Mr. Toronto

…Is not a museum, amusement park or aquarium (though Ripley’s has finally broken ground on that, near the CN Tower).  No, the biggest new draw our city has is…a GROCERY STORE!

Now, folks reading this in Upstate NY won’t find this so strange, as Wegman’s is famous throughout the land (any Canadian folks reading this who haven’t been to a Wegman’s – you haven’t lived…).  But this is new territory for us Torontonians, who treat our grocery stores like…well, like a place to buy groceries!  But the new Loblaw’s on Carlton Street, just east of Yonge, has changed all that.  Why, you may ask?  Well, this new superstore has taken over the Taj Mahal of Canada, the Wailing Wall of Toronto – the old Maple Leaf Gardens, the venerable home of our sanctified hockey team.

Maple Leaf welcomes visitors at new Toronto Loblaw's

From the moment you walk through the door – facing a huge blue maple leaf created from the original arena chairs (see photo) – until you roll your cart over the big dot painted on the floor indicating where “centre ice” once stood – the aura of this famous arena permeates.

And if that doesn’t get to you, the sights and smells certainly will.  From the acclaimed 20-foot “Wall of Cheese”to the amazing display of cupcakes, this store has everything – freshly made sushi, a bakery, pizza and panini station…and anything can be taken upstairs (after paying for it, of course) and eaten on the spot (on tables depicting all the great events that took place in the Gardens, including concerts by Elvis and the Beatles, and boxing matches with Mohammed Ali…).  In the same area upstairs is a cooking school, where visitors can stop by for demonstrations and samples all day long, as well an an LCBO (liquor store) and “Joe Fresh, the new Loblaw’s-owned clothing store that has taken North America by storm.

Since I feel foolish writing an entire blog gushing about a grocery store, let me switch gears before I close and give a little plug to the Toronto Jazz Festival, which announced it’s 26^th season this week.  Running from June 22-July 1, this amazing event takes over the City, with 1500 artists performing at over 40 locations (and lots for free!).  Visit www.torontojazz.com for the full rundown.

So soak up some Gardens’ history, grab some Loblaw’s take-out and head over to hear some great JazzFest tunes this summer!

Mr. Toronto

Every time I think I’m going to write a bout a specific “topic” for this blog, it gets bumped by the here and now, by cool stuff I just have to tell you about…

This week is “Canadian Music Week” in Toronto, and for a live music junkie like me, it’s like being a kid in a candy store…days and nights full of movies, concerts, parties and celebrity interviews.  Since I DO have a day job that I am trying to keep, doing it all ain’t possible – but I am trying to get a little taste of everything:

Movie: Saw a great documentary – Sound it Out – about a tiny independent record store in a depressed Northern English town, at the beautiful Bell Litebox.  This space is the new home for the Toronto International Film Festival, but is a dynamite spot to see cool movies year’ round – state of the art theatres, comfy seating – and bottled water is only $2.50!)

Concert: Went to see a fantastic Canadian “supergroup” – Blackie and the Rodeo Kings (featuring 3 icons of the music scene here – Colin Linden, Stephen Fearing and Tom Wilson). And saw it at my favourite venue in the City – if not the world! – Massey Hall (thus the clever title of my blog – your eyes will never get sore squinting, cuz every seat in the place is great!). Afterwards, got to go behind the scenes, and it was pretty cool seeing what the artists see

when they’re on stage.  If you’ve never seen a show at Massey – go; it doesn’t matter who it is – you’ll be hooked!

Party: Going over the weekend to the “Indie Awards”, honouring the best independent bands (including the Sheepdogs, who recently won the contest to be on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine).  After this, have been invited to an “East Coast Music” party at the very hip Rivoli on Queen Street…which ends at 4am….

Interview: Just got back from a lunchtime conversation with Slash.  Up close and personal with a recent inductee to the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame.  He may be a head-banging guitar player, but he is a very intelligent and soft-spoken gentleman! 

Before I close out – while I’m talking about our arts scene – should also mention that I attended the announcement for this year’s

Luminato Festival (# 6 already – time flies!). Running June 8-17, this is really the kick-off to “Festival Season” in Toronto.  A lot of cool stuff happening: http://www.luminato.com/

The guy in the photo is the new Artistic Director, Jorn Weisbrodt , who also happens to be the new husband of Rufus Wainwright, if that means anything to you (if not, this whole blog probably means nothing to you!)

Mr. Toronto

So – I had another topic planned for this blog, but then the weekend happened…and I just had to share it with you, because it highlights everything that is so great about the City – the neighbourhoods, the excitement, the variety, the multiculturalism…

I won’t even share my whole weekend with you, just a 24-hour slice!

It started after sundown Saturday with a walk through Kensington, one of the funkiest areas in town…though the small, hip boutiques were closed for the day, the cafes, restaurants and pubs were just heating up…and new ones are being added daily – from taco joints to vegan restaurants to authentic Italian pizza, it’s all there…

Then, a short walk across the street (Spadina, at College) to Grossman’s, an “institution” in Toronto, offering up live music – all FREE! – 7 nights a week.  Home mainly to blues (Belushi/Ackroyd’s Blues Brothers actually “formed” here, fashioned after the city’s Downchild Blues Band), on this particular Saturday night, my favourite local band, Caution Jam, had the house rocking til 2am…

Then it was to bed for a few hours, and up in the morning to head over to Yorkville, to catch iceFest 2012, this trendy neighbourhood’s annual ice-carving festival. (see photo) Though we’ve had a particularly mild winter, it was still cold enough to see some incredible sculptures, while grazing on gourmet mac n’ cheese and hot cider from the food stalls set up throughout.

Then it was just a short stroll along “Mink Mile” – the fancy stores along Bloor Street – to the Royal Ontario Museum.  Along with their special Maya exhibit, what really brought me there was a special movie screening, free with admission.  In honour of Black History Month, the ROM was showing “RasTa: A Soul’s Journey”, a documentary about Rastafarian culture done by Bob Marley’s granddaughter, Donisha Prendergrast.  And the icing on the cake?  Donisha was actually there for the screening I went to, and did a Q&A after the flick (see photo).

Which brought us back to sundown – and the end of a very cool, very Toronto 24-hours.

Gotta get some sleep before next weekend!

Mr. Toronto

As Valentine’s Day passes by and winter continues to drag on (not that I’m complaining quite as much as usual – it’s been a very mild Toronto winter!), a not-so-young man’s mind turns to…alcohol!  Nothing like cozying up in a friendly bar with a good glass of scotch or a Hot Toddy to warm the heart’s cockles (what IS a “cockle”, anyway?!)

So here, courtesy of this month’s Toronto Life magazine, is a sampling of some of the best places to hang out this season with your favourite beverage, and a suggestion for what that beverage should be!

Canadians love their Caesars (for my American readers, that’s a Bloody Mary with Clamato instead of tomato juice), and The Gabardine (372 Bay St.) makes a good strong one spiked with horseradish.  And the plush leather booths and interesting bar snacks encourage lingering….

I’ve already mentioned Reposado (136 Ossington) in a previous blog.  An incredibly cool tequila bar, in a very hip part of town.  And their Hot Ruby, with habanero and strawberry infused tequilas and grapefruit soda, is the ideal winter warmer.

Rum and Bourbon are two great winter drinks (on their own, or as mixers) and The Country General (936 Queen St. W.) has 33 kinds of the former, and 25 of the latter.

I’ve already confessed my love of scotch, and The Emmett Ray (924 College) has dozens of them from around the world.  When you have a bar named after a hard-drinking jazz guitar player (Sean Penn played him in Sweet and Lowdown), you know it’s gotta be good!

The Cocktail Bar (923 Dundas W.) has a smoldering fireplace and soundtrack to match – a wonderful place to linger with their signature Manhattan.

Finally, I’ll mention The Thompson Rooftop Lounge (550 Wellington W.) at the hotel of the same name; not so much for the drinks (with names like The Millionaire #3 you get the idea), but for the spectacular view – especially on those crisp, clear winter nights.

Cheers!

Mr. Toronto

Although I try to be as “diverse” as possible with topics for my blog, I keep on coming back to live theatre, because there is just so darn much of it here.  And, unfortunately, most of these shows are only here for a little while (gone are the 10 year + runs of Phantom of the Opera and Mousetrap!), so if I don’t let you know about them often – poof, they’re gone!

First, a word about a couple shows playing now.  Just saw The Blue Dragon at the Royal Alexandra theatre.  I had never before seen a Robert Lepage production, and couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. Now I get it.  Wonderful story (in 3, easy to follow languages – English, French and Chinese!) and INCREDIBLE staging. Running until Feb 19. http://mirvish.com/shows/thebluedragon

The other show which I can’t speak highly enough of about is Penny Plain.  I believe I blogged a couple years back about Ronnie Burkett, who is truly the world’s premiere puppet master (not that he has a ton of competition…).  Words cannot express how miraculous his shows are – within minutes you forget you are watching (perfectly crafted miniature) puppets, and only concentrate on the themes of death, sex, destruction – oh yeah, these shows are NOT for the kiddies!  On stage til Feb 26

http://www.factorytheatre.ca

Now for a few shows I am about to see, that you might be interested in:

Visiting Mr. Green, playing until February 18 (told you these were short run!) http://www.hgjewishtheatre.com/visitingmrgreen.html

The main reason you’ll want to see this is an opportunity to see acting icon Theodore Bikel (Fiddler on the Roof, anyone?) before it’s too late.  Not to be morose, but the guy is like 86 years old….

In the Heights, Feb 7-19 http://dancaptickets.com/pages/intheheights is yet another Broadway show (following in the footsteps of American Idiot, Addams Family…) that the Dancap group is bringing to town.  Have heard wonderful things about this modern twist on West Side Story…

Potted Potter Feb 11- March 4 at the intimate Panasonic Theatre is the “ultimate challenge of condensing all seven Harry Potter books into seventy madcap minutes…aided by multiple costume changes, brilliant songs, ridiculous props and a generous helping of Hogwarts magic.” Was a smash in London, and they know their Harry! http://mirvish.com/shows/pottedpotter

Finally, War Horse, (yet another “brought to you by Mirvish Productions” show), is perhaps the most anticipated show of the year, having received rave reviews in London and New York, and now a Steven Spielberg movie…and best of all, this show – which starts Feb 10 at the Princess of Wales theater – might actually stick around for longer than a few weeks! http://mirvish.com/shows/warhorse

So get your bum over here and stick it in a seat or two!

Mr. Toronto

Happy 2012!  I’m sure if you’re like most people, slight depression kicks in this time of the year as vacations end, the thermometer drops, and credit card bills arrive from those Holiday purchases that seemed so necessary at the time…

Well, I can’t do much about the first two issues, but perhaps I can ease the cash-flow pain just a smidge by writing my first blog of the year about “where to find stuff cheap” in Toronto…

Here are just a handful of miscellaneous suggestions on how to enjoy the City without breaking the bank – and there really are many, many more!  :

Steam Whistle Brewery tour – it’s not only educational, but you get a souvenir glass and walk away with a buzz from all the samples, for only 10 bucks! (www.steamwhistle.ca)

Paramount Fine Foods – sounds like a fancy grocery store, actually an awesome Lebanese baker and restaurant that offers filling meals for less than 5 bucks if you order right – and it’s right across from the Eaton Centre (253 Yonge St)

Eaton Centre Food Court – since I just mentioned the EC, should also give a plug to their AMAZING new food court – really have seen nothing like it.  Although it cost them millions of dollars to put together, you can find a tasty and unique meal for way less…

Value Village – an institution among those “in the know” (i.e. high school/college kids) – incredible clothing deals and assorted other items (924 Queen E and 1319 Bloor W)

Snakes and Lattes – great name, great spot – one of T.O.’s trendiest new hangouts allows you to play one of their 1500 (!!) board games while sipping and munching (www.snakesandlattes.com)

Blue Banana Market – a great spot to pick up unique gifts (in case you haven’t bought enough already!) from over 200 artisans – in Kensington Market, which is a whole area of inexpensive food, clothes and – everything (www.bluebananamarket.com)

Honest Ed’s – no article/story/blog on “cheap stuff” would be complete without a mention of this institution of cheap – if you’ve been, you know what I’m talking about; if you haven’t just GO.  And be prepared to spend a couple hours.  And look at it this way; even if you don’t buy anything, you’ve just gone to Toronto’s best FREE attraction! (www.honesteds.sites.toronto.com)

Happy savings,

Mr. Toronto

Another year come and gone…last blog for 2011!  At times like these- when I count all my blessings, think of all my loved ones and feel all sentimental, warm and fuzzy- my mind turns to…food.  Specifically, restaurants I have discovered during the past year, and those I have on my list for 2012.  As an avowed “foodie”, I always keep a running list of places I’d like to try.  Toronto is blessed with so many fantastic restaurants, I rarely go back to the same place twice, as I love to experience new taste sensations. (Plus – and a bit of a “disclaimer” here – I only eat vegetarian, dairy and fish items, so my choice of menu items is usually quite limited). My other disclaimer is that the places I am discussing are open for lunch – a disclaimer only in that there would be many more on my list if I included those restaurants that are open for dinner only, which doesn’t help me because I only do lunch!

So without further ado, here is a list of my year-end restaurants I have recently been to that warrant mention, and a slightly longer list of places on my list for 2012:

Recently went to:
1)    Mirto (25 Toronto Street, 416-601-9444) – a bustling Italian place in a beautiful old building on a great hidden street downtown.  Makes up for mediocre food.
2)    Bannock (Corner of Bay and Queen, attached to the Bay) – no point giving you the phone number for this packed new addition to the Oliver and Bonacini restaurant empire, because they don’t take reservations.  Shame, because it is a beautiful, well-priced joint with great food – but not willing to wait half an hour or more for a table again!
3)    Leslieville Cheese Market (541 Queen St. West) – again, no phone number necessary, because not only does this place not take reservations, it is not even a restaurant!  But I had heard that it makes the best take-out gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches in the City, and it doesn’t disappoint.  Fantastic daily combos, and yummy soups as well.  But wait til the weather gets warmer so you don’t have to eat it on a bench in the snow like I did!

Holiday Carolers and Snowmen greet visitors in "Torontoland"!

Can’t wait to go to:
1)    La Societe (let’s switch to websites: http://lasociete.ca/) – a trendy new place to be seen on Toronto’s “Mink Mile” (Bloor St.) – authentic Parisian Bistro.
2)    Modus (http://modusristorante.com/) – supposed to be a fabulously chic Italian ristorante in the business/financial district
3)    Estiatorio Volos (http://volos.ca/) – Greek “fusion” food, funky and upscale
4)    F’Amelia (http://www.famelia.com/main.php?pg=14) – an adorable looking authentic Italian place in Cabbagetown, a wonderful (and slightly out of the way) area near downtown
5)    Screen Lounge (http://www.screenlounge.ca/) – see my last blog!

So there you have it.  May the new year bring you many wonderful meals with the ones you love (or at least like a lot)!

Mr. Toronto

PS. The picture is a non-related, but very cool Holiday photo I took at a Tourism Toronto event last week…what better way to end the year than with a picture of snowmen, carolers and the Rogers Centre?!

Unbelievable how Xmas (and the more politically correct “Holiday Season”) is in the air already – earlier than ¬ever….stores are already selling their holiday merchandise, decorations are up (even at the Delta Chelsea, where I work, we already have a huge snowman in the lobby, part of a campaign from Tourism Toronto, which is blanketing the City with these pieces of “art”). And the media is already posting and broadcasting their “Best of the Year” lists…

There are so many of these – covering so many areas, from stores to restaurants to galleries to barbers – that one can get overwhelmed with all this bestness…for one of the larger lists, go to NOW magazine’s on-line “Best of Toronto” list: http://www.nowtoronto.com/bestof/

But being the celebrity hound that I am, thought I’d share with you some favourites from some local celebrities, which appeared in the Toronto Star earlier this year (March 31, to be exact!). Please don’t feel bad if you haven’t heard of any of these folks, they are indeed pretty “local”!:

Raymond Ablack, actor on DeGrassi:The Next Generation, loves Johnny’s Hamburgers (2561 Victoria Park South), a place frequented by Mike Myers when he was growing up.

Jeanne Beker, fashion guru, loves Kensington Market for “vintage shopping and just to hang out and smell life…”

Trevor Boris, comedian, loves Spirit Bar and Grill (642 Church St.) for fun and entertainment. Jian Ghomeshi, CBC Radio host, loves Pomegranate, a little Persian restaurant at 420 College St. Danny Marks, local guitar legend and radio host, loves the fresh fish (smelts are his fave) at Buster’s Sea Cove, a tiny restaurant in the beautiful and historic St. Lawrence Market

Jim Cuddy, who makes MY “best of” list with his incredible band Blue Rodeo (see pic of us – sorry, couldn’t resist), loves the Rosedale Ravine: “10 kilometres of woods and soft path, with water beside you and mansions on top…all in the heart of the City. Beautiful”

Finally, I’ll add my 2 cents, as I just this week saw the best theatrical event I have witnessed all year – Love Lies Bleeding, the Alberta Ballet (though it’s more like Cirque du Soleil) performing to 14 Elton John songs in a story based on his life. Just fantastic. Unfortunately, it will be over by the time you read this – only here for 6 shows…but it may tour – and if it does, make sure to catch it somewhere!

All the Best, Mr. Toronto

Fall seems to be the time when Toronto’s arts scene really heats up…live theatre is in full swing (the subject of a future blog, I’m sure) and new museum/gallery exhibits are opening (for example, the fantastic “Chagall and the Russian Avant-Garde” at the AGO). But it’s fall movies and concerts that seem to be drawing on my heartstrings and tugging at my wallet this time of year….

Toronto is known for it’s star-studded TIFF (International Film Festival) in September, but fall is also the season when a whackload of other film festivals take to screens around town, reflecting the City’s amazing ethnic and cultural mix…Google these and check out all they have to offer!

*Toronto After Dark (Oct. 20-27)

*Polish Film Festival (Oct. 21-23)

*Israel Film Festival (Oct. 23-27)

*Brazil Film Fest (Oct. 27-30)

*Diaspora Film Festival (Nov.1-7)

*Regent Park Film Festival (Nov. 1-7)

*Rendezvous with Madness (Nov.4-12)

*Reel Asian (Nov.8-19)

And boy, is there ever music in the air this time of year!  Here’s a sampling of just a handful of the most interesting shows coming to town (according to me, of course):

*Tedeschi Trucks Band at the Danforth Music Hall (October 25)

*Mumford and Sons at the Air Canada Centre (ACC) (same night!)

*DeadMau5 at the Rogers Centre (November 5)

*Trombone Shorty at the Opera House (November 17)

*Jay Z and Kanye West at the ACC (November 23 and 24)

*Feist at Massey Hall (December 1)

*The National with Neko Case at the ACC (December

I’d give you more options, but if you’re like me you’re already hyperventilating!  So just take a deep breath, choose a couple, and c’mon over!

Mr. Toronto

PS.  Although it is totally unrelated to this blog, I would be remiss if I did not mention the tragic – and freaky – passing of Indy Car Driver Dan Wheldan earlier this week.  Especially freaky for me, because I talked about him in a previous blog – and showed a photo of the 2 of us together – just a few months ago, after he won the Indianapolis 500.  He was a wonderful and charming guy who will be sorely missed.

Discovering Graffiti alley south of Queen W

One of Mr. Toronto’s greatest pleasures is discovering something totally new and unique in this wonderful City.  Just when I think I have done and seen it all in my (almost) 25-years living here, occasionally something comes along that makes me go “wow – this place really is amazing!”

Last Sunday I went on a “Toronto Laneway” walking tour.  I can’t actually say this is new; only to me, as the gentleman who has been leading these tours – Graeme Parry – has apparently been doing this for 9 years! Graeme is an incredibly knowledgeable young man who does these tours because he, too, is in love with Toronto and wants to share his knowledge.  As such, he does this as a hobby (I heard someone say his day job was working for the TTC, our transit commission), and they are absolutely FREE!

The tour was fascinating.  We met at the corner of Queen and Bathurst streets, and walked for an hour through “Graffiti alley” south of Queen, leading to hidden

laneway homes on residential alleys that at first glance look like nothing more than long driveways with garages on either side.  The tour ended on Ossington street, which was also great as it is one of the coolest/hippest little streets out there, with vintage stores (I bought a great ‘50s tie!), wonderful restaurants (see one of my previous blogs on Pizzeria Libretto), and funky lounges (Reposado Tequilla Bar is one of my faves).

Unfortunately, this was Graeme’s last walking tour of the season (he does them in summer only), but he also does biking tours, and these don’t end until September 18 (you can bet I’ll be there!).  For more information, visit his website at

http://www.graemeparry.com/Site/Toronto_Laneways.html

And be prepared to be amazed!

Mr. Toronto