Toronto Life articles from October 2004

Toronto Life archives from October 2004

Front and centre.(This City)
October 1, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: A man assaults his estranged wife in a food court, emerges onto the street with a sawed-off rifle, grabs a young woman to use as a human shield and is ultimately killed by a police sniper. If it sounds more...

The Tao of Choy.(Profile)(Biography)
October 1, 2004... In the written Chinese of the imperial court, the symbols way son mean "gradual evolution," and author Wayson Choy has lived out the prophecy of his name. Choy has worked variously as a human rights activist, advertising exec, teacher and...

We've got Woody.(Telling Tales)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Since first appearing in Hogtown just over a year ago, hemp-happy, yoga-bent Woody Harrelson has practically become a permanent resident. He shot a movie here this summer alongside the denture Julianne Moore, our chameleon-like city standing in...

Heti stuff.(Telling Tales)
October 1, 2004... Ordinarily the setting of society weddings and corporate galas, the AGO's magnificent Walker Court played host to a rather more motley crew this August: beneath its stately pillars, 200 or so shaggy-haired hipsters climbed under sleeping bags...

Beat generation.(Telling Tales)(Rip the Mic)
October 1, 2004... It was barely cocktail hour when, on a summer Saturday afternoon, the eight finalists of Rip the Mic, Toronto's first mainstream, all-ages, corporate-sponsored freestyle hip hop battle, swaggered on-stage at the Phoenix Concert Theatre. First...

Urban Decoder.(This City)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... Dear Urban Decoder: I saw this odd, futuristic-looking dwelling on Leonard Place, a glorified alleyway in Kensington Market. Who lives there, and what's the story? --Caitlin O'Brien, Annex That's the home of Jeffery Stinson, an...

Hell and high water.(Found)
October 1, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Scattered showers. That was the forecast for Toronto the morning of Friday, October 15, 1954. Around the city, people settled into yet another rainy day in what had already been a soggy fall. Meanwhile, in...

Yonge Street, U.S.A.(Camera)(Caribana festival)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Anyone still clinging to the idea that Toronto is a good place to mind your own business has never seen Yonge Street on the eve of Caribana. This year, roughly 100.000 people--many from the States--poured onto the strip from Bloat to King for...

This issue.(Editorial)
October 1, 2004... THE WINDOW IN MY OFFICE LOOKS OUT ONTO THE FLATIRON Building, at the intersection of Wellington, Front and Church. It's a Toronto landmark, as iconic as the CN Tower, and I'll miss it when we move at the end of the month from 59 Front into new...

Afternoon special.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... A thought-provoking piece on the state of electricity generation in Ontario ["Power Hungry," Politics, August], a first-rate article about Christie Blatchford, arguably the finest reporter working any Canadian news beat ["Madame Justice,"...

Explosive idea. (Letters).(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... Without taking issue with the substance of John Lorinc's hydro article [Politics, August], the sad but inescapable fact remains that there are only three technologies available for generating electricity in quantity--hydro, thermal and atomic...

Stop the press.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... I, for' one, cannot stand Christie Blatchford [Media, August]. I was surprised that Robert Fulford would include a line like "readers adore her" since most readers I know skip over her preachy, cliched, sensationalist column. Far from adoring...

Trash talk.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... Great to hear that the city is saving time and money with Madvacs ["This Machine Really Sucks," This City, August], but they also cause a lot of noise pollution. On weekdays, there's one revving and roaring its way up and down my street...

Theatre.(This Month)
October 1, 2004... OPENINGS A Couple of Blaguards. The McCourt brothers, Frank (Angela Ashes) and Malachy (A Monk Swimming), continue to mine their family's past. Yet again, they revisit their hardscrabble youths, spent in the slums of New York and Ireland....

She's all that.(This Month)
October 1, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: She sends back a mug of the CanStage house coffee ("It tastes old, don't you agree?"); she remembers the company's long-time artistic director, Martin Bragg (she says in that throaty voice), "when he was in...

Classical music.(This Month)(Calendar)
October 1, 2004... CHAMBER AND SOLO Amici. The chamber ensemble's 2004-05 sea son starts with an appearance by the Orion String Quartet, group-in-residence at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York. The Orions have worked with such legendary...

Dance.(This Month)(Calendar)
October 1, 2004... Caravanserai--On the Silk Road. Lebanese choreographer Samia Manneh and her company, Les Sylphides de l'Arabie, take the art of belly dance to new levels. Here, Manneh presents examples of belly and folk dance from the Middle Eastern countries...

Art.(This Month)(Calendar)
October 1, 2004... Berlin Constructions. While visiting galleries in Berlin, independent curator Rhonda Corvese saw artworks that uncannily mirrored those of young artists back home in Toronto. This, plus the striking parallels between our current public building...

Nightlife.(This Month)(Calendar)
October 1, 2004... Afro-Cuban All Stars. This multi-generational outfit is, says bandleader Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, "the sound of the great Cuban bands, updated." From son to danzon to mambo and onward, it's the deepest core of 20th-century Cuban music, played...

Jazz and standards.(This Month)
October 1, 2004... CONCERTS Shurum Burum Jazz Circus. Best known for his work with the Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band, trumpeter-composer David Buchbinder has previously demonstrated his skills in mixing media as a composer of film music and as artistic director...

Kids' events.(This Month)(Calendar)
October 1, 2004... Ghosts of the Garrison. Tim fort hosts its annual lantern-lit tour of some of Toronto's oldest buildings, with guides sharing chilling stories of the haunted barracks. Post-tale telling, calm spook-induced shivers with a mug of hot chocolate....

Fire sign.(This Month)
October 1, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Awash in undercurrents of anxiety and portent, Shirley Wiltasalo's paintings have the nebulous feel of apparitions. Everything the Toronto artist depicts is in the process of transforming--whether it's a...

Diversions.(This Month)(Calendar)
October 1, 2004... ARCfest Human Rights Arts Festival. A first-time attempt to explore Canadian human rights issues through the arts, this five-day festival of Art for Real Change includes short, one-person plays on the themes of refuge, exile, freedom and peace...

Buy the book.(This Month)
October 1, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: They begin lining up as early as five a.m.--thick-lensed academics, insolvent students, bright-eyed collectors, and the book dealers' hired henchmen, the dreaded scoots. Late afternoon, when the doors...

Grade expectations: the Liberals are promising to pump an additional $2.6 billion into education over the next four years and to raise math and reading test results to 70 per cent. Forgive us--us being battle-scarred parents, students and educators--but we'll believe it when we see it.(Politics)
October 1, 2004... ASK ANYONE WITH KIDS IN Ontario's education system what their local school hoods, and you'll get a laundry list: books for the library, musk. and phys-ed programs, upgraded computers, caretakers to keep the place clean, more special-ed classes,...

Quality of Mercer: every week on Monday Report, Rick Mercer uses the news as fodder for his deeply ironic--but oddly gentle--brand of comedy. Viewers can't get enough: at 34, he's already a Canadian icon.(Pop Culture)
October 1, 2004... RICK MERCER IS A KID growing up in New foundland. As happens most weekends, his dad is driving him to soccer practice while CBC hums through the ear radio. Dad asks Rick to please shut up (Rick talks a lot) during the commentary so he can...

Star crossed.
October 1, 2004... When John Honderich announced he was leaving his beloved Toronto Star after 15 years at the helm, his staff were stunned. They assumed he had been forced out by Rob Prichard and the new corporate culture, and they were probably right. But the...

Hot tickets.
October 1, 2004... You don't have to be going back to school to feel autumn's anticipatory rush, the sense that after a long, lazy--and, in this case, strangely cool--summer, the city is waking up again. Whether your cultural cravings are highbrow or high camp,...

Murder, he wrote: if the crown and the cops have their way, the author of two sensational books on the Bernardo-Homolka murders will go to jail for a long time. Is Stephen Williams--a man accused of disobeying court orders and violating publication bans--a martyr for free speech or a heartless self-promoter?(Column)
October 1, 2004... THE BLINK OF THE MOTION DETECTOR on the split-rail fence warns of my intrusion as I turn onto a long driveway leading to a Victorian yellow-brick farmhouse. The 100-acre property outside Mount Forest, a two-hour drive northwest of Toronto,...

Green house: what was it about this normal-looking suburban dwelling--price tag $1.2 million--that caused such a kerfuffle at city hall? Perhaps it was the walls made of straw bales.(Design)
October 1, 2004... GABLED AND L-SHAPED, THE BIG HOUSE ON a corner lot in Mississauga is high, wide and handsome, in a style that suits its suburban street. But the cement blocks that sheathe the first storey, as well as the native grasses and twig "walls"...

Curry karma: the path from Sidhartha to Nirvana is fraught with brow-mopping vindaloos, greaseless samosas, tender lamb biryani and a debate on the relativity of spicing.(Food)(indian cuisines)(Column)
October 1, 2004... OH DEAR, THE HUMAN CONDITION. WHATever is to be done? I have overeaten again and must pause for' a while before attempting to rise. The empty dishes on the table, once full of six kinds of curry, are now only full of reproach. My belly's as...

White wine.(Drink)(Illustration)(Advertisement)
October 1, 2004... Byron 2002 Chardonnay **** $29.95. Santa Maria Valley, California Benchmark central coast chardonnay with opulent yet tidy aromas of yellow pear, garlic butter toast, tobacco, lemon and honey. Medium-full, creamy, smooth and warm, with...

Red wine.(Drink)
October 1, 2004... Chateau Canon-la-Gaffeliere 2001 Saint Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classe **** 1/2 $119.55. Bordeaux, France One of the first, and priciest, top-drawer 2001 bordeaux from a vintage showing better than expected after the exceptional 2000 stole...

Best in show.(Drink)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Every year, a group of experts gather at Brock University to taste Ontario wines and measure their progress. In March, a panel of wine-makers, sommeliers and critics assembled to consider Niagara's pinot...

Spirit.(Drink)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Roullet & Fils Eos Cognac *** 1/2 $39.95. France Cognac struggles nowadays with its heavy, serious, aged image. This lighter, simpler, almost fruity brandy may be the cure. From a 200-year-old family estate in the Fins Bois zone of Cognac,...

A la mode.
October 1, 2004... Focaccia ** 1/2 Surely this is the most discreet spot for a tryst within a minute's walk of Yonge and Bloor. Tiny, well hidden and with its celebrated chef now gone west to open Bloom, Focaccia hovers below the radar. Pedro Quintanilla,...

J.P. Challet and his partners at Bouchon have parted company.(Tidbits)(The Fifth)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... J.P. Challet and his partners at Bouchon have parted company. The chef has always swung from one extreme to another, leaving the airy splendour of the Windsor Arms kitchen for Bouchon's tight subterranean confines, exchanging haute hotel...

Fifth Floor (no relation) in San Francisco has been home to chef Laurent Gras.(Tidbits)
October 1, 2004... Fifth Floor (no relation) in San Francisco has been home to chef Laurent Gras since he left Peacock Alley at New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel in 2001. Now he's coming to Toronto, for one night only, as guest chef at Susur. He and Susur Lee met...

Le Select is moving.(Tidbits)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Le Select is moving. After almost 30 years on Queen West, owners Frederic Geissweiller and Jean-Jacques Quinsac are transporting their beloved bistro to a new location on Wellington, between Spadina and Portland. "Queen Street has changed,"...

Leaside has lived with the rumour for a year; now it has come to pass.(Tidbits)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Leaside has lived with the rumour for a year; now it has come to pass. In early August, frantic croissant cravers and bewildered mousse addicts found Rahier Patisserie closed, but they didn't have far to go. Instructions directed them to the...

Looking for an apple pie for Thanksgiving? Pie in the Sky is a three-year-old initiative that helps you share the spirit of the holiday.(Tidbits)
October 1, 2004... Looking for an apple pie for Thanksgiving? Pie in the Sky is a three-year-old initiative that helps you share the spirit of the holiday. Culinary celebrities such as Lucy Waverman, Regan Daley, Bonnie Stern, Elizabeth Baird and Dufflet...

Gourmet about town Josh Josephson always forgets to bring his reading glasses when he dines out, making the menu (and even the amuse) an annoying blur.(Tidbits)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Gourmet about town Josh Josephson always forgets to bring his reading glasses when he dines out, making the menu (and even the amuse) an annoying blur. Others, he suspects, share this experience. As proprietor of Josephson Opticians, he is in a...

American.
October 1, 2004... Far Niente *** Loosely translated from Italian, it means "without a care," a tall order for the intersection of Bay and Wellington. But this spacious, comfortable room is more than just a hangout for stockbrokers: it also puts forward fine...

Shopping with chefs.(Restaurants)
October 1, 2004... Lynn Crawford, executive chef of the Four Seasons Hotel, 21 Avenue Rd., 416-964-0411 "The last time I saw David, we were harvesting jerusalem artichokes," reminisces Lynn Crawford, captain to the 50-odd crew members working in the...

Pho.
October 1, 2004... In sleepy Hanoi or sizzling Saigon, pho (pronounced "feu," as in pot au-feu) is the last word in sustenance-for breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, or maybe as a little something to take along to the afterlife. Hogtown-sur-Lac, magically bypassed...

Bistro.
October 1, 2004... NEW Batifole ** 1/2 Chef-patron Jean-Jacques Texier (formerly chef at, then manager of, swish Sassafraz) returns to his Breton roots, opening a small bistro on a dowdy strip of Gerrard. Prices arc ad mirably low (appetizers $8, mains $15),...

Chinese.
October 1, 2004... Ruby ** 1/2 At the back of Woodside Square Mail, this vast, 600-seat space is nicely divided by long screens. Entertainment stages are a banqueter's joy (be prepared for entertainingly bad karaoke). The 11-page mean is divided between...

French.
October 1, 2004... Provence *** With its Mediterranean cottage ambience, fabulous patio, copper-topped bat; faux weathered walls, wood-burning fireplace and panels by artist Rick McCarthy, Elie Benchitrit's long-running eatery remains one of the city's most...

Hotel.
October 1, 2004... NEW Azure *** The soaring conservatory space opens off the lobby, its sheer size camouflaging numbers even when the handsome, modern bar is busy and many banquettes are occupied. The spare design keeps a cool distance, at odds with the...

Indian.
October 1, 2004... NEW Hopper Hut $25 This is the place for hard-to-find Sri Lankan fare. Diners breeze past the cramped, busy takeout area to the comfy 45-seat dining room replete with glass-topped tables, worn wallpaper and a television that blares Indian...

Italian.
October 1, 2004... Damani ** Dark woods, black trim and lots of small Christmas lights shimmering in the front windows lend a sleek but comfortable feel to the narrow room. Neighbours looking for a night off from cooking can start with easygoing options such...

Japanese.
October 1, 2004... Sushi Inn $25 Chic shoppers, Gucci brats, suits and couples have been lining up at this sushi-bar-in-a-box since 1999. Edamame, gyoza and also-topped eggplant are all good kitchen appetizers, but for the main event, sushi is a must. Big...

Portuguese.
October 1, 2004... Piri-Piri Churrasqueira $25 A welcome outpost on Dupont west of Lansdowne, this cheerily utilitarian room delights with picture windows, earth-coloured floor tiles and tables, and wooden chairs. A covered, heated outdoor patio operates...

Seafood.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Mediterra ** 1/2 Stucco walls washed in the liveliest, richest terra cotta hue warm this space, even on a rainy evening. The greeting is graciously Old World, well intentioned and only slightly commercial, as patrons are led to their seats...

Southeast Asian.
October 1, 2004... NEW Pho Saigon ** Vietnamese has long been the most under-represented cuisine in our multicultural megacity, Spadina subbing in for Saigon, with doggedly uninspired results. And now, Pho Saigon transports Vietnamese fare to Scarborough,...

Steak.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... Carman's ** 1/2 It's the restaurant that time forgot and won't remember any time soon. This 45-year-old downtown steak house with a Greek twist, run by chef-owner Thanos Karamanos (a.k.a. Carman), is an old-fashioned treat. Black-and-white...

Out of town.
October 1, 2004... NEW Library ** 1/2 This early-20th-century, two-storey building used to be Midland's public library. The Carnegie-built structure, full of beautiful oak floors and trim, boasts an abundance of great fantailed windows. Last year's...

Calendar.(Advertising & promotion: events & opportunities)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
October 1, 2004... Get the inside scoop on this month's hottest events and promotions from the following advertisers: CIBC RUN FOR THE CURE Run, walk, donate or volunteer at the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure. For details, visit...

Perdita's gold August 24, 2004.(The End)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2004... She was already a world champion. She spoke eloquently and decisively to the press. She even recited inspirational poetry from her balcony in the athlete's village. Perdita Felicien showed such pluck in Athens that she became an instant folk...

Ace Bakery.(Bakers)
October 1, 2004... Marking Ace's 10th anniversary, tireless co owner Linda Haynes has written a fine cookbook full of her favourite recipes, many of which would taste even better with a loaf of Ace bread on the table. The ovens are never cold in the recently...

Alchemy Baking Co.(Bakers)
October 1, 2004... Brian Kirk's one-man bakery has been in business four years, and still the Annex hasn't discovered it. Which means that there are always enough fascinating breads to try, and fresh, battery croissants in the basket every morning. The sweet...

Bagel House.(Bakers)
October 1, 2004... When the rest of Bayview is fast asleep, the bagel bakers are stoking the wood fires, rolling out ropes of bagel dough and deftly twisting them into rings. Early risers and parents on toddler duty arrive at 7 a.m. for a fresh cup of coffee and...

Bonjour Brioche.(Bakers)
October 1, 2004... It's the small things that make a city livable on a cold, cement-grey morning. The ne plus ultra neighboorhood cafe of Leslieville, Bonjour Brioche brings the civilizing influences of flaky pastries and cafe lunches to an otherwise downtrodden...

Brick Street Bakery.(Bakers)
October 1, 2004... Owner Simon Silander spent a lifetime working in restaurants in his native England before coming to Canada in 1990. After falling in love with the Distillery District, he decided to set up shop there. And judging by the Saturday-morning crowds,...

Grainfields.(Bakers)
October 1, 2004... No yeast, no wheat, no sugar, no fat--many of Grainfields' breads (not to mention some scones and muffins) match the description, making the most of kamut and spelt, barley and rye, and offering plenty of flavour and substance. Henry Chen...

La Villa Fine Foods and Bakery.(Bakers)
October 1, 2004... Look twice at the prices on John Bozzo's great breads and wholesome baked goods: $1.59 for a Calabrese loaf! A family-sized lemon meringue pie for just $6.99. Amazing The bustling kitchen sends out huge, tender Viennese loaves heavy with...

Le Comptoir de Celestin.(Bakers)
October 1, 2004... Keep a close eye on your purchases. They are liable to catch the eye of a hungry spouse, a naughty cat, even a bold raccoon. Said raccoon prefers the hazelnut-raisin rye loaf (like Alpen baked into bread) to an oatey multigrain (resembling a...

Mary Macleod's shortbread.(Bakers)
October 1, 2004... Like a good deed in a naughty world, a shortbread cookie from Mary Macleod reaches he, tend the momentary glory of flavour and richness and texture, illuminating memories of a more straightforward past. Prousts-to-come will dunk and bite and...

Piegus European Bakery.(Bakers)
October 1, 2004... How many kinds of rye bread does one small Polish bakery need? The people who flock to Piegus (especially on Saturday) have their favourites: dark or light, with caraway or poppy seed or dried onion, or (best of all) old Polish with its crunchy...

Bloor Meat Market.(Butchers)
October 1, 2004... It's very much a family affair: the Oravec kids took over this shop from their dad in 1986. The warm, weathered shop exudes an authentic feeling of neighbourhood and family. An abundant selection of carefully tended fresh meats is supplemented...

The Butcher Block & Cafe.(Butchers)
October 1, 2004... Ken MacDonald was up early, choosing fresh fruit and vegetables at the Food Terminal for his shop. He decided to add produce and some staples such as milk and bread after the greengrocer down the street went out of business. "It's one-stop...

Neighbourhood: Lawrence and Warden.(Butchers)
October 1, 2004... Stop at Arz Bakery (page 38) for Turkish coffee and one of those delicious baklava (cashew is our favourite)--there's nothing worse than shopping on an empty stomach. Nuts and olives are impeccably fresh; all manner of Middle Eastern grocery...

The Butchers.(Butchers)
October 1, 2004... All the meat at butcher Marlon Pather's lovely wood-lined snug era shop is organically raised: pork and beef from Beretta, duck from La Ferme, lamb from Cumbrae, chicken from Fenwood, and the most beautifully marbled Alberta beef. The latter is...

Charlie's Meat and Seafood.(Butchers)
October 1, 2004... Charlie's son and daughter run the major part of the business: wholesaling meat from a huge Scarborough operation. Charlie himself is in charge of the retail store in the Broadview-Gerrard Chinatown, something he does as a hobby, a labour of...

The Chopping Block.(Butchers)
October 1, 2004... There isn't a prettier butchery in the Beach, and it's not just the beautiful Rowe Farm beef, lamb and pork, or the Cumbrae chicken. "Our homemade foods are our specialty," says owner Jay McNish, so fridges are always filled with lasagnas and...

Cumbrae's Naturally Raised Fine Meats.(Butchers)
October 1, 2004... Tall, lanky and sporting a pair of stylish eyeglasses, Stephen Alexander doesn't look like a third generation butcher-farmer. But he is, and if anyone knows how to get the meat he wants, it's him. Beef is naturally raised (antibiotics...

Grace Meat Market.(Butchers)
October 1, 2004... After nearly a half-century in business together, the Bielaks are still going strong, and this tiny store is jam-packed from floor to ceiling with great food. Meats are top notch, brought in from the family-owned slaughterhouse. There's...

Happy Meat Market.(Butchers)
October 1, 2004... The rotisserie--which features a tender hoisin-glazed duck, among other fowl--is at the front, and the vast selection of homemade Asian pork and duck liver sausages is at the back. And there, between the two, is Happy's fabulous takeout...

Hartman's Kosher Meats.(Butchers)
October 1, 2004... Ignore the cardboard Emeril in the window: this shop is deliciously authentic, from the hot cart laden with meatballs and stuffed chicken breasts to the freezers full of chicken noodle soup. In the past two years, the Hartmans have concentrated...

Just an Old Fashioned Butchery.(Butchers)
October 1, 2004... Bill Rechter's legendary steak burgers (a full six ounces of coarsely chopped steak, plus Rechter's blend of seasonings) are things of beauty. But there's so much more to this little shop: spatchcock chickens vacuum packed in balsamic, pesto or...

Meat on the Beach.(Butchers)
October 1, 2004... A customer walks into the large shop--past the prepared salads and wall of house-made marinades and dressings, and the many, many breads for sale. He makes straight for Ernesto Monte and asks what's new. "I'm working on a porchetta," replies...

Nicola's Choice Meats.(Butchers)
October 1, 2004... This is a one-stop grocery that offers plenty more than just excellent meats. But now that we're on that topic, owner-butcher Jerry Catalfo does sell well-marbled award-winning beef (note the colourful ribbons--awards from the Royal...

Nortown Foods.(Butchers)
October 1, 2004... The Eglinton West veteran feels much less cramped these days, painted in grass greens and creams that lend the shop a designer edge. Stunning kosher-style meats add to the impression. But despite the new look, this is still a place of...

Olliffe.(Butchers)
October 1, 2004... "What's new?" a regular asks. Five fellows behind the counter start calling out their favourites: "Rack of venison!" "Bison burgers!" "Kobe steaks!" The friendly, knowledgeable service is a great part of this little shop's appeal; the men...