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.

(Image: Richard Even)

Despite the rain, the Rovers Pub on the edge of Koreatown was packed this morning. South Korean and Uruguayan fans raucously cheered on their teams while eating eggs and bacon and sneaking in an early pint. As the game came to a close and the servers rushed around the bar processing bills, things got confusing.

“I’m really sorry but the system is down, so no credit cards,” the server told a patron at one end of the bar. “We called the credit card company and they said it’s because of the G20.”

The story quickly made its way around the bar.

“The system is being jammed by the G20,” said the people beside us.

“As if we’re committing some kind of terrorist transaction,” said the server.

“That’s sick,” said a soccer fan to my left. “It’s scary how they can just do that.”

When called for comment, a Visa service representative said that no major issues had been reported in Toronto so far. After double checking with his manager, the representative said he couldn’t imagine how anyone could “jam a signal.”

“If the system is overloaded with requests it can go offline for a short time, maybe that’s what’s happening,” he said. “Like if everyone is paying their bill at the same time after a World Cup match.”

A handful of downtown pubs we called all say their credit card systems are working fine, ready for the Ghana-USA soccer match this afternoon.

As for the Rovers, its credit card woes remain a mystery.

This downtown resto-bar elevates pub grub to swish dishes

The place: Jamieson Kerr took a gamble last year when he sold Crush Wine Bar and opened his Elm Street pub for downtowners who don’t like downtown pubs—and it’s paid off. Nightly throngs swarm the rustic rooms decorated with smoky mirrors, vintage hutches and artifacts adorned with images of Queens Elizabeth I and II. Lunchtime is less crowded, making it ideal for soaking up the spring sun on the second-floor patio.

The crowd: Young office workers from just east and lots of business dudes with rolled-up sleeves from just west. Despite its proximity to Yonge Street, there isn’t a tourist in sight.

The deal: There’s no lunch special, but we think British expat Andrew Carter’s thoughtful pub menu is reason enough to visit. The focus is on easily sourced, traditional ingredients. A few of the U.K. usual suspects are here—curry ($18), mushroom pithivier ($16), fish and chips ($17)—but Carter ups the ante with the likes of a pork belly BLT ($15) and rabbit pie ($15).

The dish: A small mason jar of potted duck ($9), complete with tasty layer of fat, is brightened by the addition of sweet and syrupy wild cherries and crisp toast. (We’re told there are only a few of these left before a lighter potted Arctic char is introduced for the summer.) The spiced lamb shoulder sandwich ($15) with house-made potato chips could use a little more curry to live up to its name, but the rare roast beef sandwiches (high-stacked meat slathered with horseradish cream, $15) of our lunchmates are a table favourite. And what British meal would be complete without a calorie-crazy finish? The raspberry crème brûlée with peppercorn shortbread ($8) fits the bill with a holy trinity of tastes: sweet, tart and savoury.

The time: 90 minutes, though we easily could have sat in the sun for another pint.

The cost: $50, including tax, tip and a pint of Rock Creek Cider ($7).

The Queen and Beaver Public House, 35 Elm St. (at Yonge), 647-347-2712, queenandbeaverpub.ca.

• Read the Toronto Life review of dinner at the Queen and Beaver »
• See all Weekly Lunch Picks »

(Images: Matthew Fox)

The new locals: the Queen and Beaver (Photo by Jessica Darmanin)

“Food and pubs go together like frogs and lawn mowers,” wrote the unswervingly provocative British restaurant critic A. A. Gill. “Pubs don’t do food; they offer internal mops and vomit decoration.” He didn’t entirely mean it, of course: the same article ends with a declaration of passionate love for a dish he had encountered in a London pub—a thick potato soup with a large island of pressed foie gras melting in the middle. But as a general observation it seems sound enough, in Canada as well as in England. Anyone who has accidentally ordered a meal in one of our fake Irish or English chain pubs knows the fried snack food and industrial meat pies are as phony and mass-produced as the pissy commercial beer and the Sherlock Holmes decor.

• Read the rest of James Chatto’s column from the November issue of Toronto Life »

A nook, a castor and a monarch: The dining room at the Queen and Beaver (Photo by Karon Liu)

Jack Astor’s, Hard Rock Café, Milestones—the area around Yonge and Dundas Streets is hardly known for its authentic cuisine. And yet, it was here that Crush Wine Bar owner and English expat Jamieson Kerr chose to open his classic British gastropub. The new Elm Street spot combines the owner’s love of Canada and Britain (the pub’s name came from the two sides of a nickel) and shows a glimmer of hope for simulacra central.

“There’s nowhere in Toronto where I can really sit down and enjoy a pint,” says Kerr, who is hardly a stranger to the area, having attended Ryerson in the late ’80s. “The pubs all seem to be the same here, with pizza, curries, wings, a mix of everything.” Bored with it all, he hired chef Andrew Carter (Le Paradis, Herbs), who grew up in a small town outside Manchester, to create a traditional British menu replete with pub staples. Thick slices of black pudding are served with a poached egg and frisée tossed in a light mustard-shallot dressing ($15); an unabashedly fatty potted duck comes adorned with bread slices and wild cherries ($8); and, of course, there’s ale-battered haddock and chips ($17).

The Queen and Beaver opened earlier this week, and its bars are still being stocked, though Kerr plans to serve cask beer ($8), domestics and imports on draft ($7), and red and white wines. Unlike the upscale Crush, however, Kerr made sure he could bring his daughter here, so he added a children’s menu, as well, resulting in a mix of suits, school kids and scallywags.

Jamieson Kerr in the lounge

Previously occupied by 35 Elm and Il Fornello, the old Victorian home was remade by designer Elisa Sauvé, who gave it a rustic and whimsical charm. Our recent visit was less like hitting a bar and more like spending an evening at Kerr’s house. Diners are greeted by a giant portrait of Queen Elizabeth (holding a beaver, natch), and the upstairs hall is decorated with Kerr’s school photos, in which everyone is wearing full rugby regalia. Football fans should be pleased by a framed Manchester United jersey signed by Ryan Giggs (Kerr brought it from his house) and the goal posts installed in the urinals.

Equal parts cheeky and charming, the Queen and Beaver will probably not strike a blow for cultural authenticity at Yonge and Dundas—but it is, if nothing else, a welcome respite in the city’s most commercial district.

The Queen and Beaver Public House, 35 Elm St. (at Yonge), 647-347-2712, queenandbeaverpub.ca.

The new leisure class: Queen Street will benefit from some of the city's new patios (Photo by Alexa Clark of CheapEatsToronto.com)

With spring heating up into summer, we scoped out some new (and renewed) terraces that will get a beer-drenched baptism this summer. From east to west, here are six of the hottest new patios.

Oddfellows
Opened in September, this Queen West newcomer has yet to see a balmy season. The space faces Shaw Street and offers views of the sprawling CAMH grounds, seats about 12 and stays open for cocktails until 2 a.m. (though the kitchen closes at 11). A new spring menu arrives just in time for picnic chic, with such fresh dishes as venison tartare to usher in the season. Rest assured, regulars: the house favourite, bison rib-eye, is still on offer. 936 Queen St. W., 416-534-5244.

La Bréhandais
The latest addition to the crepe craze, this rustically furnished French pancake house opened just three weeks ago. The shaded terrace is half covered by a canvas canopy and is nestled in a back alley, lending it a touch of secret-garden appeal. The intimate square has six candlelit tables surrounded by a vine-covered wall and covered by a flower-encircled tree. 942 Queen St. W., 416-917-4740.

Oasi
This posh spot located in the old Mildred Pierce space opened in November and unveiled its expansive veranda earlier this spring. The 35-seat area is cozily enclosed and ideal for a twilight tipple. A view of the city skyline—including the newly recharged CN Tower—and a selection from master sommelier John Szabo’s eclectic wine list make for a dreamy pairing. 99 Sudbury St., 416-849-6567.

The Corner Place
East-end carousers who missed last summer’s small window of opportunity to sit on the resto-lounge’s patio (it opened in late August) can have a proper go at it now. The sun-bathed Old Town perch features jazz on Saturdays and local bands on Fridays. With seating for up to 60, the terrace also catches spillover from Jason George’s deck next door. 11 Jarvis St., 416-850-1738.

Fionn MacCool’s
Taking over the space of Copia Wine Bar at 320 Front Street West, the newest link in the Irish chain will open its doors—and patio—on May 25. Indie hearts may be mourning the loss of diversity, but the 40-person porch (it’s covered by the adjoining building’s overhang) offers baseball fans a choice seat for post-game celebration. Sixteen beers are on tap, and MacCool mainstays—like blarney chips and two-for-one Guinness Fridays—are on offer. 320 Front St. W., 1-800-361-3111.

School Café and Bakery
Summer school is taking place outside at this west-end tenderfoot where two patios can seat over 100. With its southern exposure and umbrellas, the cobblestone back courtyard is spot-on for afternoon sunning; bottle service and tableside bartending make for some very happy hours. The open-air scene launches this week, weather permitting, and the restaurant will be introducing a dinner menu on May 29. 70 Fraser Ave., 416-588-0005.

Lily Allen fights with dairy (Photo by Douglas Cason)

• British pop star Lily Allen is fined $2,000 for starting an ice cream fight in her dressing room after performing at the Phoenix Concert Theatre on Wednesday. Hey, at least it wasn’t mashed potatoes. [UK Sun]

• Dough makers: Jamie Oliver steals the title of U.K.’s richest chef from Gordon Ramsay. To make matters worse, Ramsay didn’t even make the list of country’s 2,000 richest people. [Evening Standard]

• Grocery giant Metro boasts higher than expected earnings, and is confident shoppers will be cooking at home for at least another two fiscal quarters. [Financial Post]

• Nova Scotia’s Ecology Action Centre releases a guide to ordering sustainable sushi. The dolphin maki-roll is a no-go? [Metro]

• UK’s The Guardian unleashes the long-awaited backlash against the gastropub trend and asks readers to construct “the perfect English menu.” [Guardian]

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.

The lineup at McVeigh’s New Windsor Tavern was already 25 drinkers deep before 5 p.m. The crowd of green-wearing Guinness guzzlers was as rowdy—and as tipsy—as always. “They will never lose money here because no matter how broke you are, there’s always money to drink,” says former Dubliner and McVeigh regular Bobbie Barber. McVeigh himself agreed: “Our sales are up, not down.”

He’s not the only one to notice the upswing. Tippling institution The Irish Embassy was also at capacity. This was the inaugural St. Patrick’s Day for the pub’s stylish Dublin lounge, which opened last May. Even with the new space, the queue went down the block. Patt Quinn, owner of Irish Embassy and nearby P.J. O’Brien (which was cramped but cozy), opted not to spill over into the St. Lawrence Market this year. Even so, he reported substantially increased sales. “We sold 80 kegs of Guinness products at each bar last week,” he said. “We’re recession proof!”

While it may just be the spirit of the holiday talking, Quinn claims that “Toronto is one of the most famous places for St. Patrick’s Day in the world—bigger than New York or Boston.” While we’re not entirely sure if that’s true (ever been to Montreal on March 17?), Toronto certainly does jump on the St. Paddy wagon. So what’s the final word on pub culture following this year’s homage to the patron saint? It’s staying strong, and with some key recession staples on its side, luck has nothing to do with it.

Saintly partners: Giancarlo Spataro and Adam Graham

For the past two years, trendspotters’ eyes have been fixed on the Ossington Avenue strip. And now the ’hood is getting a fresh infusion of talent from the downtown core. The boys behind King West bistro Brassaii are opening The Saint, a new gastro-pub at 227 Ossington, in mid-April. The forecast feel? Swank style meets community comfort—that is, if the community embraces it.

The project is the brainchild of Brassaii’s garrulous bar manager, Adam Graham, who is teaming up with restaurant booster Giancarlo Spataro (of Jacobs & Co.) as the operating partners of the new digs. Also on board are Brassaii owners Gus Giazitzidis and Peter Tsebelis, as well as designer Marc Kyriacou and former Kontent magnate Michael King. The talent-heavy team is looking to replicate the ethos of the King Street project, only with a new theme: while Brassaii is a traditional French bistro with cutting-edge design, The Saint will be a traditional British pub with cutting-edge design.

Elements of The Saint’s look will include reclaimed wood, marble bar tops and sumptuous oxblood banquettes. But Graham promises that there will still be a down-to-earth feel. “It will be a place where you can watch the hockey game,” he says. The mix-and-match ambience goes for dress code, too: “You can come in flip-flops and shorts and read the paper, or straight from work on Bay Street in a suit. And you won’t be under- or overdressed in either case.”

In sticking to the “keep it simple” mantra, the menu will feature such comfort foods as fish and chips and mac-and-cheese. Graham notes, though, that this won’t be pub food per se, rather “classic fare taken seriously.” The Saint will also support local businesses, offering microbrews and conscientious ingredient sourcing. Music will be an integral part of the vibe. Graham assures us that the relaxed space won’t become a club scene after dinner, but he does hope to make it a late-night destination: “Come ten o’clock, it will be a place to stay until the end of the night.”

This may sound like good news to locals waiting in long lines at The Ossington and Baby Huey—but maybe not. A backlash has started against new places opening in the neighbourhood. The Save Ossington campaign—a tongue-in-cheek art project–protest movement seeking to defend the area against homogenization—will surely be keeping an eye on The Saint to make sure that it fits into the scene. “If you pay homage to the area, and add something, it’s not saturation,” says an unfazed Graham. “And we’re not going to be serving any $10 pints,” he adds, noting that he plans to play up customer service by hiring knowledgeable staff. With an eye for the details that make an it spot feel like home, Graham is confident the formula will work: “It’s gonna be a fun, rockin’ place with good food.”

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]

• The investigation into the mystery meat heist shows that poultry stolen over the past few days has been packaged for resale in substandard conditions, making Toronto grocery aisles a hypochondriac’s nightmare. [Country Guide]

• Some like it hot: chili pepper products get a boost as consumers opt for such low-end luxury items as piquant potato chips. But be careful—research shows that the craving for the spicy experience may share attributes with addiction. [Providence Journal]

• Oakville’s Alicia Snell talks about how she lost 173 pounds in a whirlwind transformation from obese to fitness obsessed. Her secret weapon? Just the good ol’ Canadian Food Guide, and a hearty helping of self-denial, of course. [Hamilton Spectator]

• Forget happy pills—high spirits depend on nutritional intake. Jack Challem, the Canadian author of The Food-Mood Solution, explains the brain chemistry behind good and bad eating habits. [Toronto Star]

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.”
“I’ve always wanted an Irish bar, and I can see this place in my head. It’s got whitewashed walls and a slate roof. In the window boxes, geraniums, and all around, a white picket fence with hops climbing up. And there will be a black bike permanently leaning against the wall.” In the summer, gentle Celtic music will wash over a planned 70-seat patio, but for now, there are no fiddles—just the constant rumble of the backhoe digging out concrete.

For a Toronto boy, Shucker Paddy is about as Irish as they come. There’s even a slight brogue in his voice from time to time. Though the original plan was to open the Ceili Cottage for St. Patrick’s Day, the dream now is to open in late April. Here’s hoping McMurray, like Leslieville, has the luck of the Irish.

A firkin is a unit of Old English measurement, equalling one quarter of a barrel or 86.47 pints of beer. The Firkin enterprise dates back to 1987, when two South African expatriates bought the Fox and Firkin at Yonge and Eglinton and used it to start a chain of their own. That was 40 outlets ago, and they’re planning to expand their empire well beyond the GTA. The Firkin Group has partnered with an American franchising company called Fransmart, which was looking for a pub concept to replicate across the continent. Eight are already open stateside, and another 125 are in the pipe. Fransmart foresees as many as 1,000 little firkins. So you want to open your own Firkin franchise? Don’t even bother applying unless you have a net worth of $1 million and are ready to spend upward of $500,000. Then you’ll be presented with a list of possible names to choose from; the company’s president holds a closely guarded master list. And one more thing: management, tired of Torontonians heading to “The Fox” or “The Quail,” will flip U.S. names around so that the “Firkin” comes first, like the Firkin & Bull in—wait for it—San Antonio, Texas. Americans might not know what firkin means, but damned if they’ll forget it.