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(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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This week’s episode was titled “Being Adam”—not a good sign, since we have yet to come around to Erica’s Irish love interest and the rest of the new time-travelling troupe. The first thing we noticed was a “viewer discretion” warning and wondered whether we were in for something a little saucier than usual. (“Usual” being a couple of after-work cocktails at Goblins.)
Turns out that episode five was a cornucopia of curse words, bar brawls, booze and frontal nudity. But while the cleavage quotient was high, the time travel (and thus opportunities for time copping) was minimal. So this week, we’re replacing our usual BS Detector with a Badass Detector. CBC, we didn’t think you had it in you!
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How our city is proof that if a post-racial society is possible, it will begin in the bedroom
(Image: Asaf Hanuka)
This fall, my husband and I will mark the 34th anniversary of our Chinese-Jewish marriage. Back in 1976, some folks (OK, my parents) fretted it would never last. “Think of the kids! Neither side will accept them,” my mother warned. It took 14 years—and the birth of our first child—before she quit running in hysterics from her house whenever my husband dropped by. (I’m not kidding.)
Yet in 2010, not only am I still married, with two fairly acceptable sons, I find myself living in the mixed-marriage capital of Canada. Toronto famously blazed the way for same-sex marriage. Today, it turns out to be a Petri dish for innovative people combos. According to the latest Statistics Canada data, nearly twice as many Toronto couples are in mixed marriages, legal and common law, as the rest of Canadians, 7.1 per cent versus 3.9 per cent. That number covers all existing unions, including dusty old ones like mine. Read the rest of this entry »
Bangers and mash: British cuisine shatters no stereotypes (Image: Andy Bullock)
When it comes to gastronomical atrocities, it seems bangers and mash and sauerkraut are more poorly regarded than poutine and peameal bacon. The Huffington Post has published the results of an ongoing Titanic Awards survey that names the top nine countries with the worst national cuisine. Much to our delight, the survey of over 2,000 people from more than 80 countries didn’t name Canada among the worst offenders.
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Vampires used to be classy (Image: Derrick Tyson)
Vampires: too sparkly, too emo and now too American in the eyes of “vampire experts” (what a job title!) who congregated at a conference called Open Graves, Open Minds: Vampires and the Undead in Modern Culture last month to take the vampires back from Twihards.
Academics gathered at the University of Herfordshire, located north of London, to discuss the state of vampires in modern culture. “I wanted to prove you can study popular literature in a serious way,” says conference creator Sam George. “I have set up this conference driven by the desire to put the British vampire back on the map.”
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Our guide to the weekend’s best events includes Canadian Music Week, St. Practice Day at the Ceili Cottage and a modern version of Swan Lake. Read on for the rest.
Our Lady Peace adds a dose of '90s nostalgia to CMW (Image: Scott Penner)
1. ST. PATRICK’S WEEK Read the rest of this entry »
This year, St. Paddy’s Day falls on a Wednesday, which is no deterrent to proud Irish (and Irish-for-a-day) folk but makes celebrating a little difficult for the rest of us. Enter the Ceili Cottage, which has organized a week’s worth of events so no one has to miss out. This Saturday’s St. Practice Day festivities will include Irish dance performances and cocktails mixed by Thirsty Traveller and Iron Chef America reporter Kevin Brauch. Head back on Sunday afternoon after the leprechaun- and clover-heavy parade for more Guinness and dance lessons. March 13 to 17. Prices vary. The Ceili Cottage, 1301 Queen St. E., 416-406-1301, ceilicottage.com.
Heading to the Toronto Football Club game next Saturday? Keep in mind that outside food and drinks are not allowed at BMO Field, and despite concession stands that serve everything from fried macaroni and cheese to chicken curry rolls, the prices and overall quality are letdowns. Instead, here are some great places to eat if you’re going to watch the TFC take on the Los Angeles Galaxy. Read the rest of this entry »
Patrick McMurray at the Festival of Chefs (Photo by Davida Aronovitch)
The Cheese Boutique was abuzz with food enthusiasts last weekend for the launch of its annual Festival of Chefs. Now in its sixth year, the shop’s gastronomic fair showcases the creations of top chefs from across the city—paired with local wines—on Saturdays and Sundays throughout May. We stopped by to check out a round of offerings from Starfish duo Patrick McMurray and Kyle Deming—and to pick up a little oka on the way.
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Gone but not forgotten (Photo by Jasoon)
The market may be slowly rebounding, but restaurants are still going belly-up. Diners who live by the “eat, drink and be merry” mantra—whether that means drowning sorrows in a pint of beer or a piece of chocolate truffle cake—can’t fill enough tables to keep some of the city’s eateries from shuttering. Here, a farewell to the few that fared well but have fallen.
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Irish for a day: Patrons queue along Church St. for some St. Patrick's day fun (Photo by Davida Aronovitch)
Several holidays have been downsized by the economic downturn: first there was Recessmas, then Valentine’s “Pay What You Can” Day. But it should come as no surprise that the holiday that’s all about beer and comfort food—two things that get a boost in bad times—is showing no signs of cramped style. Torontonians were out in full force last night for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. With all the to-do over the economy and the state of pub culture, we headed out to get the lowdown from the city’s top pint pullers. The word was unanimous: pubs were packed to the gills, and sales were way up. Read the rest of this entry »
What makes a place an authentic Irish pub?
• With St. Patrick’s Day on the horizon, it’s time to start scoping out Irish pubs. But as Toronto welcomes two new venues for green beer, anxiety climbs across the pond over the supposed extinction of authentic ale houses. A Dubliner reveals the qualities of a real Irish tavern. [New York Times]
Patrick McMurray stands before yet-to-be-completed Ceili Cottage in Leslieville (Photo by Signe Langford)
Leslieville must have the luck of the Irish. The east-end neighbourhood will be home to two new Irish pubs this spring: The Roy, at 894 Queen Street East, and the Ceili Cottage, at 1301 Queen Street East. The latter doesn’t look like much right now, but the bones are there. And according to proprietor Patrick McMurray, champion oyster shucker and owner of Starfish, they are good bones. The space was last an unremarkable auto body shop, but the building itself dates back to the 1850s. McMurray is now peeling back the layers of paint, paper, motor grease, plywood and cement in order to create the Irish cottage of his dreams. “My wife and I often came down to Sweet Bliss Baking Company, across the road, and when she ran in for cupcakes, I’d sit in the car and stare at the place. I could see the outline of my Irish cottage under those bricks. One day, I was sitting and staring and there it was, the ‘For Rent’ sign.”
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There are two vacant bank buildings on Yonge across from the Eaton Centre. They’ve languished in disuse for years. Will they ever be occupied?—Douglas McTaggart, Cabbagetown
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I live at Richmond East and Sherbourne. Why is my neighbourhood called Corktown?—Terri Thomas, Corktown
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Most Friday afternoons, at the corner of King and Bay, a bagpiper plays to end the week for all of us downtown core workers. Is he employed by a nearby financial institution, or is he just a bonny busker?—Nancy Bramm, The Danforth
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