Toronto Life articles from January 2006

Toronto Life archives from January 2006

The Dominion Club.(SPECIAL ADVERTISING FEATURE)(Advertisement)
January 1, 2006... The Dominion Club, Toronto's newest Business and Social Club, is located at the southwest corner of Yonge and King. Its much anticipated opening is creating a revived buzz around the city in regard to private club memberships. Say goodbye to...

Exclusive Penthouse Membership now available.(The Suites at 1 King West)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
January 1, 2006... This extraordinary penthouse is a 4,500-square-foot, three-storey suite, featuring 3 bedrooms, a 'movie-set' living and dining area, a truly exotic master bedroom on the 51st floor with a glass-enclosed hot tub, and breathtaking, wrap-around...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... In your feature on the most expensive goods available in Toronto ["How Much?!" November], you say that the target market for the $558 dog coat is "yuppies and guppies (i.e., gay yuppies) with ludicrously pampered pooches" But you forgot to...

Bottom dollar.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... I was amused that the November issue was subtitled "The Money Issue," Aren't they all? From what I have read lately, your magazine is all about who has money, who doesn't, old money, new money, who can spend it and how fast. If I were new to...

We are the world.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... I would like to congratulate Toronto Life for publishing an article on one of the most important issues facing Toronto today: the plight of educated and talented immigrants struggling to find work once they arrive in Canada ["Starting Over,"...

Tuned out.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2006... I am a fan of Broken Social Scene, and I feel homegrown pride over the current popularity of the Toronto music scene. However, I take exception to some of the statements made by Jason McBride in the article "Big Band Theory" [November]. McBride...

Oops!(Letters)(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
January 1, 2006... A review in our Entertaining CityGuide contained an error. The number listed for the CN Tower should have been 416-601-4718. Letters to the editor must be accompanied by the writer's full name, daytime telephone number and home address,...

Welcome to Toronto, where the cops do what they want.(This Issue)
January 1, 2006... In the fall, the Toronto Police Association, which represents the city's 5,100 cops, organized a protest at Nathan Phillips Square. The police and the Police Services Board were at odds over a new collective agreement. The board wanted...

The soprano: opera singer Measha Brueggergosman listens to heavy metal, hosts her own TV show and has critics around the world scraping for superlatives.(PROFILE)
January 1, 2006... WE MEET JUST A FEW BLOCKS from Toronto's gay village, and opera singer Measha Brueggergosman looks as if she's channelling some of that neighbourhood's exuberant street energy and sartorial snazz--gold shoes, dangly turquoise earrings, a...

Million-dollar babies: the Bell Celebrity Gala for SickKids brought out the boldface.(CAMERA)
January 1, 2006... Well-known names from the worlds of sports, media, arts and entertainment assembled on the red carpet at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for a '60s-themed gala (few guests dressed the part, with the exception of the ever-fearless Jeanne...

Pirate gold: from the silver screen to a $5 pirated DVD.(REALITY CHECK)
January 1, 2006... In 2004, 15,000 pirated DVDs were seized in the GTA. In 2005, one seizure alone netted more than 200,000. So you'd think that whipping out a video camera would get you booted from your local cineplex. But there's no law in Canada banning...

Spitting distance.(TELLING TALES)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... November's second annual Wine Tasting Challenge was a show down of oenophiles going mano-a-mano to see whose finely tuned palates could correctly identify the most mystery vintages. It was all merely the latest symptom of Toronto's increasingly...

Control freaks: profs and students are smitten with classroom clickers.(HERE'S THE THING)
January 1, 2006... If you thought PowerPoint was at the cutting edge of lecture technology, think again. Guinea-pig profs at York, U of T and Ryerson have armed students with "group response pads"--TV remote-style clickers (descendants of the devices used to poll...

The highs and lows of city life.(BEST & WORST)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... BEST PUBLIC RELATIONS ROM CEO William Thorsell knew the jig was up. Even density-adoring citizens had to concede the 46-storey condos were out of place on an avenue dedicated to public space and cultural institutions. And with an average...

Lost, found and smuggled over.(URBAN DECODER)
January 1, 2006... Dear Urban Decoder: How many items does the 1TC's lost and found get in a day? KATHLEEN STEVENS, BEACONSFIELD The facility, on the mezzanine of Bay station, gets an average of 100 to 200 objects a day--a total of roughly 45,000 per...

Lit wit.(TELLING TALES)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Be careful what you say to Zadie Smith. So learned a few hapless locals who dared to ask the reigning Brit-lit it girl the wrong questions at the International Festival of Authors in October. First, at a public Q&A session, she was an...

Swish chalet: a year-round getaway in development-crazed ski country.(HOT PROPERTY)
January 1, 2006... WHERE: Town of the Blue Mountains, near Craigleith SQUARE FEET: 4,674 BEDROOMS: four BATHROOMS: three ASKING PRICE: $1,398,000 THE NEIGHBOURHOOD: With panoramic vistas of two top-drawer clubs, Craigleith and Alpine, this...

Waste of time.(TASTE POLICE)
January 1, 2006... SUSPECT: Brookfield Properties Corporation SCENE OF CRIME: Northeast corner of Yonge and Bloor CHARGE: Retinal abuse EVIDENCE: Recently, N.Y.C.-based Brookfield Property Management installed a prominent, looming clock in front of...

Space cowboys: how a small, cash-strapped non-profit made civic activism cool.(ROUNDUP)
January 1, 2006... For a non-profit organization with 15 volunteer coordinators, an annual budget of $7,000 and a fondness for weighty issues, the Toronto Public Space Committee has a surprisingly high profile. Established in 200], the TPSC and its tireless...

Better shop around: by catering to condo dwellers, Jack Rabba has built a 32-store empire. But can Rabba Fine Foods compete as the grocery wars heat up?(Retail)
January 1, 2006... THE DELI COUNTER OF RABBA FINE FOODS at Balmuto and Charles sells tabbouleh and falafel alongside hummus, feta and 15 varieties of olives. Twenty different styles of pita cram the bread shelf not far from boxes of baklava and dates from Algeria...

The populist: the Star's Richard Ouzounian breaks all the rules: he declares his love for mega-musicals and trashes the latest indie hits. But his passionate approach has made him the most powerful theatre critic in town.(Arts)
January 1, 2006... RICHARD OUZOUNIAN HASN'T MADE a lot of friends among theatre producers, actors and directors during his five years of reviewing at the Toronto Star. In fact, he has garnered (rather unfairly) a bad reputation. "You want to talk to me about...

The year that was.
January 1, 2006... 2005 was all about extremes. The gangs went trigger happy, and the pop stars got blitzed. The fashion world went delirious over $600 jeans, and the socialites got a conscience. When we weren't terrified of paralyzing power failures (that never...

In the line of fire: of the hundreds of people who are shot in Toronto every year, the vast majority live to talk about it. They're gang members, friends of gang members and innocent bystanders. Five survivors tell their stories.
January 1, 2006... Mark Farrell, 31 Shot in the back and shoulder on the way to a Black History Month event When: February 19, 1994 Where: Humber College Before: Middleman for drug deals and gun sales; sold fake credit card numbers; lived with...

Retro man: he wears '40s suits and hides away in his basement concocting a comic book town called Palookville. For Seth, it can be hard to tell where the fantasy ends and the real world begins.
January 1, 2006... WHEN THE TELEPHONE RINGS in his apartment, it actually rings. It doesn't warble or twitter electronically, or give you a blast of the latest hip hop hit. It rings the way telephones used to ring in the movies--a jangling, insistent bell that...

Hannah Sung: how the sprightly MuchMusic VJ, who hosts MuchNews's annual year-end pop culture bonanza, would spend a perfect day. Toronto on an unlimited budget.(24 HOURS WITH)
January 1, 2006... First thing in the morning, I'd go to Red Tea Box (696 Queen St. W., 416-203-8882) for a rose petal vanilla scone ($4.75) and rooibos herbal tea ($4.50), an amazing South African blend. I'd read the Star, the Globe and The New York Times, then...

The city's best loot.(Super Shopper)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... BLOCK PARTY Update your staid white, off-white or ivory dishes with groovy printed glass plates from Vancouver's Torre & Tagus, purveyor of chic and affordable housewares. $20-$30. Simone Interiors, 1605-D Queen St. W., 416-530-2948. ...

Mount Pleasantville: a decade ago, it was less a neighbourhood than a glum thoroughfare. But with some recent stylish additions, this discreet midtown stretch is slowly waking up to the fashionable life.(On the Block)
January 1, 2006... 1. Cheese Emporium Last May, after 12 years of running St. Lawrence Market's Olympic Food and Cheese, Steve Maggirias opened this wonderland for the uptown laiterati. Cheese-plate scene stealers include saffronlaced Sicilian pecorino, and...

Host story: noodles, the Courtyard Cafe, Le Bistingo, Pastis--wherever Rosedale has gone for comfort, the incurably Gallic Monsieur Gurnon has shown them to their tables. But for how much longer?(Dining)
January 1, 2006... SOMEONE IS GRINDING THE RUMOUR MILL: I certainly hope it's not true. Georges Gurnon's lease is up at Pastis Express, say the whispers, and his landlord, Franco Prevedello, has grand plans for the building. Tonight, from my spot by the window, I...

Roe trip: unless you like your sturgeon eggs poached, you really should switch to non-Caspian caviar. The good news: the wild Canadian variety is almost as delish.(Food)
January 1, 2006... MARK OMIDI unlocks the door of a nondescript suburban low-rise, and we slip into the windowless basement. The broad-shouldered owner of the Caviar Centre leads me to his stash--tins of Caspian caviar stacked in a small glass-fronted fridge....

Tango time: Argentine wines have come of age, but prices for them don't reflect that--yet.(Drink)
January 1, 2006... IN THE 20TH CENTURY, the descendants of Spanish settlers built Argentina into the world's fifth-largest wine producer, but few of them had the vision or means to take their wine beyond Buenos Aires. Much of it was not worth taking. Lately,...

Trumpeter 2003 Merlot.
January 1, 2006... [pick] Trumpeter 2003 Merlot **** $13.95 | Tupungato, Argentina Made by Familia Rutini, this thoroughly modern, likable red delivers structure without pretension. Soft, sweet floral aromas of black cherry are coated with vanilla and...

Cave Spring 2003 CSV Riesling.
January 1, 2006... Cave Spring 2003 CSV Riesling **** 1/2 $30 | Niagara Peninsula Don't flinch at the $30 price tag for Ontario's best riesling (CSV is Cave Spring Vineyard, the winery's now mature home site). Classic riesling aromas will never appeal to all,...

Henry of Pelham 2004 Chardonnay Reserve.
January 1, 2006... Henry of Pelham 2004 Chardonnay Reserve **** $13.95 | Niagara Peninsula The lighter 2004 vintage lends delicacy to this perennial value. Cool, stony nose with spicy, toasty notes from well-integrated oak, plus yellow pear and mineral...

Ca'Marcanda 2003 Promis.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2006... Ca'Marcanda 2003 Promis **** 1/2 $42.95 | Tuscany, Italy A reasonably affordable glimpse into the style and skill of Angelo Gaja, Italy's pre-eminent and most value-challenged winemaker. A merlot-syrah-sangiovese blend from a fine vintage,...

Bodega Lurton 2003 Gran Lurton.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Bodega Lurton 2003 Gran Lurton **** $17.95 | Mendoza, Argentina Based on cabernet sauvignon, Vintages' Wine of the Month has unusual traction for a big wine from a hot place. Deep colour; ripe cassis, chocolate, licorice. Full bodied, dense...

Jackson-Triggs 2002 Merlot Grand Reserve.
January 1, 2006... Jackson-Triggs 2002 Merlot Grand Reserve **** $23.95 | Niagara Peninsula Hot '02 was the breakthrough vintage for J-T's top reds, a label struggling for respect after years of brand building via inexpensive mediocrity. Could be modern...

13th Street Sandstone 2003 Gamay Estate.
January 1, 2006... 13th Street Sandstone 2003 Gamay Estate **** $20 | Niagara Peninsula Turkey red extraordinaire from the undisputed leaders in Niagara gamay (the 2002 Gamay Reserve topped its category at the 2005 Canadian Wine Awards). Very pretty,...

Matua Valley 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot.
January 1, 2006... Matua Valley 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot *** 1/2 $15.95 | Hawkes Bay, New Zealand New screw-cap is an Ontario debut for a winery doing well out West. No heavyweight but has charm, with lifted aromas of red and green pepper, raspberry,...

Norton 2003 Malbec Reserva.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2006... Norton 2003 Malbec Reserva *** 1/2 $17.95 | Mendoza, Argentina Reserved and taut, but not austere, it shows malbec's solid core, embellished with flattering vanilla and black cherry-plum fruit, plus nuances of tobacco, licorice and dusty...

Cuesta del Parral 2004 Syrah.(Product/Service Evaluation)
January 1, 2006... Cuesta del Parral 2004 Syrah *** $8.95 | San Juan, Argentina Good value--worth cellaring a few bottles. From a province neighbouring Mendoza. Shows reserved dusty, spicy oak aromas and vague berry-cherry fruit. Fairly dense palate catches...

Riscal 2003 Tempranillo.
January 1, 2006... Riscal 2003 Tempranillo *** $11.95 | Castillo y Leon, Spain New listing. This classic producer delivers traditional barrel-aged Spanish taste at a reasonable price. Maturing aromas of leather, dried herbs and cherry-prune. Medium weight,...

Graham's Ten Year Old Tawny.
January 1, 2006... Graham's Ten Year Old Tawny **** 1/2 $28.10 | Portugal Curl up fireside with a European novel. Flames will reflect in the tawny colour. Fresh fig-cherry fruit and more mature leather, walnut and honey will cushion soft blue cheese. Silky...

Hip replacement: Doku 15 takes clubland east of Yonge Street.(Cosmopolitan Hotel )(Hotel Review)
January 1, 2006... The Zen-cool Cosmopolitan Hotel is now home to Doku 15, hunk-entrepreneur Zark Fatah's new supper club serving high-fusion pan-Asian tapas. Kate Hudson threw a film fest party there, then the place closed while a courtyard became a dining room...

Restaurants.
January 1, 2006... A LA MODE BOBA *** It's Saturday night and the place is buzzing; a few tables over, chef-owner Bob Bermann chats with patrons, explaining that he sources his top-grade, organically raised lamb from Cumbrae Farms. It's hard not to feel...

What's the rush? Where it comes from, coffee is all about slow.(HIGH/LOW)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... Tim Hortons (47 downtown locations and counting) has been pouring Canadians steaming cups of coffee since 1964--long enough to make "double-double" part of the lexicon. Pre-measured, vacuum-sealed foil packets of pre-roasted arabica beans...

Pillow talk: cozying up with the ultimate comfort food.(QUEST)
January 1, 2006... An ancient dish that lends itself to limitless modern reinterpretations, ravioli is still fundamentally peasant food, combining whatever is available for stuffing with whatever there is for sauce. The far end of the spectrum has been most in...

Torte law: on her 30th anniversary in business, Dufflet Rosenberg, the Queen of Cakes, reveals a scandalous secret.(THE DISH)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... It was the core of her first lawsuit (an employee tried to poach the recipe) and the source of endless speculation by professional pastry hands. Now it can be told--the near shameful secret behind Dufflet's iconic marvel of tabletop...

Sayonara, Muskoka: Taboo Resort's celeb chef packs up his sushi gear.(IN FLUX)
January 1, 2006... Michael Pataran has left Taboo Resort in Gravenhurst, his experimental Japanese-inspired cooking now no more than a delicious memory. "It was a mutual decision," the chef reports. "Taboo's owners are taking the place back toward its old...

Motion sensor: the newest reincarnation of Boa.(BAR CRAWL)
January 1, 2006... Since the late '90s, Boa has been playing musical chairs all over the nightclub scene. On swank Bellair, it was one of the city's first DJ bars--open till 6 a.m. five nights a week. In 2003, in the skeleton of a former Chinatown porn theatre,...

Theatre.(This Month)
January 1, 2006... OPENING BOMBAY BLACK. Vancouver-based novelist and playwright Anosh Irani spins a magical realist play out of his story of a mother (Deena Aziz) who sells private dances with her soft-bodied daughter (Anita Majumdar) to wealthy and famous...

Master multi-tasker: Raoul Bhaneja plays all 17 parts in Hamlet this month, then turns up on the year's buzziest TV comedy.(ONSCREEN)
January 1, 2006... Everyone remembers their first time. Raoul Bhaneja watched his first Hamlet in the last year of high school, in the basement of his parents' Ottawa home. In that 1980 BBC TV production, Derek Jacobi played the brooding prince of Denmark,...

Classical.(This Month)
January 1, 2006... CHAMBER MUSIC LOUIS LORTIE. On the bill for this concert by the renowned Quebec pianist are Mozart's Sonata in B-flat Major, K. 333, and Fantasie in D Minor, K. 397, plus Frederic Chopin's Variations on Mozart's "La ci darem la mano" (the...

Bridal paths: you've chosen your fiance. Now comes the hard part: choosing a show.(HAPPENING)
January 1, 2006... Modern marriage may be confusing, but planning a wedding doesn't have to be. In an era defined by customization (tall half-caf non-fat latte, anyone?), there's a wedding show to suit every taste. Herewith, our guide to kicking off connubial...

Mad for Mozart: Michael Schade is over the moon about the Austrian legend.(THIS MONTH)(Interview)
January 1, 2006... It's hard to stop Michael Schade from talking about Mozart. Though the endlessly in-demand tenor has played roles as varied as David in Wagner's Die Meistersinger and Narraboth in Strauss's Salome, he has a special affection for the Austrian...

Pretty ugly: Katyuska Doleatto's biological imperative.(IN THE GALLERIES)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2006... (free) An amalgam of a dried blowfish, a dead starling, a bird of paradise flower and pigeon feet, Toronto artist Katyuska Doleatto's creation is a twig-legged "zooidbotanical hybrid." Bound together with wire, toothpicks, string and glue, and...

Pop.(Musical performance by popsingers in canada )
January 1, 2006... BON JOVI. As long as there are steel horses to ride, these dudes will be ready to rock. U2 may garner critical accolades, and the Rolling Stones have a far cooler back catalogue, but few superstar acts have filled the world's stadiums for as...

Jazz.(Concert programs in canada)
January 1, 2006... CONCERTS JANE BUNNETT has established herself as Canada's strongest musical link to Cuba, regularly travelling to that country to record and incorporating a host of fine Cuban musicians in her band, such as Toronto-based pianists Hilario...

Art.(This Month)
January 1, 2006... (free) ANGELL GALLERY'S 10TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION. Jamie Angell has earned the sobriquet the Dean of Queen for his enthusiastic promotion of emerging and mid-career artists. To kick off the year, Angell has assembled a show of greatest hits...

Dance.(This Month)
January 1, 2006... (free) CHI-PING DANCE GROUP. Toronto choreographer Chi-Ping Lau's annual show has become a rock-solid New Year's tradition. The ceremony marks the first day of the Year of the Dog with the always exciting Lion Dance, performed to drive away the...

Kids.(This Month)(Calendar)
January 1, 2006... BALLET JORGEN CANADA. Hans Christian Andersen's comedic fairy tale of a gullible emperor, his clever tailor and one skeptical young onlooker takes centre stage in choreographer Benjamin Hatcher's ballet The Emperor's New Clothes. The...

Diversions.(This Month)(Calendar)
January 1, 2006... COLIN MOCHRIE & BRAD SHERWOOD. The fabled improv vets (Whose Line Is It Anyway?) work through an evening of laugh riot inducing games. Come prepared with oddball suggestions and a generous helping of fearlessness (you may be asked to do your...

GTAers are poised to have a very Brady Christmas: only eight per cent say their family is dysfunctional.(The Toronto Poll)
January 1, 2006... BEN MULRONEY, TV personality "Family dysfunction is the good stuff. The fact that we love our crazy families proves it. We love them, not despite their dysfunction, but because of it." BEVERLY CATHCART-ROSS, parenting guru "Men...