Toronto Life articles from November 2004

Toronto Life archives from November 2004

Thin ice.(This City)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... On September 14, when Team Canada defeated Finland 3-2 to win the World Cup--thanks in large part to the efforts of Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier--the celebration was spirited but short lived. At midnight the following day, the NHL...

Designing woman.(Profile)
November 1, 2004... Today, presumably like most days, Sarah Richardson doesn't have time to sit down and chat; instead, we're scheduled to shop. We meet at the Spoke Club on King West (she's designing the place, and it's opening in less than 48 hours), where she's...

Cat fight.(Telling Tales)(protest for animals)(Casuistry: The Art of Killing a Cat)
November 1, 2004... When 150 animal rights advocates descended upon the Cumberland Theatre to protest the film festival premiere of Casuistry: The Art of Killing a Cat, it seemed like an appeal to the hearts and minds of filmgoers. In actuality, it was their...

Boating for dollars.(Telling Tales)(Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation)(charity)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... At the Great White North Dragon Boat Challenge in mid September; the most heated competition wasn't on the lake--it was around the fund raising table. Markham-based software company Cybermation held a $10,000 lead over the Canadian arm of...

Stars on ice.(Telling Tales)(Toronto)
November 1, 2004... Only in Toronto could two completely incongruous events like the World Cup of Hockey and the Toronto International Film Festival meld seamlessly into one big excuse for carousing. So it was for a week in September, when the sparkliest stars of...

Hit parade.(Found)
November 1, 2004... Hit parade Santa first came to town on Timothy Eaton's dime on December 2, 1905, his well-fed form embodyinq both a canny marketing ploy and the department store founder's sincere affection for children. His inaugural journey was a low-key...

Inspector gadgets.(Roundup)
November 1, 2004... Last June, when a nine-year-old girl was snatched from a party in Richmond Hill, her hero was a thermal imaging camera on a police chopper. It uncovered her brutal abductor within 90 minutes of her family's panicked 911 call. Thanks to...

This issue.
November 1, 2004... IN 1955, ROCK 'N' ROLL WAS ELBOWING ITS WAY OUT OF the black ghettos of the American South, and one day Elwood Glover, the host of CBC's drive-home show, played a song called "Mystery Train" by an unknown singer named Elvis Presley. Elvis's...

Marching orders.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... I thoroughly enjoyed your recent piece on John Clarke and OCAP ["Uncivil Disobedience," September]. Although I don't agree with a number of the organization's tactics, I applaud its concern for those who do not share in the spoils of our city's...

Pops culture.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... I read with horror Alec Scott's article about Peter Oundjian and the TSO ["Peter and the Wolves," September]. I want to hear (and see) committed playing from an orchestra, but I don't want to see filmed closeups of the harpist's hands, feet,...

Erector set.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... The vitriolic letters in response to Mark Kingwell's article ["The $195-Million Scribble," June] should surprise no one. Our self-appointed cultural leaders suffer from profound self-hatred. The mediocrity of our "architectural renaissance" is...

November at a glance.(This Month)(Calendar)
November 1, 2004... 19 Yogi Rodney Yee strikes a pose at the Yoga Show and Conference. See page 54. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 11 Meat Loaf sees Michelle Williams by the dashboard light at the Rendezvous With Madness Film Festival. See page 52. ...

Theatre.(This Month)
November 1, 2004... OPENINGS Bigger Than Jesus. John Lennon cheekily described the Beatles thusly at the height of their fame. This simultaneously reverent and irreverent piece emerged from the imaginations of a lapsed Catholic, Rick Miller, and an atheist,...

Unchained melodies.(This Month)(Illustration)
November 1, 2004... The musical used to be Broadway's version of comfort food. But by the 1960s, its incessant optimism had become stale and predictable. Something had to give, and so it did in 1970, with Stephen Sondheim's Company. Everything about it was...

Classical music.(This Month)
November 1, 2004... CHAMBER AND SOLO Catherine Wilson and Ensemble Vivant offer music by J. S. Bach, Claude Debussy, Leroy Anderson and tango master Astor Piazzolla. Pianist Catherine Wilson joins her Ensemble Vivant colleagues violinist Adele Armin and...

Space invader.(This Month)
November 1, 2004... Seen from the perspective of a spider crawling on the ceiling, Alain Paiement's giant photomontages of urban interiors have such skewed perspectives that they can cause vertigo. The wooziness is heightened by multiple viewpoints, seamlessly...

Dance.(This Month)
November 1, 2004... Arabesque Winter Student Gala. Belly dancing is becoming so popular that the Arabesque Academy has spread this biannual gala over two nights. The show includes beginners, professionals and everything in between, with the Academy's 300 students...

Girls on top.(This Month)(Dance Review)
November 1, 2004... Clad in matching sequined outfits, NYC trio Le Tigre aims to change the world, one dance routine at a time. Since their inception five years ago, these veterans of the earnest activist trenches have hoped to vanquish apathy and inject feminism...

Art.(This Month)
November 1, 2004... [FREE] Crystal Liu. This Toronto artist's liminal Air Series colour photos depict sparse landscapes and interiors, devoid of incident except for blanched, cloud-free skies. People, trees and buildings are punctuation for the main event--an...

Gold fingers.(This Month)
November 1, 2004... To many observers, Chick Corea's cordial duet with the Foo Fighters at this year's Grammys must have seemed Just another case of award-show irreverence, like the night Elton got cozy with Eminem. But for jazz fans, it was just the latest foray...

Nightlife.(This Month)
November 1, 2004... CONCERTS Autorickshaw. This aptly named Toronto outfit specializes in a fusion of South Indian classical and jazz. Autorickshaw's strengths lie in the eclectic talents of vocalist Suba Sankaran, funky bass work by Rich Brown, sparky tabla...

Jazz and standards.(This Month)
November 1, 2004... CONCERTS Chick Corea Elektric Band. This pianist (see highlight on page 44) is a mercurial figure, whether working in a traditional acoustic forum or furthering the kind of electric fusion that he first pioneered with Miles Davis 35 years...

Kids' events.(This Month)
November 1, 2004... CN Tower. Even muggles can gain access to Hogwarts when the tower becomes temporary home to an exhibit put together by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Called The Secret Life of Sets: Set Decorators at Work, it showcases scenes...

Diversions.(This Month)
November 1, 2004... Gourmet Food & Wine Expo. Party-based education at its best, this upscale hymn to hedonism lets you learn while you nibble. Wine experts (Billy Munnelly, Margaret Swaine and others) offer tutored tastings; top chefs (including Marc Thuet from...

The IT spot.(This Month)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Room 471, 471 Richmond St. W., 416-703-6239 Where: Just west of Spadina and the throb of clubland, this tiny den offers a potent, first date--ready combo of low light, sexy chocolate-coloured leather banquettes and gauzy curtained-off...

Game boys: just when it looked as if no one cared about the losing, sad-sack, bankrupt Argos, two local guys who knew diddly about running a football team swooped in. And then a strange thing happened: the fans came back, and the team started winning.(Sports)(Toronto Argonauts)
November 1, 2004... HERE COMES PINBALL. WATCH OUT, HERE HE comes Mike "Pinball" Clemons, the fireplug ex--running back and head coach of the Toronto Argonauts, charging off the SkyDome field with his players after the pre-game warm-up. Look out, he's got a big...

Morris's code: with three plays opening this fall, you'd think Morris Panych would find peace of mind. But this generation's most prolific playwright-director has one more goal: to be to theatre what Margaret Atwood is to books--known for being good rather than being Canadian.(Arts)(biography of Morris Panych)(Biography)
November 1, 2004... MOST TORONTO ARTISTIC TYPES are stereotypically Canadian: soft-spoken, humble, surprisingly tepid about their chosen careers, professional in their Bohemianism, diplomatic about others (even their artistic rivals). By and large, they are...

Burning ambition: we're up to our elbows in blue, grey and green boxes, and a new law in Michigan is threatening to halt our garbage at the border. If you think it's stinky now, just wait until 2010, when landfills won't be an option. Why high-tech incineration may be our best hope.(Politics)
November 1, 2004... THIS MONTH, THOUSANDS OF TORONTO homeowners will get a crash course in "source-separated organics," a clean-sounding label deployed by recycling gurus to describe a category of household muck that encompasses everything from vegetable parings...

Calendar.(Advertising & Promotion Events & Opportunities)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
November 1, 2004... Get the inside scoop on this month's hottest events and promotions from the following advertisers: EPILEPSY ONTARIO--LAVENDER RIBBON FINE ART SALE Get incredible deals on works by A.J. Casson, Stephen Snake, Picasso, Dali and...

Music city.(Toronto)(Cover Story)
November 1, 2004... Toronto has always been a musical town--right from the pioneer days of Muddy York, when Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe shipped in his military band to entertain the colonists. Today, we couldn't be more flush with songsmiths and scenes,...

Heaven scent.(Super Shopper)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... First developed by French chemist Maurice Berger in 1898 as a means of killing bacteria in hospitals, the Lampe Berger was all the rage in the smoky Parisian salons of the Jazz Age. Unlike scented candles (which mask rather than dispel odour),...

Breezy listening.(Super Shopper)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... The daughter of Brazilian legend Joao Gilberto, Bebel Gilberto mingles bossa nova, samba and electronics to a sunny, sinewy effect. Her new self-titled album (a follow up so her sultry debut, Tanto Tempo) is a tender salve to late fall's bitter...

Rainbow connection.(Super Shopper)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... L.A.-based American Apparel has turned the anti-sweatshop ethos into an irresistible brand of cuddly casuals. The socially conscious cotton clothier can produce 100,000 T-shirts a day at its U.S. factory. Everything is cut and sewn on-site,...

Bar scene.(Super Shopper)(Xocoa)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... The Spanish chocolate company Xocoa boasts six gallery glam outlets scattered throughout Barcelona's knotted barrios. Now its stylish bars are also available here, raising the serotonin levels of iPod-toting nibblers across the city. Xocoa...

Counter offers.(Super Shopper)
November 1, 2004... Owned and run by three former corporate types, Dashkitchen caters to the hurried epicure. There are artichoke tapenades and onion confits from Bricktone Fine Foods; incendiary salsas from Be Organic; fig-and-ginger jam from Stonewall Kitchen;...

Our town: for most people, a mention of St. James Town conjures images of prostitution, drug deals and gunfights. But for a generation of immigrants who grew up in the towers sandwiched between Rosedale and Regent Park, it was a perfect world.(Neighbourhoods)(Column)
November 1, 2004... ON THE SUNNY WINTER AFTERNOON THAT I walked toward St. James Town to help my uncle pack up his things, no one was around. This was odd. Roughly 25,000 people live in the complex's 18 towers--making it Canada's most densely populated...

Starch enemy: adventures in the land of low-carb hysteria, featuring potato-flavoured tapioca chips, carb-stripped bagels, soy-based pizza crusts and sucralose-spiked gummy bears. Yum.(Food)
November 1, 2004... LORRAINE AND NORM WALK INTO THE LONG, skinny shop. Have they noticed, bitterly, that it's just the shape they wish to be? Not that the 50 something couple are obese, or even what my mother would mischievously call "husky"; they're just a little...

Drink.
November 1, 2004... White wine Waimea Estates 2002 Chardonnay **** $23.95. Nelson, New Zealand Complex, intriguing, with a medium body, this Kiwi comes from the verdant northwestern coast of South Island, a region alive with seafood. Generous...

Red delicious.(Mezzomondo Negroamaro Salento)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... I rarely award five stars, especially to bottles under $10, but the 2002 vintage of this southern Italian red, Mezzomondo Negroamaro Salento, earned it: the value was exceptional. Soft and genteel, it was surprisingly long on flavour-like...

A la mode.(Restaurants)(Rain)(The Fifth)
November 1, 2004... The Fifth **** After the wee adventure of the freight elevator ride, the room is as charming and wry as ever: candles gleaming on wooden posts and beams, sofas and kilim rugs by the fire. The wine pro gram is constantly improving,...

Kensington Market has opened its generous arms to a couple of cool new eateries.(Tidbits)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Kensington Market has opened its generous arms to a couple of cool new eateries. Stephen Gardner made his name in the neighbourhood as chef-owner of Kensington before moving to Queen West. His current gem, Fressen, is the city's most...

More high octane Queen West nostalgia was offered at Irie Food Joint for two weeks in September.(Tidbits)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... More high octane Queen West nostalgia was offered at Irie Food Joint for two weeks in September. Guest chef Greg Couillard and his long-time right hand, Lee Bailey, cooked triumphantly on an open hardwood grill next to the atmospheric back...

George may be located in the Verity women's club, but the new, 90-seat restaurant is open to all.(Tidbits)
November 1, 2004... George may be located in the Verity women's club, but the new, 90-seat restaurant is open to all. Chef Lorenzo Loseto (formerly of Hemispheres, Zoom and Rain) offers a menu of appetizer-sized dishes with a regional Canadian flavour and Asian or...

If Toronto's sommeliers seem a tad giddy these days, put the blame on the city's annual autumnal carousel of charity galas and festivals and their own competitive instincts.(Tidbits)
November 1, 2004... If Toronto's sommeliers seem a tad giddy these days, put the blame on the city's annual autumnal carousel of charity galas and festivals and their own competitive instincts. The Iron Sommelier Challenge sounds like the most gruelling event,...

Patrick McMurray of Starfish faced the music in August, in Tyne Valley, P.E.I., while attempting to defend his Canadian oyster shucking title for the fourth time.(Tidbits)
November 1, 2004... Patrick McMurray of Starfish faced the music in August, in Tyne Valley, P.E.I., while attempting to defend his Canadian oyster shucking title for the fourth time. It was the end of an era. "l lost to a young man called Jason Woodside, who...

Bistro.(Restaurants)(Biff's)(Boho)(Lemon Meringue)
November 1, 2004... Biff's *** The attractive room is a cross between a grand Parisian bistro and a more formal dining room that affords welcome anonymity. A smartly integrated colour palette plays the sensuousness of tan banquettes against a warm,...

Shopping with chefs.(Restaurants)
November 1, 2004... Richard Andino of Flow, 133 Yorkville Ave., 416-925-2143 Although he has spent most of his life in Canada, Richard Andino's love of food was born in the Philippines, and his palate has been indelibly marked by his ancestry. Andino's...

Smoked salmon.(Restaurants)
November 1, 2004... Sugar, salt, smoke, salmon. Just four ingredients. It seems so simple. After all, people have been smoking salmon since antiquity. First, the fish gets a sweet salt bath, employing osmosis to open the salmon's cells. Then it's smoked at a...

French.(Restaurants)(Auberge du Pommier)(Celestin )
November 1, 2004... Auberge du Pommier *** 1/2 A discreetly modern renovation has smoothed some of the quaint edges of the French country veteran, but the terrace is still shaded in summer, and fireplaces still blaze on cold nights. An oasis of quality...

Indian.(Restaurants)(Exotic Indian Cuisine )(Jaipur Grille )
November 1, 2004... Exotic Indian Cuisine ** Windswept Rexdale gives us this pleasant space, with high-backed black chrome chairs, dusty-rose wallpaper; worn carpet and a big-screen TV blasting Indian music videos. The menu's cuisine--Gujarati,...

International.(Restaurants)(Tomi-Kro)
November 1, 2004... [NEW] Tomi-Kro ** 1/2 In the food steps of Verveine and Edward Levesque, this restaurant has settled into that nondescript stretch of Queen East between Riverdale and the Beach. It doesn't do itself any favours...

Italian.(Restaurants)(Bar Mercurio )(Biagio )
November 1, 2004... Bar Mercurio ** 1/2 It's hard not to be seduced by the sophisticated, comfortable ambience of this chic little bistro. A substantial, marble topped bar runs into an open kitchen. The menu caters to a clientele...

Japanese.(Restaurants)(Ematai)(Ichiriki )
November 1, 2004... Ematei *** The Last Samurai, or at least a replica of his fierce armour within a glass ease, greets guests passing the sushi bar (further greetings from friendly staff here) toward a warren of wood-framed, rice-paper partitions that...

Other Asian.(Restaurants)(Mt. Everest )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... [NEW] Mt. Everest ** He's no Ravi Shankar, but the live sitar player does add an air of authenticity to this spotlessly clean, plain room. A painting of Mount Everest decorates the walls and draws attention away from...

Other European.(Restaurants)(Skadarlija)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Skadarlija ** Comfortable but plain, the space beckons with stucco and wood beam ceilings, worn carpets, an imposing bar and a colourful mural of Belgrade's bustling Skadarlija district. It's a perfectly homey...

Seafood.(Restaurants)
November 1, 2004... [NEW] White Bros. Fish Co. [$25] This seafood eatery makes its mark with location, location, location. With the Beach's venerable Fox Theatre only steps away, it's just the ticket for pre- or post-rep house deep fry. The...

Southeast Asian.(Restaurants)
November 1, 2004... [NEW] Anh Dao [$25] Pho is not the thing at this unpretentious Vietnamese spot, on the Spadina strip. Although the dish is aromatic with beef, cinnamon and cloves, and handsomely strewn with coriander and green onion, it...

Steak.(Restaurants)(Hy's)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Hy's ** David Aisenstat's nationwide steak houses are the upmarket cousin to his Keg restaurants. At the Toronto location, a wave of entitlement washes over diners from the moment they wrench open the...

Thai.(Restaurants)(Lemongrass )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Lemongrass ** 1/2 White cushioned banquettes vie with mod light fixtures and minimally adorned walls in an intimate, white-on-white room that cossets a lively Leaside crowd. The lengthy carte boasts trad...

Out of Town.(Restaurants)(Barbizon )(Fiasco)
November 1, 2004... [NEW] Barbizon ** A few steps below street level, the attractive wine bar features the warmth of wood and walled wine. But the listed wines don't reflect a regional sensibility--a pity since there, are a number of...

Bill Glassco August 30, 1935-September 13, 2004.(The End)(Obituary)
November 1, 2004... A gentleman is never in a hurry. And so it was with Bill Glassco. He founded the Tarragon Theatre in 1970, then ran it for a decade. In the '70s and '80s, he directed and translated (with John Van Burek) Michel Tremblay's plays, introducing...

Invitations.
November 1, 2004... Elegant Invitations Busy brides and harried party planners take note: Marla 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.
November 1, 2004... 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 cross-border to New York, Boston and Chicago. Nine shiny black Lincoln Town Cars and...

Venues.
November 1, 2004... The Academy of Spherical Arts Harrison Ford and Liam Nee-son 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...

Full treatment: private dining rooms.
November 1, 2004... Auberge du Pommier Located in a 100-year-old woodcutter's cottage, the Oak Room is the oldest part of the Auberge complex, and sports such atmospheric details as wood-sashed windows, a bleached oak floor and a working fireplace. Couples...

Tents.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... 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...

Caterers.
November 1, 2004... A la Carte If it's good enough for the Queen of England, chances are your guests--presumably of less cerulean blood--will approve of A la Carte's fine vittles. The choice caterer for palace dwellers and other visiting dignitaries, ALC has...

Cakes and desserts.
November 1, 2004... Ayoma Cake Masterpieces Since she opened 15 years ago, Ayoma Fonseka has rendered everything from gilded Christian Dior plates to Toronto's City Hall in cake form. The word is that nobody does iced flowers better Brides looking for the...

Picture perfect: top photographers and videographers.
November 1, 2004... Catherine Lash Photography "My goal is to capture the family and friend connections," says Lash, a photographer who specializes exclusively in weddings and loves them unreservedly. She shoots everywhere from Forest Hill backyards to...

Staffing.
November 1, 2004... At Your Service Hospitality Group When 200,000 pilgrims descended on the C, NE for World Youth Day festivities, At Your Service mobilized a small but capable army of 300 to pass out the grub (mac and cheese and jambalaya were tops). But the...

Florists.
November 1, 2004... 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 daisies into a hand-tied bouquet as youthful and fresh as its makers. Smitten...

Basket case: best hostess gifts.
November 1, 2004... Fitz-Henri Fine Foods Known for their quiches, chicken pot pies and other casserole-style items, the 40-year-old north Toronto deli is happy to box its popular entrees as a gift, or basket a couple of bottles of wine (of your choice and supply)...

Linens.
November 1, 2004... 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.
November 1, 2004... 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.
November 1, 2004... After Midnight Band Hipness is a matter of great consequence to this seven- to 10 piece hand. Translation: After Midnight is inclined to play the classics, from Frank Sinatra to Elvis Costello. Lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and...