North York businessman brings Trump to T.O.

By

-

1:48 pm

In the run-up to the anticipated opening of local developer Alex Shnaider’s Trump International Hotel & Tower, a number of investors were reportedly trying to get out of their deals before the final closing. Located on Bay Street, the 60-storey tower contains 261 luxury hotel units, 118 condo units and a range of amenities.

Bob Aaron, a Toronto lawyer who specializes in real estate law, represented a couple from the United Kingdom that was attempting to get out before having to close on a $830,588 unit. He said purchasers may have had a change of heart for a variety of reasons: a change in the economic climate, delays in the project, the $7,000-a-month cost of carrying the unit and the realization that the units could not be flipped preconstruction.

“There’s the ice-cold reality that just because the Trump name is on it doesn’t mean that it is a guaranteed pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,” Aaron explained.

Alex Shnaider did not respond to a request for an interview. According to the Trump tower’s website, suites are still available, with hotel condos starting at $967,000 and residences starting at $2.3 million.

Dragon all smoke, but no fire in the belly

By

-

1:47 pm

0

When it comes to theatrical directors in recent memory, there are few who have received greater accolades in Canada and around the world than Quebec’s Robert LePage. Still in his early 50s, he has acted (in the wonderful Jesus of Montreal), directed everywhere from Sweden to New York’s Metropolitan Opera and written highly praised works of theatre. The Cirque du Soleil production he directed, Totem, was one of the most entertaining and visually stunning productions I’ve seen. So why on earth was I so deeply bored by one of his latest creations, The Blue Dragon, now running at the Royal Alexandra Theatre through Feb. 19?

LePage is nothing if not visually creative: throughout the 90-minute production, there are moments of great beauty, surprise and even profound pleasure. We see a French-Canadian artist explain the intricacies of Chinese calligraphy, painting letters on the floor in front of him, which appear at the same moment in images a hundred times in size on screens behind him. A two-level platform becomes the inside of a jet plane, then a restaurant, a train station and the skyline of Shanghai. Three performers speak in Chinese, French and English, with subtitles flashed across the centre of a screen behind their movements. Now and then, we see gorgeous dances, which echo the emotions of various performers, and even the famous Communist Chinese ballets popular under Chairman Mao. There are endless projections, even film clips, and the stage is chopped up before our eyes allowing viewers to focus on the concerns and actions of one, then two or all three protagonists.

The problem, at least for this critic? We never get a chance to care about Pierre, the failed middle-aged artist who has escaped from Quebec to come to China, or the beautiful young Chinese woman with whom he is having an affair, not to mention Pierre’s former lover who has come to town in an attempt to adopt a Chinese baby. There are shocking, even shattering explosions of Chinese music that go nowhere. Pierre fears emotional involvement, but so what? Evil, capitalist developers threaten to gobble up his apartment and gallery, but we never really feel strongly about anything. There are beautiful rainfalls, gorgeous lightning and terrifying thunder, but so often as to be tedious. And the quality of the writing is so prosaic and dull as to be forgotten within seconds after someone speaks.

Yes, there are some unforgettable and ingenious scenes (I loved the three different endings thrown at us). Is Robert LePage a genius? I certainly was not left with that impression from seeing this surprisingly uninvolving play. Does he have a great eye and an impressive sense of colour, dance, choreography and how to create visual imagery? Undeniably. A man of talent, no doubt. A giant of heightened words and intelligent theatre? Very little of that is hinted at in The Blue Dragon.

Avenue Road patrons robbed at popular restaurant

By

-

1:47 pm

0

Five male suspects have been arrested in a recent hold-up at the popular Avenue Road restaurant the Lobster Trap. According to Const. Victor Kwong, Toronto police responded to a call about an armed robbery moments before 10 p.m. on Jan. 25.

Five males suspects, whose faces were covered, entered the premises. The suspects then allegedly proceeded to demand that three employees and eight patrons get on the floor.

At that point, the suspects are said to have removed cash and cell phones from them.

Before leaving the scene, the suspects also apparently removed cash from the tills and liquor from the bar. Kwong said that the victims were left unharmed.

Police arrested five male suspects shortly thereafter in the area of Highway 401 and The Allen Expressway. Arrested were two 18-year-old males, a 22-year-old male and a 24-year-old male from Toronto as well as a 23-year-old male from Mississauga.

The male suspects are all facing 11 counts of robbery while armed with a firearm, 11 counts of forcible confinement, disguise with intent to commit an indictable offence, assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

Two of the male suspects are facing additional charges including failure to comply with probation and possession of a firearm contrary to a prohibition order.

Home Depot plans poised to go ahead pending ruling

By

-

1:47 pm

0

Plans to develop the site located at 16 Lesmill Rd. and 840-842 York Mills Rd. into a large-scale retail centre featuring a Home Depot are poised to move forward pending a formal decision from the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). Back in November, Toronto City Council directed a city solicitor to attend the hearing in support of the application, provided a number of outstanding concerns were addressed. Among them were urban design issues and transportation requirements.

John Dawson, a lawyer who attended the hearing on behalf of Rogers Communications, said that, by this point, none of the parties were contesting the plans. As such, the hearing only lasted a few hours.

“Rogers obviously was monitoring the circumstance,” Dawson said. “Their particular concern was traffic. They retained a traffic expert to review all the work that was done, and in the end, they did not object.”

This was the second phase of the hearing, dedicated to the planning merits of the application. Phase one dealt with how the plans fit into the provincial growth plan. The matter dates back to 2008 when the city initially refused the application for official plan and zoning amendments to permit the large-scale retail redevelopment.

After losing phase one of the OMB challenge and a subsequent rehearing, the city appealed to divisional court but was denied a hearing. The local councillor, the developer and Home Depot did not respond to interview requests.

A weighty conversation

By

-

1:44 pm

0

So Mayor Rob Ford and his brother Doug have announced that they eventually want to lose over 100 pounds. With a goal that big, where do you even start?
I think they, and anyone with a lot of weight to lose, need to sort out what their reasons are for losing weight. You need motivation, then you need to recognize that this is about forming lifelong habits.

Where do you see the Fords having some trouble?
Taking control of what you eat is very difficult for business people. It’s also difficult for people who live in an environment where they drive. Business people often just drive and sit, and they don’t have the time and opportunity to do much else. Those people are vulnerable.

How do you suggest these busy people fit healthier habits into their lives?
Make it more difficult to find your food … don’t just eat it because it’s there. If you go to a meeting … with coffee and Danish pastries with icing and no whole-wheat muffins, don’t eat anything. You’ve got to be more selective about what you eat.… You can’t just pass the hamburger stand and grab one to go.

What about exercise? If you’ve got over 100 pounds to lose, how do you exercise safely?
The trouble with very overweight people is that sometimes they have bad joints. Many overweight people are quite fit.… If they’re younger, they should run, play tennis, really exercise vigorously.… But for people who’ve reached their 50s or 60s and are very overweight with bad joints, they should try walking or find themselves a pool and do some AquaFit. It’s soft on the joints and gives you a good workout.

What’s worse for weight gain, fat or carbs?
If you have a really creamy or greasy, fatty food, that’s bad for you. If you have really fluffy, puffy, melt-in-your-mouth carbohydrate food, that’s bad for you, too. You can’t really put one over the other. Basically, anything that tastes good is probably bad for you.

Is there a particular type of diet — for example, Japanese, Greek, Thai — that is particularly good to follow?
You should follow the diet you find the least palatable, that’ll work (laughs). No, I think it’s a very good plan, both for your health and the planet, to look toward a more plant-based or vegetarian diet. It’s varied, it’s interesting, and it’s not calorie dense. You get the nutrition but not the calories.

We get a lot of warnings about the dangers of yo-yo dieting, but if you have a high-calorie weekend, is it wrong to have a few hungry days to balance it out?
No, I think, for a lot of people, that’s the way to go. I wouldn’t call it yo-yo dieting. It’s more boom and bust. If it’s the best you can do, then do it. But really do it. Eat less for a few days, and then remember how hungry you were and learn from it so you can eat moderately on the next weekend.

What about the natural diet supplements that are so popular right now, like green tea or cayenne pepper?
If they are working for someone, go for it. I remember the grapefruit diet was very popular at one time, and I know it worked for some people and not others. Different approaches work for different people. If they don’t work for you, then go back to eating with more restraint. The only rule is don’t get depressed and give up.

Should people consult a physician before they start a diet?
I think it’s a tremendously good idea to go get a checkup and discuss diet. And if you’re overweight, discuss other risk factors, like high cholesterol, diabetes tendency, because that will give you some impetus to actually follow a diet … then you should ask to get an interview with a dietician.

Is there one hard and fast rule that everyone should follow?
Don’t live your life beside the refrigerator. Find other interests. It’s the best way to take your mind off food … build activity into your life, go on family outings that don’t revolve around eating. It’s a problem that doesn’t have an easy solution because it’s not like alcohol. You can’t just quit. You can, however, decentralize it from your life.

Parent pushes for defibrillators in local schools

By

-

1:42 pm

0

A mother in Thornhill whose daughters’ heart conditions require defibrillators is pushing to make them available and mandatory in schools throughout York Region. Magi, who only wished to use her first name in order to protect her daughters’ identities, said both her 14-year-old and 12-year-old children have Brugada syndrome, a life-threatening heart rhythm disorder known to cause sudden death. Therefore, both girls require a defibrillator.

“Six months ago, I didn’t even know the word ‘defibrillator,’ ” said Magi, a teacher. “Now, [doctors] tell me heart disease in kids is more common, and I want their learning environment to be safe.”

Last summer, Magi took her daughter to the hospital for what seemed like a fever at the time. A few weeks after that, her oldest had a pacemaker put in, and her youngest daughter was diagnosed shortly after that.

But Ross Virgo, senior manager of public affairs and communications at the York Region District School Board, said that funding for the equipment, which Magi estimated can cost between $1,500 and $2,000 er machine, has to come from the provincial government.

“We have a policy that certainly permits defibrillators to be brought into schools by families who are affected,” Virgo added.

Magi’s daughters, who attend Carrville Mills Public School in the Thornhill Woods area, have access to a defibrillator that was donated by the Mikey Network, a non-profit group that promotes heart-healthy living. But she thinks the problem goes beyond her own family.

“I’m not here talking about just my kids anymore,” said Magi. “They should be in all the schools in York Region.”

Joel Hertz, Carrville Mills’ trustee, said that he is working alongside Magi to apply a consistent policy to every school in York Region — a task that would be impossible without allocated funding from the government.

“We have almost 200 schools,” Hertz said.

“We want to make sure we do things right and make sure people are properly trained,” he added.

Magi said she plans to petition the provincial government to allocate the funding.

“It comes down to money,” she said. “There are kids walking around with this silent killer. I’m just one small person, but I hope it will move somebody.”

Black History Month in Canada: a five point primer

By

-

1:33 pm

0

How much do you know about Black history in Canada and in Toronto? How much is there to know? “The average sixteen-year-old in Canada can tell you something about slavery and abolition in the United States,” Toronto author Lawrence Hill once remarked, but “do we know that the story of African-Canadians spans 400 years, and includes slavery, abolition, pioneering, urban growth, segregation, the civil rights movement and a long engagement in civic life?”

As we begin Black History Month 2012, here are a few things you might want to know.

1. Back in 1926, African-American historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson initiated “Negro History Week” to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. But there’s too much history for just one week so, on both sides of the border, February became Black History Month. It was celebrated in Toronto as far back as 1950. And this year, the month is one day longer!

2. Toronto was Canada’s first municipality to officially adopt Black History Month. After Toronto MP Jean Augustine introduced a motion, passed unanimously by the House of Commons in 1995, Black History Month became recognized across Canada.

3. Uncle Tom’s Cabin is just outside Dresden, Ontario. That is to say, the cabin of Reverend Josiah Henson, on whose life Harriet Beecher Stowe based the classic anti-slavery novel. It’s only 300km from Toronto.

4. You may know that the Underground Railroad led to Windsor, St. Catharines and Owen Sound, but did you know about the Toronto connection? In 1985, the site of what is now Inglenook Community High School, the Toronto District School Board’s oldest continually operating school, was discovered to have been a terminus of the Underground Railroad back when it was inhabited by Lucie and Thornton Blackburn in the 1800s.

5. Black loyalists and slavery are two aspects of Canadian history of which many people are quite unaware. Black history in Canada goes back as far as Samuel de Champlain, whose translator was a free African polyglot named Mathieu Da Costa.

Don’t want a history lesson? Why not read a great novel, like Half-Blood Blues or The Book of Negroes. (You can’t escape history, so you might as well enjoy it.)

Evan Andrew Mackay is a Toronto playwright and humourist who writes about culture and social justice.

Chef Anthony Rose’s breakthrough dish was chicken al forno with salsa verde

By

-

11:42 am

0

Some recipes are universal; most memories are not. The process of shaping raw ingredients into something palatable — and the events that surround this endeavour — can lead to all kinds of unforgettable moments: kitchen disasters, severed digits, epic struggles with newfangled culinary gadgets and, sometimes, personal triumphs. So why not ask some of the city’s top chefs for their most memorable recipes? Why not, indeed?

This week, we asked Anthony Rose, executive chef at The Drake, for his “breakthrough” recipe. Before his current gig, Rose spent several years in the US, during which time he worked with renowned chef Jonathan Waxman. The experience was pivotal for him.

Says Rose:

“I started working with Jonathan in NYC and he is still my biggest mentor. I loved the honest simplicity of his food and all the love he put into it. We are still tight. Working with him really solidified for me that I was on the right track, not to take food too seriously and just really enjoy what you do. To me, this dish represents that philosophy. Amen.”

CHICKEN AL FORNO WITH SALSA VERDE

Ingredients:

Chicken:

1 four-pound free-range organic chicken (fresh only)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salsa Verde:

¼ cup capers in salt
4 anchovy filets
3 cloves garlic
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ cup chopped arugula
½ cup chopped fresh basil
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup chopped tarragon
¼ cup chopped fresh chives
¼ cup chopped fresh sage
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Preparation:

Salsa verde:

Soak capers in cold water for an hour, then drain. Soak anchovies in cold water for 15 minutes, then pat dry and remove the bones. Using a mortar and pestle, smash the capers, anchovies and garlic until smooth, then transfer to a large bowl. Add all herbs and olive oil, then season with sea salt. It should be chunky, not oily.

Chicken:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Wash the bird in hot water (this will remove any nasty juices that collect in the plastic wrap that all chickens seem to come in). Dry with paper towels. Using kitchen shears, cut out the backbone of the chicken and remove any fat (this can be added to a chicken stock). Then, using a heavy chef’s knife, cut out the breastbone. Cut the chicken in half and season the two halves with sea salt and black pepper. Place the chicken halves, skin side up, on two sizzle platters and dab with the olive oil. Cut the lemon in half and place each half, cut side down, next to the chicken on each platter. Roast the chicken for 35 minutes, basting every 10 minutes. If it is not browning well, turn it over after 15 minutes, and then right it for the last five minutes. When it is done, remove the chicken to a platter and pour off the excess fat. Cut each breast in half and cut the thigh from the leg. Serve with salsa verde and garnish with the roasted lemon.

How to make Ontario Place the coolest venue of all time

By

-

10:02 am

0

Ontario Place is getting a revamp. According to the Globe, most of the park will be closed until 2017 as a panel led by John Tory (yes, that John Tory) tries to figure out how to make it a profitable, must-visit destination. While turning this quintessentially boring “amusement park” into something mind-blowing is no small order, we think it can be done with a bit of imagination. Below, our suggestions for making Ontario Place amazing.

The world’s biggest Ferris wheel. Sure, Doug Ford’s dream waterfront was nothing short of a debacle. But that doesn’t mean that the world’s biggest Ferris wheel wasn’t an awesome idea.
A better sphere. We all know that the Cinesphere is totally jealous of the globe at the Epcot Centre. Really, the two spheres should just be exactly the same. Also, the Cinesphere should play movies in 4-D (which, we’ve just learned, is a real thing).
A publically-funded school for each and every religion that exists. And yes, that includes Scientology and The Church of the Universe.
A LARPing arena. For those pathetically not in-the-know, Live Action Role Playing is pretty much the best thing ever. Toronto needs a venue. It should also be put underground, since everything is better underground, apparently.
Momofuku. Just get one. Pull some strings.
A red light district. Sure, Giorgio Mammoliti’s proposed red light district for Toronto Island may have sparked an outcry from the prudes in the city, but in Europe, these things are cash cows. So we’re giving Mammoliti the green light on this one.
A gigantic hedge maze. These are just plain awesome, though they tend to invite horrifying flashbacks of a maniacal ‘80s Jack Nicholson wielding an axe. Which is still awesome.
Deep fried everything. Because a Krispy Kreme burger paired with deep-fried cola and a 4-D movie at the Cinesphere is an unbeatable combo.

Neapolitan-style pizza hits Kensington Market

By

-

1:20 pm

0

Romolo Salvati and Massimo Di Lascio, two chefs whose flour-dusted fingers lovingly sculpted some of Toronto's favourite pizza at Queen Margherita Pizza, have brought a little bit of Naples to Kensington Market with Pizzeria Via Mercanti, which has taken over the space formerly occupied by the Back Alley Woodfire BBQ and Grill.

Salvati and Di Lascio are old friends who share a Neapolitan provenance and a passion for some of the most essential Italian delights: pizza, fresh pasta and espresso. Via Mercanti, their first venture as chef-owners since emigrating from Italy, pays tribute to their original pizzeria nestled on Via dei Mercanti — the merchant's way — in coastal Salerno.

It's no fluke, then, that the new pizzeria ended up in Toronto's historic marketplace.

“I love the market,” says Salvati. “In Naples, all the best pizzerias are in the markets.”

Via Mercanti currently houses two wood-burning ovens — which Salvati hopes to replace with ovens from Naples in the near future — as well as a rotisserie (destined to yield golden, slow-cooked porchetta) and a glistening hulk of a pasta machine which, during our visit, had just churned out three tubs of fresh gigli noodles. A legendary Faema E61 espresso machine looks right at home atop the restaurant's concrete bar.

Evidence of characteristic Italian perfectionism isn't limited to the duo’s preference for top-notch machinery. Fundamental ingredients like flour and canned D.O.P. pomodoro San Marzano — yes, tomatoes that boast a terroir and the only fruit deemed suitable for real Neopolitan pizza sauce — are imported from Italy. In fitting with traditional Neapolitan rubric, pizzas are flash-baked for 60-90 seconds at around 900 degrees Fahrenheit.

The menu is succinct and traditional. Pizza selection includes a classic Margherita ($10), the scarpariello ($14) topped with garlic, chilies, parmesan and black pepper, and the sauceless broccoli e salsiccia ($15), scattered with sautéed rapini, sausage and fior di latte.

Fresh pasta and bread are prepared daily, and a modest wine selection focuses on bold southern Italian reds with some Portuguese and Spanish bottles thrown in for good measure.

Via Mercanti's airy, wood-heavy interior is the ideal space in which to enjoy the rustic, gracefully executed fare.

“It's simple, like the old days, and with the best ingredients,” says Salvati. “It's the real stuff, nothing fancy.”

Via Mercanti is currently open for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Sunday and plans to open seven days a week in the coming months.

Pizzeria Via Mercanti, 188 Augusta Ave., 647-343-6647

Trending in Theatre This Week: The Double, The Laramie Project, Hamlet Live, Closer, The Who's Tommy

By

-

12:49 pm

0

The Double

In this TheatreRUN production, two actors and a bassist collide in a schizophrenic world that combines physical theatre with live jazz bass. The multi-disciplinary production is dubbed a dark satire, but keep in mind it is adapted from the novella by Fyodor Dostoevsky, so, you know, don’t expect jazz hands or anything.
Factory Theatre, Studio, 125 Bathurst Street, 416-504-9971. Feb. 3 – Feb. 19.

The Laramie Project

This powerful play, written by Moises Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project, depicts the reaction to the 1998 murder of gay university student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming.
Toronto Centre for the Arts, 5040 Yonge Street, 1-855-985-2787. Jan. 26 – Feb. 5.

Hamlet Live

Using the pretty cool concept of mixing live-streaming with live theatre, Hamlet Live is a modern-spin on Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy. In this re-telling, Hamlet lives in a dystopian post-apocalyptic world, Terminator-style. You can watch the show in person or via your computer — just like they do in the future, of course.
Annex Theatre, 730 Bathurst Street, 416-924-2243. Jan. 26 – Feb. 11.

Closer

Patrick Marber’s Tony-nominated play has to be one of the most sexually explicit ever written in recent memory. It’s been regarded as a modern reworking of Noël Coward’s Private Lives – only dirtier. And if you’ve only seen the 2004 film adaptation, then you’re really missing out (Julia Roberts was a horrible choice for Anna).
Winchester Street Theatre, 80 Winchester Street, 647-808-4660. Feb. 2-4.

The Who’s Tommy

In light of pinball fast becoming Toronto’s hottest trend (don’t say I didn’t warn you), how fitting that we get to see a remount of the rock musical about a young, troubled boy who’s got a talent for pinball.
Hart House Theatre, 7 Hart House Circle, 416-978-8849. Feb. 2-11.

Balzac’s Coffee Roasters opening two new locations

By

-

9:47 am

0

In 2002, before high-quality espresso had made serious inroads into Toronto, Balzac’s Coffee Roasters opened in the Distillery District as one of the first artisanal coffee shops in the city. Four years later, a new location opened in Liberty Village, and now founder Diana Olsen is set to open two new ventures in Toronto.

Both cafés are set to open in April: one at Ryerson’s School of Image Arts and another at the Toronto Reference Library. Olsen says both locations will be around 2,000 square feet and seat around 50 people. In terms of ambience, the new places will offer the standard Balzac’s experience — which means, essentially, that Balzac himself would have approved — despite their more modern surroundings.

Why the sudden expansion? Olsen recently had a bit of success on Dragon’s Den, with Bruce Croxon and Arlene Dickinson having stepped on as partners.

As for concerns that Balzac’s could be heading the way of Starbucks, not to worry. The Balzac’s philosophy specifically repudiates the notion of having a location on every corner of every street.

These things are infallible, right?