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De-licious

Backlash menus: some Toronto restaurants go rogue during Winterlicious by serving up their own prix fixe

(Photo by Alpha)

Summer- and Winterlicious are divisive topics among those in the restaurant biz: some enjoy the increased business, while others hate working within the city’s rules. This year, however, there seems to be a surge in non-Winterlicious events—or, as it’s known in the Twitterverse, Antilicious.

The Samovar Room, for example, is holding Vodkalicious, with a three-course vodka-inspired menu for $30. “It was simply too late to apply to be a part of it,” said Samovar’s Rumen Dimitroff, whose vodka bar opened in late August (the deadline for this year’s applicants is August 10). “Winterlicious is a great event, and I still wanted to do something special around the same time.”

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| 1 Comment » January 22, 2010 | 8:57 am | Karon Liu

Read All About It

Coffee drinkers more likely to avoid diabetes, horsemeat consumption on the decline, a $9,150 toothpick

Neigh sayers: if animal rights activists have their way, horsemeat deliveries like this one in Paris, will be a thing of the past

• The effects of the recession combined with years of negative publicity have resulted in a 12 per cent decrease in the amount of horsemeat eaten in France. Animal rights activists are taking advantage of the lull. One group is even seeking new legislation that would upgrade horses’ legal status from production animals to “companions.” [Reuters]

• In what is being called the toughest anti-alcohol campaign since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Kremlin is upping the minimum price of vodka in January. Experts say that excessive drinking is the main reason why Russia’s population is shrinking by a whopping 700,000 people each year. A similar move may not be so far-fetched in Canada: some are calling for a hike in liquor prices in B.C. to curb growing alcohol consumption. [Telegraph]

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| 2 Comments » December 17, 2009 | 9:09 am | Jon Sufrin

Read All About It

Paula Deen hit by flying ham, Moscow’s favourite vodka comes to Canada, cooking up Margaret Atwood’s The Year of the Flood

When pigs fly: Paula Deen remains unporked (Photo by Alex Lines)

• The ever-upbeat Paula Deen was unaware that she was in a game of catch when someone tossed a ham in her direction, accidentally hitting her in the face. Deen was helping to unload donated meat at an Atlanta food bank on Monday when she tossed the pork to a gentleman, then turned away, not expecting that when the man said “Back atcha,” he meant it. Despite fears of a busted lip, Deen walked away from the incident injury-free, quipping, “I haven’t met the ham that could stop me yet!” [AP]

• Moscow’s most popular vodka, Russian Standard, hits the Canadian market this week. Purportedly based on a formula by chemist Dmitri Mendeleev (the man who invented the periodic table), the grain-based spirit is distilled four times and has a balanced, bready taste. At roughly half the price of Grey Goose, it will have recession-wary boozers stockpiling bottles from the LCBO. [Globe and Mail]

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| Leave a Comment » November 25, 2009 | 8:39 am | Matthew Hague

Toronto International Film Festival 2009

The IT Lounge is where media go to swig back hangover juice and chase with vodka

The Please Mum duds that Jennifer Garner will recieve

Please mum, can I have a sweater? The objective of a gifting lounge is to connect George Clooney with a Sharpie marker, Woody Harrelson with some Teva sandals, Demi Moore with…umm…a Penny Protein Plan muffin? And then we, the media, talk about which talent scooped up what. For PRs, it’s kind of like the bonus back massage you get when you book a pedi.

The IT Lounge publicists know how to push product, and that’s why Jennifer Garner received cutesy Please Mum duds for her little Gaffleck girls delivered right to her door. Will they wear them? Not sure, but Olivia Wilde’s nieces will battle the rain with a sweet Please Mum raincoat. While taking a looksy, Wilde also fell for a J. Rox lariat necklace (designed by Toronto’s Jane Apor), which we assume she’ll wear tonight at the Artists for Peace and Justice event at The Windsor Arms.

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| Leave a Comment » September 11, 2009 | 5:45 pm | Jen McNeely

Toronto International Film Festival 2009

Willem Dafoe, blueberry cocktails and Salt ’n’ Pepa at W Studio

Not being on the guest list, we were a touch worried that we wouldn’t get in to the W Studio party, so we arrived early. Far too early. We were forced to stand around and watch the crew get ready for the evening to come. Nothing gets one ready for a night of partying like listening to sound checks and waiting for bar service to open. But it was worth the wait.

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| Leave a Comment » September 11, 2009 | 2:10 pm | Fraser Abe

Toronto International Film Festival 2009

Today at TIFF: September 11, 2009

Our daily roundup of the most buzz-worthy opening galas, parties and screenings.

• Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing free public screening, Yonge–Dundas Square, noon
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea free public screening, Yonge–Dundas Square, 3 p.m.
• The Informant! premiere, Visa Screening Room, 6 p.m.
• OMDC party (guests include Hugh Hefner), Manyata Courtyard Café, 6 p.m.
• Suck showcase, featuring a free concert with the stars of the film, Yonge–Dundas Square, 6:30 p.m.
• The Men Who Stare at Goats premiere, Roy Thomson Hall, 6:30 p.m.
• Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars free public screening, Yonge–Dundas Square, 9 p.m.
• The Trotsky premiere, Ryerson Theatre, 9 p.m.
• Bright Star premiere, Visa Screening Room, 9 p.m.
• Suck world premiere, Varsity, 9:30 p.m.
• Dorian Gray premiere, Roy Thomson Hall, 9:30 p.m.
• Fang Bang party for Suck, Phoenix Concert Theatre, 10 p.m.
• The Trotsky premiere party (guests include Jay Baruchel, Colm Feore and Jessica Paré), Pravda Vodka House
• Artists for Peace and Justice 10th anniversary celebration (guests include Demi Moore, Naomi Watts, Peter Sarsgaard and Paul Haggis), Windsor Arms
• TChad Magazine party (hosted by Kim D’Eon, Cheryl Hickey and Rosey Eden), Rosewater Supper Club, 10 p.m.
• Biko Beauttah’s 4 Toronto by Toronto party, Lo’la, 9 p.m.

| Leave a Comment » September 11, 2009 | 9:30 am | Toronto Life Staff

Toronto International Film Festival 2009

Spill it: Our six TIFF essentials (so far)

What a girl needs: The state of our bag on day one

Walk softly and carry a big bag: the official motto of a TIFF survivalist. We chose a double-duty Danier bag ($199)—it’s big enough to fit our laptop, but also folds over into handbag size at night. Here, we spill its sundry necessities.

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| Leave a Comment » September 11, 2009 | 9:16 am | Sarah Nicole Prickett

Toronto International Film Festival 2009

Skyy’s the limit: three celeb-inspired cocktails for TIFF

Splashmakers: Ellen Page, Lisa Ray and Sandra Oh are all turned into beverages (Photo by Kenny)

Splashmakers: Ellen Page, Lisa Ray and Sandra Oh have all been turned into beverages (Photo by Kenny)

Oscar buzz and party chatter were not the only things served up at the Hazelton Hotel’s TIFF event last week. Official sponsor Skyy Vodka unveiled its annual trifecta of celebrity-inspired cocktails, each with an unsurprising dose of—what else?—Skyy Vodka (although our preliminary research indicates that any kind of vodka can be used). The full list, after the jump.

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| 1 Comment » August 31, 2009 | 4:37 pm | Karon Liu

Toronto International Film Festival 2009

Oscar buzz, vodka and stalking advice doled out at the Hazelton Hotel

To be Blunt: early rumblings suggest Young Victoria could be Emily Blunt's big break (Photo by chloe004)

With two weeks left until the opening gala of the Toronto International Film Festival, reporters gathered at the Hazelton Hotel to get a rundown on the buzziest films (Precious), parties (One X One), possible Oscar contenders (Mo’Nique, the woman from Soul Plane) and TIFF-inspired cocktails (Skyy vodka for all).

CTV film critic Richard Crouse said the Oprah-backed film Precious could mean a possible Oscar nomination for Mo’Nique, while co-star Mariah Carey can finally shake off the tarnished glitter from, well, Glitter. Closing film Young Victoria also got a thumbs-up and was predicted to be Emily Blunt’s big break. But the most intriguing film tidbit (and a brilliant marketing move to boot) was that everyone who went to the pre-screening of Heath Ledger’s last film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, had to sign a waiver that forbid them from talking about it.

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| 1 Comment » August 31, 2009 | 3:57 pm | Karon Liu

Bottoms Up

Just opened: Samovar

In Soviet Russia, fire eats you (Photo by Karon Liu)

It’s oddly appropriate that a Russian-themed bar has opened in Cabbagetown. But instead of borscht, Samovar served crudités (sprinkled with salt rather than dipped in ranch), skewers of meat, house-made blinis with caviar and, of course, plenty of Stolichnaya during Thursday’s opening night.

Thankfully, the decor is less Yakov Smirnoff and more an homage to the Soviet era. Clips of old Russian cartoons are projected on the wall, a copy of War and Peace sits on the coat check counter, and two collages of propaganda posters adorn the sides of a small stage at the end of the bar. Not so subtle are the fur hats and officer’s caps worn by the staff.

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| 3 Comments » August 24, 2009 | 12:32 pm | Karon Liu