Groovy Shoes

Check out Groovy's site for cute runners, athletic-inspired Ts, and crazy Irregular Choice shoes. Free ground shipping in Canada.

Thanks to Ilonka for showing me the site.

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Dream In High Park 2010

This year the Canadian Stage TD Dream in High Park 2010 presents Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare's timeless tale of star-crossed lovers and feuding.

Dates: June 25 - September 5, 2010
Time: Tuesday - Sunday, 8p.m. (Gate opens at 6p.m.)
Venue: High Park Amphitheatre

Bring a bottle of wine, some cheese and fruit, and make this a date night. Bug spray is a must!

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Tiepedia

Check out Tiepedia.com, a blog about ties. Koodoes to Matt who publishes some pretty good content. I think I will go and get myself a nice slim black tie to update my white shirts…

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Outdoor Free Movies at King & University

Organized by TIFF and few other partners free outdoor movies will be showcased at the beautiful square west of Roy Thomson Hall (King/University) starting June 30 - Sep 1st.
The highlights are To Kill a Mokingbird, July 7 and Casablanka, Sep 1 among few others.

Free, Wednesdays at 9 p.m.

Screening schedule is at torontoed.com

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I Got...

$38 at the Little Burgundy. Check out their on-line sale - additional 24% off the lowest sale price.

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I Like It Black

Jeffrey Campbell, $69
Belle Sigerson Morrison, $275
Diesel, $153
Miss 60, $150

Parts and Labour Media Opening

We want to put our own "2 cents" into Parts & Labour opening frenzy. Me and Capa had lots of fun at their Media Opening party. The drinks were great, the crowd was fun, and the oyster bar won over my heart... This place has some great potential!

Come see for yourself!

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Stratford Shakespeare Festival 2010

Christopher Plummer as Prospero. Image by Andrew Accles


Julyana Soelistyo as Ariel. Image by David Hou

It's Saturday afternoon and we are driving to Stratford to see the great Christopher Plummer in The Tempest. This is my first visit to the Shakespeare festival and I am exited about the play and also an opportunity to visit one of the best sightseeing destinations in Ontario. The Victorian city of Stratford has all imaginable attractions - great dining, shopping and architecture, fascinating riverside walks, and an abandonment of picnic spots. We have an early dinner at the local Chinese restaurant and head to the Festival theatre for the very anticipated performance.

From the city's picturesque downtown we walk on the riverside admiring the tranquil scenery. Both banks are flooded with fresh greenery and the water itself is surprisingly clear and inviting… I regret not bringing a swimming suit for a quick pre-performance dive.

The Festival theatre is magnificent inside and out. The grounds in front of the entrance are made into some sort of Botanical garden with all kinds of beautiful flowers and leafy plants and even a tiny pond with water lilies. I wish there were some gold fish in that pond - it would make the place really magical. After taking a million pictured in the garden we go inside and find our seats on the balcony.

The performance hall has unique and clever layout with a round stage centered in the amphitheatre. It's virtually impossible to get bad sits in it. The view is clear from all angles and the acoustics is good enough for a symphony. The seats are surprisingly comfortable and inviting with plenty of leg room and cushioning to get us through the 3-hour play. It looks like all tickets are sold out and the theatre is full. The crowd ranges from elderly couples to teenagers with facial piercing - koodos to the festival organizers for attracting a variety of people. Stratford is becoming a destination for many demographics including young couples and families with small children. The festival's performances are diverse and appealing to all age groups.

Des McAnuff is the festival's Artistic Director and director of The Tempest. He gives a very lively and seemingly unrehearsed intro to the performance and the lights go off…

In all honesty, The Tempest is one of the best theatrical performances I've seen in the past few years. Visual effects, costumes, and stage set-up are all great, let alone the magnificent performance by Sir Christopher Plummer and Julyana Soelistyo (Ariel). For the entire length of the play I couldn't rid myself of the feeling that I was watching Plummer, Soelistyo, and others perform at the Cirque du Soleil. I was going to write a detailed account of the performance, but after giving it some thought I will simply encourage everyone to go and see The Tempest or another play at the festival.

So, take your family, your friends, and your loved ones and come to Stratford for a day (or few) to remember.

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Berlin is Calling...so is Moscow

Capa is off to Berlin and Moscow to check out what those cities have to offer! With a great list in my hands of places to see, brunches to eat, beers to drink and patios to enjoy...will create my own one and will share with you when back!
Enjoy the summer in To to it's fullest!
Love,
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What's On Sale

Here is what's hot and cheap these days:

Style Exchage Midnight Madness - details here

HandM Summer Sale - up to 50% off, June 18th-30th

Mendocino's Summer Sale - up to 50% off, June 18th-26th

SportCheck - massive discounts up until June 28th!


Go shopping!

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Toronto Wine and Spirit Festival

This weekend, head to the Distillery district for the Toronto Wine and Spirit Festival. Tickets are $22 advance, $30 at the festival. More info here.

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Russian Ballet Gala - Good Wine, Average Food, Surprising Performance, and Very Strange Crowd

Where do I begin… Well, this was the second year I've attended National Ballet's Mad Hot Gala at the Four Seasons. I am an avid theatergoer, and the annual event is a great way to close off the season. The Four Seasons Centre for The Performing Arts is one my favorite Toronto venues - it's a magnificent building with great acoustics built specifically for ballet and opera performances. This year, Mad Hot's theme was Russian Heat. Having Russian roots (well, at least speaking the language) gives me a different perspective on anything Russian-themed. First, it requires lots of careful planning. Russian culture is reach and complex and a few matrioshcas scattered around are not enough to imitate it. Second, I could see the event attracting an unusual crowd - people who've never been to the Four Seasons before, who've never seen a ballet performed there, women of all shapes and sizes "fashionably" dressed in skimpy animal-printed polyester frocks… The list can go on for a while turning the gala into an Eastern European émigré gathering. I was still exited to go, looking forward to the crème-de-la-crème performance and spending time with my mom and her girls.

I've spent a few moment pre-performance eyeballing the crowd. It was noticeably different from last year. Still, there were a few extraordinary couples - tuxedos, Valentino gowns, and Louboutin's. I guess they were the people buying $1,500 post-performance dinner tickets for an opportunity to mingle with the principal dancers and Karen Kain, the ballet's artistic director.

The performance itself evoked a whole range of emotions. To my surprise, it was almost two hours long (as oppose to less then an hour last year). The first 45 minutes were dedicated to Kudelka's Musings and at some point I felt like just getting up and leaving. Another surprise here - I always liked Kudelka and his fresh interpretations of classics. Strangely, this time even Mozart couldn't save his "choreography". Not one complex dance element is 45 minutes!

As if to contrast Kudelka's opening, the remaining 4 short performances were extraordinary. I especially enjoyed excerpt from Polyphonia (choreography by Christopher Wheeldone) and pas de deux from As Above, So Below (choreography by Mark Godden and danced to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata). It was a real treat to see Sonia Rodriguez and Piotr Stanczyk perform this beautiful and sensual piece.
Post-performance drinks and buffet were uneventful. The food was exactly the same as last year, the wine was a notch better, and Russian Standard mohitos have replaced Grey Goose martinis. Just as an FYI, mohito is NOT a traditional Russian drink. The few highlights included two weird-looking elderly gents (pictured) dressed as pseudo-Russian generals. They clearly didn't do their research before putting together the costumes.

I will go to the Mad Hot next year again hoping for the best.

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I Got...

These shoes were on sale for $20. I love the color!

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Summerlicious 2010 - July 9-25

Summerlicious 2010 is fast approaching. For those of you who don't know what is Summerlicious, here are the details. And here is the list of participating restaurants. Book way in advance to get a spot and stay tuned for our reviews.

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Turkish Delight

I think I've said this before… I LOVE food. That's one of the reasons I'll never be a fashionable size 2, but rather a cozy size 6 going on 8… Sorry, got carried away again.

Anatolia restaurant is a small, hard-to-notice place on Dundas street in Etobicoke. On the outside it's just a local eatery, but on the inside it's ancient Turkey coming to life in West Toronto. The décor is bold and very authentic - hand-made porcelain wall art, copper dishes, woven rugs… The menu and somewhat limited, but each dish is a fusion of traditional Turkish cuisine and the chef's culinary art. Owner/chef Ayse Aydemir opened the restaurant in 1999 and since then it became Toronto's darling. The prices are not as democratic as one would expect, but a good dinner for four will cost no more then $150, drinks extra.

I am not going to go through all the menu items, but make sure you try Feta Bruschetta and Manti from the appetizer menu. Ayran, a traditional zesty yogurt drink, is perfect to wash down the hearty meal. Oh, and leave some room for Turkish coffee ($4.75) or tea ($9, serves 4).

Visit Anatolia on the first Friday of every month for a dinner and traditional Turkish entertainment - live music, belly dancing, and fortune telling.

5112 Dundas St. W, Etobicoke
416-207-0596

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