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ADDRESS: 183 Carlton Street
NEIGHBOURHOOD: Cabbagetown – South St. Jamestown
AGENT: Gary Taitt, Re/Max Hallmark Realty Ltd., Brokerage
PRICE: $2,299,000
THE PLACE: A completely restored Victorian live-work space in the heart of Cabbagetown.
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One of these things is not like the others: sandwiches, pasta, pizza and pljeskavica at the city’s hottest new restaurants
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The County General
936 Queen St. W., 416-531-4447
The owners of Splendido, Toronto’s long-standing fine dining institution, know exactly what sells right now: cheap sandwiches and pricy cocktails. In their minuscule new bar at the corner of Queen and Shaw, they’re working those trends so effectively there’s a lineup out the door at 10 p.m. on a Tuesday night, and the beleaguered servers greet newcomers with exasperated sighs. The crowd is typically Bellwoods, with women in ushankas and neon lipstick, men in girlfriend-repelling overgrown beards. The short menu is part South Carolina, part South Korea. Sides include mustardy devilled eggs, bland apple-cabbage slaw and good kimchee. The steamed pork buns, made with perfectly charred belly, are tender and toothsome. For every good sandwich, though, there’s a gaffe, like an excessively fatty Reuben that’s abandoned after three bites, and a desiccated cupcake that could have emerged from a day-old bake sale. Ignore the desserts and stick to what the place does best—knee-weakening bourbon cocktails like the Figgy Dew, made with Bulleit, fig syrup, cucumber, lemon and ginger beer. After one of those, you’ll be chair dancing to “Da Doo Ron Ron” with abandon.
La Liza, Día de los Muertos candy skulls and Sahr Ngaujah as Fela Kuti
1. LIZA MINNELLI
La Liza, one of the world’s few EGOT winners (that’s Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony), takes the stage this weekend for a one-night-only roundup of the biggest hits from her decades-long career—and, with any luck, a reprise of her cover of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” from Sex and the City 2. Oct. 28. $59.50–$199.50. Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St., 416-872-4255, roythomson.com.
2. DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS AT EVERGREEN BRICK WORKS (FREE!) Read the rest of this entry »
While this is the season for spooky, it’s not all haunted houses and black cats. Take, for example, the Day of the Dead. Closely tied to the Catholic holidays All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, this Mexican holiday is a time for honouring loved ones who have passed away. The Brick Works incorporates traditional elements of el Día de los Muertos, like decorated altars, candy skull making, Mexican folk music and a craft workshop. Oh, and for $5 you can judge a churro competition featuring Cava’s Chris McDonald, Frida’s José Haddad and five other chefs. Oct. 29. Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Ave., ebw.evergreen.ca.
Outside John Dawson and Todd Vestby’s new Cabbagetown Italian restaurant (Image: Renée Suen)
During the first week of operations for F’Amelia, a new Cabbagetown Italian restaurant owned by locals John Dawson (formerly of Table 17) and Todd Vestby, the house served over a 100 covers a night—without any press. With the restaurant’s grand opening slated for next week, we stopped by for a look at what has the neighbourhood abuzz.
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While we’re busy teaching our kids to tend school gardens, they’re failing provincial tests in reading, writing and math. The folly of the new enviro-propaganda
(Illustration: Tavis Coburn)
This fall, hundreds of Toronto students are harvesting beets and zucchini from their school gardens. I say: nice photo op, bad idea. The argument for school gardens assumes that by grubbing in the dirt, kids will learn to love eating vegetables. They won’t think chickens hatch into this world as deep-fried nuggets. And they’ll develop a respect for nature.
Here’s the counter-argument: our students shouldn’t be out scrabbling in the hot sun when one in five can’t pass the Grade 10 literacy test administered by the provincially funded Education Quality and Accountability Office. And while Canadian students score high internationally in reading, mathematics and the sciences, Statistics Canada says our relative ranking is declining due to improved performance by other countries. In this era of global competition, we can’t afford to let other nations nip at our heels.
Half of Toronto’s population was born outside Canada, and it’s a safe bet many of them came here for a better life, including a good education for their offspring. A lot of immigrants originate from agrarian regions of countries such as India, Pakistan, China and the Philippines. The last thing these newcomers need is a morality crusade about carrots. Yet more than 200 of Toronto’s nearly 600 public schools now have gardens, and an army of well-meaning parents, volunteers, activists and advocacy organizations with a social agenda is successfully lobbying for more.
With frigid winter slowly giving way to soggy spring, the best way to keep warm remains to tuck into hearty broths, soups and stews. And while they appear on almost every menu, only a few rise above the ordinary. Here are thirteen feasts for the eyes, nose and stomach that melt our soup-loving hearts.
When looking for a place to live, most people would avoid a boarded-up convenience store brimming with junk, or a makeshift church overrun with mice. Other people—like the owners of these resolutely urbane houses—would consider themselves bestowed with a real estate blessing. These unique living spaces are all former commercial storefronts, with massive showroom windows smack dab at street level. The perks? Lots of space, lots of light and a reasonably priced downtown address. The catch? Waving at passersby from the breakfast table.
(Image: Bitpicture)
Dear Urban Diplomat, Read the rest of this entry »
After a snowfall, I shovel the sidewalk in front of my house fairly early in the morning. I usually do my neighbours’ walk, as well. I’ve never received a thank you, which is fine, but recently they pushed my generosity to the limit. I was laid up with the flu for a few days, unable to leave the house. In my feverish delirium, I thought my neighbours might step up and shovel my walk, in a sense to return the favour. Instead, they piled the snow from their strip onto my sidewalk. The devil on my shoulder is telling me to issue them an earful, while the angel is telling me to take the high road and let it go. What should I do?
—Oh, shovel it,
CABBAGETOWN
A gravy boat around City Hall
Who’s the awesomest of them all? According to the Toronto branch of the Awesome Foundation, it’s Stephanie Avery, who was named the recipient of its first grant last night. A self-described “totally rad” artist, Avery was awarded $1,000 for her Connect the T-Dots pitch, a project that aims to turn aerial satellite views of Toronto into a giant connect-the-dots number puzzle.
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They wanted to stay in Cabbagetown. Their budget was just under $1 million. But the place had to be big enough for Cardinal Richelieu
The Buyers: Keith Pfeiffer, a 50-year-old retired television director, and Lawrence Reiter, a 37‑year-old pharmacologist.
The Story: When Pfeiffer and Reiter moved to Toronto from their native Johannesburg in 2008, they bought a modest home: a semi-detached Cabbagetown Victorian on a narrow lot with no yard. Two years later, they started looking for an upgrade.
Their wish list: a house wide enough for their oversized furniture, with a yard for their three dogs and a large wall to display their huge antique portrait of Cardinal Richelieu. “The Cardinal has been in my family longer than I can remember,” says Pfeiffer. “It’s a beautiful piece.” Read the rest of this entry »
(Image: Signe Langford)
The traditional gold lettering set against a black wall might bring to mind Foxes, Fiddles and Firkins, but this is no cookie-cutter ye olde pub. Behind the simple black doors is a serious chef, 20 local craft and imported beers on tap, another 30 by the bottle, fat leather wingbacks and the welcoming aroma of smouldering peat.
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(Image: Renée Suen, from the torontolife.com Flickr pool)
January is upon us, and for many hungry Torontonians, that means one thing: Winterlicious. The menus are less predictable than previous years—crème brûlée’s out, lentils du Puy are in—so even the ’Licious haters might have a reason to take advantage of the festival this year. We’ve already named the 12 menus that we think are the best bets, but that doesn’t begin to cover it. Here, find Toronto Life’s 62 favourite Winterlicious restaurants, complete with menus, reviews and reservation numbers.
Winterlicious runs from January 28 to February 10. Reservations are accepted from January 13 onward (January 11 for American Express users).
Ardwold (Image: CP Images)
Sir John Craig and Lady Flora Eaton lived in a 50-room estate on Spadina Road near Davenport, designed in 1911 by architect A. Frank Wickson. The Great Hall held this magnificent pipe organ, which Sir John loved to play. When Sir John died of pneumonia in 1922, Lady Eaton moved to her King City château and sold Ardwold in 1936. It was demolished a few years later, and Ardwold Gate, an upscale subdivision, was built on the site Read the rest of this entry »
HOW DID WE DO IT? While the Great Recession battered other cities, Toronto has emerged triumphant—Bay Street is bullish, our real estate market is hot, and the streets are sparkling for this month’s G20. Yes, our success has a lot to do with our stingy financial system, but it’s also because smart, interesting people move here every day, attracted to a city that’s challenging and gritty and exciting and indulgent (we have a restaurant dedicated entirely to grilled cheese sandwiches, Reason No. 2). If Torontonians have one shared flaw, it’s that we’re pathologically reluctant to acknowledge our greatness. Now, more than ever, we have reasons to brag
Many Torontonians have sampled this caterer’s delights at parties, but boxed meals from its small lunch counter satisfy, too
Apricot-glazed apple tart from Daniel et Daniel
The place: One of the city’s most popular catering kitchens is also an excellent lunch stop for Cabbagetowners. The tiny takeout counter has all the gourmet goodies for a picnic at nearby Allen Gardens.
The crowd: Regulars with running tabs, executive assistants picking up office lunches and construction workers filling up on the hearty spanakopita.
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