It’s Thursday, and the weekend is fast approaching. Need stuff to see or do? We’ve got you covered. In this edition, figure skating at the Air Canada Centre, Toronto’s own Downton Abbey, an Asian-influenced dance festival and more.
In a review last summer, The Globe’s Chris Nuttall-Smith slighted the east end’s culinary prowess. “To eat out in Leslieville is to tumble back into the mid-2000s, to give into cheap little rooms, recidivist ideas and cramped expectations,” he asserted. But a handful of east side chefs, restaurateurs and bar owners has banded together to form the East End Dinner Club, which aims to combat the area’s (sometimes) dowdy dining reputation.
Bigger and arguably better than ever, the 20th annual Hot Docs begins tonight, featuring two weeks of evocative, fascinating and at times unnerving looks into the world around us. From anarchistic collectives to prison states to explorations of mental illness and the sex trade, Hot Docs offers a wide range of compelling films. The trouble is finding the right one (or dozen).
When the partners behind Double Trouble Brewing Co. — Claude Lefebvre and Nathan Dunsmoor — released their Hops & Robbers IPA, it was like an introductory course on IPAs. Now, with the upcoming release of their Prison Break Breakout Pilsner, beer drinkers will get an easy-drinking take on Czech-style lager.
After a major revamp last fall, the financial district’s Reds Wine Tavern is set to expand with a second downtown location. The new restaurant, which is expected to open in late summer or early fall, will be located at the massive Aura condominium currently under construction at Yonge and Gerrard.
Though the name hints at something angelic, the clothing and accessories from British fashion house AllSaints are anything but. Named after a famous London street (All Saints Road in Notting Hill), the brand’s edgy, rock ‘n’ roll style is best suited for nights out on Queen West, but can only be found north of downtown at that mall that keeps on growing, Yorkdale
Speaking to the modern-day Alice in Wonderland — or Marie Antoinette — MoRoCo is an ode to all things chocolate. Located in a chi-chi Yorkville space, the boutique chocolaterie-meets-eatery is outfitted in lavenders and greys, acting as a backdrop to chocolate-nibbling patrons wiling away a lazy afternoon.
The city’s one-stop shop for babies — Mini Mioche — has had great success at its Queen West location, and two years after opening there, the business has opened a new flagship store in the Distillery District.
Claudio Aprile, the mastermind behind the Origin restaurant empire, has set up a pop-up food stand at Bayview Village to promote his soon-to-open Origin North. The pop-up launched earlier this month, but there’s still time to test it out and get some free food.
You could call Toronto Comedy City, and you wouldn’t be far wrong. The influential and groundbreaking comedy to come out of Hogtown is staggering.
As part of our comedy issue, and in a tribute to the classic comedic gag, we took a look at some of the GTA’s top coconut cream pies. Herewith, chef Grant van Gameren declares a winner in our city-wide pie competition.
Xococava, midtown’s gourmet chocolate shop, will be closing its doors for good on May 17. Located at Delisle Court at Yonge and St. Clair, Xococava is the brainchild of Chris McDonald, chef and owner of the renowned Cava restaurant. The shop has been serving out chocolate treats and other desserts for the past five years.
