Read the rest of this entry »
This weekend, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre will host the Gourmet Food and Wine Expo, four days celebrating everything imbibable. Over 38,000 guests are expected to sample more than 1,500 fine wines, spirits and beers and participate in tutored tastings. The show also recognizes some of Toronto’s hottest chefs as part of the sixth annual Nine of Dine award, sponsored in part by Now and the expo itself.
The comprehensive index of every blog post, magazine story and restaurant review that appears on Torontolife.com
All stories relating to Drake Hotel
The Drake’s annual fall market promises chocolate and bacon cookies, handmade products and vintage records
People buying things (Image: The Drake)
The Drake holds a fall market every year with handmade goods from local artisans—think of it as a flea market or a church bazaar, but one that caters to the people who might frequent the Drake Underground or drink caesars for brunch over chicken and waffles. In place of the 100 per cent geriatric vendors you may find at a church craft sale, The Drake brings in students, local collectors and purveyors of soaps, mustards and bacon-filled baked goods (there will be chocolate and bacon cookies, in case your arteries still require some abuse after Thanksgiving). The annual event takes place Saturday, October 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will include handmade books and kaleidoscopes from Charline Wang, natural mustards from Guy Rawlings, vintage and handmade textiles and ceramics made by Rachel Tremaine, illustrations, designs and fine art from Courtney Wotherspoon, handmade body care products from Scott Robinson, handmade clothing, collars and bow ties from Danielle Bartlett, jewellery from Edilou Woo and a substantial collection of records from Natalie Petozzi and Nomi Malik. We recommend starting with some mustard tasting, followed by a bacon and chocolate palate cleanser—maybe grab a couple of records for the road and create a fun Sex and the City movie montage or arrange for a sexy striptease with all of your new collars and bow ties (just like in the movies).
Introducing: the second stop on the Drake Dining Roadshow, 1940s L.A. Chinatown
The redesigned dining room features all kinds of gleeful appropriations and kitschy Chinatown elements, like this wall of cats. (Image: Gizelle Lau)
Back in June, we told you about the Drake Hotel’s Dining Roadshow, a series of thematically changing restaurant concepts constructed in the back section of the hotel’s dining room, starting with the Drake Summer School Dining Hall. This stop: 1940s L.A. Chinatown, which opened just in time for TIFF and continues until November 19.
Read the rest of this entry »
TIFF after hours: the 44 (and counting) film fest venues with the coveted 4 a.m. last call
(Image: walknboston)
Every year celebs from all over the world flood into the city for TIFF, but for many, it’s the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario that’s the real star throughout the month of September. Just in time to combat post-summer blues, the AGCO grants certain venues the rights to the elusive 4 a.m. last call. While last year’s list clocked in at 44 venues This year’s list of venues with extended hours finally caught up with last year’s, bringing the current number to 44—some of them not open to the public (we’re looking at you, Windsor Arms) and others open for one night only. Check out the list of late-night watering holes after the jump and stay tuned for updates on extended hours, as more are expected to roll in before the festival.
We called the 10 most clicked Summerlicious restaurants to scope out their experience—and availability
Toronto restaurants are firmly in the grip of Summerlicious, which continues to this Sunday, so we decided to find out how the annual prix-fixe fete has treated them. The consensus? It’s been a wild week-and-a-half. “It’s definitely crazier than normal,” the folks at Brassaii told us. “Crazy busy,” echoed the people at Starfish Oyster Bed and Grill, who also had some sage advice for those spurned by packed houses and peculiarly empty tables: “If you’re unsure [of availabilities], call in or swing past, because there are always no-shows” (ah, the infamous Summerlicious no-shows). With less than a week left before the summer food fest wraps up, we got in touch with the 10 restaurants whose menus got the most hits from our list of the 63 best bets to find out whether and when tables are still available.
Read the rest of this entry »
Introducing: The Drake Summer School Dining Hall, the first in the boutique hotel’s Dining Roadshow series
The Drake’s dining room was transformed into summer-school kitsch in the space of one weekend. (Image: Gizelle Lau)
The Drake Hotel has never been afraid of a little shtick, and pop-up and quasi pop-up operations have long been a part of that. There’s the Drake General Store (and its two sister locations across the city), the now-defunct Scoops and Tees and its successor the Drake BBQ, a pop-up shop that, in true pop-up fashion, will serve its last pulled pork sandwiches and whoopie pies this Saturday. This summer, the Drake is launching the Dining Roadshow, a sort of in situ pop-up program that GM Bill Simpson told us is “meant to be an exploration over the next year as we plan to expand The Drake.” The roadshow will feature a series of thematically changing restaurant concepts that will be highly theatrical, whimsical and, yes, pretty darn kitschy. The first stop: Summer School Dining Hall.
Read the rest of this entry »
The Polaris Music Prize long list was announced yesterday at The Drake, and it contains 30 per cent Toronto bands
The crowd mingles in the Drake Sky Yard before the Polaris Prize long list is announced (Image: Caroline Aksich)
Yesterday at the Drake Hotel’s Sky Yard, the long list for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize was announced. The list, compiled by a 227-person jury composed of Canadian music media members, was a mash-up of new and familiar names, with more than a quarter of those nominated coming from Toronto. The prize, established in 2006 to recognize the best Canadian album of the year, is awarded purely on the basis of artistic merit. It now carries an impressive $30,000 purse, up from $20,000 (also new this year: all short-listed bands go home with $2,000 thanks to Slaight Music). We stopped by to watch the festivities unfold.
Read the rest of this entry »
Gregory Burke pulled the Power Plant out of debt and enhanced its international reputation. Then, he quit.
Gregory Burke with Sarah Bywater, the former Power Plant head fundraiser, at the 2009 Power Ball (Image: George Pimentel)
The Power Plant’s first board meeting of the year was held at noon on Monday, February 7. The gallery, situated on prime waterfront property, is a magnet for the city’s wealthy society figures. The clubby board of governors reflects that. Trinity Jackman, an archaeologist and the daughter of Hal Jackman, is the vice-president. The Drake Hotel owner Jeff Stober is a member, as are Rosedale hostess and arts patron Elisa Nuyten and the entertainment lawyer Paul Bain. The board’s president is Shanitha Kachan, an art collector and the wife of investment guru Gerald Sheff. Kachan called to order what should have been a routine, low-key meeting. Then came the big revelation.
Read the rest of this entry »
Marben set to host Toronto’s latest sausage fest on Wednesday nights
Read the rest of this entry »
Completing its transition from King West chic to rustic barnyard, Marben has announced it’s hosting the first annual Marben Sausage League. Over the next five months, 12 chefs from some of Toronto’s hottest restaurants—including C5, The Harbord Room, La Palette and Parts and Labour—will compete for the title of “Sausage Champion.”
Toronto chefs and Ontario wineries join forces for Japan earthquake relief dinner
Read the rest of this entry »
In response to the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan last week, a number of Toronto chefs and Ontario wine producers will be joining forces in a fundraiser on Sunday, March 27th, organized by Nobuyo Stadtländer, the business partner and wife of Michael Stadtländer.
The Weekender: New Creations Festival, Cory Doctorow and six other events on our to-do list
Writer Cory Doctorow, Sumo Robot Challenge and composer John Adams
1. ELECTRONICA MEETS ORCHESTRA
Once a year, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra hosts a festival to prove that sometimes, classical music can be just as edgy as Lady Gaga. The entire program of this year’s New Creations Festival is rife with boundary-pushing examples of musical innovation, but we’re most intrigued by Saturday’s program: composer John Adams conducts the Canadian premiere of his jazzy City Noir, while DJ and composer Mason Bates presents his electronica composition Liquid Interface. March 5. $32–96. Roy Thomson Hall, 416-593-4828, tso.ca.
2. SUMO ROBOT CHALLENGE 2011 Read the rest of this entry »
Since 1992, this quirky design competition has pitted robots designed by OCAD U students, high schoolers and the general public against one another in epic battles of technological supremacy. Head downtown to find out whose robot is the better fighter, dancer and, yes, painter. March 5. $5. OCAD U Auditorium, 100 McCaul St., 416-977-6000 ext. 332, ocad.ca.
The Weekender: Sandra Shamas, Brothel #9 and six other can’t-miss events
Dum Dum Girls, Brad Mehldau and Anne Sofie von Otter and Sandra Shamas
1. SANDRA SHAMAS’ WIT’S END III: LOVE LIFE
Comedy queen Sandra Shamas started making audiences laugh back in the ’80s—her show, My Boyfriend’s Back and There’s Gonna Be Laundry, was a huge hit at the Edmonton Fringe Festival in 1987, and led to no small amount of success on the comedy circuit. These days, after a nine-year absence from the stage, her shows reflect a performer more comfortable in her skin, perhaps the result of some country living (she moved to a farm and started growing carrots after the aforementioned boyfriend-turned-husband filed for divorce). Whatever the subject matter, Shamas is still making everyone laugh. To March 13. $25-$65. Winter Garden Theatre, 189 Yonge St., 416-872-5555, ticketmaster.ca.
2. BREAD DAY WITH ANDREA GIBSON (FREE!) Read the rest of this entry »
For many DIY foodies, bread is the final frontier. Sure, making a loaf is cheaper than tossing a bag of Dempster’s in your grocery cart, but for some (like, say, us) it can be a little intimidating. Enter the fine folks at The Cookbook Store, who are hosting a day-long ode to bread this weekend. Toronto “bread maven” Andrea Gibson, owner of Fred’s Bread, will be on hand to answer questions, and there will be various loaves of bread available for the tasting. February 26. The Cookbook Store, 850 Yonge St., cook-book.com.
Awesome Foundation Toronto releases its short list of Toronto awesomeness. We cut it from 16 to five
A bat light to call the mayor is just one of 16 ideas to make the final cut
The newly minted Awesome Foundation Toronto (AFT) released its short list of all things awesome, whittling down a list of 250 submissions to an exclusive club of 16 items that are just a little more awesome than the rest (not that the others weren’t awesome; they just weren’t quite awesome enough). It is from this list that the AFT will pick a project to receive $1,000 to be brought to fruition. The winner will be announced this Thursday, February 24, at 8 p.m. at the Drake Hotel.
Well, we think that’s just awesome—but this isn’t the Best Picture Oscar, where everybody and their mother receives a nod. We’ve made the list even a little shorter, selecting the top five projects on our own scale of awesomeness. Our picks, after the jump.
Read the rest of this entry »
Seven-year itch: the Drake Hotel announces plans for expansion
The Drake Hotel (Image: Amber Dawn Pullen)
Since the day its current incarnation opened—Valentine’s Day, 2004—the Drake Hotel has been the restless centre of West Queen West. Unable to remain contained in its original building, the self-proclaimed “hotbed for culture” spread east, spawning a retail shop and barbecue joint. And now, as part of its seventh anniversary celebration, the Drake has announced that it will be expanding yet again. The plan is to provide additional rooms, new menu items, and enhanced performance and exhibit spaces for artists.
Read the rest of this entry »
Follow Toronto Life on Twitter, Facebook and via RSS