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Introducing: The Dog Bowl, an eco-friendly dog boutique for the coolest (and most adorable) doggies on Dundas West

The Dog Bowl, 984 Dundas St. W. (Image: Simone Olivero)

The Place: After working as a producer on popular W Network TV shows such as Divine Design with Candice Olson, Jason Squires decided to focus his energy on something a little closer to his heart: animals (or, more specifically, dogs). The shop is strategically located steps from popular doggie hot spot Trinity Bellwoods Park and takes its name from the popular bowl-like off-leash dog area in the park. The open-concept, clutter-free space carries a curated selection of eco-friendly supplies including food, treats, accessories, toys, bedding, a small selection of clothes and some grooming supplies displayed in an accessible way. Squires redesigned the former coffee shop using simple white fixtures, modern industrial lights, local art by Wag Portraits and a large chalkboard wall behind the counter. Keeping guard at the door is English sheepdog—and store mascot—Jamie, who will direct you to all her favourite products (cute overload). Take a tour of The Dog Bowl (and check out the pups who frequent it) in a gallery after the jump.

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The Goods

From the Print Edition

November 1, 2011 | 12:30 pm

5 Comments

Great Spaces: Four places of worship, born again (this time, as trendy condos)

There’s nothing sacrilegious about this city’s appetite for loft conversions, even when the raw space is a deconsecrated church

By Alex Bozikovic | Photography by Michael Graydon

1| A 1906 building formerly home to the Centennial Japanese United Church

2| A 1941 building, once home to a Slovenian Catholic congregation

3| A 1921 addition to the Riverdale Presbyterian Church

4| A 1911 Methodist church, used by an Italian evangelical congregation since 2003

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The Dish

From the Print Edition

October 21, 2011 | 12:57 pm

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New Reviews: Pizzeria Defina, Diana’s Oyster Bar and the Hoof Cocktail Bar

Thin-crust lust in Roncey, impeccable seafood in Scarborough and double-digit cocktails on Dundas West

PIZZERIA DEFINA
321 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-534-4414

The newest pizza parlour on the Roncesvalles strip isn’t world changing, but it’s a welcome addition to a neighbourhood brimming with families looking for quick, crowd-pleasing food. There are plenty of oddities on the menu: pizza salads and even a lasagna pizza (a margherita with ground beef and fior di latte). The baked pies, flash-cooked in a wood-fired brick oven, are tasty, though not Libretto, Queen Margherita or Terroni calibre. The crusts one night were a touch underdone, where they should have been blistered black. The tomato sauce is fine but doesn’t have the zip of a great San Marzano. The caesar salad is phoned in: the lettuce is still damp from washing, the dressing lacks punch, and the croutons are AWOL. Green bean “fritti” are tasty from lots of salt and pepper but floppy from deep-frying. Friendly service and a perfunctory wine list.

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The Hype

To-Do List

October 19, 2011 | 2:37 pm

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The Weekender: International Festival of Authors, Operanation and six more items on our to do list

1. LG FASHION WEEK
Some of the city’s more fashionable citizens have been accumulating this year behind Roy Thomson Hall to check out what’ll be big next spring from the likes of Pink Tartan, Bustle, Cynthia Rowley and the eminently wearable Joe Fresh. The most high-style week of the year (or one of two, at least) wraps up on Friday with shows by David Dixon and Denis Gagnon. To October 21. Various prices. David Pecaut Square (formerly Metro Square), King St. W. between John and Simcoe streets, lgfashionweek.ca.

2. INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF AUTHORS
Once again it’s storytime for grownups (and very precocious children) at Harbourfront. Big-name writers like Michael Ondaatje, Miriam Toews, Johanna Skibsrud and Douglas Coupland will be taking part in panels, book signings and, most importantly, readings at this 12-day literary fest. To October 30. $10-$35. Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W., 416-973-4000, readings.org.

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The Informer

Gimme Shelter

September 9, 2011 | 2:35 pm

2 Comments

Office Space: $3,300 per month to lease two floors of vintage Queen West real estate

Address: 880A Queen Street West

Neighbourhood: Trinity-Bellwoods

Agent: Djanka and Edward Gajdel (for lease by owners)

Price: $3,300 per month (plus HST, taxes and utilities)

THE PLACE: Fittingly, this space—situated on the second and third floors of a historic building just west of Trinity Bellwoods Park on trendy Queen Street West—is nothing if not cool vintage chic. The retro furniture, much of it sourced from France, comes with the office, and the glassed-in boardroom includes shelving and an armoire that once belonged to the French Foreign Legion army. Despite the sleek digs, however, in summer months previous tenants have been known to ditch their desks for the outdoor patio. Dubbed “the cottage on Queen,” the office’s deck is rigged with Wi-Fi to enable employees to “work” with a view of the park.

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The Informer

From the Print Edition

August 4, 2011 | 1:00 pm

2 Comments

Best of the City 2011: Our picks for Toronto’s top services—from beard trimming to doggie fitness

(Image: Liam Mogan)

Spray paint removal Beard maintenance Canine workout Bedbug exterminator Personal shopper Tattoo removal Artful mani Cleaver care Bicycle repair tips Sole saviour De-clutter

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The Dish

From the Print Edition

August 4, 2011 | 9:25 am

1 Comment

Best of the City 2011: The city’s most interesting dishes, places to eat them and, yes, hot sauce

(Image: Christopher Stevenson)

Baguette Pasta Fad Hot Sauce Lobster reinvented Carnivore cure Roast chicken Devilled eggs Patio for dessert

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The Goods

From the Print Edition

August 2, 2011 | 2:25 pm

4 Comments

The List: 10 things zoologist, lion tamer and host of the new reality TV show Expedition Impossible Dave Salmoni can’t live without

The List: Dave Salmoni

The List: Dave Salmoni My pocket knife
I’ve had my single-blade, foldaway Buck knife for more than 20 years. It’s probably been around the world with me 10 times. I rarely go a day without needing it for something.

The List: Dave Salmoni My bush watch
It has a barometer and a compass, which is good because I get turned around in the bush all the time (animals rarely travel in a straight line). Without my watch, I’m screwed.

The List: Dave Salmoni My first line of defence
Bear bangers are pocket-sized noise makers for scaring aggressive animals. I’ve had so many close calls—name the species, I’ve had my life threatened by one. But I don’t believe in carrying a gun. These are great get-out-of-jail-free cards.

My literary hero
Jack Reacher, the protagonist in Lee Child’s thrillers, is the toughest guy ever. He always gets the chick and he always saves the day. The world would have been blown up so many times if it weren’t for Jack Reacher!

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The Dish

Opening

July 15, 2011 | 12:12 pm

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Introducing: The Boreal Gelato Company, Parkdale’s new place for a scoop and a seat

Inside the city’s newest scoop shop (Image: Karolyne Ellacott)

The Boreal Gelato Company, Parkdale’s laid-back new scoop shop and café, is a breath of cold, fresh air after the slew of recent hipster café openings along Queen West. Owner Melanie Clancy originally considered opening up shop over by Trinity Bellwoods Park, but found herself too smitten with her own hood to head further east. Not wanting to infringe on the business of her neighbourhood pals—like the crew from The Mascot across the street—and noting the absence of a family-friendly hangout spot, she decided a gelateria would be the perfect addition to the strip.

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The Goods

Sweet Charity

July 7, 2011 | 1:30 pm

5 Comments

It’s coming! Cute puppies taking baths in a park (for charity)

I’m all wet. (Image: Wayne Silver)

Dogs get dirty, especially since the good ones aren’t forced to wear shoes and full track suits to protect their fur from the grass they like to run on. A local initiative, Paws for the Cause, has organized an event called “Paws Parklife” in Trinity Bellwoods Park on Saturday, July 16, where—for a suggested donation of $10—puppies can get pampered by a professional groomer. The goal of this afternoon (it runs from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.) is to raise funds to advance veterinary health care, which is a bonus really, since the instant payoff is a perfectly primped furball.

Rick Campanelli and Angie Smith will serve as hosts for the event, and it’s free to attend just to mingle with other canines (it is in a park after all). We think the idea of a puppy spa in the middle of a park is so cute, we decided to round up our favourite puppies taking baths in a gallery after the jump

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The Informer

From the Print Edition

June 10, 2011 | 10:30 am

1 Comment

50 Reasons to Love Toronto: Nos. 40-41, Wild beasts roam wild in the city’s ravines

(Image: James Lourenço)

Toronto’s ravines have long been a hospitable home for wildlife. Now we’re seeing all manner of strange beast roaming our city: peregrine falcons roost atop downtown towers; chinook salmon jump the weir only steps from the Old Mill subway station as they make their way to the headwaters of the Humber; and coyote and fox counts continue to climb, as does the city’s Virginia possum population. The elusive white squirrel—or squirrels, no one knows for sure—of Trinity Bellwoods Park is thought by some to bring good fortune and lauded with a namesake café. Across town in the Beach, visitors to a garage sale were recently surprised to see a white-tailed deer trotting down the street.

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The Informer

In Transit

April 26, 2011 | 4:41 pm

14 Comments

Check out BIXI Toronto’s 80 downtown bike locations on one interactive map

Click map for interactive version

BIXI is slated to launch in Toronto on May 3 with 1,000 bikes spread out over 80 stations. While we’re all for bringing the Montreal bike-sharing company to the city’s congested streets, the initial offering is a little limited. All 1,500 docking stations are confined to the area between Bloor, Spadina, Queens Quay and Jarvis Street, with a pair of outliers at Jarvis on Queen Quay and in Kensington Market.

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The Informer

Cityscape

March 30, 2011 | 4:51 pm

2 Comments

Signs of Spring #4 and #5: the creative class and white squirrels recolonize Trinity Bellwoods Park

Trinity Bellwoods Park last spring (Image: jbcurio)

When the sun starts shining and the birds start chirping, members of the city’s creative class emerge from their duplexes and head to their natural stomping grounds, Trinity Bellwoods Park. We’ve already spotted a couple of latte-sippers taking their first tentative strolls through the park, chatting about bikes, moustaches and David Miller. And, now that the snow is mostly gone, there’s another sign of spring in TBP: the legendary white squirrel can be seen with the naked eye.

The Dish

Pantry Raid

March 24, 2011 | 12:19 pm

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Vendors at Toronto’s farmers’ markets may get special parking permits

The farmers’ market at Trinity-Bellwoods Park (Image: Matthew Burpee)

City councillor Mike Layton is sticking up for Toronto’s farmers’ markets. The rookie representative from Trinity-Spadina feels markets should be exempt from a daily charge by transportation authorities in cases where vendors need street-side parking to set up shop. For the past five years, vendors that need parking have been paying an annual “street event fee” of $81.33. Recently, however, city officials notified market organizers that the fee would soon start to be applied each day. At least five park-based markets would be affected by the changes: Trinity-Bellwoods, Riverdale Farm, East Lynn, Withrow Park and Sorauren Park.

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The Dish

Opening

February 28, 2011 | 11:51 am

5 Comments

Introducing Parkette: Italian comfort food, Trinity Bellwoods style

(Image: Davida Aronovitch)

Aptly named for its proximity to Trinity Bellwoods, Parkette is yet another new, rustic Italian outpost, this time only a couple blocks away from Terroni, which, arguably, launched the trend in Toronto. Cheery and warm, the 30-seat space features sandy blond woods, exposed brick, a playful park bench banquette in classic picnic green and a kitschy vintage Coca-Cola sign.

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