(Image: Lisa Gent)

The first rule of Goodnight is: don’t talk about Goodnight. The hidden watering hole, located behind a buzzer-access metal door at the end of a dark, graffiti-covered alley at Richmond and Spadina, opened last September, just in time to be Harvey Weinstein’s unofficial TIFF clubhouse. To a certain nightlife species—people who experience a frisson entering a bar with a strict reservations-only policy—Goodnight is proof that Toronto has arrived. The list of regulars includes erstwhile politicas like Belinda Stronach (who often stops in with her boyfriend, Harbord Room chef Corey Vitiello), indie darlings like Metric’s Emily Haines, and professional partiers like Ashleigh Dempster, the co-founder of social climbers’ club The Society (she’s also married to Matt George, one of Goodnight’s owners). Once you get past the door, it’s remarkably cool. Imagine a pub designed by Wallpaper magazine: the raw wood bar is supported by metal radiators; a wooden staircase leads nowhere; vintage posters of Communist leaders and sewing patterns line the walls. And a list of potent concoctions like the Fat Sailor (three types of rum and Tia Maria) and the Bunny Hug (equal parts Canadian Club, gin and absinthe) puts even the most aloof A-lister in a frisky, feel-good mood.

Inside Briscola Trattoria (Image: Gizelle Lau)

Briscola, the new rustic Italian restaurant from Ink Entertainment’s Charles Khabouth and Amber’s Toufik Sarwa, opened last Friday to the packed crowds one would expect from a collaboration between the two nightlife vets. After taking over the space of Sarwa’s short-lived Cinq 01 restaurant, Briscola apparently saw visits from Ben Mulroney and Galen Weston Jr. on its first weekend.

The menu at Briscola is divided up into Antipasti, Primi Piatti, Pizze and Secondi Piatti. Chef Sean Reeve (formerly of Via Allegro) aims to create traditional Italian dishes that let ingredients shine, but with modern twists. For starters, there are fried olives ($6), tuna carpaccio ($14) and deep-fried artichokes ($8). Primi dishes include modern takes on eggplant parmigiana ($11) and spaghetti pomodoro ($10/$16). Pizzas come in seven styles, including a classic Neapolitan-style margherita ($12), made in the restaurant’s stone-bottom oven in the pizza kitchen next to the bar. Mains range from $21–24, with dishes like osso buco ($21) and seared branzino ($24).

Cinq 01’s loungey interior was refreshed by Commute Home (of Nyood and Colborne Lane) to create a rustic yet whimsical environment. At the front of the restaurant, one wall shows off a flat, life-sized, candy apple–red Citroën DS sculpture, modelled after the Italian-designed car from the 1950s. Custom wire-framed chandeliers hang over lounge tables at the front—perfect for playing briscola, the Italian card game after which the restaurant is named—as well as in the back, over plush white booths. A long communal table made of Canadian walnut with cushioned benches offers additional family-style seating.

Meanwhile, Khabouth’s Ink Entertainment is already busy with its next project. Look for La Société, a new bistro, to open in Dynasty’s old space in the Colonnade on Bloor in June, and a new resto-lounge project along King Street West sometime afterward.

Briscola, 501 College St., 416-964-1555, briscola.ca.

Back then, Kensington Market’s nightlife left something to be desired. “There was a junky bar across the street and not much else going on,” he recalls. La Palette helped pave the way for an influx of hip new venues, like Supermarket and Waterfalls, and was integral in organizing the neighbourhood’s Pedestrian Sundays.

Amlani, of course, will soon focus all of his attention on the new incarnation of La Palette on Queen West. The two restaurants will be consolidated, and Queen West denizens will see La Palette offering a lunch menu in the near future and staying open later in the evening.

As for the flagship, Amlani wanted to keep it going, but was facing an unfavourable lease. He’s not looking back, though. He sees the challenge of setting up shop on Queen Street—“a cesspool of burgers and wings and pizza, in many ways”—as similar to the one he faced 10 years ago in Kensington. “It’s history repeating itself,” he says.

The canary in clubland: Circa closed earlier this year (Image: Divya Thakur)

The condo invasion is old news to all of Toronto. Except clubland. The point of packing dozens of nightclubs into one area was to contain the noise and stumbling Paris Hilton wannabes, hence the lack of pricey real estate in the Entertainment District. But, as the Toronto Star reports, only about 30 clubs are open for business today in the area between Richmond and Wellington around John Street, down from almost 90 five years ago. With city proposals to build more condos and other developments, the end of clubland as we know it is near. Here, 10 reasons why the fist-pumping hub is on its last legs.

1. The end of 117 Peter Street
A new proposal would turn 117 Peter Street—the headquarters for clubs Embassy, Traffik and Home as well as post-Jägerbomb destination Pizzaville—into a real estate value-friendly hotel and condo complex. So far, only a “Development Proposal” has been placed on an entrance.

2. The revitalization plan
Last summer, the city and the Entertainment District BIA announced an amitious revitalization project to create more parks and boutiques, widen the sidewalks and turn John Street into an artist-designed promenade (bring in the festivals). At the time, councillor Adam Vaughan said the neighbourhood would become “everything the city needs a street, a neighbourhood, a district to do.” We assume this means fewer watering holes for newly legals and more stuff for people with money.

3. Circa is gone
The clubland canary, a nightclub, art gallery and amusement park hybrid, closed in the spring after an 11-month wait to get a liquor license, squabbling among the staff and $2.1 million in accumulated debt. The closest thing to a landmark clubland has had for the ought generation didn’t even last three years.

4. The booming ‘burbs
Not to stereotype, but 905ers looking for the ultimate Friday night have made up a sizable portion of the clubbing crowd. But more clubs have been popping up in the GTA’s outer limits with a winning formula of deafening bass minus the commute downtown.

5. The new Ritz-Carlton
Luxurious hotels always want to be where the action is, but we’re guessing the average evening’s debauchery just blocks away from where the Ritz-Carlton will be opening up this year at Wellington and Simcoe isn’t really what the developers have in mind. Cue skyrocketing rents to squeeze them all out.

6. The 2nd @ Montana’s closed
It was an intriguing concept: a lounge atop roadhouse-fare restaurant Montana’s to lure clubbers after their rib-eye. Neither survived.

7. Pop can’t decide on a name
First it was Liquid, then Fluid (imaginative!), and barely a few years into its latter moniker it became Pop. Pretty soon the club is going to get the hint that changing the name won’t suddenly make you profitable.

8. Moon Rooftop closed
After only a year, Toronto’s rooftop club experiment bit the dust, showing that when it comes to clubland, it’s best if patrons are neither seen nor heard.

9. Runway 244 (a.k.a. Seven Lounge) closed
Maybe it was the unisex bathrooms that turned people off, but this classic two-storey club could easily have filled the void of go-to weekend spot for the Circa crowd. (Unfortunately, both went bust within months of each other.)

10. The rise of King West
Much of the graduating class of the Entertainment District has moved a few blocks south to see and be seen. With scores of luxe lounges and the recently opened Thompson Hotel, King has become the new epicenter of classy nightlife, which relegates clubland to being the place for sketchy drink fests.

One thing that does make this location different is the cold drip coffee maker that looks like it was lifted from a mad scientist’s basement. The glass concoction makes a strong, smooth brew with hints of dark chocolate, but at $4 for six ounces, it’s more of a weekend treat than a morning ritual. Every two seconds, a single drop of ice water falls from the top jar, soaking through the grounds and winding through a glass tube before dripping into the pot, a process that takes up to eight hours. Yes, the drink is time consuming to make, but it’s all part of the laid-back Leslieville vibe that the Wilkins are bringing west.

Crafted by Te Aro, 135 Ossington Ave., te-aro.ca.

City hall’s schedule is set out when the year begins, but attendance at council meetings can nevertheless be spotty. And it’s not just the councillors running for mayor who are missing in action, as evidenced at this month’s council meeting, when the mayor and 16 of 44 councillors weren’t around to vote on bike lanes on University Avenue. Council voted 15–13 not to proceed.

Concerns were also raised about the 15–12 vote to extend the Boardwalk Pub‘s lease for 20 years, giving it a monopoly on food service along the eastern beaches. Those who would have preferred to see the opportunity put out for bids said the vote might have been different if more politicians had been in their seats.

Some of the Star‘s highlights:

Rob Ford says that running for mayor is really hard, and he’s constantly on the phone—like when he caused a committee meeting to be dismissed because there wasn’t a quorum. Would’ve been better to say that he was working on his community outreach.

Giorgio Mammoliti is singled out for being most absent, missing four council votes and a bunch of committee votes. He was oddly consistent with his attendance for the Toronto Zoo committee: maybe he’s been hard at work on the zoo’s manure-related policies.

Joe Pantalone may be the A student, but some people wish he’d take it a little easier on the council business. Whether it’s lobbying to make sure that World Cup soccer is watched only while drunk or keeping the number of bars on Ossington, Harbord and Queen West small, Pantalone is indefatigable—and not always in a good way.

• Missing in action? Councillors running for mayor explain absences [Toronto Star]

Practical and sexy (Image: BBC)

Denizens of Toronto’s notoriously loud bar scene (we’re looking at you, Duggan’s) may find one-on-one verbal interaction a bit more feasible with a new, slightly unconventional device that filters out background noise. Scottish design student Elaine McLuskey is the innovator behind “social spheres,” which are worn like space helmets by people who want to have a civilized conversation despite high decibels of music or background chatter.

The logistical problems of the far-from-invasive invention appear to be exactly zero. Style? We’re pretty much in the future now, so it’s about time we started wearing sci-fi-looking things anyway. Portability? Not a problem with one of these. Functionality? The spheres apparently cut out most ambient noise. So no, we cannot think of one way to fault this design.

We would also like to note that user comments have now been rendered superfluous, because with one of these puppies, we can hear everything our readers are thinking.

• Drinking like a goldfish: How the ‘social sphere’ will help you hear what friends are saying down the pub [Daily Mail]
• Giant speech bubble bid to combat pub noise [BBC]

This is where Toronto's uncool population thinks Lee's is (Image: Google Maps)

Most Torontonians know that Lee’s Palace is just east of Bathurst on Bloor, but for out-of-towners, the concert venue is at Bloor and Sherbourne. That’s because the club’s Google Map listing places it at 529 Bloor Street East (rather than West). When Jen, a concert-goer who’d been misled by the map, called Lee’s to inform management of the error, she apparently got a bitchy message from someone at the venue, who said the wrong address was purposely listed to keep the riff-raff out. Well, Jen is not going to take it; she took to her blog, Jenerally Speaking (where she ponders such questions as “What’s up with guys who love to bake but swear they are straight?”), to call Lee’s out. Here’s the message she says the venue left her:

“Hi Jen, I’m calling from Lee’s Palace. We actually put our address on Google incorrectly so that only cool people know where it is, and it keeps all the people that aren’t cool out. We only want cool people here, so we’re sorry about that.” And then the a-hole sarcastically finished with, “So we’ll get on that lawsuit with Google to solve the address situation immediately.”

Google Maps has the address wrong, but the address is correct on Lee’s official Web site, so if the management is trying to keep the venue’s location a secret from the city’s uncool residents, it’s doing a crappy job of it. Jen also wrote that Mapquest has the wrong address, but when we checked today, it was correct. The term “cool people” smells fishy to us, too. All the kids should know that the concept of “cool” died years ago. Sarcasm, however, appears to be alive and well.

Lesson learned: Google Maps is an unreliable source of information, so always call ahead or check the official site. Still, Google Maps is a treasure trove of people caught in compromising positions.

• Lee’s Palace…cool people only [Jenerally Speaking]

Referred to as Little Poland by long-time residents and Roncey by the younger crowd, the Roncesvalles strip is one of the few neighbourhoods in the city that has earned its “hip” label without been invaded by raucous nightlifers. Progress keeps marching forward here, despite an ongoing road rehabilitation project that has claimed a few business causalities. We recommend spending a spring Saturday visiting these 25 spots. By Karon Liu. Pictures by Jenna Wakani.

(Thumbnail credit: 416 style)

Lisa Ng started deejaying weddings in her last year at U of T and found her calling. Now the bubbly audiophile is one of the most popular mix masters on the circuit.

Photograph by Vanessa Heins

Do you ever get guff for being a female DJ?
My crew—there are three or four of us—is all women. At some banquet halls, we come in and they ask if we’re the backup dancers or the wedding planners. Guys are always surprised to see a 100-pound girl carrying enormous speakers around.

Any advice for couples planning the entertainment?
Don’t program the entire night. The bride and groom should communicate the vibe they want: have genres and artists in mind, and make a must-play list of 15 songs. Then let the DJ use her expertise to read the crowd.

What song would you play to get Grandma on the dance floor?
“Twist and Shout” by The Beatles. Even if she’s kind of shy and not a dancer at all, she will always twist.

How can you avoid a disastrous first-dance song?
Avoid any song over four minutes. People get bored watching the couple spin in a circle, and I think it’s boring for the couple, too.

You’ve played 200 weddings in four years. Do they all blend together?
We’ve been to the Old Mill six times this year, but every time it’s different—the decor, the ideas, the couple’s style. You get to hear so much about the bride and groom during the speeches, which is great. Except for those best man speeches referencing drunken antics back in university—they’re funny, but can get repetitive.

Why is it always the best man who gets sloshed and pulls out the stories?
I think the best man gets nervous because he knows he’s expected to be really funny, and the pressure’s too much. So he just starts drinking. I recommend putting the best man near the top of the program.

Any other rules you follow?
The older crowd is usually ready to dance right away, and young people want to hit the bar first, so always play oldies to start. And people like to be where the bride and groom are; if you want to guarantee a packed dance floor, the bride and groom should be out there dancing.

It’s getting late and people are tired, drunk, and outside smoking. What song do you play to get them back on the dance floor for one last hurrah?
“Don’t Stop Believin’ ” by Journey is the best end-of-the-night drunken sing­along, I-love-you-man, everyone’s-hugging-each-other kind of tune. Another fun one is “Last Dance” by Donna Summer. It starts slow and gets really crazy at the end.

More from the Toronto Life Wedding Guide >>

Ten years ago, I wanted to get the hell out of here. Now you couldn’t push me out. Even New York has reached its nighttime apex, and there’s a feeling in Toronto that it’s continually evolving and still has room to grow…that’s a good feeling.

Coming from a man who brought the party back to College Street with Cinq 01, and, before that, Yorkville with Amber, his opinion should probably be taken with a grain of salt. Reasons for the diagnosis: it might be Toronto’s economy, or the fact that we are more recognized internationally, or maybe, just maybe, we’ve learned to loosen up a little bit.

Sarwa, who admits he probably wouldn’t have opened Cinq 01 on College Street if it was booming like it was six years ago, says he has no immediate intentions to proliferate the party elsewhere. “I want to see Cinq 01 realize its full potential before I spread myself too thin.” Regardless, while even New York has reached its nightlife climax, Sarwa says, Toronto still has room to grow. Let the party continue.

• Cinq01 is the new Amber [Toronto Life]
• Toronto through the eyes of Amber and Cinq 01 proprietor Toufik Sarwa [Blog TO]

And what a discount. At Cheval, embattled bar stars can enjoy a bottle of Absolut vodka for $99 (normally $200), while hipster hangout The Social hosts Meetings—one of its most popular nights, where folks can “party on Mondays like it’s Friday.” At Opera Bob’s Public House on Dundas West, which caters to a more relaxed, football-watching crowd, a bottle of Bud goes for $3.75. And down the street at the Black Hoof, crowds can chatter over charcuterie until midnight.

The list of participating venues is long; the Star drops at least 15 names in its 900-word article. It’s a sign that all the discounted booze hasn’t knocked the industry’s PR specialists off their game. “These nights are often sponsored by high-end brands like Grey Goose,” points out John Wilk, a partner in beforelastcall.com. “They want to cater to people in this industry. It’s fun, but it’s good for networking, too, as they often attract the more established people in the scene.” Not a bad socializing tip, even for nine-to-fivers. Cheap Grey Goose may be the best excuse to call in sick on Tuesday.

• The ‘other weekend’ hot spots [Toronto Star]

Well rested: the perfect steak (Photo by Robin)

• The folks at Anheuser-Busch really had us going last summer with their “I like getting it in the can” ads. (They were talking about Bud Light Lime–aren’t sexual innuendoes hilarious?) Well, they’re at it again with a new ad set to debut in Canada on Sunday, and this time contraceptives provide the ambiguity: “I like having fun, but I always use one,” or “If you care about me, you’re gonna use one.” They’re talking about designated drivers, silly. [Globe and Mail]

• Good things come to those who wait, and that cliché applies to steak, too. Apparently, the simple act of letting a steak rest for 10 minutes or so after cooking it makes a world of difference in flavour and juiciness. The folks at Serious Eats, as expected, provide a thorough explanation of why a rested steak is always better, but the proof is in the photos: once cut, a fresh-off-the-grill steak leaks copious amounts of juice onto the plate, while a rested steak leaks almost none. [Serious Eats]

• U.S. researchers have identified a gene that turns carbohydrates into fat, brightening hopes for a future of guilt-free indulgence. When the gene was disabled in mice, they stayed slim even when fed copious amounts of pasta (they were, to be exact, 40 per cent slimmer than the control group). Researchers hope the breakthrough will one day help people eat bread, pasta or rice without fear of getting fat. [Montreal Gazette]

• Japanese brewer Sapporo thumbed its nose at the local food movement when it unveiled a new beer Thursday made with barley grown on the International Space Station. It’s a beer that promises to be—cue the predictable groaner—out of this world. Space Beer won’t be easy to get; it will only be sold to 250 people who will first have to win a draw and then shell out $115 for a six-pack. The proceeds will be donated to an educational space charity. [NBC]

• The owners of Rolling Stone magazine are hoping to broaden their horizons by expanding into the nightclub and restaurant industry in Hollywood. The first Rolling Stone venue is set to open next summer. It will be two storeys, with the top floor geared towards tourists and local residents, while the lower level will be a “harder-to-get-into” upmarket lounge with bottle service. [L.A. Times]

Guy Rubino mans the grill at Ame, the restaurant he and his brother, Michael, have opened in collaboration with Charles Khabouth (All photos by Davida Aronovitch)

After over six months of renovations and about two months of delay, Guy and Michael Rubino’s Rain has been reborn as Ame (Japanese for, what else, “rain”). The brothers are known for frequent reinvention (Zoom, Luce and the reality series Made to Order), and for this latest transformation, they have teamed up with the club mogul Charles Khabouth. Ame presents the chic Japanese aspects of Rain’s Asian fusion and swaps the former restaurant’s special-occasion appeal for a casual vibe.

The interior of Ame is by Khabouth’s go-to designers, Munge Leung (Ultra, Guvernment); the one-room open concept has been transformed into a seductive labyrinth of spaces. An inviting lounge of chunky low-rise furniture is flanked by a sexy backlit bar. The sashimi counter wraps around the traditional coal-burning robata grill—Guy’s culinary cornerstone, on which the Iron Chef sears Australian wagyu flatiron and strip loin steak, cut to order. The adjacent dining area is splintered into tidy nooks; a private room beckons recluses and TIFF types. The full menu is available in all spaces, to entice barflies and foodies alike.

Ame completes Rain’s 10-year progression toward pure Japanese cuisine. The expanded modern menu pairs authentic ingredients with Guy Rubino’s whimsical touches. Candied rice accompanies sashimi dishes as garnish, and the house line of caviar comes in such unexpected flavours as coconut, ginger, apple, white soy and tamari. “I’m not proposing to be a Hashimoto or a Kaji,” says Rubino of his style. “I’m using my own interpretations.”

The mixed-bag atmosphere inherits midnight snacking from Khabouth’s nightlife know-how, with hours that push the city’s early-dinner rituals. “We’re taking the bar seriously,” says Michael. Mixologist Moses McIntee (School Bakery and Café, Nota Bene) serves up a no-nonsense cocktail program with fresh, seasonal ingredients and Asian flair. Complex mixes drink like meal replacements and cost about $10 each. The Shogun puts a punch-packing twist on the classic caesar, with kyuri, dill-infused soju, bacon-infused gin, tomato juice, shiso, pickled burdock, quail egg and wasabi. Its bar chef swagger could make Ame a drinker’s destination, but architectural cocktails aren’t likely to dethrone Guy’s MOMA-worthy dishes.

Here, our slide show tour of Ame:

Ame, 19 Mercer St. (at John St.), amecuisine.com.

Above it all: The view from Panorama Lounge

The view from the Panorama Lounge—located on 51st floor of the Manulife Centre—is always impressive. But this week, its white-tented terraces promises a particularly spectacular vantage point for the Festival of Fire. The annual fireworks series culminates over the next few days with its Canada Day edition and the grand finale on July 4. To tempt ground-dwellers skyward, Panorama has launched a new menu and cocktail list. We went to suss out its pyrotechnic potential.
In addition to an unobstructed view of the lake, Panorama’s terraces offer cozy loveseats and a new collection of colourful (read: sweet) cocktails. The “Sunburst Raspberry” looks better than it tastes; better options include the pear liquer-spiked “Utopia Euphoria” and the “Pom Pom”—pomegranate liqueur blended with sweet peach purée (all cocktails, $12). Chef Scott Doust regularly updates the menu to keep pace with local produce, and the phyllo-wrapped goat cheese salad topped with toasted pine nuts, red pepper and champagne vinaigrette ($15) is a fresh option, as is the club sandwich ($15), with avocado on toasted boule. Our pick for the most satisfying snack are the mini crab cakes served with corn and black bean salsa ($13). The crunch-to-crab ratio is divine.

Those who like to look down on the world will also delight in the lounge’s newly renovated private party room, known as North Panorama. The secluded spot seats 50 for bottle service. But swanky black leather sofas, mirrors and sparkly chandelier are no match for the skyline at sunset. When the fireworks begin, the swoon factor goes up a notch, accompanied by a chorus of oohing and ahing that gets a little louder with each Pom Pom.