At the end of 2019, the Toronto Star parted ways with its veteran food critic, Amy Pataki, who had been reviewing the city’s restaurants for nearly 18 years. She made the announcement abruptly, in the final paragraph of a year-end restaurant roundup, so that an inattentive reader might easily miss it. Her reviews, she says, … Continued
By Ron Johnson
After more than 30 years in business, Midtown children’s bookstore Mabel’s Fables may be on the verge of closure due to a 70 per cent rent increase and a loss of customer traffic associated with the construction of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT. The store, located at 662 Mount Pleasant Road, was opened in 1988 by … Continued
The legendary North York institution Sea-Hi Famous Chinese Food has officially closed its doors, and everything is for sale. The restaurant is auctioning off all of its decor — from the iconic Sea-Hi street sign to the large gold buddha that greeted diners upon entry — and the bidding ends this week. The beloved restaurant, … Continued
On the heels of International Women’s Day, Olympic and world champion ice dancer, Tessa Virtue, surprised a group of young figure skaters at the West Toronto Skating Club. Virtue attended the McCormick Arena in Parkdale to spend time with the young skaters and debut her new ice skating Barbie, in partnership with the Barbie Dream … Continued
Crews & Tangos, Toronto’s favourite drag bar, is facing off against a possible development, and fans of the club are joining in to support the Village mainstay. According to the Church and Wellesley Neighbourhood Association [CWNA], Graywood Group (the developer that owns Crews & Tangos’ location, along with surrounding properties) is looking into submitting a … Continued
Iconic live music venue the El Mocambo is set to make its long-awaited relaunch at Spadina and College this spring. Originally opened in 1948, the El Mo was known for hosting some of the biggest names in music in its heyday, from the Rolling Stones and Blondie to Jimi Hendrix and Muddy Waters. After closing … Continued
TRNTO chats with one of Vivo Pizza + Pasta’s many talented chefs, Luigi Maresca, who moved here from Sorrento, Italy in 2011. Vivo creates affordable Italian comfort food with fresh ingredients at reasonable prices and are opening four new restaurants this year (there’s already eight in Toronto & the GTA). What makes “real” Italian food? … Continued
Sports fans across Canada are going crazy over rumours that two of the country’s star athletes may in fact be dating. Retired ice dancer Tessa Virtue and Toronto Maple Leafs’ player Morgan Rielly are believed to be in a relationship. And while the two stars haven’t confirmed the news, fans across the Internet are in … Continued
By Ron Johnson
It appears as though a local resident took dog park patrolling to an entirely new level last weekend by actually attaching two cheap bicycle locks to the gates of the Wychwood puppy palace to keep canines out. The issue came to light following a post on a local community Facebook group by Chris Quinn. “I … Continued
As restaurants struggle to keep up with ballooning rent prices, one chef may have found the solution to carving out a sustainable culinary career: don’t have a restaurant. Chef Ken Yau has been running K.Dinners, a Monday night pop-up dinner series hosted at Fiorentina restaurant for more than two years. Yau started his career working … Continued
