Toronto Life articles from November 2003

Toronto Life archives from November 2003

Great red hope.(This City)(Ontario Liberals win)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Change, indeed. After a quick and dirty 28-day campaign--the dubious highlight of which was some rather imaginative name-calling--the results were even more dramatic than anticipated. The red tide swept through Toronto and the 905, claiming a...

Seriously funny.(Profile)(Mark McKinney)
November 1, 2003... What does a Kid in the Hall do when he's all grown up? Mark McKinney, a former member of the notorious and now disbanded comedy troupe, is quietly but confidently transforming himself into one of the country's finest actors. The Chicken Lady a...

Movable feast.(Telling Tales)(film festival buzz)
November 1, 2003... The film festival's two-week run is more than just a time to view, assess and celebrate cinematic gems and coming box-office attractions. It's a year's worth of parties (of all descriptions) packed into 14 days and nights. This year,...

Urban Decoder.(Toronto trivia)
November 1, 2003... Dear Urban Decoder: What's with the Inglis sign off the Gardiner? The other day it flashed me with an odd, all-capitalized message: THE GREATEST REMEDY FOR ANGER IS DELAY. Who comes up with these slogans? Mark Symington, ...

Brief encounters.(The List)(speed dating)
November 1, 2003... For singles looking for eligibles outside their circle, speed dating has become a popular means of scouting out romantic possibilities. At an averaqe of 40 bucks a pop, the phenomenon has become a stylish and relatively inexpensive way to...

Up and running.(Camera)(the season of fundraising marathons)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Up and running If spring comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, autumn comes in like a lonq-distance runner. You know the season has arrived when neighbours and workmates come looking for sponsorship money and downtown streets are awash...

This issue.(Editorial)
November 1, 2003... MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS ARE OFTEN INCONSEQUENTIAL, BUT the one on November 10 will be the most important since 1972, when David Crombie, an educator turned city councillor; was elected mayor of the then City of Toronto. The issue that year was...

Frayne of mind.(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2003... Brant Frayne's first-person account of coping with a serious neurodegenerative disease, complicated by a life-threatening medical crisis ["My First Death," September], gave a voice to this fellow "lost" member of the scooter brigade. I am also...

Random thoughts.(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2003... In a story as wide ranging as Don Gillmor's fine piece on Margaret Atwood's novel Oryx and Crake ["Anatomy of a Best-Seller," September], it was inevitable that a few errors would creep in. First, the bankruptcy of the distribution company...

Board games.(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2003... Thanks for your article regarding the appalling conditions of Toronto schools ["Class Struggle," September]. For the past year, our parent group at St. Agatha Catholic School has been lobbying for a new school facility, and it has been sobering...

Poor judgment.(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2003... I was pleased to see your article on David Adams Richards [Profile, September] as I have just begun to read his novels. I was displeased, however, with the arrogance of your writer, Gerald Harmon, who said that Richards' home looked "poorer...

Theatre.(This Month)(Calendar)
November 1, 2003... Cabaret. Set in a nightclub in pre-war Berlin, this revamp of the 1966 Broadway musical (score and lyrics by Chicago's Fred Ebb and John Kander, respectively) is one of many musicals opening. Sally Bowles, the role owned by Liza Minnelli, is...

Mirror image.(This Month)(Rainer Werner Fassbinder)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... MIRROR IMAGE Jean-Luc Godard claimed that Rainer Werner Fassbinder, who died of a drug and alcohol overdose at age 36, expired instead from exhaustion brought on by a surfeit of artistic obligations. This may be true, but it was also from the...

Classical music.(This Month)(Calendar)
November 1, 2003... ORCHESTRAL Royal Conservatory Orchestra. This is the best-kept orchestral secret in town. The high-calibre student players present a special performance of Mahler's monumental Symphony no. 2, The Resurrection. Joining them are fabulous...

In your face.(This Month)(Tony Scherman)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... IN YOUR FACE With his seven-by-seven-foot paintinq of Adolf Hitler's mug and a similarly intimate close-up of Napoleon Bonaparte, Tony Scherman knows how to attract attention. The Toronto artist provocatively plays the disturbinq facts of these...

Dance.(This Month)(Calendar)
November 1, 2003... Akram Khan. The London based dancer and choreographer began as a Kathak dancer, but exposure to ballet and contemporary forms inspired a remarkable ability to create compelling hybrids. Not only is Khan considered to be one of England's finest...

Storybook ending.(This Month)(Measha Brueqqerqosman )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... As soon as the soprano from Fredericton walks onstage--smooth, confident, but with a barely contained, mischievous sparkle In her eyes--you know you're in for something special. And then the music starts to pour out of her, in a rich, sensual...

Art.(This Month)(Calendar)
November 1, 2003... Anna Hunt and Graham Gillmore. Monte Clark Gallery showcases two noteworthy and very different artists. Hunt, an artist from Brighton, England, contributes small, meticulously hand-embroidered pictures from the annals of aviation. There are no...

Nightlife.(This Month)(Calendar)
November 1, 2003... CONCERTS Cesaria Evora is one of a handful of international purveyors of Cape Verde's best-known musical form, the poetic minor key morna. The barefoot diva, as she's sometimes called, seems to live through these songs of loss and longing,...

Jazz and standards.(This Month)(Calendar)
November 1, 2003... CONCERTS Jeff Healey's Jazz Wizards. Though his celebrated career as a rock-blues guitarist still looms large, Healey's heart belongs to the traditional jazz of the 1920s and '30s. He can turn out elegant choruses on acoustic guitar in the...

Kids' events.(This Month)(Calendar)
November 1, 2003... The Gruffalo. When Mouse ventures through the deep dark woods, she quickly discovers she has the power to scare away hungry predators with her tall tales of the terrifying Gruffalo. But her magical journey takes quite a surprising turn when the...

Piano man.(This Month)(Oscar Peterson)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... There's much to be said for the combination of artistic greatness and longevity. For one thing, you win a lot of awards. At age 78, Oscar Peterson can not only call himself one of the greatest pianists who's ever lived but also a Musketeer of...

Diversions.(This Month)(Calendar)
November 1, 2003... Canadian Aboriginal Festival and Pow Wow. The fifth annual Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards is recognizing the best performers, album designers, producers and so on with 20 awards, Nov. 28. $25, $30 at the door. John Bassett Theatre, Metro...

The IT spot.(This Month)(Andy Poolhall)(Bar Review)
November 1, 2003... Andy Poolhall, 489 College St., 416-9Z3-5300 WHERE: Snuggled next door to older sister Ciao Edie, Andy Poolhall is the latest tribute to Warhol's Factory, Michael Sweenie, owner of both venues, has been eyeing this corner site for five long...

Urban myth: the mayoral candidates warn that we're living in a nasty and brutish city state on the edge of the abyss. But who are they kidding? From the street festivals to the new Distillery District, the city has never felt so alive.(Politics)
November 1, 2003... WHEN CITY HALL INSIDERS began contemplating the upcoming municipal election about two years ago, the discussions focused primarily on Mel and how wonderful it would be to have a mayor who was articulate, informed, robust, charismatic and, come...

Out of Africa: Lewis DeSoto's remarkable debut novel marks another instalment of "elsewhere literature," fiction written here but set in distant lands. In A Blade of Grass, as in other books of this genre, Toronto plays no obvious part but sits, transparently, like a chameleon on the page.(Arts)
November 1, 2003... WHEN I TRAVELLED TO ENGLAND in the spring, I stayed with a terribly literary uncle and aunt, he a writer of erudite gardening books, she a freelance editor. Both former publishers, they read widely, mixing the high- and lowbrow, the current and...

Now's the time to have the time of your life. Introducing Club Med's Total All-Inclusive[TM] vacations.
November 1, 2003... Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of experiencing Club Med understands why there's no vacation like it. Because it's everything one could possibly hope for. Including time to reconnect with your better half, your kids and, best of all,...

The book thief: Robert Russell was a beloved schoolteacher, a passionate collector and an expert appraiser at Waddington's, the city's largest auction house. Then a precious library of Canadiana went missing. A story of memory, betrayal and the loss of a family treasure.(Crime)
November 1, 2003... MOST FRIDAYS, CHARLES MUSSON AND I meet at Starbucks, and he unspools his story of loss. It has become a ritual. He is 78, tall and white haired, with the look of patrician wealth often seen in film. His grandfather, Charles Musson St., founded...

Taking a healthy interest in your appearance is nothing to frown at.
November 1, 2003... Canadians are well known for wanting to project a positive image of themselves to the world. A recent poll in fact shows that an overwhelming majority of Canadians consider good looks to be relatively important in today's society. This doesn't...

City of scientists.(genetic research at University of Toronto)
November 1, 2003... SOME RESEARCHERS spend an entire career pursuing that eureka moment, but for Janet Rossant, the moment of discovery came early. As a graduate student at Cambridge in the mid-1970s, the British native was trying to decode the fate of individual...

All decked out.(Super Shopper)(Illustration)
November 1, 2003... Main squeeze This high-gloss manual citrus juicer belongs on the counter tucked between stylish pastel-coloured blenders and chrome espresso makers, From Montreal-based company Josef Strauss, the statuesque Germandesigned C-machine-an...

The wild party: dotted with hip galleries, bars and stores, Queen West West is at the apex of cool. But its cachet could spell its ruin. Gentrification is underway, the party may be moving on.(Neighbourhoods)
November 1, 2003... THE LAST FRIDAY OF AUGUST WAS MICHAEL Jackson's 45th birthday. That night, a party was held in his honour at the Zsa Zsa gallery, a tiny storefront space opposite the grounds of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. The occasion was the...

West side story: in which our comfort-seeking columnist, having moved from Leaside to the Annex, looks for a local restaurant to call his own.(Food)
November 1, 2003... WHAT FOOLISH IMPULSE, WHAT DEEPLY rooted perversity makes me want to go out to eat on a Monday night? Monday is another Sunday in Toronto, with half the restaurants shut, chefs on furlough, Friday's fish delivery barely clinging to...

Tasting notes.(Drink)
November 1, 2003... Auction fever Toronto wine collectors are easily distracted from daily life at this time of year. They'll miss the 11 o'clock news because they're reading the treasure-laden holiday edition of Vintages' Classics catalogue. At the Santa Claus...

A la mode.(Senses)(Restaurant Review)
November 1, 2003... NEW Senses ***1/2 Six months after it closed on Bloor West, Senses has reappeared-as a narrow, soaring space with all the charm of a corridor--in a corner of the SoHo Metropolitan Hotel. Yards of snowy linen cover the tables; high-backed...

Bistro.(Musa)(La brasserie.ca)(Cafe Societa)(Bruyea Brothers)(Restaurant Review)
November 1, 2003... NEW Bruyea Brothers *** For fruit lovers, Fernando's Portuguese grocery at the corner of Grace and College was long a colourful stop on a stroll through the coffee patios of Little Italy. Lo, the fruits are no more! The space has morphed...

As the dust of a long and troubled summer finally settled, the extent of the changes in the industry were revealed.(Tidbits)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... As the dust of a long and troubled summer finally settled, the extent of the changes in the industry were revealed. Crowne Plaza Toronto Centre hotel on Front Street West pulled the plug on Accolade, a bold experiment in fine dining that failed...

Other businesses remain afloat but with different captains at the helm.(Tidbits)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Other businesses remain afloat but with different captains at the helm. Despite the best reviews the restaurant had ever received, chef David Gaunt was let go from Rosewater Supper Club, a move that surprised everyone, including him. Paul...

Not everyone needs a restaurant.(Tidbits)(Didier Leroy)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Not everyone needs a restaurant. Didier Leroy, without a venue since he left The Fifth in June 2002, has been busy cooking private custom dinner parties in people's homes, for numbers ranging from two to 100. "This sort of cuisine bourgeoise...

Congratulations to the team at Via Allegro for winning Wine Spectator's Grand Award this year--a personal triumph for owner Felice Sabatino, whose passion (and pocketbook) built the wine list in a few short years--and, in particular, to head sommelier Wendy Votto, who catalogues, oversees and dispenses the collection of some 50,000 bottles.(Tidbits)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Congratulations to the team at Via Allegro for winning Wine Spectator's Grand Award this year--a personal triumph for owner Felice Sabatino, whose passion (and pocketbook) built the wine list in a few short years--and, in particular, to head...

Much more of a cross-Canada checkup took place on August 2, the day proposed by indomitable Canadian culinary activist Anita Stewart for a beef barbecue in support of our beleaguered beef industry.(Tidbits)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Much more of a cross-Canada checkup took place on August 2, the day proposed by indomitable Canadian culinary activist Anita Stewart for a beef barbecue in support of our beleaguered beef industry. The word was spread, and thousands ended up...

Shopping with chefs.(Restaurants)(Rosa Marinuzzi of Seven Numbers)
November 1, 2003... Rosa Marinuzzi of Seven Numbers, 343 Eglinton Ave. W., 416-322-5183 When speaking English, Italian-born Rosa Marinuzzi uses a variety of expressions to proclaim her exuberance about food and life in general. These include "Good!", "So, so...

Chinese.(Dynasty)(Pearl Harbourfront)(Restaurant Review)
November 1, 2003... Dynasty **1/2 Here's a good compromise for timid souls uncomfortable with Spadina's no-frills Chinese eateries: a wide, pretty room awash in soothing blues, with nice china and tablecloths, and a reassuring window view of a swanky strip of...

Reuben sandwich.(Restaurants)
November 1, 2003... No one disputes the deliciousness of this inspired blend of corned beet, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing, served on toasted rye bread. But claims about its invention abound, and connoisseurs are bitterly divided as to who created...

French.(Gamelle)(Restaurant Review)
November 1, 2003... Gamelle *** This tiny, tin-ceilinged French restaurant remains remarkably unpretentious (especially given its College Street location), and the years have not roughened the edges in the warm, pleasant room. Thirty seats rest in close...

International.(Hemispheres)(Saffers)(Sassafraz)(Restaurant Review)
November 1, 2003... Hemispheres **** Every hotel should have a dining room like this: lofty ceilings for grandeur; a sinewy, winding window fronting a spacious kitchen; and ceiling-high wine racks dominating a wall. Chef Marco Ormonde's chic menu (starters...

Italian.(Porticello)(Spinello)(Restaurant Review)
November 1, 2003... Porticello **1/2 For a city sited on a Great Lake, Toronto's waterside eateries are in mighty short supply. A Iittle lakeside basin in front of this one is not quite the bounding main, but there's peacefulness in the distant passings of...

Other Asian.(Matahari Grill)(Restaurant Review)
November 1, 2003... Matahari Grill *** Gilded sunbursts and bevelled mirrors hang on walls of a deep, rich red; antique sideboards and mysterious objets d'art lend visual intrigue to the long, slim room. If ambience is one draw for the sophisticated regular...

Seafood.(Restaurant Review)
November 1, 2003... Oyster Boy **1/2 Noisy bar, high tables, sea green walls hung with charts of fishing grounds. Sound familiar? This menu offers more choice, though, starting with 12 spins on t,he baked oyster, two with tomato, the others half-and-half with...

Steak.(Harbour Sixty)(Restaurant Review)
November 1, 2003... Harbour Sixty **1/2 A distinguised navy blue awning hangs over the grand Stone stairs and the gleaming brass door that leads into the former Harbour Commission building Ornately appointed, this five year-old steak house exudes a luxurious...

Out of town.(Beiley's, Down the Street, Hillebrand's Vineyard Cafe, Marie's Seafood, The Old Prune)(Restaurant Review)
November 1, 2003... Beiley's *** The main street in Goderich, where this restaurant resides, is shaped into an octagon and called, inappropriately enough, the Square. The patio is a perfect perch for observing the local weekend ritual of driving round and...

$25 gourmet.(Directory)
November 1, 2003... Buk Chang Dong Sonn To Fu This unique Korean eatery specializes in silken tofu stews and not much else; its name pays homage to the Seoul neighbourhood renowned for its soon to fu (silken tofu stews). Buk Chang gussies up the humble bean...

Calendar.(Advertising & Promotion Events & Opportunities)(Calendar)
November 1, 2003... Get the inside scoop on this month's honest events and promotions from the following advertisers: EPILEPSY ONTARIO-LAVENDER RIBBON FINE ART SALE Get incredible deals on works by AJ. Casson, Stephen Snake, Picasso, Dali and more-from...

Mayor Mel Lastman, North York, 1972-1997; Toronto, 1997-2003.(The End)(Illustration)
November 1, 2003... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Born in 1933, Mel grows up above his family's Kensington store. He keeps this doctored photo on his City Hall desk [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As North York head, Mel exposes welfare cheats, coins new city's...

Invitations.(Directory)
November 1, 2003... Elegant Invitations Busy brides and harried party planners take note: Maria Kamin makes house calls. With hundreds of samples in tow, the former graphic designer turned social stationery maven patiently helps clients pull together stylish,...

Transportation.(Directory)
November 1, 2003... A1 Limousine Wheeling the briefcase set on a.m. trips to Pearson is A1's chief strength. Still, the livery has been known to drive the flight-phobic crossborder to New York, Boston and Chicago. Nine shiny black Lincoln Town Cars and...

Venues.(Directory)
November 1, 2003... The Academy of Spherical Arts Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson popped by for a film wrap party a few years ago, and the 15 antique pool tables suggest a very guy kind of place. But women seem to like it, too. Housed in a neighbourhood that's...

Valet services.(Brief Article)(Directory)
November 1, 2003... J.W. Car Carre Elite Valet Services With uniformed valets and a 60,000-person database that allows employees to greet customers by name, J.W. Car Care considers itself the "Rolls-Royce of services." The 12-year-old firm specializes in ear...

Tents.(Varsity Tents and Yukon Events)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Varsity Tents A 16-year player on the party circuit, Varsity Tents has dressed acres of Caribana events, Gay Pride Day parades, student orientations and, of course, weddings and other homegrown galas. Sizes range from the demure...

Cooking and hosting classes.(Directory)
November 1, 2003... Calphalon Culinary Centre A third of the recently opened school's classes focus on entertaining, and always with a seasonal slant. December sees a three-part essay in holiday hosting: the sit-down dinner, the buffet dinner and the cocktail...

Caterers.(Directory)
November 1, 2003... A Culinary Affaire Jayne Dunsmore may have left her successful catering business in San Diego 10 years ago to start from scratch in Toronto, but she couldn't entirely abandon the sunny city. The southwest still influences her kitchen,...

Cakes and desserts.(Directory)
November 1, 2003... Ayoma Cake Masterpieces With neurosurgeon-like patience and precision, cake diva Ayoma Fonseka landscapes her gatteaux with handmade icing flowers so beautiful that pinching them off seems like sacrilege. Orchids, freesia, sweet peas,...

Party tricks.(magicians, card readers and mentalists )(Directory)
November 1, 2003... Airmagic Special effects Whether it's an olympic-style flame to mark a gateway or a cascade of fireworks to announce your entrance into a banquet hall, this professional effects company can supply thrills. They have orchestrated fireworks for a...

Staffing.(Directory)
November 1, 2003... At Your Service Hospitality Group When 200,000 pilgrims descended on the CNE for World Youth Day testivities, At Your Service mobilized a small but capable army of 300 to pass out grub (mac and cheese and jambalaya were tops). The company...

Florists.(Directory)
November 1, 2003... Bloom From the stainless steel work table of their Rosedale shop, Carolyn Lee and Christy Barlowe, casual in flip-flops, arrange orange and hot pink gerbera daisics into a handtied bouquet as youthful and fresh as its makers. Smitten...

Private dining rooms.(Directory)
November 1, 2003... Aqua A study in hydrotherapy at its most soothing the Waterfall Room's calming flow can accommodate parties from 10 to 65 people. BCE Place. 10 Front St. W., 416368-7171. Adega Parties of 90 can spread out through the upstairs floor and...

Linens.(Directory)
November 1, 2003... Around the Table Decadent red and gold, copper-infused organza, pewter crushed cloths and iridescent shimmers are all part of the large (more than 100 cloths to choose from) selection. The talk of the season is a chocolate brown duchesse...

Party Supply rentals.(Directory)
November 1, 2003... Alamo Party Rentals No-nonsense elements perfect for a casual garden luncheon or a company barbecue: plastic folding and bistro chairs, white china, simple glassware, polyester or cotton linens. If you prefer to tart things up a bit,...

Music.(Directory)
November 1, 2003... After Midnight Bend Hipness is a matter of great consequence to this sevento 10-piece band. Translation: After Midnight is inclined to play the classics, from Marvin Gaye to Elvis Costello. Lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist...