Last night, Vogue‘s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour was on hand to pick up the People’s Voice award for fashion at the Webby Awards, which doles out trophies to the best of the ‘net. Giving the traditional five-word-speech, hers — “Sometimes, geeks can be chic” — shaped up to be the one of the most popular quotes of the night, which got us thinking about Toronto’s own chic geeks. Below, our five favourites.
This isn’t your average hot dog eating contest. This Sunday, meat-crazed Torontonians will partake in yet another culinary competition, this time in the form of a deli sandwich duel. The Stop Community Food Centre is hosting the 2nd annual Deli Duel, a smoked meat sandwich competition wherein Caplansky’s Delicatessen (the reigning champion) will battle against Goldin’s and The Stockyards for the 2011 title.
Singer-songwriter Chad VanGaalen is appearing at the North By Northeast music festival this Saturday, right on the heels of the release of his latest album, Diaper Island. The Calgary musician’s latest effort sees music that is stripped of the pervasive electronica that characterized him previously. In its place is a bare-bones indie rock that might just make him even more popular. But can the reclusive rocker handle more success? We spoke with him to find out.
If the brotherhood of man had an official language, it would be sports talk. And if that brotherhood had a headquarters for ritualistic beer drinking and game-watching, it would be Danforth’s soon-to-open The Legion. With its high ceilings, fireplaces, shared tables, Greco-Roman architecture and charcoal-grilled steaks, the upcoming Greektown bar brings to mind a sort of Alexander the Great camaraderie.
Forget truth or dare and toothpaste pranks: Tonalism isn’t your typical slumber party. This all-night ambient music event from L.A.’s non-profit radio collective dublab is coming to Toronto for the first time ever tonight. For 12 hours, The Music Gallery will be filled with ambient sounds and visuals — inspired by the far-out music happenings of the 1960s — featuring bass-heavy electronics from Southern California, as well as showcasing some local talent.
Toronto’s culture scene is about to go into overdrive with today’s kick-off of Luminato, the city’s uber-festival of arts and creativity. Celebrating its fifth anniversary, the 10-day festival with over 150 events promises to be a spectacle not to be missed. But with such an extensive catalogue of awesome creativity, it’s near-impossible to see everything. We made the daunting selection process easier for you with our top-five list of what we’re most excited to see.
Dads are great. They’ve shown you how to drive standard, how to fix a flat tire, how to tell the difference between a wrist shot and a snapshot and how to hang up that picture frame the right way. Despite all their top qualities, dads can be impossible to shop for. With Father’s Day coming up next weekend, we’ve made it easier on you with this week’s sales round-up.
For those fashion mavens awaiting news about The Bay’s Topshop and Topman stores, today is a good day. The Bay just announced that the Yorkdale Mall store will house its first locations of the trendy British retailer. Though the store-within-a-store concept won’t open until September, those who crave the chic U.K. designs won’t have to wait long: a series of pop-up shops are scheduled for this summer.
Kensington Market is no stranger to experimental music, so it’s fitting that Poetry Jazz Café, a new bar dedicated entirely to live jazz, has set up shop on the market’s arterial avenue at 224 Augusta. Its outer facade emblazoned with a dynamic mural of Miles Davis’ hand, Poetry now opens its doors five nights a week —Wednesday to Sunday — to house an eclectic melange of young jazz musicians and soulful, jazz-oriented, vinyl-spinning DJs.
After hosting 18 parties in the past three weeks, most people would be dead on their feet. Not Rachel Beauparlant. The young entrepreneur is vivacious and energetic as she discusses her newest venture, Breakout Studios. Housed in a 6,000 square foot space at Bayview and Eglinton, Beauparlant and her partner, David Leese (of Loots Lounge), have built Breakout into every artist’s dream space.
After offering seemingly too-good-to-be-true coupon bargains (like $99 for $400 worth of meat) on deal-of-the-day websites like Dealfind, The Butchers — North Toronto’s decade-old purveyor of organic and naturally-raised meats — is dealing with a business blunder. It simply cannot keep up with demand, and customers new and old are outraged. We spoke with owner Marlon Pather to find out exactly how this business-boosting scheme got so out of control.
Ice cream, fries and hot dogs: the trifecta of trashy food items available to busy Torontonians hasn’t evolved much since the inception of the food cart itself. Meanwhile, other world-class cities like New York and Miami have long been famous for their selection of gourmet goodies, like authentic tacos, artisanal grilled cheese sandwiches and freshly popped kettle corn, all made to order aboard whimsically named food trucks.
