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

• Baconfest returns to the Leslieville Farmers' Market for its third year this Sunday, August 17. The competitive cookoff will bring together 40 vendors who will go head to head with their best bacon-infused recipes at Jonathan Ashbridge Park from 9am to 2pm.
• The Toronto Summer BBQ and Ribfest kicks off at Downsview Park Festival Terrace today, Friday August 15, and runs until Sunday, August 17. In addition to great BBQ, the all-day event will feature family friendly entertainment, rides and activities.
• MakeWorks presents the Toronto Brunch Market on Sunday, August 17 at 1139 College St. over two sessions. Admission is $15 at the door to enjoy food samples priced between $3 and $8, plus $5 caesars.
• Yours Truly hosts a BBQ in the parking lot behind the restaurant at 229 Ossington on Sunday, August 17. Happening from 2pm to 10pm, food and drink will be priced at $5 each.
• Voodoo Child (388 College St.) hosts a sporadic buck-a-shuck oyster night this Thursday, August 22 from 7pm.

UPCOMING

• The Depanneur (1033 College St.) hosts a Taste of the Birchwood Kitchen supper club with Chef Michael Kirkwood on Sunday, September 7 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $40, and it's BYOB as always. https://www.facebook.com/events/313487498828846/
• Tickets for the Delicious Food Show headlined by Mario Batali are on sale now. Taking place October 17 to 19 at the Direct Energy Centre, the 3-day event will feature celebrity chef workshops and demos, cook-offs, food trucks and lots of exhibitors.

OTHER NEWS

• enRoute Magazine is currently polling the people's choice for Canada's best new restaurants 2014. Eat and vote for your favourites in Toronto.

Ever wanted to try spinning, but were too intimidated? This new indoor cycling studio on St. Clair West offers some killer workouts in a clean, elegant, beautifully unpretentious atmosphere that's welcoming to newbies and veteran spinners alike. (Even the class music is good.)

Read my review of Rocket Cycle in the fitness section.

Despite taking a ton of heat yesterday for its confiscation (some characterize it as theft) of bikes locked at Yonge and Bloor streets, Brookfield Properties stands behind its actions, citing pedestrian safety concerns. In an email response to our earlier inquiries, company spokesperson Matthew Cherry offered the following:

"As adjacent property owner, we have the right to remove a bike or otherwise affixed object to property and the TTC pole on the sidewalk outside of our building if it poses a perceived risk to pedestrians... There have been numerous instances at this location where pedestrians have tripped over or have otherwise been injured by bicycles affixed to the pole. We apologize to anyone who believed their bike was stolen and in the future endeavour to provide either a verbal or written warning before removing a bike or other property from a prohibited area."

Given the backlash in response to cyclist Lisa Ferguson's initial complaint that Brookfield had stolen her bike, it's at least somewhat surprising to see the company take this stance, particularly given that the city's stance is that TTC post from which security guards are removing bikes is on public property. The only concession Cherry offers is that security will try to better inform cyclists before removal of their bikes. That's all fine and everything, but how in the world was this not happening in the first place?

What do you think? Is Brookfield justified in taking its hard stance on removal of bikes near the Hudson's Bay Centre?

Located in the Junction Triangle, this newly opened cafe and sandwich shop is keeping things simple but paying attention to quality. Expect to find a lineup of sandwiches and tacos piled with Sanagan's meats (not cold cuts, but hand-carved roasts) with house-made mustards, mayos and sauces.

Read my profile of Sterling Social in the restaurants section.

Toronto is a Hollywood star. Although the city rarely gets a chance to play itself, often standing in for New York City, Chicago, or other American cities, movie makers seem to love setting up fake subway entrances and lining the curb with yellow taxis. The TTC even has the tools to make the disused Bay Lower station look like the New York subway. Right now, more than 30 productions are filming in Toronto, according the city's film department. In the past, it's been everything from Auschwitz to Harvard.

Here are five favourite haunts of Hollywood filmmakers.

University of Toronto
The old stone buildings of the university's central campus make a great stand in for just about any historic North American educational institution. Though the movie is set in the suburbs of Chicago, the Mathletes scene in Mean Girls was shot at Convocation Hall (the actual school is Etobicoke Collegiate Institute,) and Hollywood films like Capote, Chicago, Good Will Hunting, Cocktail and The Incredible Hulk have also used various parts of the campus as a backdrop. Chicago also included scenes filmed at the Elgin Theatre on Yonge St., Union Station, Osgoode Hall, and Queen's Park legislature building.

Toronto City Hall
The modernist towers of City Hall and by extension Nathan Phillips Square have served as the backdrop to key battle scenes in Resident Evil: Apocalypse and played Washington D.C. landmark in the movie The Sentinel, about a rogue U.S. Secret Service agent (Michael Douglas) bent on killing the president. Kiefer Sutherland, as David Breckinridge, eventually catches up to him by the reflecting pool in the movie's climax. Oh, and let's not forget the cameo in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Casa Loma
Casa Loma, the former home of wealthy financier Sir Henry Pellatt and once the largest private residence in the country, is a bizarre architectural oddity, making it an ideal prop for movies in need of a scary castle or opulent palace. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, which unlike most movies filmed in Toronto is actually set here, features Casa Loma prominently, as do X Men, Chicago, Cocktail, and The Love Guru.

The Distillery District
Now a popular tourist destination, the city's historic distillery district, built in the mid-1800s, makes a perfect Victorian street backdrop. Many of the old whiskey factory's appearances on screen came during the 1990s, when the area was abandoned, and into the early 2000s. Thousands of films such as David Cronenberg's The Fly, Undercover Brother, Death to Smoochie, Three Men and a Baby, Blues Brothers 2000, Chicago, The Long Kiss Goodnight. In Cinderella Man, the area was the New Jersey docks, and in X-Men, it played a concentration camp.

Financial District
Toronto's downtown office towers, especially TD Centre, are dead ringers for similar buildings in U.S. cities. American Psycho's creepy business card scene was filmed in TD Centre and The RoboCop remake pretends our downtown Toronto is Detroit. More recently, the Bay-Adelaide Centre has been used in the TV series Suits. Usually, the maroon Scotia Plaza building is the giveaway.

BONUS

Under the Gardiner
Countless films have used the stretch of Lake Shore Blvd. under the Gardiner to make Toronto look perhaps a bit more rawly urban than it really ease. The Total Recall reboot shut Lake Shore down a few times to shoot here, though the resulting scenes are obscured with layer upon layer of effects. It (unsurprisingly) features heavily in David Cronenberg's Crash, and often doubles as Chicago (see The Vow).

SEE ALSO

• 10 movies you might not know were shot in Toronto

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Image: /blogTO Flickr pool.

After being pulled from the first-ever Toronto men's fashion week just days before his runway show, allegedly due to concerns that the clothes were too "androgynous" and "femme", Mic. Carter's L'Uomo Strano line was reinstated to the runway yesterday - crop tops, full skirts and all.

Carter went public with the TOM event's staff decision to can his collection just days before it hit the runway, saying they were worried that media would skewer them for showing "womenswear" and suggesting more masculine stylistic changes. (TOM executive director Jeff Rustia maintains that it was due to the construction and quality of the collection itself, not the androgynous designs.)

After he posted his side of the story on Facebook, his complaints spread around social media and finally hit local news outlets. Carter says he was hit with "a really surprising outpouring of support ... I was quite taken aback, but really encouraged."

On Wednesday, the event's staff sent Carter a message asking him if he'd consider showing. Though he was initially conflicted about taking the offer, "I wanted to honour the collection, honour the positive energy that the fashion community - and people outside the fashion community - had projected into the idea behind the collection."

Though he showed early on the last day of TOM, his show was greeted by a relatively healthy crowd - a few of whom were journalists who turned up specifically for Carter's collection. Despite TOM's complaints of quality, there was very little that was sloppy or unfinished about Carter's pieces.

Androgyny? Yep, the collection had that in spades, with voluminous skirts, a smattering of crop tops and Victorian-inspired neck ruffles mixed in with more aggressive and futuristic pieces, like his closing look, a showstopping sculptural black metallic jacket. Male models stalked the runway, shoulders forward, in pieces festooned with traditional markers of femininity - bell sleeves, pastel-coloured chiffon, peplum ruffles, and a few bonnetlike straw hats. Mixed in were nods to men's dress not often seen in Western fashion, like mega-voluminous pants and men's slippers from India.

The effect was, by turns, jarring and thought-provoking. That's in line with Carter's stated goal as a designer - "continuing the dialogue within the fashion community about gender binaries, and really finding spaces for different masculinities and femininities."

He's glad for the support that made that exploration possible at TOM. "You definitely have the power to do that, provoke societal change. But people have to be on board with that, right? And people were."

Photos courtesy TOM/Shayne Gray

Kegs of craft beer in Toronto aren't just for frat boys. Indeed, from mightiest pharaoh to the lowliest peasant, who doesn't enjoy a good pint of draught beer? Of course, for your classier shindigs, any old beer won't do, but where does one turn to order a keg of something well-crafted and local?

Well, we've got you covered. Here are the eight best options for buying a keg of craft beer in Toronto. Just don't use it for beer pong, bro.

Amsterdam Brewery
Amsterdam sells 50L and 30L sizes of most of their main brands for $212 and $135, respectively. Their most popular kegs are Amsterdam Blonde and Big Wheel, and they also do kegs of their (416) Lager. Pumps are also available for a $75 deposit and the whole kit and caboodle can be picked up at their Leaside location. It's always good to call ahead, but for small orders you can just walk in.

Black Oak Brewery
Any keg currently in stock at Etobicoke's Black Oak brewery is essentially up for grabs. Available in multiple sizes (20L, 30L, and 58.6L), prices range depending on style. A 30L keg of 10 Bitter Years, for example, will run you $175.00, whereas their Nut Brown Ale or Pale Ale cost $140.00. Black Oak's charming Jill-of-all-trades, Erica Campbell, tells me that they've got pumps you can borrow and, if they're not to busy, they might even be able to deliver the beer for you. Call the brewery at 416-252-2739 or send an email to erica@blackoakbeer.com for more details. If you ask nicely, she'll probably help you drink it too.

Great Lakes Brewery
You can buy 20L, 30L or 58L kegs from Great Lakes Brewery. Prices range depending on the beer and their lagers, Red Leaf and Golden Horseshoe, can be purchased cheaply whereas Canuck Pale Ale and Devil's Pale Ale will cost you a little more. If you want a keg of the current offering from their always-delicious Tank Ten series (when it's available), those beers are considered "top tier" pricing. Perhaps my dream of having Karma Citra flow from all my sinks isn't all that feasible, then. Pumps are also available to rent and, as you can imagine, the best option is always to call the brewery ahead of time to reserve. (Obvious tip: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays are the busiest days for keg sales so if you can avoid picking up on those days you'll probably get in and out faster).

Indie Alehouse
Indie will sell you a keg of whatever they are currently pouring provided kegs are available, but due to the high demand in their own bottle shop, they are often too low in inventory. While they frequently get drop-in requests for a keg of that one beer someone had four months ago and really loved, they would like to remind you that, as a small batch brew pub, this isn't really how they operate. It's best to call 416-760-9691 for pricing and availability.

Junction Craft Brewery
At Junction Craft you can always buy kegs of their "regular" brews, Conductors Craft Ale and Brakemans Session Ale, and you can also buy whatever small batch beer might be pouring in their tap room, depending on availability. Provided you leave a deposit, they also provide a keg pump. Prices will vary depending on the beer but you can call 416-766-1616 for pricing and availability.

Kensington Brewing Company
Like other small brewing companies, KBCo often has difficulty meeting demand for public sales of kegs because they are perpetually struggling with low inventory levels and they prioritize their existing customer base over home retail sales. When it's available, they do sell kegs of their core brands, Augusta Ale and Baldwin Fish EyePA, and naturally, once their long-anticipated Kensington Market brewery opens, they'll be better suited to meeting the demand for keg purchases. Call 647-648-7541 for pricing and availability.

Mill Street Brewery
Mill Street offers their entire core lineup for public keg sales, including Stock Ale, Organic, Tankhouse, Coffee Porter, Wit, Lemon Tea, their new 100th Meridian and even their specialty seasonal offerings (so yes, you can get Nightmare on Mill Street Pumpkin Ale for your halloween party). Prices range from about $185 to $190 for 30L kegs and between $264 and $270 for 50L. You'll need to plan ahead though. Mill Street prefers that keg orders are placed five business days before pick-up. Call 416-681-0338 x 3 or email toretail@millstreetbrewery.com for more details.

Steam Whistle
If you're looking for the easiest and most efficient way to get beer on tap for your next party, Steam Whistle is hands down your best bet. They offer 20L kegs for $124.95, 30L kegs for $178.95, and 50L kegs for $255.95 (note: 50L is about 146 beers. You probably don't need 146 beers for your next party).

For an additional $49.95 service charge, Steam Whistle will not only deliver, tap, and set up the keg for you, they'll also bring you a 12kg bag of ice and Steam Whistle beer cups, and, the best part, they'll come pick it all up when the party is over. More info here or call 416-362-BEER to order.

Ben Johnson also writes about beer over on Ben's Beer Blog. You can send him invites to your craft beer keg party @Ben_T_Johnson.

Photo of Great Lakes Brewery

For all the (self-prescribed) hoopla over the soon to arrive Union Pearson Express train in Toronto, our first actual look at the train itself is a bit underwhelming. Shot by photographer James Gardiner near Brantford on delivery to Toronto, the vehicle doesn't exactly pop out of the landscape (in fact it almost blends in). But I suppose that doesn't matter once you hop on board. Yes, the paint scheme is rather subdued, but the main news is really that, like our flashier-looking streetcar, the arrival of the trains in the city means that service is around the corner.

Also good news is that these vehicles can be concerted to electric if and when the lines they run on are updated in the coming years. No need to buy new vehicles. What's worse than the pain job, perhaps, is the price of ride on one of these bad boys. We've already harped about this, but the estimated $25 one way is steep compared to other cities and will probably have at least a few passengers thinking about a cab or the super cheap 192 Airport Rocket operated by the TTC out of Kipling Station.

Photo by James Gardiner of Railway Pictures.

The best calzone in Toronto might not have the same cachet as its brethren, pizza - but in many ways, it's far superior. Whether baked into a calzone, or fried as a panzo, not only are these pizza pockets ultra-filling, but they contain a higher concentration of marinara and gooey cheese - while still being handheld and compact.

Here are the best calzone and panzerotti in Toronto

See also:

The Best Pizza Slice in Toronto
The Best Italian Restaurants in Toronto

Weekend events in Toronto is our guide to events happening this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Here's what's happening in Toronto this August 15-17, 2014.

The Canadian National Exhibition
What rides? Along with offering outlandish dishes like donut cheeseburgers and bacon-covered hot dogs, the CNE has become something of a Mecca for deep-fried eats. These range from the old fashioned (deep fried pickles) to the ridiculous (deep fried coke) to the heart attacking-inducing (deep fried butter). Consume at your own peril. Check out our outrageous food preview here and our top entertainment picks here. There are rides, games, and male-dominated musical performances too. August 15 - September 1, Exhibition Place (200 Princes' Blvd).

COMMUNITY

Open Streets TO
A large portion of Yonge and Bloor streets will be car-free for two Sundays this August as part of an plan to create two temporary linear parks. The Open Streets concept has been adopted in major cities such as New York and Los Angeles and allows businesses on the route to temporarily open onto the street (no outside vendors are allowed.) Bloor will be closed to auto traffic from Spadina to Parliament and Yonge from Bloor to Queen from 8am-12pm. If you miss this Sunday, the next one is the 31st. (August 17). CB

See also

• Wheels On The Danforth (Saturday, Danforth Ave & Danforth Road)

PARTY

Mad Decent Block Party
This year's Toronto stop for the Mad Decent Block Party tour features label head Diplo playing one his genre-hopping DJ sets of global club bangers. Torontonians might feel a bit slighted that Outkast are only appearing at the Denver edition of the travelling party and Chance The Rapper has canceled, but hometown dubstep heroes Zeds Dead will be there. Friday, August 15, Fort York Garrison Common. BB

See also

• 99 Problems but a Venue Ain't One
• Yes Yes Y'all (Friday, RYZE)
• IRQ: partyline (Friday, Bassline)
• Goin' Steady / Chronologic & HPR presents Homework (Friday, Double Double Land)
• Corona Sunsets w/ Moby, Cajmere, Thievery Corperation (Saturday, Hanlan's Point Beach)
• Deep Endz (Saturday, The Steady)
• Summerdaze (Sunday, The Burroughes)

For more dance listings, check out our Top Dance Parties in Toronto in August post.

FOOD

Bacon Fest
Of course Toronto has an annual Baconfest. And of course there's vegetarian bacon. The smell of the meat-bacon will in no way be overwhelming. County Cocktail, Skin + Bones, Wafflebar, Eastside Social, the Junction's Indie Ale House, Be Good Gelato and many more will be on the field. Sunday, August 17, 9am-2pm, The Leslieville Farmers' Market (Jonathan Ashbridges Park).

See also

• Toronto Summer BBQ & Ribfest (Friday-Sunday, Downsview Park)
• Toronto Brunch Market (Sunday, MakeWorks)
• Yours Truly 3rd Annual BBQ (Sunday, Yours Truly)

For more food events, check out our Toronto Food Events, Summer Food Events, and Summer Beer Events post.

MUSIC

Endless Summer Fest
Wavelength's new music fest will boast flea market and arcade: Endless Summer will swarm Dundas West at Vintage & Flea Outdoor Market at Dovercourt on Saturday so you can browse (and drink, and eat) to your thrifty hearts' content with live bands Comet Control, Mexican Slang, JFM, Alpha Strategy, Hiawatha, and more, plus a Blue Hawaii (Montreal) DJ set. Saturday, August 16, 3-11pm, Vintage & Flea Outdoor Market (1251 Dundas St. West).

See also

• PPOP & Reel Cod present A Weekend Thing (Friday-Sunday
• Hip-Hop Karaoke Semi-Finals (Friday, Revival Bar)
• Dianetics III (Friday, May)
• Live Band Karaoke w/ Good Enough (Saturday, Junction City Music Hall)
• Healing Power Records presents (Saturday, The Tranzac)
• By Divine Right free show (Saturday, 3030)
• Cam'ron (Saturday, The Danforth Music Hall)

For more music listings, check out our August Concerts, Summer Concerts, and Summer Music Festivals posts.

FILM

Mrs. Doubtfire: Toronto Distress Centre Fundraiser
While Camera only holds about 50 people, hopefully this fundraiser is one of many more events both honouring Robin Williams and addressing mental health issues brought to the public eye by his suicide. It's first come first serve, so arrive early if you want to laugh and cry along with what was possibly your first experience with drag (unless your parents watched a lot of Monty Python). Sunday, August 17, 6pm, Stephen Bulger Gallery (1026 Queen St. West), $10 (all proceeds go to Toronto Distress Centre).

See also

• It Was You Charlie Premiere (Friday, TIFF)
• Films with Bite: Double Dog Bill (Saturday, Bloor Hot Docs)
• Woodstock's 45th Anniversary (Friday, Bloor Hot Docs Cinema)

THEATRE

SummerWorks Performance Festival
This year the SummerWorks Performance Festival moves into the new digs at the Theatre Centre, firmly establishing itself as the west-end theatre jam of the year. On offer at the festival's hub are a collection of arts conversations and parties that carry the energy from artists and audiences throughout the week. Those performances, on stage and at site-specific venues, include six shows in the Music Series, three Musical Works in Concert, thirteen Live Art interactions, and an immense collection of theatre as part of the National and Juried series. Check out our picks for what to see here. Until August 17. KB

For more events on stage, check out our The top theatre productions in Toronto August 2014 post.

ART

V+1 #2 : Sona Safaei-Sooreh
If you haven't stepped into Toronto's most extraterrestiral new gallery, neither have I (though so far the back patio is a divine spot for music). The storefront space is finally open with Sona Safaei-Sooreh's V+1 afternoon show, where every time a piece is purchased, the value of the remaining items rises. Good thing 7-11 doesn't work this way. Toronto rarely sees a new gallery raise its head, so show your support and get weird. Saturday, August 16, 3-7pm, 8-11 (233 Spadina).

See also

• Roundtable Residency Opening and Closing Receptions (Friday, The Dragon Academy)
• Get your Swirve On - LUST by SPUD1 closing Party (Studio Bar)
• SUNDAY SCENE: Brendan George Ko (Sunday, Powerplant)
• Hustlehard (Sunday, Drake Hotel)

For more art listings, check out our Top 10 Must-See Art Shows This Summer post.

STILL NOT OVER ZOMBIES

Bloods-n-Suds Car Wash
Letting zombies clean your car is a dumb idea. What good is money to zombies? They still can't buy human brains unless they have sketchy internet credit cards. Plus, zombies are gross. I don't know how this got the green-light, maybe society is truly doomed. Proceeds apparently go to the 2014 Toronto Zombie Walk - yeah right. This money will be spent cleaning up zombies' PR problem. Bonus: if everyone you know is in PR, is everyone you know a zombie? Sunday, August 17, 12-6pm, Classic Coin Car Wash (1247 College Street), $10-15.

FASHION

Chosen Vintage Presents: ALLEY CATS, a group sale
When I was 17 a girl I went vintage shopping with wrote a Fringe play about Tom Waits and a prostitute called Alleycat that was eerily mature for a highschool-aged production. It's still the best play I've ever seen next to Meryl Streep in Mother Courage. This sale won't be as memorable, but you can snack and shop Penny Arcade, Philistine, Minnow Bathers and more and in theory you may find an item as long lasting as the memory of profoundly earnest theatre written by a gifted teenager. It's fill-a-bag-for-fifteen in the alley. Saturday, August 16, 11am-6pm, Chosen Vintage (960 Queen St. West).

See also

• Kromer Radio sign auction (ends Friday)
• Kicks&TixTO (Saturday, Air Canada Centre)
• The Leslieville Flea (Sunday, Ashbridge Estate)

GEEK

Bike Share & Cycling Hackathon/Design Jam and Free Community Events
Anyone interested in coding and design should check this out to help create "apps, maps, stories and visualizations" with Bike Share Toronto's data and more. Who knows, maybe your random thing will be on blogTO by next week. August 15-17, Bitmaker Labs (220 King Street West).

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

Photo by Peter Grevstad. Contributions by Benjamin Boles, Keith Bennie, Chris Batemen.

Give yourself a pat on the back if you were one of the folks who expressed outrage at Brookfield Properties strategic removal of bikes at Yonge and Bloor that it deemed a safety concern. Although the company hasn't provided further comment beyond what we reported this morning, according to Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, it will no longer continue this controversial practice. As per her tweet, it sounds like the order came from high up, which makes sense. This was a PR nightmare that didn't have to happen.

There still seems to be some debate as to whether the TTC sign from which security staff at the Hudson's Bay Centre were removing bikes is public property, though Wong-Tam and other city officials (not to mention our first post) pose strong evidence that this is indeed the case. Either way, unceremoniously removing the bikes without a note of explanation or warning was just a crappy thing to do. Let's hope this really is the end of it.

Photo by Trevor Hughes in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Cineplex has finally opened its long-awaited adults-only movie theatre. (No, not like that.) The brand-new multiplex, located at the Shops at Don Mills, aims to cater to a more mature clientele with a VIP-styled experience - they'll deliver beer, wine, cocktails, and upscale snacks right to your seat. Cineplex VIP Cinemas Don Mills, located in the outdoor mall's former McNally Robinson Bookstore, contains five screening rooms, which offer reserved seating in big, squishy reclining chairs with plenty of legroom.

As with everything movie theatre-related, you will pay for the privilege - admission to these new screening rooms will be between $7 and $10, on top of existing adult ticket prices. But they seem to get the gouging out of the way quickly, because the actual refreshment prices ain't bad - the Star reports a domestic pint will cost $6.50, and a two-ounce martini is $9.50. The snack offerings, meanwhile, include bruschetta, calamari, and a cheese board from Toronto's own Cheese Boutique.

Instead of highbrow film fare, Cineplex's strategy seems to be to pack the place with crowd-pleasing, lowest-common-denominator flicks; the current slate is Let's Be Cops, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Expendables 3, Guardians of the Galaxy, and one nod to the dramatic genre - The Hundred Foot Journey. All in all, it's a perfect place for date night - right down to the pairs of seats with no armrests in between for all you snugglers out there. Just don't make out for the whole movie, OK? You paid way too much for that.

All door boarding, timed transfers, "Ten-Minute-or-Better" bus and streetcar service, and a host of other potentially popular service improvements could be coming to the Toronto starting in 2015 if a new report wins the approval of the TTC board and city council.

The document, titled "Opportunities to Improve Transit Service in Toronto," pitches nine quick and (relatively) cheap improvements to the TTC before the arrival of the Eglinton-Crosstown LRT and Scarborough subway extension. One of the ideas, allowing all door boarding on all streetcar routes, would reduce the length of stops, one of the biggest obstacles to fast streetcar service.

The issue around all door boarding was underscored last month when a report found long fare queues were delaying the King streetcar more than traffic and red lights. Currently, all riders must board streetcars through the front doors, except on the 501 Queen, 502 Downtowner, and 503 Kingston Rd. routes. The TTC says hiring 60 additional inspectors would help mitigate the potential for fare evasion.

Timed transfers--an idea that has been suggested several times in the past--would allow riders to make more than one trip within a two-hour window instead of forcing riders to pay for each new journey. In essence, a transfer would be come a two hour pass. Implementing this scheme would cost about $20 million, the TTC estimates, much of it in lost fares.

There are also ideas for prioritizing bus and streetcars on city streets, through queue jump lanes at traffic lights or getting signal priority over cars.

Five of the seven suggestions detail ways the TTC could reduce wait times and coverage. All buses and streetcars could run 24/7 no more than 10 minutes apart, more express routes could be added, and the night bus network could also be expanded, all of it, sadly, at a cost--about start at $19 million a year, increasing to $69 million by 2018. About $288 million in additional capital funding--the money the TTC uses to build infrastructure--would also be required between 2015 and 2019.

"Yes they cost money, but they are fairly fundamental improvements that we're suggesting for the people of Toronto--things that people have told us that they want," said TTC spokesman Brad Ross. "If we are to achieve our vision of a transit system that makes Toronto proud then we need the long term, sustainable, predictable funding that we talk about to do those things, and that's what this report really gets down to."

The report will be presented to the TTC board for approval next week. The funding, however, will need to be approved by city council.

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Image: Chris Bandera/blogTO Flickr pool.

The best Toronto inventions of all time are a little tough to settle on. Of Toronto's many gifts to the world--peameal bacon sandwiches, table hockey, the motor technology behind the Scarborough RT (you're welcome, Detroit and Vancouver)--many are modest and designed to elicit pleasure. We've given the world a popular soft drink, a gentler version of 10-pin bowling, and a way of simulating farts. Where would humanity be without that?

Here are five things proudly invented in Toronto, some serious, some not.

Canada Dry ginger ale
Before it was bought out by U.S. beverage giant Dr Pepper Snapple Group, the makers of 7 Up, A&W Root Beer, Clamato, Yoo-hoo, Canada Dry was a Toronto soft drink. Inspired by soda fountains in New York City, John James McLaughlin, a pharmacist by training, made "Tona-Cola," a local version of Coca-Cola, "Hop-Tone" bitter-sweet tonic, and, later, Canada Dry. "It has a snap and a tingle; a smart spry taste," early ads boasted. It was "the champagne of ginger ales."

The nationwide popularity of the drink, which was appointed to the Royal Household of the Governor General of Canada, hence the crown-shaped logo, made McLaughlin's company a household name. The business and manufacturing plants left Toronto in the 1920s after the death of its founder in 1914.

Insulin
The human body was the real inventor of insulin, but it was two University of Toronto scientists, Frederick Banting and J.J.R. Macleod, who discovered and developed the pancreatic hormone for the treatment of diabetes. Working out of the Connaught Laboratories, Banting and Macleod worked a number of experiments, eventually successfully giving the first injections to 14-year-old Leonard Thompson at the Toronto General Hospital in 1922, alleviating the symptoms of his diabetes. The pair were awarded the 1923 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their discovery.

The Whoopie Cushion
Not every Toronto invention is a life saver. The humble and still hilarious Whoopie Cushion was invented by JEM Rubber Co., a company located near Dundas West and Jane, in the 1930s. As Stan and Mardi Timm recall in the Toronto Star, before the classic rubber shape was perfected, novelty farts were produced by tiny bellows (let that delightful image sink in for a second.)

One distributor turned down the JEM product, calling it "indelicate" (such sensitive times,) but happily for pranksters everywhere, the Whoopie Cushion eventually found the mass audience it always deserved.

5-pin bowling
Ever looked like a wimp trying to roll a 10-pin bowling ball? Tommy Ryan felt your pain. The owner of the Toronto Bowling Club on Yonge Street, a 10-pin alley, noticed his high-end clientele was struggling roll 16-pound balls. By reducing the size and number of pins, Ryan struck gold.

In 1909, he debuted the game that made his name. Jamie Bradburn for Torontoist writes that Ryan, in addition to being a successful entrepreneur, was renowned practical joker, deploying electric handshakes and rubber hot dogs to great effect. He no doubt loved the Whoopie Cushion, too.

Pablum
In 1930, Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, like many other healthcare institutions around the world, was struggling to provide kids with a nutritious food that contained beneficial levels of vitamins and minerals. Pablum, a powered food that was essentially a loose biscuit mix, was developed by doctors Frederick Tisdall and Theodore Drake. It contained iron, vitamins A and G, calcium, phosphorus, and dietary fibre. Even better, Sick Kids received a royalty on every package of the popular formula.

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

Image: ssstevieb.

Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan may be the rightful stars of The F Word, but the refreshingly-good romantic comedy (opening August 22) has another star we know all too well: Toronto.

Directed by Michael Dowse (Fubar, Goon), and written by hometown screenwriter Elan Mastai, The F Word is not only shot in Toronto, but proudly set here. And I mean proud. The movie's eagerness to show off our city every chance it gets is practically infectious. As the movie's boy and girl - Wallace (Radcliffe) and Chantry (Kazan) - go on their romantic "Will they get together?" journey, scene after scene offers up instantly recognizable Toronto locales that remind us why we love our city.

In fact, there's so much Toronto in The F Word it can be hard sometimes to keep up with what scenes happen where. That's why I've put together a list of many of the Toronto coffee shops, restaurants, beaches, parks, and neighborhoods that pop in the film, so you can keep an eye out for them when you see the movie. Don't worry. No spoilers.

The George Street Diner
The popular greasy spoon - home to George Brown students and Bay Streeters alike - features prominently in The F Word. Not one, but two crucial scenes show off the bright red, Tetris-block-shaped 1950s style diner's intimate booths. It's in those booths that the two would-be lovebirds sing the praises of all things deep fried and Elvis, bantering, flirting, and fighting.

Rooster Coffee House
The Broadview location of this popular mini-chain sees its east-to-west skyline facing patio and wonderful coffee used in a way most locals would probably instantly recognize: as a launching point for some to-go-coffee catching up (here via Wallace and Chantry). And, as is often the case, that results in a walk along...

Riverdale Park
The summer home of many a soccer game or morning Tai Chi session, and winter home of many a high-speed sled, Riverdale Park sees Wallace and Chantry (Rooster Coffee in hand) stroll along Broadview Avenue with the wonderful view of the city skyline behind them.

The Purple Purl (Leslieville)
The charming Leslieville store, stocked wall-to-wall (literally) with yarn is shown off in The F Word in its most natural state: full of people (Chantry and her girlfriends in this case), sitting in a circle knitting and crocheting together, filling the space with the same relaxed chatter and communal atmosphere the store has in real life.

SPiN Toronto
The beloved ping pong bar that's captured the heart of many an amateur player has its purple neon-kissed basement atmosphere visited by Wallace and Chantry on a pub crawl night out. And as is the case for many of us, the late night pleasures of the drink-and-play bar inevitably leads to someone being neither humble, nor modest, in victory.

East Chinatown
The little cousin of Spadina's Chinatown, this Broadview and Gerrard spot has its hustle and bustle visited by Chantry and her boyfriend, Ben (Rafe Spall), as they shop its bulk food offerings, Chinese baked goods, and (as Chantry puts it) its sampling of "weird animal parts."

The Royal Cinema
The glorious, nearly seventy-five-year-old Art Moderne theatre gets a very loving treatment from The F Word. The Grand Dame's marquee lights are set ablaze in all their nighttime glory, setting the stage for romance to bloom - not just outside, where Wallace and Chantry bump into each other, but inside as well. The movie they're there to see is The Princess Bride, a perfect representation of the kind of revenue programming we expect and love from The Royal.

Yonge & Dundas Square
Shopping needs aside, the Toronto hub may be one a lot of us tend to avoid as much as possible thanks to its overpriced restaurants and path-blocking tourists. But The F Word recasts the intersection as something quintessentially Torontonian. It's mega-watt lights, massive screens, and late-night crowds become a love-letter to the bustling life of hot summer T.O. nights.

Scarborough Bluffs & Bluffers Park
Bluffers Park sees a lot of Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan and friends: a late night campfire hangout beneath the escarpment leads to a spontaneous skinny dipping session. Most of us might not be able to relate to the skinny dip (though if you can, kudos!), but many will definitely recognize the great, quiet, laid-back nighttime vibe of this natural GTA oasis.

Kew Gardens and Boardwalk
One imagines that the Kew Beach Lawn Bowling Club will have mixed feelings about its treatment in The F Word. On one hand, its meticulously landscaped grass, skilled bowlers, and lakeside view all get shown off here. On the other hand, the bowlers in the movie find themselves drunkenly heckled by Wallace's friend Alan (Girls' Adam Driver). At least Kew Gardens' boardwalk gets its due with a sunset walk Wallace and Chantry take during a quintessential "They're falling in love!" romantic comedy montage.

Jimmie Simpson Community Centre
Sporting events as drunken entertainment are a bit of a trend in The F Word. Jimmie Simpson may have one of the best indoor pools in the city, but in the film we see it in all its children's karate tournament glory. That tournament then becomes a beer-iffic social hangout for the movie's characters because ... well, no real discernible reason. But hey, it's still nonetheless a nice nod to the (usually) family friendly East End community centre.

Cherry Beach
The busy summertime retreat sees itself visited by a sunbathing Chantry and her sister (Megan Park) who enjoy it - as many locals do - as a lazy weekend destination, dozing dozing in beach recliners, gabbing about all the latest happenings in their lives, and generally goofing off.

Polson Pier
Most known for its packed large venues like Cabana Pool Bar and Sound Academy, The F Word somehow manages to redress the locale as an intimate, small, social event venue that looks like it holds no more than forty people. In the movie it becomes a gorgeous nighttime sport, lit by both the glow of the skyline and garden lights, and perfectly imaginable as a wedding spot.

Writing by Alexander Huls

The western reaches of Danforth are home to many wonderful things - oodles of delicious Greek food; some greatcafes; quiet, tree-lined side streets; a variety of ways to fall into a sugar coma. But until now, it wasn't exactly the city's most notable destination for beer. (Aside, obviously, from the Old Nick. You know I love you, girl.)

All that's about to change with the arrival of Louis Cifer Brew Works, a brand-new brewpub and restaurant ready to take over the former home of Four One Seven at 417 Danforth Ave. The huge space, still in the renovation stages, will act as a pub, a brewery, and a bottling plant all in one. The pub's site says the operators - the same folks behind Cabbagetown's Stout Irish Pub - aim to be open for business by the fall. It's not yet known what they'll be pouring - for now, satisfy yourself with this gigantic animation of a delicious, frothy pint. Mmm, pint.

The top Mexican brunch in Toronto es bueno para la salud y el corazón. Translation? They are as good for the health as they are for the heart. Usually, Mexican brunch dishes are a celebration of huevos (that means eggs, folks), refried beans, spicy pork or beef, tortillas, with fresh salsas made from fruit, tomatillos, tomatoes and more. Some feature fancy cocktails, some are a bit more home-style, but whatever the perks, these places are all united in the fact that they serve up delicious Mexican food.

Here, in no particular order, are my picks for the top Mexican brunch in Toronto.

Fonda Lola
West Queen West still reigns for brunch, this time with Fonda Lola's spirited Mexican fest. The kombucha margarita is the perfect hangover cure, and helps wash down the huevos rancheros and chilaquiles as you max and relax on the gorgeous patio. (They don't just do brunch on weekends, either.)

El Catrin
El Catrin took the Distillery District by storm when it opened in 2013. The design is topnotch, the expansive mural beautiful and amusing to look at, and the food - a mix of traditional and modern Mexican cuisine - makes for a pretty decent brunch, even if it feels a bit touristy. With prices hovering around $12- $16 a plate, it's also one of the more expensive options.

Xola
The brunch menu at Xola in the Beaches is outstanding. Try the house specialty, the Burrito Xola, made with homemade refried beans, rice, slow braised beef, lettuce and sour cream. If that doesn't float your boat, there are several egg-related dishes like huevos con chorizo, huevos a la Mexicana or trio de gorditas.

El Trompo
Sweet staff, a sunny patio and swirling slush machines ready for margaritas make for one nice brunch. Kensington market's El Trompo keeps is basic with huevos a la Mexicana, huevos con chorizo, huevos rancheros and a few of the regular items like the always great tacos al pastor.

Milagro
With three locations (uptown, downtown and west) Milagro has cornered the market on Mexican brunch feasts and you'll be delighted to know there is something for everyone- botanas, tortas, tacos and burritos, churros, huevos, brunch enchiladas, and a long list of drinks. Milagro means miracle in Spanish, which is very apropos for the brunch!

Tenoch
Like some other of the Mexican brunch spots, Tenoch on St. Clair has special dishes that you can only get on the weekends, like Caldo de Birria, as well as the many huevos and chilaquiles available. Prices are reasonable at $8-12 dollars for most dishes, and the portions large, while the service minimal but affective, a great old school joint that gets hopping on the weekends.

Frida
Refined Mexican food is Frida's calling card, and that extends right to their brunch. Their brunch menu features a Frida y Diego omelet, featuring red and green peppers with salsa roja and salsa verde, in honour of the restaurant's namesake, Frida Kahlo. You'll also find a selection of tacos, papadzules Yucatecos (poached eggs wrapped in corn tortillas and smothered in sauces), huevos rancheros and ahogados, and that famous guacamole. Brunch dishes run between $9 and $14.

V Restaurant
The corner spot in Kensington market that currently houses V Restaurant hasn't been the best for keeping tenants around very long, so let's hope the lure of V's Latin American inspired brunch on their lovely patio keeps this place on lock. They mix it up, with arepas, ceviche, tacos, huevos-related dishes - and then some surprises, like baba ganoush.

El Cafetal
El Cafetal on St. Clair may not be much to look at, but inside this restaurant cum in-house bakery you'll find plenty of great treats for brunch. They incorporate Mexican, Colombian and Peruvian delicacies like tamales, arepas, empanadas, as well as breakfast plates like Bandeja Paisa. Some of the breakfast items are even gluten-free, in case the notion of a bakery scares some of your friends off.

Mexican Amigos
Head to York Mills for Mexican Amigos all-you-can-eat Mexican lunch and brunch buffet. That's right - "all-you-can-eat" tacos, burritos, chimichangas and more. It may not be particularly authentic, having more of a food chain or bar-food vibe than some of the real home-style places mentioned above, but for bang for buck you can't go wrong.

Did I miss any? Leave your favourite spot for Mexican brunch in the comments.

Photo of huevos rancheros via El Catrin on Facebook.

Photo by Mary Crandall in the blogTO Flickr pool.

With dozens of locations around the world, this chain of bubble tea cafes has finally come to rest in the GTA, with its first Canadian location now open in Markham's Metro Square. Your old favourites like taro milk tea are all here (only updated with fresh ingredients - no powders here), but there's also "moustache drinks" - the house specialty - and an infinite combo of toppings, flavours and add-ons.

Read my review of Gong Cha Tea in the cafes section.