Entertainment District : In The News

The Toronto Star features Toronto culinary scene heavyweights, Michael Bonacini and Peter Oliver, co-founders and owners of Oliver & Bonacini Restaurants. O&B currently boasts more than a dozen event spaces and restaurants in Ontario, including Canoe, the acclaimed fine dining restaurant on the 54th floor of the TD Bank Tower and the O&B Canteen, the popular King Street spot housed inside the TIFF Bell Lightbox complex.

"O&B will focus its efforts on the Bay's flagship store on Queen St. W. at Yonge St., where it plans to launch Bannock by fall 2011. The concept is similar to Canteen, with all-day, sit-down service that's quick and inexpensive."

"We are going to be the best corporately run food service business in Toronto, in Southern Ontario, in Canada," declares Bonacini. "That's part of our goal."

"Bonnie Brooks, president and CEO of the Bay, wouldn't bet against them. "Oliver & Bonacini is such a successful, respected and creative food company in Toronto that they were a logical partner in our minds."

"The O&B story starts in 1993 with a restaurant called Jump."

"Stockbroker-turned-restaurateur Oliver owned a bakery across the street from Centro, the fine-dining restaurant on Yonge St. north of Eglinton where Bonacini was executive chef."

"Oliver had spent years setting up the deal to open Jump on Wellington St. W. near Yonge St. When his chef-to-be fell through, he proposed a partnership with Bonacini. "When Peter and I opened Jump 17 years ago, we were one of very few places to dine downtown," says Bonacini."

"He describes his partner as a visionary who lives for putting deals together. Oliver describes their skills as complementary, saying Bonacini "knows all the things that I don't know that much about."

"The men gambled that they could survive on business-district lunch alone. Within a few years of opening , a landlord at the nearby TD Bank Tower begged O&B to take over the restaurant on the building's 54th floor."

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original source Toronto Star

Toronto's music scene got major kudos this week from New York Times arts and culture critic James R. Oestreich. After a recent trip to Toronto, Oestrich praises TSO's New Creations Festival, the annual month-long event that showcases the work of contemporary composers. And, in a second article published the same day, Oestreich also raves about Tafelmusik, the Toronto-based period instrument ensemble that performs regularly at the Trinity-St. Paul's Center.

"Sometimes you get lucky. I came here to see how the Toronto Symphony was faring a decade after its troubled times, and that, it turns out, would have been satisfying enough."

"But the timing also allowed me to catch up with the acclaimed early-music ensemble Tafelmusik at the Trinity-St. Paul's Center, a converted church near Toronto University, on Thursday. And it was a superb evening: a revival of the group's magnum opus, "The Galileo Project," created in 2009 to celebrate the International Year of Astronomy, tied to the 400th anniversary of Galileo's development of the astronomical telescope."

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original source New York Times

The much-anticipated Ballroom, Toronto's first downtown bowling alley in 30 years, has officially opened its doors for business. Located at
Richmond and John, the Ballroom boasts 10 lanes, pin ping pong tables, a sports-bar, and restaurant.

"There's a new alternative for entertainment in clubland, where you can still act like a kingpin from the gutter with perfect game, but your friends won't laugh at you when you strike out."

"It's called The Ballroom, Toronto's only downtown bowling alley, now open for business at the corner of Richmond and John.  But as Co-owner Thanos Tripi told CityNews Tuesday, there's a lot more to it than Turkeys and 7-10 splits."

"The Ballroom is currently open to the public but with a limited menu.  They'll be having their grand opening on February 1st."

"We're about 80 percent there," Tripi adds.  "We've got all the bones we just have to put on the makeup."

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original source CityTV News

Business Traveller writes on the upcoming opening of the Ritz-Carlton Toronto. Scheduled to open this February, the 53-floor 267-room property caters to locals and tourists, offering hotel suites and private residences.

"Luxury hotel group Ritz-Carlton is to open a 267-room property in Toronto in February."

"Housed in a new 53-floor tower on Wellington Street, between the city's financial and entertainment districts, the hotel will take up the first 20 floors while the remaining levels will be given over to Ritz-Carlton residences."

"Rooms will start from 42 sqm and will be contemporary in d�cor, with floor-to-ceiling windows providing either city or lake views. They will come equipped with 42-inch flatscreen TVs, Bose stereos with an iPod dock, DVD players, and marble bathrooms with a separate tub and rainshower and a TV built into the mirror."

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original source Business Traveller

Bavette, Toronto's newest restaurant/nightclub hybrid and sister restaurant of Toronto mainstay Marben, has opened its doors on Wellington St. West. Located just down the stairs from Marben, Bavette is being advertised as the more "fun-loving" of the two, turning into a lounge with DJ after 10pm. A Blog TO review lauds the new restaurant for its perfect mix of good food, friendly service and pleasant atmosphere.

"Located on the stretch of Wellington St. west of Spadina that is ad agency central, Bavette continues Marben's theme of farmhouse revival in a sleeker and more nightlife-esque environment. Most of the walls are covered with exposed brick and there is wood everywhere, giving the room a really cozy and rustic feel. The majority of the seating consists of velvety red banquettes with mirrors hung over them, giving the space a little sparkle. The restaurant is dimly lit but has a warm amber glow. There is a bar at the back of the room covered in copper and there are various works of art around the space."

"I had no idea what to expect from a restaurant that was bringing farmhouse revival to the city, but was pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable and interesting Marben/Bavette makes comfort food. Our entire dining experience was so warm and welcoming from our very nice server to our huge mugs of coffee at the end of the meal. You really do feel at home at Bavette even if you've never spent a day in the country, much less a farmhouse."

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original source BlogTO

Fast Company writes on Toronto's " doubly virtuous" 60 Richmond East Housing Co-operative, both a housing project for relocated hotel and restaurant workers and a urban mini-ecosystem where residents can grow their own produce. Designed by Teeple Architects for Toronto Community Housing, the 11-story, 85-unit complex was completed in March of 2010.

"Only in squeaky-clean Toronto could you find a housing development that's doubly virtuous, like this one. Designed by Teeple Architects, it houses hotel and restaurant workers relocated from another housing project. But the building is also designed to provide produce for a restaurant, so that the residents can make a living close to home."

"The architects collaborated with the city and a local labor union to create this award-winning structure. Teeple took inspiration from the residents' professions, installing a training kitchen on the ground floor and a sixth floor vegetable garden to supply it. Storm runoff from the roof irrigates the garden while composted waste from the kitchen fertilizes it. Teeple calls this self-sufficient mini-ecosystem "urban permaculture."

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original source Fast Company

This week marked the start of the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and the grand opening of its brand new Head Quarters, the Bell Lightbox Theater. The new theater, located at the corner of King and John, has shifted the festival focus from Yorkvillle, where its been centered in past years, to the entertainment district. According to the Chicago Tribune, the $200 million mixed-use complex "gives film festivalgoers of Chicago, New York and L.A. (and everywhere in between) plenty of reasons to be envious."

"The Toronto International Film Festival's long-awaited new "cathedral of cinema," as one TIFF programmer, Thom Powers, put it, opened its doors to the public Sunday. And it looked good. Very good."

"The sooner this place becomes home base for North America's premier festival, the better it'll be for everyone's cinematic sake."

Designed by Toronto's Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects, the Lightbox � representing a $200 million dollar burst of civic and cultural pride �anchors a 42-story mixed-use development known as Festival Tower. The land was donated by director Ivan Reitman and his family. So. This is a cathedral built on a foundation of "Meatballs" and "Ghostbusters."

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original source Chicago Tribune

The Toronto Star recently featured Toronto entrepreneur Robert Ayoub. Inspired by a local waffle-maker on a 1991 trip to Belgium, Ayoub  opened a series of small waffle-selling storefronts in the heart of downtown Toronto. While the company, called Wanda's Belgian Waffles, recently had to close one of its outlets due to a collapsing wall on Gould Street, with two other bustling storefronts close by -- at Yonge and Gerrard and Yonge and Wellesley -- the business does not expect any significant loses.

 "�if you're walking along Yonge Street and the scent of freshly-made waffles captivates you, Ayoub's marketing strategy is working."

"He's already dominated a section of downtown foot traffic with three Wanda's Waffles shops � named after his older sister Wanda, which, conveniently, is a popular Belgian name � in a dozen blocks along Yonge Street."

"Each shop is small; one has no seating area, but they all have a storefront with a one-man four-waffle machine window so the saccharine scent wafts into the city air."

"Although plenty of his business is repeat � customers grabbing coffee and a bite in the morning, or a midnight snack � Ayoub carefully selects locations in tourist-heavy neighbourhoods."

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original source the Toronto Star

100 emerging entrepreneurs received expert lessons in innovation last week, through a conference hosted by Young Social Entrepreneurs of Canada. Held March 27 and 28 at Metro Hall, the two-day re:Vision conference conference brought together a group of mentors to educate  young innovators.

"The goal of the re:Vision conference is to leave participants with "practical know-how, new lenses for project design, and a wealth of earned knowledge that can be applied to their initiatives."

"Cheryl May, advisor and practice lead of social innovation at MaRS, describes re:Vision as "a tremendous force because it brings youth into the realm of social entrepreneurship, and when I see the enormous movement of people who are embracing social entrepreneurship, I am buoyed by the knowledge that the future is in good hands."

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original source CTV News

A recent feature in the Wall Street Journal looks at the reasons American pro-athletes are falling in love with Toronto. The city's "international vibe", relative freedom from paparazzi and diverse nightlife are among the many attributes credited with making Toronto so attractive.

"American pro athletes used to think of Toronto as a backwater. High taxes and low temperatures combined with a woeful lack of television exposure back in the States made playing here about as appealing as Canada's national dish of french fries soaked in gravy and cheese curds."

"Today, however, Toronto is a road trip just about every pro athlete looks forward to. Some say the city has a cool, international vibe that increasingly stands out. Some like the plentitude of cheap concert tickets�a boon for athletes with big posses�or the convenience of the must-be-19 drinking law�"

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original source the Wall Street Journal

As part of a series on influential Torontonians the National Post looks at the impressive tenure of Ryerson University president, Sheldon Levy. Thanks to Levy the school is expanding faster than ever and is transforming the surrounding neighbourhood.

" Under [Sheldon Levy's] leadership, the school (which formerly, in his words, "Turned its back to the community") is having its Big Bang moment, adding the Ted Rogers School of Management (atop a Best Buy and Canadian Tire at Dundas and Bay streets), buying the Sam the Record Man on Yonge for a new student centre, and convincing the City of Toronto to turn Gould Street into a pedestrian mall, from Yonge to Church Street through the heart of the campus. In perhaps the biggest coup of them all, Ryerson is getting a new sports complex in the former Maple Leaf Gardens, atop a future Loblaws store."

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original source the National Post

The most recent issue of Landscape Architecture ran a 10-page feature on the architectural and public space merits of one of Toronto's newest pieces of public infrastructure: the wavedecks. The wave-shaped paths constructed of wooden planks are the work of architectural firms West 8 of Rotterdam and du Toit Allsopp Hillier (DTAH) of Toronto.  The firms' design for the four wavedecks located along the edge of lake Ontario (at Spadina, Reese, Simcoe and Parliament) won the Toronto Central Waterfront Innovative Design Competition in 2007.

"When the landscape architecture firms from West 8 of Rotterdam and du Toit Allsopp Hillier (DTAH) of Toronto, as part of their winning competition entry for Toronto's central waterfront in 2007, rendered a series of crazily undulating wooden decks spanning harbour boat slips, it honestly seemed a bit unlikely they would ever get built. How would people walk on those plank roller coaster? Wouldn't the liability exposure be extraordinary? How do you make wood do that? Today, three so-called wavedecks are in place and open to the public. As fantastical as the wavedecks are, they provide public space that is both engaging and relaxing--not an easy combination to pull off�the story of the wavedecks--how they deal with accessibly and safety, how they create both public space and natural space is the story of how crazy ideas get built."

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original source Landscape Architecture

According to the Globe & Mail, Toronto could see the completion of a 50,000 square-foot aquarium at the foot of the CN Tower within the next three years: "a boon for the nearby entertainment and waterfront districts, and for the burgeoning convention business in Toronto". Ripley's Believe It Or Not, the company behind the proposed attraction is also slated to construct a 47,000-square-foot retail and restaurant on the site. While the proposal is still tentative, as no funding plan has yet been finalized, the Canada Lands Company (CLC), (the Crown corporation which owns the CN Tower) have already signed a long-term land lease deal with Ripley.

"There's a reason they're choosing Toronto - it speaks well of the destination," said David Whitaker, the president and chief executive officer of Tourism Toronto. "We're really starting to find our swagger."
But landing the contract to build and operate an aquarium in the shadow of one of Canada's most popular tourist draws is also a coup for Vancouver business titan Jim Pattison: Ripley Entertainment Inc., is a division of his Jim Pattison Group, the third-largest private company in the country.

"The location is magnificent for us," said Tim O'Brien, vice-president of communications for Ripley, which already owns two major aquariums in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Gatlinburg, Tenn."

Click here to read the full Globe & Mail article