawning over outdoor exhibitions at Nuit Blanche and the end of January at Toronto Design Offsite, Winter Stations will be right up your alley. The competition has turned several life guard stations in the Beaches into works of art up until March 20.

The Artist Project (Feb. 18-21)
The Artist Project isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it serves as a safe introduction for those looking to get a glimpse at this city's burgeoning contemporary art scene. Outside of the commercial work, be sure to visit the UNTAPPED Emerging Artist section, which features 20 of Canada's notable up-and-comers.

ENTERTAINMENT

Rhubarb Festival (Feb. 17-28)
Fans of theatre, dance, music, and performance art will flock to Buddies in Bad Times at the end of the month for the venue's annual experimental art fest. The 37th edition of the event will kick off on February 17 with a party featuring performances by Girls Rock Camp and a few special surprises.

Sounds of The Weeknd // XO Till We Overdose (Feb. 19)
Wanna celebrate Abel Tesfaye's recent Grammy wins? Come Friday, FICTION will be blaring The Weeknd's discography until the early hours of the morning. You'll want to brush up on everything from "Earned It" to "I Can't Feel My Face".

DJ Skate Nights: Finale with Tony Touch (Feb. 20)
Head to the Harbourfront Centre on this Saturday for the final DJ Skate Night of the season. The music for this week's installment will be brought to you by Tony Touch.

LunarFest (Feb. 20-21)
Celebrate the Year of the Monkey by heading to the Harbourfront Centre for LunarFest this Saturday and Sunday. The event will feature marionette theatre shows, top-notch eats, tea tasting, fortune telling, lion dancing and more.

Dita Von Teese Live (Feb. 20)
The reigning "Queen of Burlesque" is touching down in Toronto to perform her routine at the Phoenix on Saturday. If you can't make it to the main event, she'll be doing a book signing at Rosie The Rebel during the afternoon.

Icefest 2016 (Feb. 20-21)
The Bloor-Yorkville Icefest will be returning for its 11th year on February 20th. You can expect the regular roster of ice carving demos, DJs and local eats. The best part? It won't cost you a dime to get in.

Broad City Trivia (Feb. 21)
Have you spent your Saturdays binge-watching Broad City? Well, good news, you can finally put your knowledge of Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson's shenanigans to good use on Sunday. The Gladstone is hosting a quiz with trivia questions, audio clues, video montages and more, all revolving around NYC's most beloved duo.

BEER

Winter Brewfest (Feb. 19-20)
On February 19 and 20, the Enercare Centre will be filled with brew-loving Torontonians for the city's newest beer event: Winter Brewfest. If you couldn't get a ticket for Steamwhistle's frosty beer bash in January (the Roundhouse Craft Beer Festival), this is your chance to sample some of the best craft beverages the city has to offer.

SHOPPING

BYE FOREVER Seconds & Sample Sale (Feb. 20)
Head to Propeller Coffee on Saturday to snag discounted textiles, sweets, ceramics, home goods and prints. Vendors include homegrown favourites like Weekender Supply Co., Light & Paper, Avril Loreti and more.

Gladstone Winter Flea (Feb. 21)
The Gladstone is continuing its series of winter flea markets with an event this Sunday. You'll find a ton of one of kind fashion and home pieces plus a healthy share of vintage goods. If you can't stop by this weekend, it'll also pop up on March 20.

The Leslieville Flea (Feb. 21)
The Leslieville Flea is bringing a host of vintage, salvaged, upcycled goods, furniture, antiques, collectibles and more to the Distillery District on Sunday. Over 50 vendors will be in attendance, so there's plenty to see (and buy).

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.

With contributions by Amy Grief.

Photo of last year's Blackout Rap Battle by Alejandro Santiago

Thanks to Grolsch for sponsoring this post.

It's been a dramatic week for Kanye West, but instead of taking to Twitter to rant about America's broken education system again today, he sent out a heartfelt thank you to Drake.

That's because Toronto's biggest hip-hop star has writing credits on Kanye's latest album The Life of Pablo, which dropped this past weekend on the streaming service Tidal.

Drake, who's name appears as Aubrey Graham, is credited on two tracks: "30 Hours" and "Facts (Charlie Heat Version)." The latter samples from Drake and Future's "Jumpman."

Two-time Grammy Award-winner The Weeknd also appears on this album. He helped write and do vocals for the song "FML."

I wanna thank my brother Drizzy for helping me on 30 Hours & Father Stretch My Hands.

— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) February 18, 2016

Drake would come by and just help, no strings. Future also came by to write. We all got new shit together that's gonna drop soon.

— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) February 18, 2016

The Life of Pablo will be available to non-Tidal subscribers next week.

This brightly painted record shop is home to a quirky collection of retro LPs as well as a small number of new releases. It certainly doesn't boast Toronto's biggest selection, but it's a place where the staff's love of music is on obvious display, from their desire to chat about records to the handwritten notes that adorn special albums on offer.

Read my review of Loon Records in the services section.

Toronto's Skyline Restaurant is a Parkdale institution, known not only for its bright neon sign, but also its distinct, old-school vibe. Sunday, however, will mark the diner's final service as owner Louie gets ready to retire.

Sally Smits, Skyline's only waitress, tells me that Louie sold the restaurant. "He thinks the new owners will be keeping it similar, but that's something that only time will show," she says.

Smits notes that the new owners are younger, but isn't sure about what they're planning for the space.

The Skyline is, of course, one of Toronto's most beloved retro diners. While entering the restaurant feels akin to stepping into a time warp, there's a certain yellow-tinged charm that radiates from the place. The thick-cut fries ain't half bad, either.

Regardless of what happens next, the current iteration of the Skyline will definitely be missed after it closes for good at the end of this weekend on February 21.

Photo by Tanja Tiziana.

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

• Winter Brewfest is on this weekend, February 19 and 20 at the Enercare Centre at Exhibition Place and will feature over 50 craft brewers to sample from.
• Uncle Smoke hosts a pop-up at Odin (514 King Street East) this Sunday, February 21. Tickets are $40 for an AYCE feast featuring Norse-influenced, Viking-age foods.
• 86'd Mondays at The Drake Hotel (1150 Queen Street West) pays tribute to the infamous Patty Wars with a Jamaican Patty Day Celebration kicking of at 8 p.m. on Monday, February 22.
• Recipe for Change takes place this week on Thursday, February 25 at St. Lawrence Market. The roaming feast and annual fundraiser in support of FoodShareTO will feature 30 Toronto chefs, craft brewers and wineries.

UPCOMING

• Learn the fundamentals of Bread Baking with Montreal chef James MacGuire on Monday, February 29. This installment of CHCA Events at George Brown College (300 Adelaide Street East) costs $250 to partake in the hands-on workshop covering the methods and techniques behind traditional and artisan breads.
• Tickets ($50) are on sale now for a supper club at The Depanneur (1033 College Street) happening on Saturday, March 5. The feast from Chantal Véchembre dubbed Winter in l'Auvergne will showcase dishes from this central region in France including a fondue-like Aligot, Soupe aux Lentilles, Coq au Vin and more.
• Tickets ($20) are also on sale now for the next Underground Chef Company battle taking place at Boehmer (93 Ossington Avenue) on Monday, March 28. In this 416 x 514 edition, three Toronto chefs will face-off against three Montreal chefs.

Know of a Toronto food event coming up? Email liora@blogto.com.

Photo courtesy of Winter in l'Auvergne.

Did you know that between 1974 and 1990, the largest McDonalds restaurant in the entire world was located in Scarborough? It was on the grounds of the Metro Zoo, more specifically in the African zone, and only lost its coveted title when an even larger McDonalds was opened at Pushkin Square in Russia by McDonalds of Canada, who had learned a lot from their adventures at the zoo.

If you visited the Metro Toronto Zoo in the 70s, 80s or 90 chances are you ate there, and might have some strange memories of unique food items they served. There were in fact two restaurants - one in the North American zone, one in the African zone - and three snack bars, selling an eclectic blend of the classic McDonalds menu, and a modified Zoo menu.

In 1974, McDonalds of Canada had beat out 84 other bids for exclusivity to sell food on the Zoo's property, however there were many conditions which forced McDonalds to significantly up their game. Up until this point, McDonalds (especially in the U.S) ran a fairly cookie cutter franchise - burgers, fries and milkshakes were the mainstay of the brand.

Part of the contract with the zoo involved the operation of snack bars, something which McDonalds had never done. It was a bold new challenge for the company, as the snack bars were outside and therefore had no kitchens. What could they possibly serve to the hungry zoo visitors?

The McDonalds snack bar menus have attained somewhat of a cult status among those lucky enough to have visited the zoo during those decades. Popcorn, hot dogs, sandwiches (Turkey, Ham & Cheese, Tuna Salad, Chopped Egg, Peanut Butter & Jelly!), and hard scooped ice-cream (10 flavors) were all exclusive to the zoo.

The hotdogs in particular were delicious as McDonalds maintained their commitment to using only 100% beef (like their hamburgers). Soft ice cream, now ubiquitous at all McDonalds, actually had its debut in the African and North American restaurants.

Due to the high volume of customers, both the African and North American zone restaurants required major firepower in the kitchens to keep up with the flow of guests. The African zone McDonalds had at the time a totally unheard of 24 cash registers. The zoo was a seasonal business, something else which was completely new to the McDonalds business model.

In addition to the new menu items, McDonalds also had to modify some of their standard business practices. As the safety of the animals was paramount, no straws were allowed on the premises, nor plastic lids (no ketchup packets either). This vastly increased the cost of doing business, while the price of the food had to be the same as it was in regular locations.

Probably the most glaring change for McDonalds was the low-key branding - you might remember there were no golden arches on display. The workers wore the standard uniform, but there were no McDonaldland characters, or playgrounds, or the usual signage you associate with the brand.

McDonalds had a successful 30 year run at the Metro Zoo, but their contract was not renewed and the restaurants and snack bars are now operated by a mixture of companies including Smokes Poutinerie, Pizza Pizza, Beaver Tails, and most recently Tim Hortons.

McDonalds of Canada carried their learnings from operating at the zoo into their biggest endeavour at the time, the opening of a massive restaurant in Pushkin Square, Russia in 1990. All of this was thanks to the vision of George Cohon, the founder of McDonalds Canada.

In addition to accommodating the challenges of the zoo, taking it into Russia, and evolving the McDonalds brand into something much more robust, Cohon was also responsible for helping to save the Toronto Santa Claus Parade in 1982.

Like the Monorail, McDonalds played a huge part in many people's happy memories of visiting the Metro Zoo between the 1970s and 1990s, as anyone who remembers those tasty McDonalds hot dogs will attest.

Special thanks to Sam Joseph .

Ed Conroy's Retrontario plumbs the seedy depths of Toronto flea markets, flooded basements, thrift shops and garage sales, mining old VHS and Betamax tapes that less than often contain incredible moments of history that were accidentally recorded but somehow survived the ravages of time. You can find more amazing stories and discoveries at www.retrontario.com.

A proposal for a gondola connection the Don Valley Brick Works with the Danforth is back in the headlines today. The idea of a Toronto gondola has been floating around for half a decade, though the latest iteration admittedly sounds more serious than previous rumblings about aerial transportation in the city.

The Star reports that local company Bullwheel International Cable Car Corp. has proposed a gondola project for the Don Valley Brick Works, which would serve both a practical function and as a tourist attraction. Leaving from the Danforth near Broadview Station, the cable cars would make the one kilometre trip down the valley in roughly eight minutes.

What would it all cost? Bullwheel estimates the project would come in at $20 to $25 million. There's really not much infrastructure required for cable car systems -- in this case, six towers, the lines, and the cars (of which there would be about 40).

Yes, it may be an over-the-top idea, but it's not actually that expensive in the grand scheme of things. Toronto's ravine system is one of the city's most beautiful features. Highlighting it with a gondola system would actually be quite appropriate. A public information session for the project is scheduled on March 8 at Estonian House (958 Broadview Ave.).

Would Toronto benefit from a gondola to the Don Valley? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Photo by Danielle Nelson on Flickr.

The Toronto Zoo has a brand new baby animal to fawn over - and it's not a panda. Two days ago Ashakiran, the zoo's 11-year-old female Indian rhino, welcomed a baby boy into the world after a 16-month pregnancy - the father is Vishnu, another Indian rhino at the zoo.

The zoo tweeted out the news of the joyous arrival today along with a pretty adorable video of the little guy. This is the first Indian rhino to be born at the zoo since 1999.

If the sight of baby animals melts your heart, you may want to schedule a trip to the zoo in the next few months - it currently has a pair of lion cubs, two baby pandas, a pint-sized polar bear and now this calf.

Note that some of these critters, including the zoo's newest addition, are not yet visible to the public (but their antics are heavily documented on YouTube).

Photo by The Toronto Zoo.

Want to win passes to WayHome 2016? The outdoor music festival returns on July 21 for a three-day stint at Burl's Creek. This year's headliners include LCD Soundsystem, Arcade Fire, The Killers, Major Lazer, M83 and CHVRCHES - just to name a few.

Get all the contest details here.

Lots of people in Toronto seek out love on Tinder, but few get swept away into one of the biggest events of the year.

Twenty-something Jasmine hadn't been on a Tinder date in about a year, but she usually swipes right on everybody just to see their outrageous open-liners. And when she was swiping along last Saturday morning, one such opener caught her attention - for good reason.

This would-be suitor was visiting from New York City. Jasmine says his casting agency sent him to Toronto be a seat-filler at the Air Canada Centre for the entire NBA All-Star Weekend.

She agreed to meet this mysterious New Yorker at the ACC for the skills competition and dunk contest, but describes her decision as very out of character. "It was exciting and I was a little bit nervous," she says. Although she knew that worst case scenario, he wouldn't show up.

He did, and unlike other potential seat-fillers, the pair sat court-side for about an hour before moving three rows back.

Along with witnessing this year's epic dunk contest, the two sat nearby to Drake and Jon Stewart and of course snapped plenty of photographs to document the night.

They texted back-and-forth for a bit afterwards, but Jasmine doesn't expect it to go any further. While their love-story may not have worked out in the end, this tale is definitely a hopeful one for all of us still swiping in the 6ix.

Toronto regularly transforms into Hollywood North thanks to the slew of high-profile movies filmed here each year. So who can you expect to spot hanging around the city within the next few months?

While Suicide Squad took over Toronto streets in 2015, its looks like this spring and summer will be all about Downsizing, a satire directed by Alexander Payne (known for The Descendants and Sideways). It shoots here between April and July.

Most notably, Downsizing stars Matt Damon, Reese Witherspoon, Alec Baldwin and Jason Sudeikis. Both Damon and Witherspoon shot two of their most famous movies here in Toronto - those would be Good Will Hunting and American Psycho, respectively.

Best of all, the movie's now seeking to cast local Torontonians in small speaking roles. You don't need to have any previous acting experience to apply.

For more information, email dscasttoronto@gmail.com.

This new so-called culinary lounge is all about dining in style. There's molecular gastronomy at the bar and in the kitchen, as well as a swanky interior but with all the bells and whistles some of the dishes fall flat.

Read my profile of Entice Culinary Lounge in the restaurants section.

It looks like a strike may have been averted for now, at least for the City of Toronto's outside workers, which includes garbage and snow removal services.

Today, Toronto reached a tentative deal with CUPE Local 416, the union representing these outside workers, after an all-nighter of negotiations. CUPE Local 416 members were in a legal position to strike at 12:01 a.m. today.

Talks are still ongoing between the city and CUPE Local 79, which represents Toronto's 20,000 inside workers (childcare and library services, for instance). They're in a legal strike position at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow morning.

Photo by Michael Monastyrskyj in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Torontonians are well aware of the taxi vs. Uber drama that plagues our city on an almost daily basis, but now it's getting international coverage thanks to comedian Hannibal Burress. In his recent appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, he gave our city's cabs a less-than-favourable review.

Burress claims that he jumped into a van taxi on All-Star Weekend and the driver immediately demanded a $20 flat-rate as opposed to turning on the meter (which Burress requested he do). After a bit of back and forth, the driver condescendingly offered Burress a free ride, to which Burress responded "I don't want your free ride...that's why Uber is crushing you guys."

Now if there's one thing you just don't do, it's support Uber while sitting in a cab. Burress learned this lesson, as his comment apparently set the taxi driver into a rage spiral leading to him almost getting kicked out of the car.

It's these antics that give taxi drivers a bad reputation and the type of publicity they just don't need right now. But, hey, it's worth a laugh.

The best huevos rancheros in Toronto has the power to simultaneously wake up taste buds and tame hangovers. The Mexican breakfast standard will satisfy hunger pangs with a hearty base of eggs and beans, plus a delicious combination of spicy salsa, creamy guacamole and salty queso.

Here are the best huevos rancheros in Toronto.

Photo by allessandria on Instagram.

Toronto's Artist Project kicked off its ninth year last night, bringing together more than 250 contemporary artists for a massive art fair inside the Better Living Centre at Exhibition Place. This show features lots of work at affordable prices, so it's suitable for newbie collectors with a conservative budget.

Here are 20 artists to check out at the Artist Project this year.

In August, Toronto learned that celebrity architect Bjarke Ingels (head of the Brooklyn and Copenhagen-based Bjarke Ingels Group) would be designing a massive new development on King Street West for Westbank Corp. and Allied Properties REIT.

Today however, the Globe and Mail reports that the new project may be unlike anything this city has seen before.

Instead of a tower, this incoming development at 489 to 539 King St. W. resembles a pixelated, block-like structure, forming, as the Globe writes, a "ziggurat' with five 15 to 17 storey "peaks." Many units would have their terraces and there'd be multiple floor-plans available for future buyers.

The Globe notes that at street level, pedestrian would be able to access a courtyard that might even lead all the way south to Wellington Street.

Considering this is a joint project between Westbank and Allied, it'll be interesting to see how this proposal plays out for the heritage-designated building located from 511 to 529 King St. W.

It's important to note that this projects is still in its infancy. But along with Allied and RioCan's plans for the sprawling King Portland Centre across the street, it looks like big changes are on the way for the King West neighbourhood.

This newly refurbished Toronto snack bar serves up a simple menu of traditional Polish comfort foods. The weekend menu features Polish breakfasts and lunch plates packed with pierogi, cabbage rolls, and kielbassa.

Read my profile of Hastings Snack Bar in the restaurants section.

Steer Inn Burgers recently served its last orders of poutine, onion rings, steak on a bun and gyros to a lineup of loyal customers that extended out the door. The turnout was so great that by 6 p.m. the food had run out.

Owners Nick and Mike Sofos along with partner Ted Theodoridis, thanked the crowd for their years of loyalty as they hung up their white aprons for the last time.

The iconic Richmond Hill restaurant had been in business for decades supplying late night crowds and morning commuters with burgers and plates of bacon and eggs. Before closing, it still sported decor from another era with its array of ceiling planters and orange leather seats.

Built in the 1950s, the roots of the Steer Inn can be traced back to the original property that stood on the site, which was known as Fred's Burgers. In 1961, the restaurant was renamed Steer Inn and nine years later, Mike Sofos began commuting to Richmond Hill from the Danforth to work at the restaurant. His brother, Nick, joined him shortly after.

In 1977, when the opportunity to buy the burger joint presented itself, the brothers - along with Ted Theodoridis and the late Tom Margaris - purchased the restaurant and have owned it ever since. In the decades that followed they flipped burgers and poured milkshakes in a town that transformed from rural farmland to a bustling suburb.

Along the way, the restaurant's menu incurred only slight changes such as the addition of souvlaki and gyros in the 1980s as well as breakfast to serve the morning crowd. Even as eating habits changed, Steer Inn's greasy delights still held appeal to those looking for a great burger and onion rings.

Part of the magic of the Steer Inn was their ability to serve and connect with generations of patrons. Their Facebook page has been flooded with memories from long time customers. Newfoundlander Madelene Stratton Janes says the Steer Inn was always her "first stop upon visiting Toronto."

As the Toronto area has evolved, the Steer Inn remained a constant pillar for the community of Richmond Hill. John Sofos says that the family of owners - well into their 60s and 70s - worked "seven days a week without missing a beat since 1969" and decided that it was finally time to retire.

Soon, condo developments will overtake the property.

Writing by Michael Primiani. Photos via the Steer Inn Facebook page.

Insects don't appear on too many menus in Toronto. But some think we should be eating more of these creepy-crawly critters. Just watch Marcel Dicke's popular TED Talk if you need some motivation. Bugs are not only high in protein, but they're also a sustainable food source. And lucky for us, some local eateries are now incorporating insects into delicious-looking dishes.

Here are 5 places to eat insects in Toronto.

Summerhill Market
For a seemingly innocuous high-end supermarket, Summerhill Market made headlines after it started offering sweet treats - such as peanut butter protein balls and mint-flavoured cricket pie - made with bugs. Thanks to Entomo Farms in Norwood, Ontario, this Toronto grocery store also sells items such as mealworm flour, so you can get creative with edible insects at home.

Sugar Mountain
This nostalgia-inducing shop at Yonge and Eglinton won't only give you a sugar rush; it'll also supply you with an arsenal of protein-filled treats such as chocolate-covered insects, scorpion-filled lollipops, and tequila lollipops that come with the worm.

Death In Venice Gelato
This local gelato company doesn't have its own storefront, but you can buy its products at Constantinople Bakery on Queen West. And when you do, you'll find flavours such as caramelized white chocolate, peanut butter & toasted croissant, and chocolate, crisp cricket & meal worm.

El Catrin
The Distillery District's El Catrin is a date-night destination. And, it's also the perfect place to play your own personal Fear Factor. Simply add crickets to your order of guacamole and let the games begin.

Cookie Martinez
For comforting Colombian street food, head to Cookie Martinez at Dundas and Bathurst. Or get Cookie's food delivered to your door. Both options let you order items like cricket empanadas and crittle (cricket brittle) if you're looking to try something new.

Photo via Entomo Farms.