This new coffee shop at Yonge & St. Clair is an intimate space that offers a welcome contrast to the chain cafes in the area. Add to that an impressive sandwich menu and some seriously good espresso from their La Marzocco machine, and you have the recipe for a popular neighbourhood spot.
Read my review of 9 Bars in the cafes section.
Something big is brewing at Front and Spadina, and if it becomes reality it will drastically alter a 7.7-acre part of Toronto's west downtown core. Today, three major property developers launch The Well, a new mixed-use neighbourhood for the parcel of land currently dominated by the The Globe and Mail office complex, squat grey buildings and surface parking.
As it's currently proposed (and these things tend to change,) The Well will consist of over a million square feet of residential space, a million square feet of office space, a new park, and numerous retail outlets spread between seven mid- to high-rise buildings between Draper, Front, Spadina, and Wellington.
A distinctive, sail-shaped office tower with street level retail is imagined soaring over the corner of Spadina and Front but you will have to take my word for it. No digital rendering of it was made available in time for publication.
"We're trying to do something a little bit different," says Stephen Diamond, President and CEO of Diamond Corp., one of the three developers on the project. "It's really been under-utilized and it's really not a very sightly building that's located there."
The trio of developers - RioCan, Allied Properties, and Diamond Corp. - are touting The Well as Toronto's first "meaningful mix of residential, retail, and office space," and there's certainly plenty of all three on paper. More than half of the interior space will be non-residential.
Viewed from the air (sorry, no map yet either,) a central pedestrian laneway arcs through the development with passageways radiating off between the towers. At street level, digital mock-ups show retail units ranging in size from small nooks to large flagship properties. In each of the mixed-use towers above the stores there are a few floors of office space, then condos and rental apartments. There's even a row of townhouses.
"What we wanted to try to do was to create a pedestrian-friendly, main street type of feel," Diamond says. "There may be some weather protection but it wouldn't be air-conditioned or heated. People would have the feeling of walking along the street. No cars would be permitted anywhere throughout the development, except underneath."
"We've kept the buildings lower along Wellington Each building has a different fabric to it," he says. "It will appear as different buildings ... there will be coffee shops and boutique retail stores."
There are very few specifics at this stage, including the overall cost, Diamond says, but the three developers expect to drop in the region of a billion dollars to realize their vision.
Before The Globe and Mail announced it was moving to a purpose-built facility at King and Berkeley, the newspaper had revealed plans to build its own office complex on the site. Woodbridge Co. Ltd., the paper's parent company, balked at the idea in December 2012 and the lot was sold to the current owners.
Before that, the site was once home to the gorgeous offices of the Northern Railway of Canada, which were designed by William George Storm, the architect behind St. Andrew's Church, University College, and parts of Osgoode Hall. The historic empire-style cottages of Draper Street, built between 1881 and 1882, lie just to the west of the development site.
In maps of the area dating from the middle of the 19th century this distant west end of Wellington Street is marked "Wellington Place," a broad, tree-lined street that tied together Clarence Square and Victoria Square. Claude Cormier, The Well's landscape architect, imagines restoring that lost green link between the parks with new greenery and an improved sidewalk.
The development will also see an entirely new linear park built on a shelf over part of GO Transit's North Bathurst Yard.
"We looked back in time to see what was originally planned for for Front Street," says Lucy Cameron, Vice President of Diamond Corp. "There was a public promenade that was proposed right along the bay and a terrace. There was also a plan to do a park link between Victoria Square and Clarence Square."
"We're so excited about having ideas that bring back some of those initiatives and have a greening of Front St. with a walking promenade and this park link, which is a really extensive landscape strip to link the two parks ... it's not something that you see in Toronto."
What are your first impressions of The Well? Will the mix of retail, office, and residential space be a boon for the neighbourhood? What don't you like? Sound off.
MORE IMAGES:
Looking southeast across the site from Wellington Street.
The Globe and Mail offices, which will be demolished.
Draper Street, which abuts the west end of the site.
Looking east on Wellington Street.
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
Images: Diamond Corp., Chris Bateman/blogTO
Cheap craft beer is important to know where to find in Toronto. Sometimes money is tight but you could really use a pint and other times your beer consumption needs simply require so much quantity that it's only frugal to seek out the most reasonably priced offerings. But that shouldn't mean you need to sacrifice quality by drinking cheap pitchers of Molson or Labatt's offerings (and presumably one might get the same experience for free by simply drinking from the toilet).
Instead, with a little digging, you can find a handful of places in the city offering up regular specials on craft beers. Here are 10 places that have at least one night when the good stuff is (relatively) cheap too. (Spoiler alert: I hope you like drinking on Mondays)
$5 Session Sundays at Bar Hop
Also ranking among the best craft beer bars in the city, Bar Hop offers select pints for $5 on Sundays. Usually the discount offerings are those beers that weigh in at less than 7% alcohol so as to keep things respectable. It is Sunday after all.
$5.75 pints Sundays at Thirsty and Miserable
If you've never been to Kensington's down and dirty craft beer bar, you're missing out on a great craft beer lineup and a quintessentially no-frills Kensington market drinking experience. As a bonus, on Sundays Thirsty and Miserable offer a whack of brews for $5.75 a pint, and while cheap drinking experiences abound in the market, this is definitely the only place you'll find names like Shacklands, Junction Craft, Oast House, and Sawdust City on the draught list.
$5 pints Sunday after 5pm at The Only
The Only doesn't mess around with this "select" pints business for their cheap beer night. Instead, they offer up every beer on their always-great lineup of draught for just $5 every Sunday after 5pm.
$5 pints Mondays at barVolo
On Mondays at this cozy Yonge Street craft beer institution, you'll find select pints available for just $5. Given that Volo always has a ridiculously good draft selection featuring pints you often can't find anywhere else, any day where you can grab some of those pints for $5 is a good day.
$2 pints on Mondays at Electric Mud
While the draught list is short at Electric Mud, the beers that are offered are usually decent, frequently local, and, on Mondays at two-effing-dollars a glass, pretty hard to complain about. If the BBQ isn't enough to entice you to brave the notorious wait times, surely craft beer that cheap is.
$5 pints at on Mondays at WVRST
Ontario is, as our slogan goes, yours to discover and on Mondays after 5pm the folks at WVRST are doing their best to help you discover the province's great beer. Enjoy the Ontario craft offerings on their excellent draught menu for just $5, leaving you some dough to spend on your wiener.
$5 Craft Tuesdays at Gretzky's
Gretzky's isn't a name you expect to see on a list of craft beer hot spots given their touristy trappings, but they might surprise you with their rotating cast of craft offerings available for $5 every Tuesday. As of this post, the crafty lineup includes Blanche de Chambly, Creemore, Granville Island Winter Ale, Okanagan Pale Ale, Muskoka Mad Tom, Steam Whistle, Mill Street Organic. As bonus, while you might find a lot of these other locations serving 14oz (or smaller) "pints," Gretzky's $5 offerings are a down-right respectable 18oz.
$5 Steam Whistle after 6pm at Tall Boys
If the comments section of every post I've ever written about them has taught me anything, it's that it's cool to hate on Steam Whistle. And frankly, that's fine with me because it means there's more of Toronto's own delicious refreshing pilsner for me. And anyone else who appreciates this well-made beverage is welcome to join me any day of the week at Tall Boys, where you can enjoy a Steam Whistle for just $5 after 6pm.
$5 and $6 beers during The Witching Hours at Bellwoods Brewery
For the first two hours of service every day of the week from October to April, the folks at Bellwoods Brewery are selling their beers that are normally $6.50-$7.50 for just $5-$6. While that might seem like small savings, consider that, if you normally drink six Witchsharks in one sitting, for the same money you'll be able to buy a seventh Wtichshark and still have TTC fare home!*
*do not drink six or seven Witchsharks in one sitting.
$10 Pitchers Mondays and Wednesdays, $3.50 bottles on Tuesdays, and $3.75 tall boys on Thursdays at The Bar with No Name
Presumably you don't need a name for your bar when you're offering up discounted beer multiple times a week. The Bar with No Name has all the trappings of a dive bar but manages to do it all with a pretty respectable list of all Ontario beer. If you like pitchers, the obligatory Monday deal is here--returning Wednesdays until 11pm--as is a $3.50 bottle night and a $3.75 tallboy night; making this a contender for the best value in craft beer in Toronto.
Got a recurring craft beer special I missed? Let me know about it in the comments.
Ben Johnson also writes about beer over on Ben's Beer Blog. You can follow him on twitter @Ben_T_Johnson.
The Super Bowl kicks off at 6:25pm our time on Sunday, February 2nd and Toronto sports bars and restaurants are embracing American tailgating traditions full on this year. Football fans can fete the big game surrounded by big screens, pig roasts, buffets, beer specials and even strippers.
For those with their own HD at home, there are excellent catering packages available for pre-order and pick-up too. Ribs, wings, pizzas, chili, sliders - bring the whole gang home to help cheer along your favourite team.
Here's a roundup of screening parties and take-home party packages for Super Bowl XLVIII in Toronto.
WHERE TO WATCH THE GAME
The Dock Ellis (1280 Dundas Street West)
The Dock Ellis is doing a special menu featuring hoagies and loads of wings and nachos. Tall cans of old style pilsner will be on for $5. No cover, no reservations.
Boots 'N' Bourbon (725 Queen East)
Toronto's newest country bar hosts a Country Tailgate Party featuring a $40 buffet of wings, deep fried turkeys, cheesesteaks, pork rinds, pepperette corn dogs and more. Plus there will be party favours from Coors girls and Jeam Beam Red Stag girls.
Rock Lobster (110 Ossington Avenue)
The original location plays host to a Super Bowl Bash (with sound on) featuring $25 live lobster dinners and $5 tall cans. The Queen West outpost is also doing full sound on and featuring $5 tall cans and $5 chowder specials. Lots of prizes planned for both locations.
The Loose Moose (146 Front Street)
Stocked with an awesome selection of draught beers, this bar is offering a pre-game lineup from noon to 4pm featuring $20 tailgate platters and $4.75 Buds and $3 caesars all day.
Duke's Refresher + Bar (382 Yonge Street)
The Muskoka-themed bar will be showing the game on mega-sized screens over the bar. Pick a prime spot to watch on a first come basis.
Real Sports (15 York Street)
The bar that boasts 199 HD TVs is already fully booked though bar stools are available to walk-ins on a first come basis.
William's Landing (120 Lynn Williams Street)
Celebrate Super Bowl Sunday with a Pig Skin Pig Roast buffet at half time. Advance tickets are available through the restaurant. Cover is $30 starting at 4:30pm.
Hunters Landing (82 Fort York) is also doing an all you can eat Pig Skin Pig Roast, only here the buffet costs just $25.
Switch Toronto (55 Colborne Street)
This swanky lounge starts its Tailgate Party at 3pm. Tickets are $30 for guys or $20 for ladies and the game day line-up includes HD projectors, an AYCE buffet, pitcher specials, games, raffles and giveaways. Ballers can book a booth with bottle service from $550 and up.
Hogtown Pub & Oysters (633 College Street)
The cozy Little Italy pub is doling tailgate snacks and Super Bowl trivia hosted by Christine Thibodeau.
The Office Pub (117 John Street)
The Entertainment District pub is equipped with 25 HD screens and full sound. The party kicks off at 4:30pm. Cover charge is $35 and includes 3 domestic drink tickets and an all you can eat buffet.
Wheat Sheaf (667 King Street West)
Always a solid game day destination with 15 or so big screens and half price wings featured.
Queen & Beaver Public House (35 Elm Street)
The pub is showing the game upstairs and doing a suckling pig roast with crackling and all the trimmings priced at $36. Walk-ins are okay!
Cherry Street Restaurant (275 Cherry Street)
The Port Lands joint is showing the game and offering two beers and a choice of wings, pulled pork on a bun or chili for $25 from 5pm.
The House of Lancaster (689 The Queensway)
Celebrate the big game with the Stripper Bowl 2014. Tickets are $10 at the door to party it up with prizes, free food, free drinks and strippers!
TAKE-HOME SUPER BOWL SNACKS
Lisa Marie (638 Queen West)
Let this street food and snack specialist cater your house party with their Super Bowl Sunday Food Playbook featuring large-format packages to go. Pick from three packages that'll feed 8 to 15+ featuring things like wings, pulled pork chili, racks of ribs and the bacon weave-wrapped "bacon explosion". The cut-off to order via email is Friday night.
Barque Smokehouse (299 Roncesvalles Avenue)
The smokehouse released a special takeout menu just for the big game. Order a la carte or pickup the $120 party menu for four featuring chili, wings, ribs and sweet and salty snacks.
Duff's (558 College Street)
This wings shop doesn't do dine-in on game day so they can focus entirely on take-out orders per annual tradition. Same day orders are probably okay but since pick-up times are scheduled in 15 minute intervals it's best to order in advance if you want them at a peak time.
Hogtown Smoke (1959 Queen Street East)
Order the new Holy Hog party platter, a 10-12 person feast of smoked meats. Only 4 orders per hour are on offer for pick up between 11am to 10pm and must be pre-ordered via email. Each purchase comes with a chance to win four TFC tickets.
Enzo's Pizza Bar (646 Queen Street West)
Can't decided between burgers or pizza? Enzo's is doing a tribute to the American game with $20 Americano pizzas on special.
The Stockyards (699 St. Clair Avenue West)
The game plan at Stockyards is to take pre-orders for smoked ribs and chicken until Friday night. Orders will be ready for pick-up between 3:30pm to 4:30pm on Sunday. Everything is regular price.
It's All GRK (756 Queen West)
Build your own customizable big game feast that'll feed 5, 10 or 15 sports fans. Orders can be placed by phone and must be in by 6pm on Saturday. Delivery will be available all day.
Humble Beginnings (3109 Dundas Street West)
Order chili and wings for any sized group from this spot in The Junction. The last pick-up of the day is 6pm so orders will be accepted up until 4:30pm the day off.
Where did I miss? Add more Super Bowl spots to the comments below.
Photo via the Denver Broncos Facebook page
This bar has been kicking around for over five years nestled between the Drake and the Gladstone on West Queen West. It's been home to a few different concepts over that period, but its current identity as a place to grab cheap beer and Filipino style tacos courtesy of Tocino Boys seems to suit it quite well.
Read my review of The Midpoint in the bars section.
The latest addition to my ever-growing list of Toronto-related paraphernalia is this screen print from Dublin-based design firm me&him&you. Part of a series that also includes cities like New York, London, Berlin and Hong Kong, the print features the CN Tower, Scotia Plaza, The Gooderham Building, and...a Caesar. The idea is to pair iconic structures with iconic drinks to represent the ethos of a given city.
"Historically Irish people have emigrated to work all over the world," the designers explain. "Recently many of our friends and family have moved to Hong Kong, New York, London, Paris, Berlin and many other cities all over the world looking for work. We are lucky enough to have been able to visit, sample their signature drinks and be inspired by their new homes."
It's a simple idea, and while the addition of a staple drink might risk cliche, the minimalist design saves the prints from such a fate. City Screenprints are available at me&him&you's website for 60 Euros a piece un-framed. Here's a snapshot of the series.
Scott MacIntyre, an ex-boyfriend of Rob Ford's sister Kathy, is alleging the mayor ordered a savage jailhouse beating that left him with a broken leg and missing teeth, according to a statement of claim filed this afternoon.
MacIntyre says the attack on March 23, 2012 was intended to keep him from revealing details of the mayor's "drug and alcohol abuse and association with criminals." He also claims the video of Ford uttering violent threats that was bought by the Toronto Star in November is related to the incident.
"Ford became highly agitated that the plaintiff might disclose Ford's unsavoury activities," the statement of claim alleges. "Accordingly, he conspired with [Payman] Aboodowleh [a Don Bosco football coach] to send a firm message to the plaintiff [MacIntyre] to prevent him from doing so. In particular ... Ford and Aboodowleh conspired to have the plaintiff threatened, and subsequently brutally beaten, while he was incarcerated."
Speaking outside Ford's office at City Hall this afternoon, criminal lawyer Dennis Morris said the accusations are "without fact or foundation."
"It's very irresponsible and spurious to say he [was involved,]" Morris said.
MacIntyre, a convicted drug dealer, was accused of shooting Kathy Ford in the face in 2005. Years later, he entered the Ford family home and demanded money, according court transcripts reported in The Star. "You owe me money and your sister owes me money," the court recorded MacIntyre as saying. "If I don't get it they will kill me."
MacIntyre was jailed at the Toronto West Detention Centre as a result of the incident and banned from making contact with the Fords. According to The Star, in March 2012 letters to Kathy Ford and the newspaper were intercepted by prison staff and MacIntyre was beaten several months later by a fellow inmate, who The Globe and Mail identifies as Aedan Petros, "a 300-pound, violent criminal who played defensive tackle for Mr. Ford when he was the coach of the football team at Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School."
The suit also names the Ministry of Correctional Services, whose staff MacIntyre claims facilitated the attack by ensuring "that there was no supervision or surveillance of the area where the plaintiff was assaulted" under the guidance of Ford and Aboodowleh.
A ministry spokesman told the paper an internal investigation into the beating is currently underway.
MacIntyre is seeking $1 million in damages.
None of the allegations contained in the statement of claim have been proven in court.
Read the full statement of claim:
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
Image: Chris Bateman/blogTO.
We're all a little bit addicted to Instagram here at blogTO and thought we'd reach out to some like-minded sharpshooters with an invite to join our team. Do we want you to post photos to Instagram for us? Um, not exactly. But if you have an iPhone or Android and are a heavy user of the world's favourite selfie platform then you'll be a perfect match.
Here are the qualifications you'll need to apply:
No additional photography experience is necessary. This isn't your typical photo gig.
For more details, just send an email to jobs [at] blogto [dotcom]. In your email to us, please state/include the following:
Thanks in advance for your interest. We aim to respond to everyone who submits a complete, qualifying application as detailed above.
Justin Bieber surrendered to police tonight in Toronto in connection with an incident back on December 29th in which it was reported that a member of Bieber's entourage assaulted a limo driver near Dundas and University.
It was pure chaos at 52 Division as throngs of media and onlookers crowded around to watch as Bieber was escorted from an SUV into the station. Yup, the world's eyes are on Toronto again but at least this time it has nothing to do with crack.
In other news, Twitter has gone absolutely mental.
Two seemingly 'opposite' group exhibitions happen tonight: Black & White has its reception at Propeller Gallery, and Fat In Public at 2186 Dundas, with the variety of Xpace Cultural Centre's Winter Programming reception thriving somewhere in the middle. Musical options abound, with the sounds and visuals at Archi-Textures always a happening option, as well as Weird Silence and the singer/songwriter thing going down at The Music Gallery's Catalyst Café.
Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly
After months of construction delays, this lunch counter and late-night eats destination is finally open. On the menu are nostalgic comfort foods like grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup and gourmet mac and cheese variations. See what this new shop does with the classics.
Read my profile of Cut The Cheese in the restaurants section.
This Week in Film rounds up noteworthy new releases in theatres, rep cinema and avant-garde screenings, festivals, and other special cinema-related events happening in Toronto.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
The Seventh Art Live Directors Series with Andrew Bujalski (February 3 & 4; Innis Town Hall)
The best American film of 2013 was made by 36 year-old Boston native Andrew Bujalski, and that film was called Computer Chess. A mockumentary treatise on artificial intelligence and the complexity of humanity (and also, I guess, chess), it was a radically weird formal experiment that alienated as many spectators as it enthralled, representing a leap forward in the thematic ambitions of the mumblecore genre; traced back to early films by Jim Jarmusch and Richard Linklater, it's a movement defined by amateur actors, improvised line delivery, and naturalistic dialogue, and was inaugurated thanks to Bujalski's early work.
As part of their young but flourishing Live Directors Series, Toronto-based video magazine The Seventh Art bring us two nights of 35mm screenings of Bujalski's first two, highly influential films, Funny Ha Ha (2002) and Mutual Appreciation (2005). Much more intimate in scope than Computer Chess, these are narratives focused on more intimate themes such as post-collegiate adulthood, romantic awkwardness, general hanging out.
Bujalski will be present at both screenings for post-film discussions, so it'll be a great opportunity to gain a richer insight into the origins of one of the most singular cinematic voices of the 21st century so far.
More special screenings this week:
REP CINEMA
Oscar Micheaux: American Independent (February 1-23; TIFF Bell Lightbox)
Among TIFF's best filmmaker retrospectives each year are their spotlights on African and African American directors every February in honour of Black History Month. This year, they've outdone themselves, offering a healthy offering of eight of Oscar Michaeux's best films. Micheaux was the first prominent African American filmmaker in cinema history, working from the silent era and well into the 40s, collaborating with screen giants such as Paul Robeson (in his fantastic Body and Soul), and coming out against D.W. Griffith's mammoth blockbuster The Birth of a Nation with his own response, Within Our Gates. From social realism to intense crime thrillers, there seemed to be nothing Micheaux couldn't do, which this retrospective does well in proving.
This Week's Oscar Micheaux screenings:
More in rep cinema this week:
FILM FESTIVALS
The Great Digital Film Festival (January 31 - February 6; Scotiabank)
Only two years ago, the idea that a "film" festival would use the term "Digital" in its name (not to mention "Great") was, frankly, silly. By now, though, it seems downright redundant. 98% of the films at TIFF last September were digital, while Cannes ousted celluloid completely. There's no room left for cynicism when it comes to watching movies in theatres anymore; if you can't deal with digital, you'd best find a new hobby. In that spirit, let us then turn our attention to 32 years ago, when Tron (Sunday, February 2 at 3PM) set the stage for all of this. It's still the most digital film ever made (and also utterly spectacular), making it easily the least ironic motion picture in this years Great Digital Film Festival. For info regarding the others, check the festival's website here.
NEW RELEASES
12 O'Clock Boys (Carlton)
If Terrence Malick had ever attempted to make a movie about inner city kids and dirt bikes, it couldn't have been all that different from Lotfy Nathan's directorial debut, 12 O'Clock Boys. Revved up with languid and ethereal slo-mo footage of wheelies and joy rides, this was one of the highlights of Hot Docs 2013, for sure, its blend of energetic machismo and graceful, balletic motions making for truly beautiful results. It gets a bit bogged down in an imposed coming-of-age narrative, as 13 year-old Pug longs to grow up to be like his biker heroes, but that's just quibbling.
Also opening in theatres this week:
Lead still from 12 O'Clock Boys.
Each month we round up the most noteworthy live theatre playing in Toronto.
World Stage / Harbourfront Centre / Various Times / $10-$39
Harbourfront's annual series showcases celebrated artists and their latest obsessions in contemporary performance modes. This year's festival launches with the #artlive Vogue Ball presented by the House of Nuance, an inclusive jam that hearkens back to the golden days of queer balls. Performances that kick off the series in February include The Radio Show (Kyle Abraham), UNTITLED FEMINIST SHOW (Young Jean Lee), and Major Tom (Victoria Melody). Check out our full World Stage preview.
Idiot's Delight / Soulpepper - Young Centre / January 30 - March 1 / $23-$74
Robert E. Sherwood's 1936 Pulitzer Prize winning play is set in the Italian Alps where the luxury Hotel Monte Gabriele plays host to a collection of international guests. With tourism on the decline in the latter part of the decade, the arrival of a Switzerland-bound train provides some much needed excitement in the hotel halls, even as the impending war marches ever so close to the retreat. Albert Schultz directs a large ensemble of twenty.
Metamorphosis / Royal Alex Theatre / February 2 - March 9 / 8:00pm/2:00pm / $25-$99
There's nothing that quite compares to the comically dark open line of Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis: "As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect." Not figurative, without hyperbole or irony, Gregor is full insect. Kafka's wildly imaginative and influential literature has been adapted for the stage by British playwright and director David Farr and actor/director Gisli Örn Gardarsson.
Firebrand / Mackenzie House / February 6-22 / 8:00pm / $20
Single Thread Theatre continues to unearth the seminal stories of Toronto's heritage through engaging, site-specific productions. Their past performances, The Campbell House Story and The Loyalists, have encouraged audiences to look differently at the city by revisiting moments that have shaped Canadian history. The Mackenzie House museum is the setting for Firebrand, a play profiling William Lyon Mackenzie, the city's first mayor.
Tribes / Berkeley Street Theatre / February 6 - March 2 / 8:00pm/2:00pm / $22-$49
Arriving for its Canadian premiere is Nina Raine's Tribes, winner of the 2012 Drama Desk and New York Theatre Critics Circle awards. Raised by his family without knowledge of sign language, Billy navigates his deafness the only way he knows how. That is until he meets a woman slowly going deaf who opens up his world to a language and culture all their own. Under the direction of Daryl Cloran, the play should be another strong Canadian Stage offering alongside London Road.
The Daisy Theatre / Factory Theatre / February 12-23 / 9:30pm / $30
Renowned puppetmaster Ronnie Burkett returns to Factory with The Daisy Theatre, which first premiered at last summer's Luminato Festival. Inspired by Czechoslovakia's underground "daisy" puppet displays during Nazi occupation, the play features monologues and variety acts from a collection of fantastic characters. Burkett and his marionettes bare all in a bold and daring cabaret.
The Rhubarb Festival opens at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre on February 12. We'll take a closer look at the festival next week.
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
OPENING SOON
CLOSED
RECENTLY REVIEWED
OTHER NEWS
Have you seen restaurants opening or closing in your neighbourhood? Email tips to liora@blogto.com
This ever so casual seafood joint on Mt. Pleasant is lobster central. The locals know it, filling seats every night for lobster rolls, mac and cheese, and lobster boils. Everything is house made with a care that belies the thrown together decor, so it feels like a true lobster shack.
Read my review of Smoked & Cracked in the restaurants section.
The top places to drink rum in Toronto remind me that it's a little sad that rum doesn't seem to have as strong a following in the city as other liquors, like tequila, scotch, or bourbon. The GTA does, after all, have one of the largest Caribbean populations in the world. Although it's easy to point out that this observation relies on a necessary connection between the demographic makeup of the city and its bar scene, the paltry offerings at the LCBO gives a little more credence to such a claim.
Those bars that do fly the rum the flag do it well, and should be an example for other establishments to get on board. There's a few criteria to consider when picking a great spot to enjoy rum - the selection on hand, the rum cocktails available, the accompanying cuisine, and finally the overall knowledgeability of the staff.
Here's my list of the five best places to enjoy rum in Toronto.
Rhum Corner
Jen Agg's latest venture serves as an homage to the sugarcane spirit, with a particular focus on Haitian cuisine. The bar holds a collection of over 40 different rums, with certain bottles available at the table, even in increments of quarter or half bottles (and served with fresh lime and Mexican Coke). There's rum cocktails too, but they're best enjoyed from the delightfully trashy slushie machines, serving up frozen Pina Coladas and Daiquiris from behind the bar.
The County General
The County General has always maintained a heavy rum focus since opening in 2011, offering up tasting flights from its selection of over 35 rums. Highlights include an excellent selection of El Dorado, Appleton, and Mount Gay. It's also one of the few spots you can grab a shot of the offensively overproofed Sunset. Rum cocktails are plentiful, and the brown stuff also figures in their excellent Brown Butter Cake ($7).
The Real Jerk
The Real Jerk's new location at Gerrard and Carlaw location has been doing brisk business thanks in no small part to a terrific commitment to collecting rum, and offering it at decent prices. With over 40 bottles, shots ranging from $5.50-$12.50, a range of Caribbean-style cocktails, and regular rum tasting evenings, it's a must stop for anyone on the east side (and let's be honest, you should probably just go for some of that jerk chicken anyway).
Spirit House
Spirit House holds a formidable collection of just about everything pertaining to liquor, and rum is no exception. There's even a decent selection of cachaça on hand, on top of over 25 rums to pick from. The cocktail list is exhaustive, and the knowledge of the bartenders is hard to beat. It's worth heading down just to grab the Man of Interest ($12), an outstanding rum-based take on the Negroni.
TTS
Toronto Temperance Society, like the County General, seems to make its way onto a disproportionate amount of these lists. As far as I'm concerned, that's for good reason, as Oliver Stern curates a superb rum program, with over 30 bottles on hand, including the stellar (and extremely hard to find) El Dorado 25. He also blends his own rum for the purposes of his tiki cocktail menu. Oliver was the Canadian ambassador for Angostura after winning their national cocktail contest, so we can safely describe him as something of an authority.
Got a favourite place to drink rum in Toronto? Let us know in the comments.
Photo of the Toronto Temperance Society
There's something so tantalizing about the prospect of a secret tunnel, a hidden passageway to some place unknown beneath the feet of an unsuspecting populace.
Finding a secret labyrinth with a tug on a candlestick is compelling folklore - there are forums filled with speculation about secret alien bases beneath Toronto, all of which (yeah, I'll say it) are nonsense, but that doesn't mean there are no real secret passageways in the city.
Most people have heard about the 800 foot tunnel that connects Casa Loma to its stables, but there are others out there waiting to be discovered. Here are four real and one fake (but remarkably persistent) tales of underground tunnels in Toronto.
REAL: LOWER QUEEN
Lower Queen station, as it's known among rail fans and urban explorers, is the rough shell of an underground streetcar stop deep beneath Queen and Yonge. It was built with Queen subway station during construction of the Yonge line and, according to Transit Toronto, an authority on this type of thing, it bears close resemblance to the Queens Quay underground streetcar stop, if anything.
Due to its fragile nature, the TTC is extremely reluctant to allow anyone inside, but most people don't realize they walk through part of Lower Queen every day. The underpass between the north and southbound platforms of Queen station is a walled off part of the abandoned platform. An anonymous locked door leads to the remainder of the disused shell, photographed above by Dave Beach.
REAL: LAKESHORE PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL
Built in 1884, Toronto's Gothic and Romanesque Revival psychiatric institution at Lake Shore and Kipling was the first in Canada to adopt the "cottage system," a series of small, separate buildings instead of one single monolithic asylum.
A warren of tunnels built below the landscaped gardens allowed staff to scurry between the buildings without stepping foot outside, which must have been a boon in winter. Some of these subterranean pathways may have even had miniature railway tracks for moving heavy equipment and supplies, according to a site dedicated to the institution's history.
When the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital closed in 1979, the site fell into dereliction before Humber College renovated the site and tunnels. The passageways are not open to the some 7,800 full-time students but that doesn't mean photographers haven't been allowed inside, as illustrated above.
REAL: THE PNEUMATIC POST
Long before the Internet made dashing off a story on Rob Ford's antics at City Hall as simple as opening a laptop, Toronto's press corps relied on a network of underground mail tubes to file copy.
The system of pneumatic pipes originally linked the Royal York Hotel and Union Station with the offices of the Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway via Bay Street. Later, the Toronto Star and Toronto Telegram laid new tubes from Old City Hall to their respective headquarters.
Messages were stuffed inside metal canisters and dropped into the pipe, which sucked like the end of a vacuum cleaner. The pneumatic pressure would drag the newspaper copy, letter, anything light enough to be carried on the air, to its intended destination. Each connected property had two tubes: one for receiving and another for sending.
The system fell into disuse in the years before much of it was wrecked by the arrival of Union subway station and the demolition of several of its principal buildings. Road construction on Bay Street between the end of the second world war and today would surely have finished off what remained of the shallow pipes, if anything.
REAL: ROY THOMSON HALL
This tunnel is a great urban mystery. When workers were excavating the foundations for Roy Thomson Hall in the 1980s, diggers struck something solid in the buried remains of the old Canadian Pacific freight office that used to occupy the site. It was a tunnel leading to a room under Simcoe Street. Inside was a table, a chair, two empty cups, and a locked safe.
The sealed container was craned to the surface where it quickly vanished, never to be heard from again. "A lot of people were treating it as a piece of junk," Eugene Blain, the project manager on the site told the Toronto Star. "We had planned to force it open, but it wasn't a priority."
Building continued and the strange room that hadn't appeared on detailed site plans was demolished and filled in.
"CP asked me what happened to it, and I had to say it disappeared," Blain said.
FAKE: KING EDWARD HOTEL
The tale goes like this: Some time shortly after its opening in 1903, management at Toronto's luxurious King Edward Hotel drew up plans for an underground carriage link between Union Station - then located a block west of its present location - and its King Street basement. Hotel guests could reach their rooms without stepping foot outside, they thought.
The passageway was built under Victoria Street as far south as Wellington Street, abruptly abandoned, and sealed up.
"That tunnel as far as I know was never built and there's certainly no sign of it today anywhere at the hotel," says hotel general manager Jeff Waters. "Beyond the hotel, the basement slightly sits over the outside of the building but [it doesn't] go anywhere, so there's not an old abandoned tunnel or anything like that."
If it was ever a real structure it would surely have been compromised by now. The 12-storey office building located behind the hotel at 26 Wellington Street East has a four-storey basement that abuts the supposed east wall of the tunnel.
"There are areas of basement that have been abandoned but even within those you can see all the exterior walls, there's nothing there," Waters says, which may go some way to explaining photos that purport to show the disused tunnel.
REAL: QUEEN'S PARK STATION (BONUS)
There is an underground pedestrian tunnel that links Queen's Park subway station with the south basement of the Whitney Block on the east side of Queen's Park Crescent. "The tunnel is property of the Province," says Danny Nicholson from the TTC, so don't expect to get inside without a good reason.
A special constable guards the entrance day and night, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario's website warns, but access is allowed on legitimate business.
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
Images: That Boy, Erik Mauer, Dave Beach, Matt Watson, k-beer/blogTO Flickr pool, Toronto Star Archives, The Corporation of Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall Archives
Toronto dance parties to have on your radar this February.
Winter is a little less awful if you can find a good excuse to get out on a dance floor once and a while. Even in the middle of February, all the regular ongoing monthly parties and dance bars are still bumping, but if you're looking for something a bit more out of the ordinary, here are five of the biggest and best special events taking over the clubs, warehouses, bars, and even beaches.
Turning Point / February 1st / The Garrison / 10pm / $10
A Man Called Warwick's rare tropical funk party takes over the back room of the Garrison February 1. The night always draws a big crowd of sweaty dancers, but make sure to get there extra early this time, as the special guest this month is the talented Worcestershire-born, Columbia-based producer/DJ Quantic.
BRRRR! Winter Music Festival / February 1st / Echo Beach / $96.50
It seemed like a longshot that Torontonians would actually brave the winter weather for an outdoor EDM festival on the waterfront, but the success of last year's BRRRRR! Winter Music festival proved the doubters wrong. This year's edition features big names like Wolfgang Gartner, Sharam, Hot Since 82, Felix Cartel and many more, February 1, at Echo Beach. However, fans of Hot Since 82 who would rather hear him in a more intimate (and less frigid) environment can get another chance to hear the Leeds-based DJ spinning February 6, at EFS.
Motor City Legends / February 7th / Coda / 10pm / $25
Techno wouldn't exist if it weren't for Kevin Saunderson, so if you care about electronic music you should make sure you catch him DJing at least once in your life. Saunderson hits Coda (the new club run by the guys behind Footwork and Art Department's Jonny White) February 7 with fellow Detroit legends Octave One, who are one of the best no-laptop live techno acts around.
Promise Heart Party / February 14th / 158 Sterling Rd / 10pm / $40
Promise (the people behind the long-running Sunday afternoon Cherry Beach parties) return to the massive abandoned factory where they threw their German Sparkle Party back in December for a special Valentines Day event. The space itself is a big part of the appeal, not to mention the 18 bass bins they're going to be pounding the dance floor with. Performing are Montreal's Tone Depth, and local talent Ali Black, Tricky Moreira, and Chobo.
Dennis Ferrer / February 16th / Maison Mercer / 10pm / $20
New York soulful house producer/DJ Dennis Ferrer plays Maison Mercer for a Family Day long weekend party February 16. He's one of the few producers who's capable of moving easily between the warm jazzy side of house and the big room tech house scene, while still maintaining his own distinct sound.
Writing by Benjamin Boles
The best sports bars in Toronto run the gamut from massive, modern behemoths to old school, cozier neighbourhood spots, and they each offer their own unique experience. While some are loud and full of TV screens (nope, wait a minute, they're all loud and full of TV screens), others up the ante with above average beer selections and pub food with a modern twist.
Here are the best sports bars in Toronto.
See also:
The best pubs in Toronto
The best gastropubs in Toronto
