Toronto Life articles from December 2003

Toronto Life archives from December 2003

Missing.(This City)
December 1, 2003... Their anguish is impossible to imagine, let alone render into words. On October 24, when Sherry Xu and Raymond Zhang made a public plea for the safe return of their daughter, Cecilia, the whole city stopped and listened. [ILLUSTRATION...

The iceman cometh.(Profile)(John Ferguson Jr., new general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs)(Interview)(Biography)
December 1, 2003... Even across the crowded lobby of the Westin Harbour Castle, his features are unmistakable. John Ferguson Jr., freshly anointed as the 12th general manager of the Maple Leafs, bear's an uncanny resemblance to his father, the renowned NHL...

Half measures.(Telling Tales)(cover design for the book "Character Parts: Who's Really Who in CanLit")(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Shortly after the publication of Brian Busby's book Character Parts: Who's Really Who in CanLit, it seemed that who was on the cover was generating as much buzz as who was inside. The original mock-up, featured in Knopf's fall catalogue, paired...

I'm staying late, so you better keep the party going.(Telling Tales)(rap rocker Pink visits Toronto bars while in town for MuchMusic appearance)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... R&B crooner turned rap rocker Pink was recently in Toronto for an intimate and interactive gig at MuchMusic, after which the scarlet woman decided to add to her collection of frogs, hearts, guardian angels, dragons and bar codes--tattoos...

Paying customer.(Telling Tales)(Canadian singers Avril Lavigne and Chantal Kreviazuk collaborate)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... What could rocker Avril Lavigne and pop diva Chantal Kreviazuk possibly have in common? That's what, onlookers wondered when the duo was spotted lunching at Spring Rolls on Front Street early this fall. Are the two old pals? Was seasoned...

Something average this way comes.(Telling Tales)(journalist from Saturday Night magazine trips up media while researching story on men's magazines)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... It must have been a slow news day when members of the press--namely, the National Post, The Globe and Mail, Masthead magazine and CBC Radio's As It Happens--enthusiastically reported on Stu Neihardt's new eponymous men's magazine. Billed as an...

Sibling revelry.(Telling Tales)(Paris and Nicky Hilton at rock group Sum 41 party, Toronto, Ontario)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Park Avenue socialites Paris and Nicky Hilton are famous for being, well, famous. (Oh, and very, very wealthy, of course.) The Hilton sisters, with their skimpy frocks and spray-on tans, were hanging around with some young Canuck rockers in the...

Urban Decoder.(Telling Tales)(facts on baby pigeons, Christmas weather, and Ontario legislature building)
December 1, 2003... Dear Urban Decoder: In all the years I've lived in this city, I've never seen a baby pigeon. Do they exist? --Paul Robineau, Harbourfront Back before pigeons became the brash urbanistas of the avian world, their natural haunts...

The list.(This City)(former residents of Winnipeg, Manitoba, who have settled in Toronto, Ontario)
December 1, 2003... Wise guise One by one, quietly, cunningly, they arrived. Stowed away on hors d'oeuvre platters of kolbassa and cheese cubes, they made their way into our boardrooms and art galleries, our recording and television studios, and took over as only...

Camera.(This City)(launch party for new magazine "The Walrus", Toronto, Ontario)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Enter The Walrus The chattering classes are at their bantering best (or worst, depending on your perspective) at the September launch of The Walrus magazine--a heavily promoted periodical touted as Canada's answer to Harper's. Thirty minutes...

This issue.(editor introduces writer Andrea Curtis)(Editorial)
December 1, 2003... THREE YEARS AGO, MALCOLM GLADWELL WROTE IN The New Yorker of our inclination to make snap judgments about people we meet. It's probably a skill we acquired millions of years ago, when our survival depended on our ability to decide quickly...

On the money.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... Gerald Hannon's gushing article "Fortune Teller," on Sherry Cooper's ability to predict the economic future [This City, October], might have been more down to earth had he mentioned her wonky prediction, reported prominently in The Globe and...

The milky way.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... Rebecca Weinfeld's article "You've Come a Long Way, Baby" [This City, October] states that there's a trend to feed one's baby enriched soy formula. Some may go that route, but for optimum health of both baby and mother, the World Health...

Pipe down.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... In his otherwise colourful piece entitled "Soul Survivor" [Icons, October[, James FitzGerald makes inaccurate statements about the contents of the basement at 1 Spadina Crescent. While many Victorian buildings have rusty pipes (and FitzGerald...

Handle with care.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... I am an employee of the Early Learning Centre at U of T, and I enjoyed reading "Building Blocks" [Design, October]. Though the focus of the article was the architecture, the most important building block of the ELC was sadly overlooked: the...

White out.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... In his October This Issue column, John Macfarlane strikingly highlights the glass ceiling all new immigrants hit. Just count the non-Caucasians in your photo of former interns. The group hardly looks like a representative sample of the world's...

Oops!(Correction Notice)
December 1, 2003... On our October Contents page, we erroneously promised an Icon about Knox Presbyterian Church. The Icon was, in fact, about Knox College. In our October This Month listings, we incorrectly reported that the film festival Si Si Cine had...

Theatre.(This Month)(upcoming performances)(Calendar)
December 1, 2003... OPENINGS Capture Me. A collection of Judith Thompson's distinguished, disturbing early plays bear's the appropriate title The Other Side of the Dark. As a dramatist, she has long intrepidly explored the territory so evocatively described...

Boy wonder.(This Month)(actor and playwright Damien Atkins)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... In his short, brilliant career, the 28-year-old singer-actor-playwright Damien Atkins has already been all over the theatrical map. After writing his first play, Miss Chatelaine (1995), a personal tale about growing up and coming out in...

Classical music.(upcoming performances)(Calendar)
December 1, 2003... ORCHESTRAL Les Violons du Roy. Bernard Labadie conducts one of the city's four productions of Messiah. This year, the renowned Quebec City ensemble is joined by the wonderful mezzo-soprano Susan Platts, soprano Christine Brandes, tenor...

Standard bearer.(This Month)(jazz singer Laila Biali)(Brief Article)(Biography)
December 1, 2003... She has a clear and sultry alto, a good ear for standards and a way with the ivories, but don't call Laila Biali the next Diana Krall. With Canada up to its ears in divas, the North Vancouver native prefers the road less travelled, exploring...

Dance.(Book Review)
December 1, 2003... Autobiography: Chapters One Through Five. "Autobiography" is a bit of a misnomer--this isn't a straightforward and linear story of life. Rather, Alberta-born Gerry Trentham was inspired by his experiences in various parts of the country: Thus,...

Art.(Calendar)
December 1, 2003... [FREE] Mary Shaffer. The small town of Marfa, Texas, home of the legendary collection of Donald Judd's large-scale sculptural installations, is also the hometown of glass artist Mary Shaffer. While at times a subscriber to Judd's minimalist...

Remains of the day.(Susanna Heller's art exhibition.)(Calendar)
December 1, 2003... From Susanna Heller's aerie on the 91st floor of the North Tower in the World Trade Center came an outpouring of magnificent paintings. Nobody took better advantage of the panoramic views than she did during her year-long artist's tenure In the...

Nightlife.(Calendar)
December 1, 2003... CONCERTS Barra MacNeils. Cape Breton music may not be all the (unexpected) rage it was in the heady, high-steppin' Riverdance-driven days, but it's still salt-of-the-earth music. And the MacNeils perform it with their own gorgeous...

Jazz and standards.(Calendar)
December 1, 2003... CONCERTS Laila Biali. This young pianist-composer, who has established her presence with remarkable speed, is possessed of both passionate lyricism and a sense of orderly, refined development. (See the highlight on page 42.) Just 23 years...

Friends and neighbors.(Broken Social Scene.)(Calendar)
December 1, 2003... Broken Social Scene often seems less like band then an unwieldy gang of friends who just happened to find themselves onstage with instruments in hand. What began four years ago as a basement recording project for two scruffy but highly sociable...

Kids' events.(Calendar)
December 1, 2003... Living Arts Centre, Songsmith Jack Grunsky is still riding the wave generated by his latest album, Like a Flower to the Sun, and the two-time Juno winner promises to hit the RBC Theatre stage with bells on--ankle bells, to be precise. But these...

Diversions.(Calendar)
December 1, 2003... Cinematheque Ontario looks back at the work of acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Denys Arcand, including his controversial 1972 documentary on the rise of the Parti Quebecois, Quebec: Duplessis and After; Dec. 2; his flawed adaptation of Brad...

Night crawler.(Vinyl jukeboxes.)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Though they once dominated every beer parlour, cocktail lounge and malt shoppe in the city, vinyl jukeboxes have been relegated to a few well-appointed boomer basements. A short tour of the proto-MP3 players still in the public domain makes for...

The Ed Mirvish show: when the curtain rises on The Producers this month, it will mark the 40th anniversary of Ed Mirvish's entry into show business. Who are we kidding? He's been an entertainer all his life. Honest Ed: retailer, restaurateur, impresario, always extraordinaire.
December 1, 2003... ON THE OCCASION OF THE 80TH ANniversary of the Royal Alexandra Theatre's 1907 opening, The Toronto Sun obligingly printed a celebratory spread. A photograph of the man who paid for the theatre's erection, Cawthra Mulock, stares out from one...

Survivor: he was a homeless alcoholic, a petty criminal, a drifter. Why would anyone believe him when he accused a gang of 51 Division cops of beating him to a bloody pulp in a parking lot off Cherry Street? It took more than six years, but Thomas Kerr finally got his day in court.
December 1, 2003... FOR THOMAS KERR, AUGUST 21, 1996, began much like any other day. He started drinking as soon as the liquor store opened at 9:30 and then, sufficiently fortified, headed off to find a friend who owed him money. En route, the 32-year-old with the...

Prep school.(Dish Cooking Studio.)
December 1, 2003... Sunlight spills like a champagne cocktail over Dish Cooking Studio's peony-perfumed kitchen. Students trickle in nervously, dropping jangling car keys into Cole Haan clutches. Some, too shy for small talk, mill around the on-site boutique,...

Holiday Gifts.
December 1, 2003... Umbra Bluff poker $150, Urban Mode, 389 Queen St. W., 416-591-8834 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Magis Pipe Dreams watering can $75, Void, 334 King St. E., 416-868-6600 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Gym bag $58, Lululemon, 734 Queen St. W.,...

The loan arranger.(McTamney's.)
December 1, 2003... Walk into any pawnshop and you expect to be overwhelmed by clutter: dust-covered stereos, tarnished silverware, timeworn castoffs tucked into every nook and cranny. Not so at McTamney's. Here, everything appears clean and neatly arranged, from...

All about Reeves: she started life as Lynda Tibshirani, the eldest of three children raised in a modest suburb outside Niagara Falls. Three careers, three husbands and 10 houses later, she is Lynda Reeves-Rosedale chatelaine, savvy publisher, Canada's answer to Martha Stewart.(Interview)
December 1, 2003... Respond to journalist re request for interview. Ask if journalist is out for dirt. Admit some dirt. Warn about negative comments re management style. Invite journalist to house. Remind self: any publicity is good...

Dr. Strange Glove: his fantastical creations have been donned by the likes of Sly Stallone, Meryl Streep and Madonna. His work has graced the halls of the Metropolitan Museum. So why is Daniel Storto, master glove maker, living and working in a modern-day ghost town?(Interview)
December 1, 2003... TWO YEARS AGO, DANIEL STORTO PULLED off the most original idea of his very creative life. He moved to Gloversville, New York, in the sleepy foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, a world away from the city of his birth, Toronto. He came with...

Fan fare: for those who crave more than peanuts and Cracker Jacks, the restaurants at SkyDome, Woodbine and the Air Canada Centre serve up some mighty fine food.(Column)
December 1, 2003... SKYDOME IN LATE SEPTEMBER--LAST WEEK of the Blue Jays' season--a half-hour before the game. We sat at a table in Windows restaurant, my friend and I, staring glumly into the void. Pitching ace Roy Halladay was going for his team-record 22nd...

Tasting notes.
December 1, 2003... 'Tis the season It's likely that there's someone on your list for whom a gift of wine, beer or spirits is not only appropriate but cherished. The starting point is to give something you know and like, something you can talk about after the...

A la mode.(Restaurant ratings.)
December 1, 2003... Restaurants are rated on a five-star system by Toronto Life's anonymous reviewers, who are required to be honest, accurate and fair. Marks are awarded only for a restaurant's cooking, taking into account the kitchen's ambitions,consistency of...

Zoom is no more.
December 1, 2003... Zoom is no more. The restaurant on King Street East, where Toronto first got to know Guy Rubino's precise, adventurous cuisine and his brother Michael Rubino's elegant, urbane front-of-house style, closed its doors mid-September. "It was a...

Word has it that Susur Lee has bought the building next door to his restaurant, Susur.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Word has it that Susur Lee has bought the building next door to his restaurant, Susur. The great man hasn't decided what he will do with the property yet, but it seems unlikely he will expand Susur.

Hemispheres, in the Metropolitan Hotel, has a new executive chef in the familiar person of Marco Ormonde, restaurant chef there for the past two years.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Hemispheres, in the Metropolitan Hotel, has a new executive chef in the familiar person of Marco Ormonde, restaurant chef there for the past two years. Meanwhile, Marcel Rethore has a new talent at the stoves of Quartier. Montreal native...

If Avalon's Chris McDonald ever takes an evening off and nips down to Perigee, the new resto in the Distillery complex, he won't know who to talk to first.(Restaurant Review)
December 1, 2003... If Avalon's Chris McDonald ever takes an evening off and nips down to Perigee, the new resto in the Distillery complex, he won't know who to talk to first. Seems like the entire staff are alumni. Chef Pat Riley was sous at Avalon for two and a...

Patrick McMurray, owner of Starfish, returned from the world oyster-shucking championships in Galway, Ireland, with another trophy as the world's fastest shucker, opening 30 Galway oysters in two minutes, 41 seconds.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Patrick McMurray, owner of Starfish, returned from the world oyster-shucking championships in Galway, Ireland, with another trophy as the world's fastest shucker, opening 30 Galway oysters in two minutes, 41 seconds. Not his fastest speed-he's...

Shopping with chefs.(Restaurants.)(Interview)
December 1, 2003... Chris Zielinski of YYZ, 345 Adelaide St. W., 416-599-3399 For a man who's been working in a kitchen for the better part of 20 years--including stints at the National Ballet School and Susur Lee's Lotus-YYZ's Chris Zielinski is surprisingly...

Bistro.(Restaurants. Five61 Dining on Avenue, Joy, Olivia.)(Restaurant Review)
December 1, 2003... Five61 Dining on Avenue *** With gilt-framed mirrors hung on tapestry walls, this small bistro looks more like a wealthy relative's formal dining room than a restaurant. Much like supper at said relative's, the experience here is...

Clafoutis.(Restaurants. Bymark, Herbs, Dufflet Pastries, Bonjour Brioche.)(Restaurant Review)
December 1, 2003... The beauty of clafoutis--the ubiquitous bonne femme of French desserts-lies in its sweet and simple nature. So understood the goodly farmers of France's rustic Limousin region, who first concocted this no-fuss dessert, placing fresh cherries at...

Chinese.(Restaurants. Lichee Garden, Lucky Dragon.)(Restaurant Review)
December 1, 2003... [NEW] Lichee Garden ** Once the two-storey McDonald's at University and Dundas, Lichee Garden's new locale marks a return to its original neighbourhood. Curiously little of this dining institution or its Chinese-Canadian cuisine has...

French.(Restaurants. La Palette, Quartier.)(Restaurant Review)
December 1, 2003... La Palette ** 1/2 Chi-chi it ain't, with a plastic vine around the Mirror, framed Lautrec posters, jazz playing in the dimly lit room. Regulars smoke at the sidewalk tables. Service is knowing but not unfriendly; one can see why people...

Greek.(Restaurants.)(Restaurant Review)
December 1, 2003... Pantheon ** Traditional Danforth conviviality spills out onto sidewalk tables; families love the burst of flame from a flambeed saganaki. Inside the brightly lit restaurant, murals of the gods are as cheerfully gaudy as a painted carousel....

Italian.(Reataurants. Acquolina, Bravi, Grappa.)(Restaurant Review)
December 1, 2003... Acquolina *** Unlike most romantic Italian bistros, which are dimly lit, this one is bright and breezy, attracting lively groups of friends as well as moonstruck couples. Clich6 shots of the Trevi fountain and other familiar Italian vistas...

Japanese.(Restaurants. Katsu Sushi.)(Restaurant Review)
December 1, 2003... [NEW] Katsu Sushi ** 1/2 Cheerful marine murals and Japanese lanterns enhance the laid-back atmosphere at this split-level Greektown sushi spot. Unadventurous raw offerings are upstaged by a dizzying variety of hot appetizers...

Latin.(Restaurants. Azul, Mi Tierra.)(Restaurant Review)
December 1, 2003... Azul ** 1/2 Corrugated iron covers one wall and extends across part of the ceiling, while Formica chairs and blue Naugahyde banquettes give the open room--with the spacious kitchen taking up the back half--a sort of sexy shop-class feel....

Mediterranean.(Restaurtants. Lolita's Lust.)(Restaurant Review)
December 1, 2003... Lolita's Lust ** Its patina of naughtiness long gone, how does Lolita's manage lust? The streetside peephole seems just irritating; the rooms are no longer funky, at least not to anybody who's bothered to look up the meaning of the word....

Seafood.(Restaurants. Pure Spirits Oyster House & Grill.)(Restaurant Review)
December 1, 2003... [NEW] Pure Spirits Oyster House & Grill ** Deep in the Distillery District (its cobbled lanes so romantic after dark), the city's latest seafood restaurant and oyster presentation is a sizable enterprise. Those who choose to sit outside on...

Out of town.(Restaurants.)
December 1, 2003... Bijou *** 1/2 This little back-alley operation is wildly successful. Aaron and Bronwyn Linley didn't squander their limited resources on the decor when they took over the gutted main floor of a slightly decrepit old pool hall. White paint...

$25 gourmet.(Restaurants.)(Directory)
December 1, 2003... [NEW] Sarah's Cafe and Bar Among storefronts of Greek titles, Sarah's sits quietly, its conservatory-like windows lined with glowing candles. A black curtain in the entranceway adds a touch of the theatrical, initially hiding the quaint...

Maple Leaf Gardens: November 12, 1931-October 21, 2003.(Column)
December 1, 2003... You don't know, when you're in eighth grade and lining up at centre ice, that you'll never forget the receding tiers (red, blue, green, grey) or the cavernous thunder of the PA system or the ammoniac chill. You know nothing of how the place...

We'll drink to that: a guide to the year's best libations.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Welcome to the only little book you need to shop well for wine, beer and spirits in Ontario. On your behalf, we've spent weeks tasting through the continuously available LCBO general listings and newly expanded Vintages Essentials listings--as...

Wine.(Directory)
December 1, 2003... AUSTRALIA WHITE WINE Annie's Lane 2002 Semillon **** 1/2 443549 $14.95 Clare Valley Chart topper again this year. Wonderfully exotic nose of honey, light wood spice, lime-mandarin citrus notes and exotic star fruit (like...

Treasure hunt: destination beers.
December 1, 2003... Each year, the LCBO and Ontario's breweries release a handful of new beers to supplement those regularly available at the province's liquor and beer stores. In the LCBO's case these releases are bi-monthly and distributed through select stores...

Liquid assets: Ontario's wineries.(Directory)
December 1, 2003... THE BENCH (WINONA TO ST. CATHARINES) Angels Gate Beamsville, 905-563-3942 Striking building, waterfall and panoramic view are attractions; the breakout vintage of 2002 is the reason to shop. Very good gamay, pinot noir, riesling and one of...

Beer.(Directory)
December 1, 2003... ALE LIGHT-BODIED ALE Coopers Sparkling Ale **** 1/2 551010 Australia 5.8% alc. $1.95/375 mL bottle This classic 'ale from the family-owned Coopers disproves the generally dismal reputation of Aussie beer. Effervescent from bottle...

Spirits.(Directory)
December 1, 2003... BRANDY Bottega Alexander Society Grappa 2001 **** 1/2 591602 $29.95/700 mL Italy Marc of pinot, total, veruzzo and prosecco. Crystal-clear, colourless, with a pretty, aromatic, perfumed bouquet of hay and raisins. Delicate, clean...