I will survive: Crews and Tango reopens tonight (finally)
It’s been a year since Crews and Tango, the Village main drag’s main drag bar, shuttered. Over that time, the neighbourhood experienced a downward spiral as the area’s stores and restaurants closed left and right: Carman’s, American Apparel, Bigliardi’s, Lettieri, Zelda’s, Statlers, Pita Pen, Il Fornello, etc. But tonight, the former hot spot will welcome its 20-something clientele once again—part of a local turnaround that is making “there goes the gaybourhood” jokes seem laughably premature.
“The reopening of Crews and Tango is exciting, but it’s not going to be like the old Crews and Tango,” says co-owner Paras Prashad. “We’re keeping the same feel to it, but we brought the place up to code, gave it a new coat of paint, added new lights, a new bar and a new stage.”
Prashad took over the place with his partner, Michael Ramawad, on New Year’s Day. The two have been coming to Crews for years, so Prashad says there’s some emotional attachment to it, and he hopes that it’ll get people coming back to the Village and infuse some pre-Pride hype. “I think with Crews and Tango being such an institution, it’ll mean more people will come to the Village, and other businesses will benefit, as well, which in turn benefits us.”
Other goals for the new Crews are to introduce a tapas menu—“restaurant” has been added to the name—and to attract a wider audience. Crews will also host monthly multicultural events and afternoon games for people who don’t want to stay up until the wee hours.
Crews and Tango opens tonight at 6 p.m.
&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Crews.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_24422" align="alignleft" width="263" caption="Crews and Tango in its old incarnation (Image: Google)"][/caption]
It’s been a year since Crews and Tango, the Village main drag’s main drag bar, shuttered. Over that time, the neighbourhood experienced a downward spiral as the area’s stores and restaurants closed left and right: Carman’s, American Apparel, Bigliardi’s, Lettieri, Zelda’s, Statlers, Pita Pen, Il Fornello, etc. But tonight, the former hot spot will welcome its 20-something clientele once again—part of a local turnaround that is making “there goes the gaybourhood” jokes seem laughably premature.
“The reopening of Crews and Tango is exciting, but it’s not going to be like the old Crews and Tango,” says co-owner Paras Prashad. “We’re keeping the same feel to it, but we brought the place up to code, gave it a new coat of paint, added new lights, a new bar and a new stage.”
Prashad took over the place with his partner, Michael Ramawad, on New Year’s Day. The two have been coming to Crews for years, so Prashad says there’s some emotional attachment to it, and he hopes that it’ll get people coming back to the Village and infuse some pre-Pride hype. “I think with Crews and Tango being such an institution, it’ll mean more people will come to the Village, and other businesses will benefit, as well, which in turn benefits us.”
Other goals for the new Crews are to introduce a tapas menu—“restaurant” has been added to the name—and to attract a wider audience. Crews will also host monthly multicultural events and afternoon games for people who don’t want to stay up until the wee hours.
Crews and Tango opens tonight at 6 p.m.){kind=link}
There’s a great revival on Church St. Maple Leaf Gardens is having what’s called a Minor Varience (Gutting the entire building)and Loblaws on the ground floor and Ryerson on the top two including a full rink on the third floor under the dome with 3000 seats. The former Il Fornello is now the fabulous new hot eatery Chi-Ko-Roo…High quality food, fabulous and consistant kitchen, amazingly reasonable prices for food and wine with a huge variety from breakfast to dinner. Pizziola is now occupying part of old Bigliardi’s with crystal changeliers in a Pizza Joint…how Gay is that. Hero Burger has the whole street salavating with the Angus Burger aroma wafting for a block…this was Lattarie (same owners better business) These two set a price standard and quality the rest of the street has to match. Try a Chi-Ko Special breakfast…come hungry..there’s tons for $9.00..best coffee in town also and later go for the Fillet Mignon Burger and salad and fries and bread and dip and all for $16.00…Get a great wine for $27.00 a bottle…no wine at Hero… Now we just need a fabulous on site bakery/tea/coffee shop to take over Zelda’s and we’re Hot again.
don`t these two work for the LCBO?…and MR is a manager — isn`t that a conflict? working for a gov`t agency as a manager of alcohol and owning a bar seems fishy. just another case of govt abuse of power!
Michael Ramawad is just a manager of a LCBO store , no different then if we were a manager of a clothing store
The new home of line ups,and once you get past line ups, major dissappointment. This happened to the Barn, and look where its at now. Not worth your time, go somewhere else.