Advertisement

Toronto Life - The Wire

The comprehensive index of every blog post, magazine story and restaurant review that appears on Torontolife.com

All stories relating to Brassaii

The Informer

From the Print Edition

76 Comments

King State of Mind: When did the once-cool King West strip descend into a mess of stretch Hummers, drunken bachelorettes and last-call brawls?

Scenes from a never-ending party

2:45 a.m., Cobra

“Let’s get drunk and fuck! Let’s get drunk and fuck!”

I’m at Cobra, a King West club in a sprawling basement underneath a 19th-century warehouse. In this neighbourhood, the best parties are either deep underground or high above in a rooftop bar. Cobra is decorated like a gothic funhouse, with a wall of glowing skulls and lots of black. The get-drunk-and-fuck directive bleats from a techno remix as coloured lights, inducing a kind of electric synesthesia, pulsate on the basement ceiling. To my left, two girls make out and topple over, knocking down their bottle service glassware. Guys eagerly watch from the sidelines, plotting how to make their move. My teeth chatter from the vibrating bass. I down a shot that’s half Sour Puss and half vodka, proffered by a human Barbie doll bartender.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Dish

Opening

15 Comments

Introducing: 416 Snack Bar, Queen West’s newest spot for cosmopolitan late-night grub

(Image: Jon Sufrin)

With the recent arrival of such hot spots as The Hideout, Tattoo Rock Parlour and Barchef, the Queen and Bathurst area has seen a boom in late-night hangout options (with the notable exception of the  Bip Bop Big Bop’s closure). But a few steps north on Bathurst used to mean immediate entry into a nightlife dead zone. At least, that was before Adrian Ravinsky and David Stewart opened 416 Snack Bar on Monday, bringing with them a cosmopolitan menu of palm-sized grub options.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Goods

Design Scout

4 Comments

Ten artists first-time buyers should invest in now

For this edition of Design Scout, we toured the recent 2010 Art Toronto fair with Anya Shor and Manny Neubaucher, otherwise known as the Art Stylists, an art-consulting duo who work with private clients and such Toronto hot spots as Böhmer and Brassaii to place art into the perfect setting. Shor and Neubacher are always on the hunt for up-and-coming talent, so we asked them to show us 10 Canadian artists for new collectors to invest in now. The following slide show includes pieces that would complement many design schemes, all priced at $9,000 or less.

Begin the slide show >>

Read the rest of this entry »

The Hype

TIFF Talk

1 Comment

Spotted! Uma Thurman orders off-menu Mexican at private Brassaii dinner with Jason Reitman

Actor Uma Thurman attends the Ceremony after party at Brassaii (Image: George Pimentel)

Brassaii chef Bruce Woods served up honey-mustard-glazed salmon, goat cheese–stuffed chicken and champagne risotto for the cast of Ceremony Monday night. However, the guest of honour, one Uma Thurman, opted for something a little more caliente. Apparently, the Tarantino muse eats only Mexican. Of course, the kitchen was only too happy to comply for the 40-year-old, who looked comfortably cool in a grey sweater, black vest and men’s suit pants.

Uma came to Brassaii to dine with Ceremony executive producer Jason Reitman; actor Lee Pace; the film’s director, Max Winkler; and his dad, Henry Winkler (better known as The Fonz).

As they dined behind a white curtain, the restaurant was still buzzing about Hangover star Zach Galifianakis’s visit on Saturday night. Arriving with a bevy of bearded companions, he cemented his rep as the anti–movie star by blowing off an umbrella carrier despite pouring rain, then tipping—yes, tipping!—his server, a refreshing and rare move from the superstar crowd.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Hype

TIFF Talk

Comments

Today at TIFF: Good Neighbours, The Debt, Edward Norton interviews Bruce Springsteen and more

Our daily roundup of opening galas, parties and screenings.

• 6 p.m. Edward Norton interviews Bruce Springsteen at Bell Lightbox
• 6:30 p.m. The Debt North American premiere gala at Roy Thomson Hall
• 6:45 p.m. Heartbeats world premiere at Varsity Cinema 8
InStyle magazine party at Windsor Arms Hotel
• 9 p.m. Henry’s Crime premiere at Visa Screening Room (Elgin)
• 9:30 p.m. The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town world premiere gala at Roy Thomson Hall
• 9:30 p.m. Good Neighbours world premiere at Varsity Cinema 8
• 10 p.m. David Morales at Ultra
• 10 p.m. Stiff at The Beaver
• 10 p.m. Kiss Me I’m a Rockstar! with performances by Gene Simmons and The Envy at Tattoo Rock Parlour
Good Neighbours cast party at Festival Central (148 Cumberland St.)
Henry’s Crime after party at Brassaii

The Hype

TIFF Talk

Comments

Today at TIFF: Black Swan, Miral, the Reel Canadian TIFF Party and more

Our daily roundup of opening galas, parties and screenings.

• 6 p.m. Incendies North American premiere at Bell Lightbox
• 6 p.m. Miral North American premiere at Ryerson Theatre
• 6 p.m. Another Year at Visa Screening Room (Elgin)
• 6:30 p.m. Potiche North American premiere gala at Roy Thomson Hall
• 8 p.m. Ivory Tower Screening Party at Camera Bar
• 8 p.m. Festival Music House opening night at The Roosevelt Room
• 8 p.m. The Reel Canadian TIFF Party at the Drake Hotel
• 9:30 p.m. Black Swan North American premiere gala at Roy Thomson Hall
• 9:45 p.m. Cave of Forgotten Dreams world premiere at Bell Lightbox
Ceremony at Brassaii
The Spotlight Awards and Official After-Party at Festival Central (148 Cumberland St.)

The Hype

TIFF Talk

3 Comments

Today at TIFF: Roger Ebert Twitter showdown, Hello! party, Vanity Fair party, OneXOne fundraiser

Our daily roundup of opening galas, parties and screenings.

• 12:00 p.m. George Christy Luncheon at Avenue Bar and Print Room (Four Seasons Hotel)
• 1:30 p.m. Little White Lies world premiere gala at Roy Thomson Hall
• 2 p.m. The Whistleblower world premiere at Visa Screening Room (Elgin)
• 3 p.m. Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie world premiere at Ryerson Theatre
• 3 p.m. Conviction world premiere at Visa Screening Room (Elgin)
• 4 p.m. Roger Ebert Twitter showdown at the Hyatt Regency
• 6 p.m. Made in Dagenham world premiere at Visa Screening Room (Elgin)
• 6:30 p.m. The Conspirator world premiere gala at Roy Thomson Hall
• 6:30 p.m. Artists for Peace and Justice Fundraiser at Pears on the Avenue
• 7 p.m. HELLO! Magazine Film Festival Cocktail Party at Royal Conservatory Telus Centre for Performance and Learning
• 7 p.m. ReelWorld Film Festival Indie Film Lounge Reception at Empire Lounge
• 9 p.m. Beginners world premiere at Visa Screening Room (Elgin)
• 9 p.m. It’s Kind of a Funny Story world premiere at Ryerson Theatre
• 9 p.m. Vanity Fair Party at Thompson Hotel
• 9:30 p.m. The Town North American premiere gala at Roy Thomson Hall
• 10 p.m. Forest Park hosted by Hayden Christensen at Ultra
Dipdive Nights featuring Will.i.am at Festival Central (148 Cumberland St.)
OneXOne fundraiser at Bisha
Late Night It’s Kind of a Funny Story after-party at Brassaii
• 11:59 p.m. Bunraku world premiere at Ryerson Theatre

The Hype

TIFF Talk

Comments

TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Olivia Newton-John at Brassaii to celebrate Score: A Hockey Musical

Olivia Newton-John at Brassaii for the pre-screening cocktail party for Score: A Hockey Musical (Image: Proya Productions)

Brassaii and Mongrel Media kept their pre-gala cocktail party for Score: A Hockey Musical under wraps until the last possible minute yesterday, but we managed to get some photos from the event—including several of Olivia Newton-John arriving at the King West restaurant. See the gallery below, or read our insider’s report of the party here.

Star graphic

= Find this story on our Celebrity Sightings Map, where we plot the locations of stars spotted throughout Toronto

The Hype

TIFF Talk

3 Comments

Greased lightly: fries are the ones Olivia Newton-John wants at Brassaii

Olivia Newton-John and her husband, John Easterling, depart from Brassaii's pre-screening cocktail party for Score: A Hockey Musical on September 8, 2010 (Image: Proya Productions)

Words cannot express how relieved we were to see nary a hint of hockey hair at Brassaii’s party for Score: A Hockey Musical last night. Olivia Newton-John, accompanied by her business mogul husband, John Easterling, mingled with her co-stars Noah Reid and Allie MacDonald for a few hours at the King West restaurant. TIFF co-director Cameron Bailey—already becoming the most ubiquitous presence at TIFF—attended in a show of support for the unlikely opening night gala, which screens tonight.  

Read the rest of this entry »

The Dish

Opening

2 Comments

Just Opened: Marben trades in the onyx for oh-so-popular reclaimed wood

Carl Heinrich with a companion in the newly redesigned Marben (All images: Karon Liu)

Splendido did it, then Centro, then Brassaii, and now Marben. Sure, they’ve all been renovated, but more specifically, they’ve all received make-unders.

Back in March, Marben auctioned off bits and pieces of its former self, including the famous glowing onyx bar, in order to make way for understated pieces, vintage fixtures and reclaimed wood. General manager Sarah Evans says the Wellington West restaurant’s overhaul was meant to lighten up the place and make it known for its food rather than its scene (Brassaii cited similar urges). Still, with the restaurant open until 2 a.m. every day and Bavette—a separate downstairs party space—set to open at the end of the month, Marben isn’t retiring from the revelry. “The city needs a rowdy restaurant,” says Evans.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Dish

Rumours & Rumblings

9 Comments

Madeline’s massive make-over: name changes, construction and the return of Susur Lee

Don’t panic at the sight of shuttered windows at Madeline’s. The place closed on April 10 but will re-emerge in early June as Susur Lee’s next Toronto restaurant.

Brenda Bent, Lee’s wife and the person in charge of redoing Madeline’s space, tells us that after Dominic Amaral’s departure last year to become head chef at Zucca Trattoria, it was time to give the place an update—especially since her husband will be cooking in Toronto more often now. Lee’s contracts say that he has to check up on Shang (in New York) only three times a month, Zentan (in Washington) three times every two months and Chinois (in Singapore) about four times a year.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Dish

Opening

2 Comments

Just opened: Malena, by the restaurateurs who brought L’Unità to Yorkville

(Image: Karon Liu)

Yorkville’s own little Little Italy—that block of Avenue Road where Sotto Sotto and L’Unità have stood these past few years—just got an added taste of the home country. Malena opened last week, setting itself apart from its neighbours with a focus on seafood from the Ionian Sea. “We believe that the more restaurants the better. The more people it brings in the better,” says co-owner David Minicucci, who is also a co-owner of L’Unità. “They might come here one night, see Sotto Sotto next door and decide to go there next time. We’re all friends here.”

Read the rest of this entry »

The Dish

Opening

1 Comment

With a $500,000 renovation and new chef, Centro wants to be “taken seriously”

Centro's main dining room (Image: Karon Liu)

“Centro has always been good, but people have never come here for a gastronomical experience,” says owner Armando Mano as he sits in the newly renovated uptown restaurant. “They haven’t been taking us seriously for the past eight years since Marc Thuet left. We want to change that.” The revamp started in December, but the real work began two weeks ago, when demolition crews stepped in and left nothing untouched. There’s still sawdust on the sheet-covered floors, and the wall fixtures aren’t in yet, but Mano says things are on track regardless of what happens.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Dish

Opening

1 Comment

Buy a piece of Marben: the Wellington hot spot is closing for renos and auctioning off its furniture

Everything must go, even the famous bar (Image: Say Yeah!)

Looks like the city’s restaurants are doing some major spring cleaning, with Brassaii, Centro and now Marben undergoing renovations. The dimly lit Wellington resto-lounge is closing for a month starting this Sunday, but it’s not going out without a bang. Tomorrow night, Marben will be hosting a farewell party with a $45 “greatest hits menu” from which diners can order the famous duck tacos one last time (chef Craig Alley will be retooling the menu for the reopening).

Read the rest of this entry »

The Dish

Opening

1 Comment

Brassaii’s relaunch comes with new design, new menus and new chef

The new dining room at Brassaii

This week marked the long-awaited reopening of King West institution Brassaii, and judging from the extensive menu redesign, the place is looking like more of an upscale dining spot than a Friday-night hangout for the mini-dress set.

The new one-page menus were designed by chef Bruce Woods, who left his five-year stint at Centro last year to join Brassaii, and seem to ensure that diners never need to leave the property: breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, dessert and late-night snacks are all covered. Expect breakfast and brunch staples, as well as sandwiches and burgers for lunch. As for dinner, it’s continental fare with hints of Asian influence: miso cod ($29), spaghettini with kobe beef meatballs ($20), chicken with a panko crust ($25).

Read the rest of this entry »

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement