Quantcast
Channel: blogTO
Viewing all 47914 articles
Browse latest View live

Now you can eat Taiwanese ice cream cakes in Toronto

0
0

cake2016 is officially the summer of epic ice cream creations in Toronto. If doughnut cones and ice cream tacos weren't enough to satisfy your sweet tooth then your next must-try offering has got to be this Taiwanese ice cream cake.

These towering ice cream cakes can be found at Taiwanese dessert and bubble tea shop Petit Potato in North York. Found on the menu under the 31 Kitchen Special Golden Toast ($14.99) this mountain of deliciousness consists of slices of Taiwanese toast, ice cream, fresh fruit, marshmallows and chocolate sauce.

While the shop currently has one flavour of ice cream toast on the menu they'll be rolling out new flavours soon.

Photo by @cindykod.


Star Trek's George Takei coming to Toronto this summer

0
0

George Takei TorontoGet ready to gush, Trekkies. George Takei is coming to Toronto this summer, and you'll be able to get up close and personal with him as part of Pride's programming. The former Star Trek star and current social media darling will give a talk on June 26 at the Ryerson Theatre.

Mega fans will want to take advantage of the VIP tickets, which include access to a private reception with Takei. Even more exciting is that the first batch of tickets to the event are free, though they're bound to get swallowed up quickly.

Takei will speak about social justice and equal rights, and his own narrative which traces back to Japanese internment camps during World War II.

While he's most famous for his role as helmsman on the original Star Trek series, in recent years he's become profoundly popular on social media, where he often humorously shares insights about current events and equality issues.

Photo via George Takei's Facebook page.

The top 5 Nepalese restaurants in Toronto

0
0

nepalese restaurant torontoNepalese cuisine in Toronto often shares the spotlight with dishes from Tibet and Northern India. But restaurants that truly represent the region can be found slinging more than just momos; these places offer thali combos, sekuwa kebabs, choila chicken and more.

Here's where to eat Nepalese food in Toronto.

Karma's Kitchen
This restaurant in the heart of Little India serves a lunch time buffet as well as a la carte menu featuring soups, curries and chow mien. Get the Nepali thali combo for an assortment of tastes, or opt for the momos smothered in jhol (a rich gravy).

Kathmandu
The Yorkville restaurant dishes out Nepalese and Indian specialties including curries, tandoori dishes and an AYCE buffet at lunch. House favourites include the sekuwa, skewered morsels of goat or chicken marinated in curried yogurt curry and fired in a charcoal oven, as well as steamed momos stuffed with chicken, fresh coriander and ginger.

Himalayan Kitchen
Himalayan thali combos are the thing to get at this kitchen in Parkdale. Each platter is packed with rice, dal, seasoned vegetables, potatoes and pickles and served with a choice of chickpeas, chicken, or mutton.

Mt. Everest Restaurant
The charming dining room on Eglinton Avenue West is adorned with oil paintings from Nepalese artists. The menu delves into Royal Indian and Nepali cuisines offering dishes like khasi ko maasu (goat curry) along with an abundance of vegetarian dishes including jhane ko dal (stewed lentils), palungo ko saag (spinach with chopped tomatoes and ginger, and bhuteko cauli (cauliflower with a blend of spices).

Gorkha Palace
For Newari-style specialties, head just outside the 416 to Mississauga where choila chicken and mutton are on the menu and can be had in khaja combos packed with beaten rice, bhatmas sadeko (soybean salad), aloo dum (potatoes in gravy), pickles, and aloo tama (potato and bamboo shoot) soup.

Photo via Karma's Kitchen on Facebook.

Mini market returns to Bloor Club Monaco this summer

0
0

Th CM MarketIt's back... last year you may remember that Club Monaco opened an artisanal food market outside of its store at 157 Bloor St. West. Today the store announced the CM Market will return for another year starting next week, May 12, and run through September 3.

Like last year the market will feature a curated lineup of vendors and foods including coffee from Sam James, gourmet ice pops from The Pop Stand, sweets from the Bake Shoppe and eats from Delica Kitchen and Evolution Food Co.

Also present at the market will be repeat vendor Sweet Woodruff who will once again be onsite selling flowers.

How to celebrate Star Wars Day 2016 in Toronto

0
0

star wars day torontoMay 4 is Star Wars Day and no matter whether you're more a fan of Vader, Rey, Chewie or Jar Jar Binks there's an event with your name on it. Get ready to mark the occasion this year with costume parties, movie screenings, trivia contest or an improv show.

Here's a round-up of events for Star Wars Day 2016 in Toronto.

Star Wars Trivia
Think you know your bounty hunters, droids and jedi better than your Toronto brethren? Prove your Star Wars mettle at Scallywags pub near Yonge and St. Clair for a chance to win prizes. Join as a team of five or an individual. Costumes optional but encouraged.

Star Wars Day at Hard Rock Cafe
Make sure to dress as your favourite Star Wars character before heading to this tourist trap at Yonge Dundas Square. Expect Star Wars themed food and drink specials, a costume contest, group photo, trivia and more.

May The 4th Be With You Party
The Junction's favourite new sci-fi themed cafe will be serving Star Wars themed drinks, running a trivia contest and screening episodes 4,5 and 6. Costumes encouraged.

Whose Force is it Anway?
Looking for a laugh on Star Wars day? Head to the Comedy Bar on Bloor for the ultimate Star Wars improv show "Whose Force is it Anyway?" It's the retelling of the original Star Wars: A New Hope using short form improv games. Tickets will set you back $15.

What did I miss? Add more Star Wars events to the comments.

Photo by Joel Gale in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Beat the Heat with Raptors-themed drinks in Toronto

0
0

toronto raptors drinksEveryone loves a good gimmick now and again. And just in time for Game 1 of the Raptors-Heat series at the ACC, a local Thai restaurant is getting in on the action with Raptors-themed drinks.

While Pai on Simcoe near Adelaide is missing out on a Norman Powell-inspired cocktail they do have many of the Raptors' favourite players covered on their menu.

The DeMartini, named after shooting guard and two-time All Star Demar DeRozan comes with Stoli vodka, Malibu, lemongrass syrup and fresh lime. It'll set you back $10.

For a buck more, The Lowry comes with Bulldog gin, lychee juice, fresh thai basil, mint, soda and some more of that lemongrass syrup.

Big spenders might want to splurge on the JV ($14) - a mix of Krupnik Honey Liquor, Wild Turkey, orange bitters and ginger beer.

toronto raptors cocktailsDo you know of other local bars or restaurants serving Raptors-themed drinks? Let us know in the comments.

Photo of Pai by Jesse Milns - not of a Raptors-themed drink.

Door to Door sales could be banned in Toronto

0
0

door to door sales torontoFollowing in the footsteps of Mississauga and Markham, Toronto is getting closer to banning door to door sales in the city. A private member's bill at Queen's Park calling for an to end to the practice in Ontario is already getting support from Toronto councillors.

Introduced by Yvan Baker, MPP for Etobicoke Centre, the proposed legislature would ban the sale or rental of air conditioners, water heaters, furnaces, and water treatment devices when sold at a customer's door.

The idea, Baker notes, is to protect vulnerable people from high pressure sales tactics, and also about moving retail sales practices forward in general. The door-to-door salesmen is a decades old concept, and one that's never been less relevant.

City councillor Anna Bailão issued a letter in strong support of the bill today.

"We need to stop these companies from taking advantage of vulnerable members of our society through aggressive, unsolicited, and misleading sales practices," she said. "Homeowners need to know that they will be protected the next time someone knocks on their door."

"I call on the Ontario Legislature to pass this Act before they break for their summer recess on June 10," she continued. "By doing so, Torontonians will be able to breathe a sigh of relief knowing that they will have even stronger protections to prevent these types of aggressive door-to-door sales on their own property."

That's an aggressive timeline, but if the bill gains support after its first reading, it might be put together quickly.

Have door-to-door sales overstayed their welcome? Let us know in the comments.

Photo by Lunatic Desire in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Urban Worker Project is like a union for Toronto freelancers

0
0

urban worker projectToronto is a city filled with freelancers - you know, those people typing away on their laptops at your local coffee shop.

Over half of all new jobs created in this country are precarious positions, including part-time, temporary, contract, freelance and self-employed positions. The vast majority of these workers lack job security, benefits and support from advocates.

The latter is big issue, as this disparate workforce tends to lack representation, which makes it nearly impossible to make headway when it comes to fighting for worker rights. This is where The Urban Worker Project comes in. The newly formed group will campaign on the behalf of the precarious workforce.

The mandate is straightforward. The organization wants to help freelancers and other contract workers to gain access to health and dental benefits, parental leave, shareable workspace, and protected contracts.

Co-founded by former MP Andrew Cash, the initiative has launched its first campaign under the heading of "Fairness for contract workers." The online petition can be found here, which provides a decent overview of the group's aims.

The official launch party is this Friday.


Today in Toronto: Star Wars Day, Turning Tables, GradEx 101, Get Lit, Canadian Music Week

0
0

Star WarsToday in Toronto embrace your inner nerd by celebrating Star Wars Day. The Hard Rock Cafe is throwing a bash in honour of the event, complete with costume contests, trivia and more. If you're not a fan of Luke, Leia, Han Solo, Kylo Ren or Rey opt to hit up OCAD's GradEx 101 show. It's 100% free.

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

Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events section.

Photo via Mike Koczka in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Uber is now officially legal in Toronto

0
0

uber toronto legalUber is finally legal in Toronto after a marathon council session at city hall yesterday that ultimately resulted in a compromise for regulating the service. At the heart of the deal is a new set of rules for private transportation companies (PTC) and a variety of modifications for existing taxis.

Perhaps the most noteworthy of these is the decision to set the minimum price of all Uber X fares at $3.25, the rate currently used by taxicabs. Traditional taxis will also be allowed to use the surge pricing under the new regulations but only when fares are booked through an app. Better for the customer, taxi companies will also be able to lower fares for rides booked through apps.

"Uber can certainly live with this," said Canadian General Manager Ian Black. The sentiment that his company got a great deal was noted by a number of left wing councillors, who believe that the city was too soft on the ride sharing service and didn't do enough to protect taxi drivers.

To combat this sentiment, training requirements were loosened for taxi drivers and Uber drivers will now be required to file documents with the city, which include their licence, insurance, and vehicle inspection reports, which will be required twice a year.

Some of the most controversial relegations related to Uber have been pushed back for further debate. The most notable of these is the proposal to cap the number of PTC drivers on the road, which was not part of the vote on Tuesday.

In other words, the Uber debate isn't over in Toronto, but the major pieces of the puzzle have been put into place.

5 great takes on iced and cold brewed coffee in Toronto

0
0

cold brew coffee torontoIced and cold brewed coffee keeps Toronto cool and caffeinated during the warm summer months. These coffee-based beverages aren't just watered down glasses of drip on ice; rather, this collection of drinks includes carefully crafted concoctions and next level cold brews.

Here are five great takes on iced and cold brewed coffee in Toronto.

Mexican Iced Coffee
All-day Mexican eatery Cafeteria makes its iced coffee with two shots of espresso and flavours it with agave, cinnamon syrup, mole and orange bitters.

Spiced Iced Coffee
Swedish-inspired Fika Cafe in Kensington Market offers cold espresso bevies with milk, cardamom bitters, simple syrup and fresh mint.

Viet Coffee on Ice
Cool down at Pho Hung where the Cà phê sữa đá is the perfect pick-me-up. The Vietnamese filtered coffee comes chilled on ice and sweetened with condensed milk.

Iced Cafe Con Leche
At La Cubana, a cafe con leche, sweetened with molasses demerara sugar and whole milk, is a menu staple. They'll put the creamy, bevy on ice by request.

Nitro Cold Brew
Pilot makes a canned cold brew available at their three locations and a growing number of cafes in Toronto. It's also used as the base for the cold brewed cocktails available at their Wagstaff tasting bar.

Photo from Cafeteria by @dave_playacabana.

The photos of the month in Toronto for April

Toronto pop-up grows into full-fledged retail shop

0
0

Tusk TorontoThis contemporary womenswear boutique is back and better than ever after closing its pop-up shop inside Silver Falls Vintage. Customers old and new will be pleased to see its signature subdued colour and soft minimalistic offerings thrive in a new neighbourhood.

Read my profile of Tusk in the fashion section.

Toronto's first eSports bar is now open

0
0

e sports bar torontoThe eSports bar experience has landed in Toronto with this brand new two-floor space. Part cocktail bar and part gaming playground, any preconceptions that this would be a dark and grungy rec room for socially awkward gamers should be thrown out the door. This is a slick space that focuses equally on the quality of the drinks and the games.

Read my review of Good Game in the bars section.

Colour latte art is now a thing in Toronto

0
0

colour latte artLatte art in Toronto just went next level. Joining the world of rainbow bagels and psychedelic grilled cheese sandwiches, this new, caffeine-laced trend has been embraced by Toronto's Bulldog Coffee.

Owner Stuart Ross discovered rainbow lattes from Mason Salisbury of Sambalatte in Las Vegas. He uses the technique to help train baristas to make latte art.

The effect is created by adding food colouring to milk after steaming and then layering the microfoam into a cup of espresso to form designs resembling a Grateful Dead t-shirt.

The cafe on Gerrard isn't the first to create colourful tulips, ferns and rosettas, but they are the first in Toronto and possibly Canada to add a splash of colour to your morning cup of joe.


Toronto area house prices soared 16% since last year

0
0

toronto house pricesThe Toronto real estate market is soaring, with sales prices increasing a whopping 16.2 per cent year over year as of April. There's also no sign of this trend slowing down. With a fresh batch of figures just released from the Toronto Real Estate Board, the picture doesn't look pretty for those hoping to enter the market.

The cost of detached homes in particular have skyrocketed. Having broken the $1 million mark last year, the latest numbers show of increase of 18.9 per cent last April over 2015 prices up to an average of $1.3 million. When other house types are included, that number drops to 12.6 per cent, but that's still a significant spike year over year.

Toronto's housing market hasn't quite reached the levels seen in Vancouver, but it's on the way. There were 12,085 sales recorded in Toronto this April, a new record in this city even as prices soar. Meanwhile, analysts say that number could have been even higher if the supply was greater.

Better count your pennies if you ever want to buy a house in Toronto.

5 places to find cherry blossoms in Toronto beyond High Park

0
0

cherry blossoms torontoCherry blossoms in Toronto aren't confined to High Park. In fact, there are collections of sakura spread all over the city. Those looking to avoid the gong show that is a peak-bloom visit to Grenadier Pond can head to any one of these other destinations for a more peaceful version of this spring ritual.

Here are 5 places to find cherry blossoms in Toronto beyond High Park.

Robarts Library
The sakura stand at Robarts Library is relatively small at 70 or so trees, but it's absolutely gorgeous at peak bloom, as the trees create a canopy over the short path that leads through the green space from Harbord to Huron.

Centennial Park
The gardens at Centennial Park boast the second largest collection of cherry trees in the city behind High Park. There's over 200 trees here in various places from the area to the northeast of the park conservatory to the sections near Rathburn Rd. and Centennial Park Blvd.

Broadacres Park
There are 100 cherry trees planted at Broadacres Park in Etobicoke that date back to 2002. The stand can be found at the southwest corner of the park near Elderfield Crescent and is one of the least trafficked places to view sakura in the city.

Trinity Bellwoods Park
Probably the second busiest place to soak up the beauty of cherry blossoms in Toronto, the path that runs southeast from Trinity Circle has a lovely collection of young sakura. The best time to head here is during the work week, when the park is relatively quiet.

Centre Island Park
There are roughly 30 cherry trees at Centre Island. It's one of the smaller collections worth mentioning, but the surrounding area is beautiful and you can make the trip across the harbour part of the celebration of spring in Toronto.

Photo of the cherry trees at Robarts Library by Derek Flack.

Bloor bike lanes finally get the go ahead in Toronto

0
0

bike lanes bloorBike Lanes are finally a reality on Bloor St. After years of campaigns and debate, city council voted 38-3 in favour of a pilot project that will see cycling infrastructure installed between Shaw St. and Avenue Rd. The lanes could be in place by the end of summer.

The cost of the pilot has been pegged at $500,000 (not including lost revenue from removed parking spots). There's no guarantee that the bike lanes will stay in place for the long term, but the pilot is meant to provide the city with the data required to decide whether or not the lanes should be made a permanent fixture of the street.

The possibility of expanding the project to the east and west of the currently approved route is also possible if the initial project is a success.

"If we want to build the city of the future...we have to try some of these things, Mayor John Tory said of the pilot project. "The idea of building a bike lane on Bloor is not a revolutionary idea."

This echoed the sentiments of the majority of council, who seemed comfortable with the idea of the bike lanes precisely because they are being tried out for one year and could be removed should the feedback for local interests be negative.

Toward that end, you can count on this debate to return to city council with even higher stakes at the completion of the pilot.

Photo by Tom Ryaboi.

What's filming in Toronto this spring and summer

0
0

filming in toronto summer 2016It's a busy season for filming in Toronto, with big-money Hollywood productions and marquee television series on the docket. Last year we saw Suicide Squad take over our streets with plane crashes and car chases, while recently the Strain turned the city into a post-apocalyptic wasteland. No doubt, there will be more chances to catch action-packed productions over the next few months.

Here's what's filming in Toronto this spring and summer.

MOVIES

Downsizing (April 18-July 6)
IMDB's vague description for Downsizing reads: "A social satire in which a guy realizes he would have a better life if he were to shrink himself" - so I'm expect something in the same vein as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids embellished with the comedic talents of Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis and Neil Patrick Harris. Aside from those A-listers, Alec Baldwin, Matt Damon and Christoph Waltz are in the cast.

xXx: The Return of Xander Cage (February 1-May 20)
xXx: The Return of Xander Cage continues the story told in xXx (2002) and xXx: State of the Union (2005). Toronto, along with the Dominican Republic and the Philippines, will act as the backdrop for this highly anticipated action/thriller flick. The cast is pretty stacked, including big names like Nina Dobrev, Vin Diesel, Samuel L. Jackson, Ruby Rose and Toni Collette.

It (June 27-August 31)
It is a horror thriller flick that will use Toronto to represent the Town of Derry. The story will follow a group of seven children united by their odd and scary encounters with a clown called Pennywise. Currently the only casting details are the speculation of Will Poulter playing the character of Pennywise.

Our House (May 30-July 7)
The details available for Our House are extremely vague. Not even IMDB has a description for this film yet. The only thing available is that is Project X lead Thomas Mann will be in it.

The Voice (June 13-September 2)
Not be confused with the singing reality show, The Voice will be filming in Toronto this summer. Details about the film are currently unavailable but we do know the film with be directed by György Pálfi.

TV

American Gods (March 1-September 1)
American Gods is a brand new show, slated to hit TV screens in 2017. According to IMDB, the series will follow "a recently released ex-convict named Shadow [who] meets a mysterious man who calls himself "Wednesday" and knows more than he first seems to about Shadow's life and past." Notable cast members include Crispin Glover, Emily Browning and Ian McShane.

American Gothic (February 28-October 8)
The details on American Gothic are, unfortunately, pretty sparse. All we know thus far is that it's a mystery drama featuring Virginia Madsen, Justin Chatwin and child actor Gabriel Bateman.

Big Brother Canada (February 15-May 12)
Canada's riff on the ever-popular American reality show has returned for its fourth season of filming. The show is already airing on Global three nights a week, so you can keep up to date with HOH winners, POV competitions, evictions and in-house shenanigans.

Dark Matter (September 12-May 16)
Dark Matter started filming its second season back in September and will be wrapping up mid-May. The drama/sci-fi/thriller series follows a six-person spaceship crew who have collectively suffered amnesia during a mission and are only left with a cargo bay of weaponry and a destination to go off of. Stars include Anthony Lemke and Jodelle Ferland.

Killjoys (November 30-April 30)
The second season of Killjoys began filming in November and will finish its stint in Toronto at the end of this month. If you're not familiar, the sci-fi series is about a trio who work as bounty hunters in a planetary system called the Quad during a time of unrest. Key cast members are Hannah John-Kamen, Aaron Ashmore and Luke Macfarlane.

The Expanse (April 15-September 30)
The Expanse, now in its second season of filming, will be shooting in Toronto until the end of September. The show is another sci-fi space drama that revolves around "a vast conspiracy that threatens the Earth's rebellious colony on the asteroid belt." Notable names include Jared Harris, Cas Anvar and Wes Chatham.

Degrassi: Next Class (May 16-August 11)
Degrassi: Next Class, not be confused with Degrassi: Next Generation, is the 5th series in the Degrassi franchise and will be filming in Toronto this spring and summer. Similar to the rest of the franchise the show will follow the lives of the students from Degrassi Community School. Familiar Degrassi stars like Eric Osborne, Ricardo Hoyos and Lyle Lettau will all be back for this franchise instalment.

Suits (April 5-November 17)
Filming of the 6th series of Suits is already underway and will continue all the way till November. This season of the show will cover the aftermath of one of the main characters guilty pleas in court. Series regulars include Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Meghan Markle and Sarah Rafferty.

Schitt's Creek (April 11-June 23)
The filming of Schitt's Creek 3rd series begun last month and will finish this coming June. The show follows the lives of wealthy family that finds themselves broke and forced to leave their pampered life for Schitt's Creek.The show stars Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Dan Levy and Annie Murphy.

Designated Survivor (March 7-October 21)
Filming for the first series of Designated Survivor started early March and will continue to film in Toronto until the end of October. The television drama will be the story about a low-level cabinet member being appointed President of the United States after a catastrophic attack. Expect to see actors Kiefer Sutherland, Kal Penn and Tanner Buchanan in the pilot episode.

Incorporated (May 30-September 30)
Incorporated will begun the filming of it's first series this May. The show produced by notable actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon will be about a young executive who hides his identity to enter a very treacherous corporate world. The series will star Sean Teale and Julia Ormond.

Star Trek (TBD)
While filming dates haven't been announced it has been confirmed that the latest iteration of the Star Trek television series will film in Toronto later this year. Details about the new series are sparse, but rumours abound that the first season will be set in a timeline between the Undiscovered Country and TNG. The show is set to air in January 2017.

What did I miss? Add more movies and TV shows being filmed in Toronto to the comments section.

With contributions from Alice Prendergast. Photo of Vin Diesel and Samuel L Jackson via Jackson's Instagram at Pinewood Studios in Toronto.

Toronto is getting a new Mexican ice cream shop

0
0

Seven Lives PaleteriaSeven Lives in Kensington Market is already widely regarded as one of Toronto's top taco purveyors and soon, the taqueria will branch out with an ice cream shop.

Seven Lives Paleteria is going in across the street from the original location on Kensington Avenue. Expect the summery menu to feature fresh fruit paletas and swirls of vegan pineapple soft serve. An opening is expected as early as next week.

Viewing all 47914 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images