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Hotpocalypse: Toronto media forget that whole “eight months of winter” thing and go nutty in the hot, hot heat

Image: ilkerender

Okay, this is going to be one of the hottest days in a long time. We get it. Thirty-eight degrees is pretty damn spicy, and the humidex is going to make it feel something like a more searing version of Mercury. That said—or rather typed from our air-conditioned offices—we’re a bit blown away by how the local media are turning this into the hotpocalypse. The heat wave will pass and in four months, city citizens and scribes alike will be whining about freezing rain or worse (kudos to CBC’s Metro Morning for being total downers). Some examples of the madness that has gripped the city, after the jump.

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The Dish

Opening

June 10, 2011 | 9:35 am

12 Comments

With Acadia, Scott Selland and Matt Blondin aim to shake up conservative Toronto palates

Blondin and Selland, fomenting revolution (Image: Will Fournier)

Despite the ethnic diversity of cuisine in Toronto, the city’s dining scene sometimes comes under fire for its lack of innovation. Acadia, a new venture by first-time owner Scott Selland (Splendido, Colborne Lane, Susur) and chef Matt Blondin (Colborne Lane, Senses, Rain), hopes to change that by bringing the unique flavour profiles of the east coast—from Louisiana and both Carolinas all the way up to the Maritimes—to Toronto’s sometimes conservative palate. We caught up with the pair to find out just what they’re up to.

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The Informer

The Harrowing Future

May 18, 2011 | 5:25 pm

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Sign of the Apocalypse #1: the sun shines on Toronto

Jesus or the sun? Tough to tell (Image: Katrin Shumakov, from the Toronto Life flickr pool)

After days of rain, an unidentified ball of light has been appearing fitfully in Toronto’s skies.We can’t confirm whether the ball is merely the sun or in fact Jesus returning to Earth, but in either case we strongly suggest going outside while it’s still possible.

Apparently, the earth is coming to an end pretty damn soon—on Saturday, to be exact. In honour of this auspicious occasion, we’ll be watching for signs of the Rapture until we lie in our eternal resting place. Stay tuned

The Goods

From the Print Edition

May 11, 2011 | 5:02 pm

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The Thing: Great style is in the details this season, so we’ve dedicated these pages to the all-important art of accessorizing

Purple feather and netting fascinator Purple Reign
Not quite a hat and not quite a hair clip, the fascinator is spring’s most regal fashion statement, thanks in large part to England’s newest princess-to-be, who is often photographed with one perched atop her head. At Lilliput Hats on College Street, requests for fascinators have doubled since the royal engagement was announced in November. And unlike china or mouse pads emblazoned with the royal couple’s heads, this is the kind of matrimonial hysteria we can get behind—if only for the opportunity to play dress-up with coquettish netting and decorative feathers. $70. Lilliput Hats, 462 College St., 416-536-5933.

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The Dish

TV Diner

April 25, 2011 | 11:51 am

4 Comments

Roger Mooking—of Kultura, Nyood and Bass is Base fame—to take on Michael Symon on Iron Chef America

It seems MC Mystic is back. No, Toronto chef Roger Mooking isn’t reprising his role as rapper and percussionist in Juno-winning, ’90s R&B group Bass is Base. Instead, he will be riding his funkmobile over to Kitchen Stadium to take on Michael Symon on Iron Chef America later this May. Mooking is no stranger to food television—he’s the host of Food Network Canada’s Everyday Exotic—but the executive chef at Queen West’s Nyood will be facing some pretty high expectations following Montreal’s Chuck Hughes’ recent victory against Bobby Flay (Hughes was only the second Canadian chef ever to win on the series, Rob Feenie being the first). Symon has battled against two Canadians in the past, beating Ame’s Guy Rubino in season 6 and earning a draw against David Adjey in season 7. We’ll be tuning in to watch Mooking compete—and hoping for a little beat boxing and fake rain.

• Coming up on Iron Chef: Pasternack, Todd Stein, Mooking [Eater]

The Dish

From the Print Edition

October 6, 2009 | 9:44 am

6 Comments

Ame: the Rubinos’ latest bacchanal

(Photo by Jessica Darmanin)

Ten years ago, the fraternal foodies (that’s Michael, the business brain, and Guy, the chef) introduced pan-Asian glamour to the city’s restaurant scene with the clubby Rain. Now they’ve shaken things up again, partnering with party czar Charles Khabouth to give their eatery a recession-defying overhaul, a revamped menu and a new name—Ame. For Toronto Life‘s Best of Fall cover story, we sat down to interview the pair about how two Italian boys came to open a Japanese restaurant on Mercer Street.

• Read the Q&A with the Rubino brothers>>
• See the whole Best of Fall package>>

Toronto International Film Festival 2009

September 18, 2009 | 5:40 pm

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Demi Moore requests non-alcoholic beer and Ashton Kutcher plays a paparazzi prank at Ame

Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore on the red carpet for the premiere of The Joneses at the Visa Screening Room, during the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday September 13, 2009 (Photos by James Helmer)

Ame bound: Demi and Ashton at The Joneses premiere (Photo by James Helmer)

When the Rubino brothers—owners of new sushi it-spot Ame (formerly Rain)—hosted a dinner party for the film premiere of The Joneses, they did not expect Demi Moore to request non-alcoholic beer, but ran to find some pronto. Young hubby Ashton Kutcher was A-OK with the ice wine martinis, but became vexed with the blur of flashing cameras. In his typical mischievous manner, Kutcher turned to the paparazzi and said, “I want to be the photographer!” After a quick tutorial, guests were greeted by an aggressive Kutcher behind the lens.

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The Dish

Opening

September 3, 2009 | 1:22 pm

5 Comments

Here comes the Rain again: a peek inside Guy and Michael Rubino’s Ame

Guy Rubino mans the grill at Ame (All photos by Davida Aronovitch)

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.

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The Dish

Read All About It

June 5, 2009 | 8:11 am

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Topless coffee shop goes bust, poisoned chickens, speakeasies on the rise

Halt the salt: Can since reduce the use of salt in food? (Photo by Kevin Dooley)

Halt the salt: Can science reduce the use of salt in food? (Photo by Kevin Dooley)

• A Ryerson University professor is developing a time-release salt that delivers an initial burst of flavour followed by smaller doses over time. This would trick the taste buds into thinking that a food is saltier than it is, theoretically reducing the need to add the taste booster to foods. [Daily Gleaner]

• Nightclub impresario Charles Khabouth—the man behind Tattoo Rock Parlour, Ultra and the relaunch of Rain (now Ame)—talks about surviving in a crowded and broke market. In the process, he describes the first opening he organized in Toronto: the place was decorated by Canadian Tire, and the tiger he’d rented broke a window, catching the attention of cops and the humane society. [ROB]

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The Dish

Aprons & Icons

May 4, 2009 | 12:24 pm

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David Adjey cooks up a series that will save new dining spots from disaster

David Adjey: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

David Adjey, the beaming and bronzed saviour-chef of Restaurant Makeover, goes back to basics on his new Food Network series Restaurant 101. The seasoned entrepreneur (formerly of Nectar, now head of his own consulting firm) will play guidance counsellor to troubled upstarts that can’t get their doors open for business. The chosen spots are located throughout Canada and the U.S., with about three in the GTA. One episode has already been shot at a Thornhill Italian–Middle Eastern fusion eatery called Mideastro, where a partner pulled out at the last minute. When we ask what’s in his bag of tricks this time, he responds, “I have been making mistakes in the industry for 27 years.” Enough said.

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The Dish

Restauran-TO

May 4, 2009 | 9:48 am

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Rain is now “unrecognizable” as it becomes the all-new Japanese-inspired Ame

Ame cometh: Guy Rubino will be cooking up authentic Japanese fare at Rain's resto replacement

Ame cometh: Guy Rubino will be cooking up authentic Japanese fare at Rain's replacement

When Rain closed its doors in early January, it was supposed to be for modest renovations. The co-owning Rubino brothers (Guy and Michael, of Zoom and Luce fame) were planning a sushi and sashimi bar to add some new flavour to the restaurant as it approached its 10th anniversary. But club king and visionary Charles Khabouth arrived on the scene with another idea. “It’s all Charles’s fault,” explains executive chef Guy Rubino. “He said, ‘It’s not enough. Come to my office.’ So I did.” Now, after massive changes to the concept, space, name and menu, the souped-up supper club Ame is slated to open at the end of June, featuring an Obama shout-out, a more relaxed ambience and a brand new menu. Says Guy, “It will be completely unrecognizable.”

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The Dish

Restauran-TO

April 29, 2009 | 3:19 pm

1 Comment

Let it Rain: The made-over hot spot is set to reopen next month

Rain, Rain: Come again some other day (Photo by Henry Faber)

In June, the redesigned Rain will be unveiled, with a new name (Ame, Japanese for “rain”), a tip-to-tail renovation and some fresh entertainment value. Club king Charles Khabouth (Tattoo Rock Parlour, Spice Route), who has been shaping the party scene since the first bodysuit trend, has teamed up with co-owners and Made to Order stars Guy and Michael Rubino to give the Mercer Street digs a new do.

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