Grand Electric, Parkdale

Late 2011, I took my parents to try this new spot in Parkdale. If you're on top of Toronto's food scene you've probably heard too much about it already, so mind this post I guess.

Started by former Black Hoofers, Colin and Ian, the spot's mantra is cheap mexican food, craft beer, brown liquor, and loud hip-hop. Now my parents aren't -- well you know "with it" these days -- I mean my dad doesn't even try. All that being said, this is the only place I've taken them to that they've both actually liked a lot (minus the loud music they told me). It might be because it was so affordable -- at least relative to most of the other places I've told them to try.

The crowd's demographic was insistently young -- 20 to 30s -- all hidden behind the building's cleanly blacked-out exterior. Loud hip-hop was no joke -- good stuff too. Lights were dim as any other Parkdale bar, and we arrived early into the night -- New Year's Eve that is -- so there was no line awaiting us, though we pretty much grabbed the last seats. We started out with the organic corn tortillas and guacamole -- which was as sublime as the all its acclaim suggested. Everything's made in house I should note, from scratch. This was probably my mom's favourite dish, and she actually loved the whole meal; she also apparently doesn't even like Mexican food.

We tried all the four tacos on the menu that night. The Baja fish tacos were great.

If you're into the whole deathly spicy deal, you might want to try the arbol chicken tacos. Although you should also note my tolerance for hot food is at about rock bottom.

The pork belly al Pastor tacos were my least favourite, but that's mostly because I have an irrational thing against pineapples mixed with savoury flavours. I mean, I know pineapples have a special relationship with pork belly and it's the thing you're supposed to put in these tacos, but they're just not my cup of tea.

My favourite of the night however were these beef cheek tacos. Sweet meat with fresh cut chili peppers, that's just my kind of taco.

I had the Grand Electric sour -- egg white, 1.5 oz vanilla bourbon, lemon, and agave -- and I loved it. Keep in mind, I don't drink all that often and Amy Pataki of The Star wasn't too fond of its lack of tartness, but I personally enjoyed it.

I really don't know what's not to love about this place -- 3 for $10 tacos, fantastic bourbon selection, craft beer and good music. The best spot for Mexican in Parkdale, I'm positive you'll love it!

"A Christmas Carol" by The Soulpepper Theatre Company

Written by Charles Dickens. Adapted by Michael Shamata.

Last Monday, I had the opportunity to visit the lovely Distillery District to enjoy a little festive theatre production.

Soulpepper is one of Toronto's most critically acclaimed theatre companies, but more interestingly, one of their more experimental performance art collectives.

The good folks at Soupepper had prepared a stunning stage adaption of Charles Dickens' quaint Victorian ghost tale, "A Christmas Carol".

I went down with my family to the lovely Young Center for The Performing Arts early in the evening.


The reception foyer filled up rather quickly.

My parents had some warm beverages before the show, and the caffeine evidently made them even more excited than I already was at the moment.

An announcement was made five minutes prior to the show to usher the eager audience into the theatre.

As I mentioned earlier, Soulpepper has been known to take a fascinatingly experimental approach to contemporary theatre classics. This would immediately become evident as soon as one entered the strange rectangle stage, set right in the center of all the auditorium seats. They made a magnificent use of their stage technology and unique stage setting to put forth an intriguingly engaging show brimming with adaptative ingenuity.

I don't want to ruin any of the magic in case any of you readers decide to attend their production next year, but the stage introduction was absolutely brilliant. The narrator took the stage in a charmingly mild manner, making casual reference to the "ghost light" quietly standing by itself in the center of the stage. Conversationally, he slowly made his way to an explanation of the ghost light's significance in the history of theatre. Before you knew it, all in one seamless motion, the ghost light dramatically vanished, the props made their way to the stage in one enormously dream-sequenced swirl, and the enthralling ghost tale of "A Christmas Carol" filled the room.

Everything about this show was so irresistibly enjoyable, from the gorgeous performing art center that hosts Soulpepper's productions, to Michael Shamata's ingenious adaptation for the stage, to the Distillery District itself, glimmering in all its Yuletide glory.

This is a truly unique Toronto experience no performance art-enthusiast should have to miss during Christmas.

Soma Chocolate

Soma. Yes, the word sounds oddly familiar. I don't know if this is actually the intended case, but I swear it was named after the heavenly pleasurable drug from Huxley's "Brave New World" because it is incredibly addicting.


Situated in Toronto's lovely little Distillery District, Soma is an artisan chocolate factory, boutique, and cafe all in one.





They import some of the most sought after Organic Fair Trade cocoa beans from around the world, and create their very own chocolate in house with the help of traditional and antiquated processes.


They offer everything from unique little chocolate snacks, traditional baked goods, gelato, beverages, and a variety of other little delicious treats.




It is seriously some of the best chocolate I have ever tasted. It's dark, rich, aromatic, and smooth. Absolutely divine stuff. Haha.


You must definitely make your way down there if you're in the Distillery District. You will not regret it.

Magic Pony

Simply put, Magic Pony is a creative culture hub. It's buzzing with all types of events and activities.

It serves as both an art gallery as well as a retail space providing an extensive selection of published books, collectible vinyl toys, special apparel, and unique lifestyle novelties.

You can find all sorts of affordable Kid Robot and Tokidoki toys, along with rarer stuff from artists like Gary Baseman, Michael Lau and David Choe. There is also a nice collection of books, in addition to magazines such as Giant Robot.

Besides the incredibly large store front display, my favourite part of this space is the gallery at the back. A clean and minimalistic space currently hosting a lovely little "Friends With You" exhibition.

From their humble beginnings at Kensington Market in 2002 selling rare Asian toys, to their current Queen Street West store front, they're one of Toronto's most prized possessions.


It's also kinda cool to find out that they went on to open another space in 2008 called "Narwhal Art Projects" which is now currently hosting Roots collaboration with Canadian artist Douglas Coupland.

If you're in the area, you must stop by. You'll love it, and the staff are extremely pleasant and enthusiastic about their store. The store really is as amazing as their name! Haha.

Queen Street West (West Side) / Part Three

This will be the final post I will be making on Queen Street West. This is the blending portion of where the artsy community fades into the touristy mainstream portion of Queen Street.

Da Zone was another one of Toronto's infamous sneaker spots back in the day. It was one of the specialty boutiques under the umbrella of Canada's "Si Vous Play Sports" family. Like many other sneaker boutiques the stumbling economy didn't help its cause too well.

It was one of those places where you knew you could catch a decent deal whenever you needed to. Da Zone, rest in peace.

Travel a bit further east, and the store names begin to appear more familiar to the average person. Canadian Dov Charney's American Apparel...

Urban Outfitters... (the two Toronto locations are essentially within walking distance.)


I still enjoy visiting this place. It's kinda one of those guilty pleasures, because a franchised retail experience like this kind of defeats the purpose of the intimately snug little niche cultures it supports.

But I mean, look at some of the stuff it has... yeah!! The Sartorialist's book!!

And I've crossed over Spadina once again, as you see "Nextdoor" which I talked about in an earlier post.

You also have you're typical downtown stores. "Adidas Originals" where you can find your David Beckham and Jeremy Scott collections stocked. And Canada's main street friendly "Neon" boutique.

So yeah, that's Queen Street West. Some more vintage stores, skate shops and music retail spaces along the way, but for the most part, you have you're mall staples like H&M, Gap, and Zara.

And that brings a close to the Toronto Chapter. Thanks for stopping by.