New Indigo on King W?

Rumour has it that Indigo may be moving into the large commercial space at the corner of King and Brant streets recently vacated by Acton Leather. Stay tuned!

Food News

Looks like Ichiban Sushi is set to open on the corner of Adelaide and Charlotte St. where the old Autogrille restaurant used to be. I'm pretty excited that this great location, with its huge patio and attractive interior, is going to be used for something once again.

In other area food news, Frescos has opened a store at 525 King St. W. selling packaged ready-to-cook meals. The idea is that for around $10 and 10 minutes of work, you can have a fresh restaurant quality meal for two in the comfort of your home. I'll plan to give it a try sometime.

Oh, and the new Bier Markt at King and Portland is now open. Pricey, but any patio is better than no patio, I say.

Bier Markt King West

Saw an ad on the bus shelter in front of the building today so I had to look into it.

Details here:
http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/club-news-822.html

Looks like this will be happening in the old Amsterdam Brewery space. Another potentially great patio to add to the mix around here!

Summer

Summer's back! Well, sorta. We had summer back in May, which probably explains why I didn't write anything that month. Yes, much time was spent consuming delectable treats and refreshing beverages on area patios, biking along our waterfront and our valleys, and simply lying around and catching some rays. June has been a bit of a letdown, but that shouldn't stop us from hoping for a great summer and celebrating its official calendar start.

If you stop by Bar Wellington, my favourite local watering hole, there's a surprisingly reasonable chance you'll find me there.

Salut!

Spring Sneaks

We love strolling about in all seasons, but spring in Toronto, that brief bout of clement weather wedged between the long, harsh freeze of Canadian winter and the sweltering sauna of summer, finds us especially street-happy. All that walking around sure does a number on our sneakers, but fortunately, spring is a time for new beginnings so it's easy to justify a new pair of sneaks as part of the whole spring cleaning package.

Around King/Spadina, there are lots of shops with a decent selection of sneakers, but rather than enumerate all the dozens of places you can pick up a pair of chucks or Nikes, I thought I'd concentrate on slightly harder-to-find casual brands and styles:

C Squared (365 Queen St. W)

This is the place to go for a pair of Campers. This popular Spanish brand is surprisingly difficult to come by in Toronto - there is no Camper store here yet (not for long, hopefully!). C Squared carries the biggest selection of Camper sneaks in the city, as well as other interesting footwear and apparel.

Livestock (116 Spadina Ave.)

Vancouver-based Livestock set up shop in Toronto recently, offering a selection of rarer Vans styles. A selection of streetwear apparel is also available, including some by Pharell's Billionaire Boys Club label.

Goodfoot (431 Richmond St. W)

The mecca for Toronto sneaker freaks, Goodfoot carries the latest rare sneakers as well as hard-to-find vintage styles. Great store design and informative staff make a visit to the store an educational, even cultural, experience - a store, but also a sneaker gallery in a way.

Get Outside (437 Queen St. W)

A Queen Street institution, this is the place to go for Clarks, Tsubo, Ben Sherman and a number of other brands. Even spotted some Evisu chucks there as of late. A good selection of Converse and Vans is also available.

Da Zone (468 Queen St. W)

If all else fails, for a more conventional selection of stylish and affordable sneakers, Da Zone on Queen and Augusta is the place to go. Lots of Converse, Vans, Asics, Adidas, Puma can be found in this large and airy store.

Happy shopping, and happy spring!

FAT '08

So last night I spent the evening down in the Distillery District, checking out the first evening of events around Alternative Fashion Week which included video installations, live music, runways shows and lots of schmoozing and all-around good times. The drink ticket system was the only annoying thing, boo, but it didn't dampen anyone's spirits and the amazing post-industrial venue (the Fermenting Cellar) was buzzing with great energy into the morning hours.

I particuarly liked the collections and presentations of Krane and Babu et Moi, who showed a slightly sci-fi collection with an aquatic theme.

If you missed last night, you still have a chance to make up for it: TAB events are happening tonight and Saturday night as well.

Infestation

Strolling by the lake this afternoon and enjoying the wonderful weather, I used the opportunity to drop by the Power Plant and check out their current exhibit, Cuttings.


Most striking to me was a work titled Infestation Piece, a playful meditation referencing various instances and kinds of foreign invasion and viral spread. The idea behind the work is explained here, and is worth reading even if you don't plan on visiting the gallery.

This particular exhibit is on until May 11.