Kensington Market - Little Italy - Little Portugal : In The News

"Dirty, Drunk, and Punk: The Twisted Crazy Story of the Bunchofuckingoofs", a new book that traces the history of Toronto's most notorious punk band, has hit book shelves to rave reviews. The book, researched and written by Torontonian Jennifer Morton looks at how the Bunchofuckingoofs grew into the stuff of legend after establishing Fort Goof, a series of club houses, speakeasys, music venues and squats that took over Kensginton market in the early 1980s.

"I grew up in the Goofs era, saw them several times at venues like Larry's Hideaway, went to a few late night booze-cans at Fort Goof, and had a good friend who dropped out and more or less moved in with them for a while, and Dirty, Drunk and Punk feels like a true and real account of the band and their weird, storied, anarchic, nihilistic history."

"The thing that made the Goofs such a force was their blend of out-of-control, violent insanity (they'd smash TVs on stage, open beer bottles with chainsaws, dive off Fort Goof into the mountain of empty beer cans in the back yard, get into chain-fights with Nazi skinhead raiders) and their strong ethic of mutual aid, compassion, and social justice. Crazy Steve Goof, the band's founder and non-leader, ran for city council twice, led a campaign to get hard drugs out of Kensington Market, and took in waifs and screwups by the hundreds."

"Dirty, Drunk and Punk's story is told on a backdrop of photos, gig sheets, fliers, news clippings and other detritus and ephemera, artfully collaged behind text that has the screw-you madness of punk band fliers. Morton interviews the Goofs, their friends, their enemies, the law, their hangers-on (even my friend who ended up living with the band), and develops a kind of collective memoir of the band and the era they represented� Dirty, Drunk and Punk is a fantastic trip through the story they made for themselves."

read full story here
original source Boingboing

The Toronto Star features Toronto-based Vintage One Wines, a year-old Dundas West winery that creates custom, private order vintages. The work of Argentina-born siblings Alejandra and Jeronimo de Miguel, Vintage One is unique micro-brewery in that it invites its customers to be as little or as much involved as they like in the wine-making process.

"The slim, black entrance on Dundas St. W., just west of Islington Ave., gives no clue as to what you will find inside Vintage One Wines. A steady stream of black-clad city folk pours down a flight of stairs into an anteroom swollen with the strains of Argentine tango guitar. Its grip seduces them into the large caves beyond, filled with rows of gleaming stainless tanks and a half a football field of wooden barrels. This is a real, working urban winery."

"The pair import frozen grapes from their homeland and a half-dozen more countries, and work with customers here on Dundas St. to create custom, private-order vintages. You can buy into a share of a barrel as an individual, or go in with a group or a club. You can be involved from concept through bottling, from aging and blending down to bottle design. Corporations use the place for retreats and team-building exercises; restaurants arrange their own private-label supplies."

"The siblings are riding a great trend wave: Toronto is in love with malbec � just try to find a menu without the varietal. According to the Consulate General of Argentina, Ontarians downed 8.1 million litres of Argentine wine in 2010, about 5 million litres of that malbec."

"And they have hit another trend, says loyal customer Don Tapscott, best-selling Toronto author of marketing and information technology books. "Their business model is about creating experiences, highly customized experiences, as opposed to selling product."

read full story here
original source Toronto Star

Blog TO writes on the first Kensington Market Pedestrian Sunday of the season. The car-free street festival--a festival that takes place on the last Sunday of every month from June 26th to October 30th--features musicians, buskers and a variety of sidewalk fare.

"So Kensington Market for another season yesterday, and unsurprisingly streets in the area were jam-packed throughout the afternoon. More than just an occasion to walk around the market without the presence of vehicular traffic, Pedestrian Sundays feature performances by artists, musicians and store owners. Oh, and there's sidewalk fare, too � but some of the food lineups seemed to rival those at the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant for Doors Open."

read full story here
original source Blog TO

Chicago Tribune food columnist Monica Eng writes on Toronto's "wonderful eats." In a recent visit to the city Eng chowed down at some of Toronto's most iconic eateries--from College's Caplansky's Deli, to St. Lawrence Market's Carousel Bakery to Dundas West's Smoke's Poutinerie--and raved about them all.

"I just rolled back into town from blustery Toronto, where the winter cold is worth braving for the wonderful eats. Here are 10 that I happily trudged around town trying. In between, I got to enjoy street level views of this fabulous walking city that's also easy to navigate by street car, bus or subway."

read full story here
original source Chicago Tribune

The National Post showcases Toronto fashion entrepreneur Laura-Jean Bernhard's favourite looks of the season. Bernhard is best known as the founder of Fresh Collective, a curated Toronto boutique that promotes local designers and one-of-kind product.

"Bernhardson started making clothing and jewellery in high school and selling them to her friends, but that didn't seem like a career path from the viewpoint of Saskatoon in 1987. She studied photography at Concordia and moved to Toronto in 1992, where she became known as Laura-Jean the Knitting Queen. Now her Fresh Collective business, with two stores in Toronto and a third coming next spring, sells her own line and the works of more than 30 up-and-coming designers."

read full story here
original source National Post

The Sydney Morning Herald hails Toronto as a foodie travel destination describing the city as "a smorgasbord of global cuisines, from Albanian to Indian and everything in between". Dundas West's Black Hoof and Gerrard Street East's Lahore Tikka House are among the many culinary recommendations.

"...Two of Toronto's trends - homemade charcuterie and no-reservation restaurants - collide at Black Hoof, which has, perhaps predictably, become one of the hottest tables in town. If you're not fussy about which animal parts you're willing to wrap your mouth around, you'll love superbly prepared offerings such as horse tartare, bone marrow and tongue in brioche. If you're a bit more squeamish, stick with cured meats such as duck prosciutto and blueberry bison salami."

read full story here
original source Sydney Morning Herald

The Sam James Coffee Bar, one of Toronoto's most well-loved espresso haunts is celebrating its1 year anniversary. As reported by Torontoist the Harbord Street coffee shop, run by well-known Toronto barista Sam James (winner of the 2009 Eastern Regional Barista Championships), has earned a place "at the top of many minds, hearts, and palates of the Toronto espressorazzi" for its superb espresso and inviting atmosphere.

"For James, quality over quantity isn't just in practice, but fundamental to how he came to do what he loves. Take the infamous siphon brew; James discovered the nineteenth century manual grinder when he learned French press with a Magic Bullet�esque machine. Let's just say that you can't make coffee and guacamole with the same equipment. Instead of getting a nice, consistent grind ("There's only one coarse particle size you need for French press"), he used a sieve to separate the coarse from the fine. Still in search of a better way to brew, he came across the siphon in his research. "This is like the deliciousness of French press coffee, but the hands-on approach of an espresso, where you're involved in the whole process." And if there's one thing he can't stand about the plethora of coffee equipment amidst a coffee industry boom, it's the automated machines. "I think old-school grinders, like manual doser grinders, can produce consistency. I'm not going with the trend of automating my equipment; I swear by my doser grinders."

read full story here
original source Torontoist

By the end of next month Toronto will be home to North America's greenest hostel. As reported by the Globe & Mail (and by Yonge Street back in February), Kensington Market's Planet Traveller is on schedule to complete an impressive $160,000 green renovation. The focal point of the project will be its underground geothermal heating-and-cooling system: eight loops of geothermal piping drilled into an adjacent street that will serve almost all of the hostel's energy needs.

"When the doors to North America's greenest hostel opens next month at 357 College St., the most exciting feature won't be anywhere inside, but instead 115 metres below ground in the adjacent alleyway. That's where the glycol liquid in eight geothermal loops will turn the corner and start heading back above ground to heat or cool the hostel."

"Once you get three metres underground, the earth stays a constant 10 degrees Celsius all year. This is a source of relative heat in the winter and cold in the summer. The system exploits the temperature discrepancy by using small amounts of electricity to pump glycol through the underground pipes and collect that heat or cold. Heat exchangers inside the hostel pull the heat or cold from the glycol and send as much as is needed into the rooms."

"The hostel is hoping to attract young visitors from overseas looking for a cheap doss and a communal living scene. Dorms will be $30 a night and rooms will go for $70. Utility bills should follow close on the heels of the first guests, but with expected savings of up to $2,000 a month, the owners expect to have the investment paid off within eight years. After that, it's green gravy. By that time, a geothermal drilling rig might be a more common sight in Toronto. Mr. Rand had to go through 14 city departments to get permits for the pipe installation, but the city has since set up a task force to streamline geothermal development in city-owned alleyways and parkland."

read full story here
original source Globe & Mail

The Huffington Post has declared Toronto "the hot new destination for all things crazy, sexy, cool". The article points to Toronto's  mix of "trendy" and unique neighbourhoods--including West Queen, Ossington and Kensington Market--as the city's main draw. Toronto is also celebrated for embracing public art projects and for its diverse culinary scene.

"Although the Toronto skyline is dotted with a dizzying array of towering glass residential developments, it is the renewal of the once dodgy but now trendy West Queen, Ossington and King West neighborhoods that have visitors buzzing about the galleries, custom clothing boutiques, restaurants and specialty stores. As a reference consider these districts to be Toronto's Brooklyn."

"Moving further along you will discover the beating heart of the city lies in Kensington Market, Little Italy, Chinatown, Little Portugal, Greektown, and Little India. It is in these neighborhoods that you will see, feel and taste the vibrant mash-up of globalization and daily life coming together."

read full story here
original source Huffington Post

The Miami Herald has named Toronto Canada's "hip capital of business, arts, nightlife and sports". The article cites Toronto's dynamic neighbourhoods (including Queen West, Leslieville, Kensington Market and the Junction), diverse industry, and abundance of unique galleries, eateries and boutiques as among the city's many assets.

"Is Toronto Canada's coolest city?"

"Only in recent times has it seen its sense of self-confidence grow along with its size. Best of all, it's still growing: dozens of skyscrapers under construction, a Frank Gehry-designed art gallery just opened, a new opera house, and a recently refurbished city square."

read full story here
original source Miami Herald

BlogTo recently featured The Tampered Press, Dundas West's newest coffee shop. In addition to a good espresso, the two-week old coffee shop provides free wi-fi, board games, and Sunday night seminars on food trends and health.

"The Tampered Press is a hybrid caf� combining health with hot cups of coffee. Mismatched wooden chairs in a sea of soft green line the different sized tables, while bookshelves hold board games and empty glass water bottles. The space has lots of natural light, WiFi and a comfy, homey feel. Owner Caitlyn Pask opened shop about two weeks ago and runs her own business with the help of her mom, boyfriend and friends."

read full story here
original source BlogTo

The New York Times recently profiled the Toronto culinary scene's obsession and expertise "with all things meaty." With mainstays from Caplansky's Delicatessen and Kensington Market's Sanagan's Meat, to newer ventures such as Dundas West's Hoof Cafe, Toronto has become a meat lover's dining destination.

"In my first hour in Toronto, I ate these things: stewed rabbit, blueberry-buckwheat pancakes, crisp ribbons of translucent guanciale and billowy mounds of smoked ricotta. And this was all just the first dish. Brunch at Hoof Cafe -- the new offshoot of Grant van Gameren and Jen Agg's Black Hoof, across the street -- is a decidedly meat-focused affair. Stranger than this strange assemblage, which also included more blueberries and some syrup and -- why not? -- candied celery and which seemed to suggest the chefs were smoking more than cheese, was the fact that it all sort of worked. Not brilliant, but sweet and smoky and meaty and an oddly comforting way to begin the first meal of the day. The lines out the door should have tipped me off: Toronto is in the throes of a serious love affair with all things meaty."

read full story here
original source New York Times

The Globe & Mail hosts an interview with Toronto entrepreneur Toufik Sarwa, the "brains" behind the Yorkville lounge Amber and owner of the new Cinq 01 restaurant on College.

"Toufik Sarwa remembers spending Sundays in Damascus, Syria, doing gymnastics. Flash forward a few decades and he has a pommel horse in the dining room of his restaurant Cinq 01, which opened in October. But as much as the eclectic aesthetic, courtesy of Commute Home, gets a thumbs-up from well-heeled patrons, it's Mr. Sarwa who's the main attraction."

"Cinq 01, so named for its address on College Street, is a bona-fide place to sup, whether on braised bison short ribs or foie gras hot dog. Of course, some people go just for a drink � the wine list was created by master sommelier Jamie Drummond � while others pop in simply to say hi to Mr. Sarwa, because rare is the night he's not there".

read full story here
original source the Globe & Mail

The recent closure of two well-loved Toronto bookstores, Pages and David Mirvish Books, has left a void in the city's independent bookstore scene. But thankfully, as BlogTO reminds us, future of the city's neighborhood bookstore is not necessarily bleak. In a profile on Kensington Market's "This Ain't the Rosedale Library", a Toronto mainstay for over 30 years, BlogTO finds lessons for surviving Toronto's increasingly competitive (and big-box dominated) bookstore scene.

"...as important as the ability of the staff to interact with customers and recommend titles is, a bookstore is nothing without an excellent selection�.Although they have well-stocked sections of fiction, auto/biography, magazines, urban affairs and books on art, the reward of shopping here is finding the gems you didn't know existed�.

"Not only that, but they encourage a community of artists and literati to frequent the store (as buyers and sellers). I can't stress enough how important this community-creation is. Beyond the chapbooks and small-press magazines, the [the founders of the store], the Huiskens, have taken to hosting events at the store two or three times a month. To some extent, this is one of the ways to remain competitive with internet giants like Amazon. By taking steps to turn the store into a hub for creative-types, they might just be able to make the sympathetic customer think twice before buying online."

read full story here
original source BlogTO