H2O @ DX

On my stroll with a friend around town on Saturday, I dropped into the Design Exchange to take a look at the exhibit they've set up as part of Digifest 2008. The title of this year's event is "Water's Edge: Catastrophe Trauma Possibility".


I mostly hung around the exhibit titled "H20: New Scenarios for Survival" which consists of posters by a number of Italian artists illustrating various aspects of water as a precious and endangered resource. Some of them were quite creative and thought-provoking. The diverse original and subtle perspectives on water reminded me of the amazing Water exhibit I caught a few months ago in Tokyo, which I still think about occasionally.

H20 will be on until April 27th at the Design Exchange and the admission is free.

Coming Soon

King/Spadina is always changing, and the pace of change has only accelerated in recent years. I won't try to stay on top of every new store opening, development project and art event, but I thought I'd mention a few additions which have grabbed my attention. Most are yet to open, but one must act quickly in the fast-paced world of obscure local blogs.



Stussy Toronto (431 Richmond St. W)

The venerable street fashion complex at 431 Richmond St. W has a new addition: Stussy Toronto. Upstairs from Nomad, this impeccably designed new store offers the latest from the famous streetwear brand. Check out the Stussy X Levis collection of premium denim jeans and jacket.



Urban Outfitters

The new retail/office building nearing completion on a burned out stretch of Queen St. (not related to the latest fire, photo above, south side of Queen St. west of Spadina) will house a new Urban Outfitters store. The mall is definitely moving west of Spadina.


Aji Sai

A couple of doors down from the new building, a new branch of the sushi restaurant Aji Sai is about to open. I've never visited this chain, but I'll be sure to give them a try. More sushi competition in the area can only be a good thing.


Spice Route (499 King St. W)

The failed Touch Lounge, on King St. W, is being transformed as we speak into a more upscale and hopefully more successful venture: Spice Route Asian Bistro, by Liberty Group. Last week I got to see the renovation work, and it is pretty impressive. Looking at the modest exterior, it is hard to believe it can house such a grand space. I'll try to get another peek so I can get some photos. Should open in spring.


Duke's Cycle (452 Richmond St. W)

Duke's, homeless since the latest fire on Queen St. devastated the store, is moving into a new space on Richmond St. W just west of Spadina. It'll be good to have them back.

Special Stogies

There are few things more enjoyable on a hot humid summer's evening than sitting back with a cold drink and slowly puffing on a fragrant Havana cigar. Well, summer is coming (really, it's true!) and hidden in an alley off King St. West is a small bit of Havana transplanted right here for our pleasure.

Frank Correnti Cigars Ltd. (606 King St. W, back alley, follow the signs) is a cigar factory which manufactures hand-made cigars from important Cuban tobacco leaves. It is, in fact, the only such establishment in Canada. The leaves are aged for 10-12 years before being put to use, resulting in a milder and more refined flavour. After aging, they are hand-rolled by Cuban cigar rollers who are trained in the Cuban cigar-making tradition.


A visit to the shop is a must for any cigar lover, or even anyone interested in seeing first-hand an old-style cigar factory, filled with smells, sights and sounds of old Havana, right in the heart of Toronto.

Cigars can be purchased on-site. A Correnti petit corona ($8.50) is a good introduction to the brand.

Swipe Moving

Swipe, the wonderful bookstore specializing in design and marketing, is moving from its old digs at 477 Richmond St. W to a suite in the legendary 401 Richmond building. The new place will be about twice as large and will allow Swipe to expand its inventory. I can't wait to see the new place and new goodies!

The move begins around April 20th, when Swipe will close. The new location should be open May 1st. Unfortunately, there will be no blowout inventory sale to lighten the move, but the news is good enough as it is.

Bar Blurb: Smokeless Joe

If you're like me, no matter where you live, it is very important to you to have a very good local bar. For a random drink with a friend, or your significant other, or even by yourself without feeling awkward, knowing a safe haven you can rely on is very valuable. Friendly, intimate and tasteful atmosphere, and a strong beer selection are a must. For me, such a place is Smokeless Joe (125 John St.)

Not to be confused with Shoeless Joe's, a chain unworthy of mention, Smokeless Joe (named back when it was one of the only non-smoking bars in the city) is a tiny, hidden gem surrounded by much louder and more garish neighbours catering to the club district's less discriminating patrons. The tiny interior is a portal to a vast world of international beer - Smokeless has one of the city's widest selections. When you enter, you will be handed a hefty beer menu with a dizying number of great beers from all over the world to choose from. Several good beers are always available on tap as well, and this selection changes frequently. I personally really like wheat beer, so I'll usually go for one they have on tap, and there's always at least one.

Have a seat at the bar and strike up a chat with the proprietors. They are quite friendly and know their beer. As you sip, consider sampling a few oysters, another Smokeless tradition. Mussels are another food favourite here, as well as the very satisfying clam chowder.

Hanging out at Smokeless (usually with my lady), we are regularly engaged in conversation by other friendly patrons at the bar. We've met a number of people here, both Torontonians and visitors from afar, who were well-advised by their travel guides to visit this secluded oasis. Something about the place just seems to open people up and bring them together. The intimate size and layout, the discreet and friendly staff, the blues slowly oozing from the speakers, and an absolutely incredible beer selection make Smokeless the personal neighbourhood bar of choice.

Jeans!

Jeans are possibly the most enduring and universally loved type of garment there is. I love jeans, and wear them almost exclusively. For me, a good pair of jeans is one that fits well, has a clean and minimal look, is durable, and can be worn in both casual and dressier situations. I have a weakness for dry selvedge denim with a classic fit.

Fortunately, in the King/Spadina area, we are blessed with a number of stores where such jeans can be found. Here's a few of them:


Nomad (431 Richmond St. W)

This wonderfully designed store is a mecca of street style and should be on any serious shopper’s itinerary. Jeans-wise, they carry a good selection of A.P.C., Imperial, Wings+Horns and Nom De Guerre.

Ransom (431 Richmond St. W)

Upstairs from Nomad is its sister store, Ransom, which has a more casual selection of street wear, and vintage reproductions from Levi's, like the LVC 1948 501. They also have their own original line of dry denim jeans which looks promising.

Next Door (433 Queen St. W)

A couple of minutes' walk from Nomad/Ransom is Next Door, which specializes in more formal stuff, and carries a few jeans from Acne and J. Lindeberg.

GotStyle (489 King St. W, 2nd floor)

This menswear store has lots of interesting stuff on hand, including some nice jean brands, like Kicking Mule.


Gotta start saving for that fancy denim!

Resto Writeup: Breakfast at Brassaii

Breakfast, to me, is definitely the most important and intimate meal of the day. Morning is a special, vulnerable time, and it sets the mood for the whole day. I don't have breakfast with just anyone, and I don't just have it anywhere.



For a cozy, relaxing and tasty breakfast with a friend, Brassaii (461 King St. W) is a venue that seldom disappoints. Named after the famous Hungarian-born photographer, the restaurant is elegantly designed in an impressively refurbished brick-and-beam industrial space with white walls providing a clean backdrop for classic and original photography. Large windows give the space a light and airy quality and make it a thoroughly enjoyable place to start your day.

Walking into this impressive yet friendly space, one expects to overpay for food, but breakfast here is surprisingly affordable. The top prize for value goes to the delicious and filling $3 croissant filled with nutella and banana. If you are interested in a healthier option, the $6 granola (with yogourt and honey) is one of the best such dishes I've had. A perennial favourite is also the goat cheese omelette ($7), with a side of toast and potatoes.

Resto Writeup: Fusaro's Kitchen

Following the theme of crowded but delicious and affordable lunch places around King/Spadina, a shining star definitely worthy of some attention is the lively and always satisfying Fusaro's Kitchen (147 Spadina Ave).

This charming cafeteria-style restaurant is a local lunchtime hotspot and it's usually fairly difficult to get a table, but even getting your food to go is worth a bit of a wait in the line. Once at the counter, you can order one of the delicious panini (my favourite is the tuna, $6.25), wraps, pasta, chicken alla parmigiana, or anything else they have laid out in the display. The bottled Brio Chinotto is another personal must-have.

Resto Writeup: Thai Princess

Thai Princess (387 King St. W) is one of the restaurants I most frequently frequent for lunch. It is also probably the best Thai restaurant I know in Toronto.

While lunchtime is often crowded, causing waits of up to 15-20 minutes on bad days, the struggle is well worth it. The dishes are mostly fairly usual fare (pad thai, curries) but they are made to a standard superior to that of most other Thai restaurants. The curry pad thai (with chicken and shrimp, $10 before taxes) is my favourite and it is truly sensational. I sometimes like to wash that down with hot ginger tea ($2.50), which comes in a nice ceramic tea pot and is a delicious remedy on a cold winter day.

Only once has anything in this restaurant disappointed me, and it had to do with the aforementioned ginger tea. In this one instance, another person accompanying me ordered the ginger tea as well, and we were made to share the one tea pot. We had had multiple tea orders before, and each person was always given their own pot previously, but the server assured me there was no mistake in this case. Certainly, it makes no sense to charge us twice for the same thing I normally get a single charge for. Anyway, a minor misunderstanding which was not repeated.

For an inexpensive, lively, laid-back and yet high-quality Thai lunch in the King/Spadina area, you can't go wrong with Thai Princess.