My Weekly Toronto Shenanigans

Friday

I had heard a lot about Underground Garage which is an upper level casual bar on King West… I know, the opposite of both its name and location. Straight, off a Maple Leaf win before they ultimately lost, Garage was full of fans in jersey, women in flats, and Blue Ribbon beer. All in all, a casual, fun place to have a drink and dance. Get there early though! The place is small and fills up quickly.

 Sunday

On Mother’s Day I went to see The Great Gatsby at Fairview Mall. A lovely film; I recommend it for those who liked Moulin Rouge and like Leo!

For dinner we went to Asian Legend, located in a plaza at Finch and Leslie. The place is your typical Asian restaurant: countless servers coming and going, delicious stir-fries… and long waits. Finally, we got take out.

The Hot Docs Volunteer Party was that evening. I’m sure I’m allowed to now divulge where it was… the Steam Whistle Roundhouse! Oh how excited I was! I got a tour: built in 1929, The Roundhouse cleaned and maintained trains coming and going from Union Station. It closed in 1988. But, in 1999, Steam Whistle Brewing took it over, and now it houses all their brewing needs!

Tuesday

A great place for cheap beer and great onion rings, W Burger Bar at Younge and College. I met my a friend there after work for a 9.99 pitcher! I know, pretty great.

Thursday

Just north of Carlton on Church sits Hair of the Dog, I’ve written about it before. To recap: great food (original chip nachos), a Canadian craft beer list, and a lovely intimate patio make for a great time.

Friday

Finally this weekend, I am heading out like some many of the Greater Toronto Area, to my cottage. A typical Canadian experience and a welcome change, as much as I love Toronto! See you next week!

Toronto shows progress in refusing shopping complex downtown

A year and one wasted opportunity later, Toronto refused commercial development firm SmartCentres from turning a charming city neighbourhood into another shopping waste land.

Toronto city planners refused SmartCentres initial plan to turn a seven-hectare space at Easter and Leslie in Corktown into another Leaside debacle.

A few years ago, paving over charming Liberty Village- like industrial buildings, SmartCentres put up a fake Italian-façade inspired complex at Eglinton and Laird. “Instead of using these former industrial lands to build a mixed-use community, we have shopping centres organized around massive parking lots” Christopher Hume explained in his 2012 Toronto Star article. Imagine having another Liberty Village? The thought still irks me. 

Perhaps, it still irks city planners determined not to repeat past mistakes. I hope so. A city’s architecture heritage, whether downtown or midtown, deserves, needs to be conserved for its residents, who “thrive on diversity and density… urbanity” 

My Weekly Toronto Shenanigans

Wednesday

I had a great time. I went back – having gone a few weeks earlier for the first time – to Bellwoods Brewery, enjoying one of the first days of sunshine on their patio. I had their Belgian Farmhouse Saison, and my friend and I split the Vegetarian platter, which… was not the best.

We stopped by CONTACT Festival’s opening party. For the month of May, Toronto will be surrounded by art, in cafes, on office buildings and in the streets!

Finally, we had one last drink at 416 Snack Bar. Now they have the right idea: located at Queen and Bathurst, the Snack Bar serves up drinks and, yes, snacks.

Thursday

As mentioned in my last post, I volunteered for Hot Docs this year. With a record number of attendees, each shift was exciting! I just have to give a quick shout-out to all the volunteers, working with them during the last week was always fun!

Saturday

What a busy day! I met my friends for breakfast at Boom Breakfast & CO, which I had not realized was a chain. Apparently there are several locations across Toronto. We were at the St. Clair West outpost and I must say the food was very good!

I then headed to Kensington Market just to walk around. The Market is a lovely enclosed part of the city where one can shop for fruits, vegetables, spices and cheese, not forgetting the vintage clothing!

I met my mother for lunch on Baldwin Street. She had just seen the AGO’s Revealing the Early Renaissance – if you haven’t gone already, please do to see rare Florentine relics from the 14^th Century. We decided on John’s Italian Café for lunch: a little bit of an obstacle course inside (watch out for the steep stairs), their pizzas and sandwiches are very good.

After lunch, I had my last Hot Docs shift which I followed up with seeing one of its films “The Great North Korean Picture Show”.

Tuesday

I attended the Le gala des Improbables, the awards ceremony for the French improvisation league in Toronto. It was held at Super Market in Kensington Market. Join their Facebook page if you’re interested in attending their semi and final tournaments

My Weekly Toronto Shenanigans

Thursday

I attended the Donner Prize ceremony at The Carlu. The Donner Prize awards the Best Public Policy Book by a Canadian. This year, the winner was Jeffrey Simpson, the Globe and Mail Columnist, for his book Chronic Condition. 

The Carlu is a fabulous venue located on the 7th floor of the College Park building, but more on that in a later post. 

Friday

I went to Catch Seafood Restaurant! Rated one of the 50 Best Restaurants in Canada by Maclean’s, Catch does not disappoint! As its name suggests, the St. Clair West restaurant focuses on seafood; you can order the  5LB Sea Trout for 95 dollars, or the Crispy Lobster Roll for 22, like I did!

Saturday

I had my first Hot Docs shift at the TIFF Bell Lightbox! The Festival (on until May 5) is North America’s largest for documentaries. 

Later that night, for a friend’s birthday party, I hit up Dance Cave. Above Lee’s Palace, Dance Cave is a great place if you want to go out, dance, without all the fuss of dressing up.

Sunday

Yet another Hot Docs shift at the TIFF Bell Lightbox! On a Sunday evening, to see people out watching documentaries is so encouraging - Torontonians are involved in their city!

Monday 

I headed to Innis Town Hall on the U of T campus to actually watchHot Docs film. The double feature, Easter Avenue and Petropolis, was part of the Focus On Peter Mettler program.

Tuesday

My third Hot Docs shift took place at the Isabel Bader Theater. Used during Hot Docs and TIFF, it is a lovely venue for movie watching, located right beside the Gardiner Museum.

What to watch during the 2013 Hot Docs Festival

From April 25 to May 5, Hot Docs will be playing 205 documentaries films morning, day and night. That’s a lot of films. Thankfully our local film experts have narrowed the choice with their well-reviewed picks. Here are the films they seem to agree on.

1. The Manor:  the festival’s opening film follows the dysfunctional Guelph family that runs a strip club.

2. 15 Reasons to live: Toronto filmmaker Alan Zweig covers 15 different stories of regularly people doing extraordinary things.

3. Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer: very timely, the documentary explores the members of the Russian feminist punk group’s guiding principals, which landed three of them in jail (for 3 years).

4. The Defector: Escape from North Korea: follow North Koreans trying to escape their homeland and all the danger, fear, and risk that goes with it. 

5. An ode to the internet: BlogTO and The Star both highlighted films that explore the increasingly profound and at times dangerous effect the internet has on us. Films that explore the subject are: Downloaded,  TPB AFK: The Pirate Bay Away From Keyboard and Terms and Conditions May Apply.

For more reviews visit:

Toronto Star

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2013/04/22/hot_docs_2013_ten_recommended_titles.html

Globe and Mail

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/film-reviews/2013-hot-docs-the-globe-reviews-the-best-of-the-fest-so-far/article11530450/

BlogTO

http://www.blogto.com/film/2013/04/10_films_getting_the_biggest_advance-buzz_at_hot_docs/

Rabble

http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/film-festivals-toronto/2013/04/five-fabulous-films-hot-docs

My Weekly Toronto Shenanigans

Friday

I started the weekend off at the Hair of the Dog, a great pub know for its patio, at College & Jarvis, with some co-workers. We selected various beers from the eclectic list and shared their home-made corn & flour nacho chips – delicious.

I then went to Tranzac Club (Bloor & Brunswick) for a French improvisation show, presented by Centre Francophone and Les Improbables. Once the show ended, we headed over to Popper’s (Bloor & Bathurst) to congratulate our friends and improvisation players.

Finally, we decided, on a whim, to go to BMB Karaoke! BlogTO’s description is pretty accurate: we were in a private room, sat on tacky leather couches and sang along to cheesy videos. It was a lot of fun.

Saturday

I had a two birthday parties to go to. The first was at Dufferin and Bloor; Bloordale Neighborhoud is quickly becoming a restaurant and real estate hotspot – a gentrified neighbourhood (as described in the Toronto Star).

The second was at Queen and Euclid – the center of Queen West, the poster neighbourhood for gentrification.

Sunday

I finally went to Fran’s Restaurant College location, the oldest of the franchise’s Toronto locations still open, for breakfast! The diner is an authentic throwback to mid-century fast food. The original opened in 1940 by restaurateur Fran Deck at St. Clair and Yonge, but closed in 2001. The College & Yonge location opened in 1950, the Victoria & Shutter location in 2004 and the Yonge & Front location in 2010 – that last location I hit up on Thursday for some after work drink and food specials.

Monday

I went to my Hot Docs Training. Yes, I will be a Hot Docs - North America’s biggest documentary festivals - so a lot of next week’s shenanigans!