Escape to Artscape

Could Wychwood Barns, located at 601 Christie Street, be the venue for your next event? To answer that question it is important to know a few more details about the location itself.

Artscape Wychwood Barns is a community cultural hub where a dynamic mix of arts, culture, food security, urban agriculture, environmental and other community activities and initiatives come together to provide a new lease on life for a century-old former streetcar repair facility. This multi-faceted complex is home to: 26 artist live/work spaces, programming and administrative facilities for 14 not-for-profit organizations, indoor and outdoor growing areas, a community-run gallery and a 7,680 square foot Covered Street used for farmers and art markets, conferences and events that can fit up to 1000 people.

Since opening in November 2008, Artscape Wychwood Barns has become one of Toronto’s most unique event venues. The building’s soaring ceilings, exposed brick walls, abundant natural light and architectural detailing create a dramatic backdrop for fundraisers and gala events, meetings and conferences, weddings and celebrations, exhibitions and product launches, festivals and community events.

Next time you are in need of a venue location for a visual arts exhibition, performance or meeting check out Wychwood Barns.

For more information check out their website: http://www.wychwoodbarnscommunity.ca/

Diving Into Toronto’s Waterfront

The Redpath Toronto Waterfront Festival is an annual festival celebrating Toronto’s waterfront, presented by the Waterfront Business Improvement Area (BIA). It is a is a unique festival that provides on water and on land programming, while positioning and promoting Toronto locally, nationally and internationally as a waterfront destination.

This years celebration took place June 21 through 24, 2012, down on Queen’s Quay. It included Saltscapes and the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and a celebration of the East Coast lifestyle. There was also The Wharf at York, with interactive folklore performances.  Sweet Smokin’ Suga’ Beach Jam, a folk and blues music showcase and beach BBQ.

This year’s Redpath Waterfront Festival brought music, art, culture and cuisine to a variety of waterfront locations.  There were people visiting from all over the Canada and performances from all types of musicians, public private and even students from a nearby school for girls here in Toronto.

Headlining the event was ‘Saltscapes’ a celebration of east coast culture at HTO Park East.  At Harbour Quay, the area was transported into an interactive old port settlement called ‘The Wharf at York’ with sail makers, weavers, musicians and more. Sugar Beach had live music, a beach barbeque and a unique lightshow where they transformed a fountain display into a nighttime multimedia water theatre.

Overall the event was great, great food, great music and a great celebration of Toronto’s waterfront.

Summer Luvin Day, Shellfish and Radler at Bier Markt In Toronto

On Summer Luving Day, Bier Markt tempted guests with Radler samplers and fresh oysters, free alongside their new shellfish menu. May 20th was an unusually hot day and patios were filled with sun and seafood worshipers.

Summer Luvin Day promotions mark the arrival of Bier Markt’s annual Shellfish Feastivül from May 16th until July 1st, at all three restaurant locations in Toronto.

By chance some representatives from Toronto City Events attended two of the three Bier Markt locations on that festive afternoon.

10:30 am Sunday morning  and the first person outside on King St W location is the hostess putting out the sandwich board signs to tell passers-by about the restaurant.  The King St location is tucked away pretty good, but it has a sun-baked western exposure patio along Portland St, and a large cool downstairs eatery inside.

We were parched after our morning bike ride, and smiled with enthusiasm when James, the manager at the King St Bier Markt offered us a free sample of Radler. This is a signature summer drink at Bier Markt and quite popular with urban professionals that prefer low calorie and lower alcohol by volume beverages.  James related to us the origins of the drink, and the ingredients, and how it got its name.  He started by complimenting us on riding bikes instead of driving, and segued into how after WWI  bicycle riding was popular in Europe, particularly so in Germany. The word Radler is another name for cyclist in German.  The creation of the drink is attributed to Franz Xaver Kugler, an early 1900s innkeeper with a tavern in Deisenhofen up in the mountains near Munich. After the Great War, when bike riding was gaining popularity, Kugler arranged for the construction of a bike trail through the forest from Munich straight to his establishment. It was a big success. Too big, for on a big race day he did find himself overrun by 13,000 cyclists demanding beer.  Kugler didnt have enough brew on hand,  and so he had to dilute the ale he had with lemon soda, which he had in plenty, to make the stocks last.  A talented spin doctor, Franz Xaver Kugler presented the beverage on that day in June 1922 to his thirsty customers as a special creation he had invented in their honour, with lower ABV to help ensure they made it safely back down the trail.  And so was born the Radler.

Shellebration Boil is the Centerpiece of the Shellfish Feastivul Menu

The Shellebration Boil at $59 is the biggest ticket item on the menu during Shellfish Feastivul.  It satiates two hungry people and transports them to the seaside for half an hour. The menu also mentions that the meaty flavours in this marine dish are perhaps best paired with Leffe Blonde Ale.

The Shellebration Boil is composed of Canadian Lobster, Blue Moules, Littleneck Clams, Black Tiger Shrimp, braised fennel, fingering potatoes, Ontario corn, tomato and palm ale broth and is served with grilled bistro bread.  The dish is spectacular to behold and smell and taste.

In accordance with the challenge of consuming shellfish, a plate full of strange looking utensils precedes the arrival of the hot dish at the table.  The unusual metal cutlery includes tongs, pry bars, scoops and crackers. Its an adventure just using these tools and digging into the bowl to find something new to try alongside the taste of your beer, and your friends’ beer.  We found the flavorful meat was excellent and cooked perfectly, but dipping the crusty bread into the tasty broth was the best part of the whole meal.

Amid much laughter and suntanning we tested the theory that shellfish are best enjoyed with cold beer and we were all pleasantly surprised by the taste experience.

And yes of course we sampled the appetizing free oysters that were served to us before and after the entree. They were delicious both times!

The Shellfish Feastivul menu was created by Bier Markt Executive Chef, Michael Cipollo who designed each dish to offer restaurant patrons a fresh assortment of shellfish perfect for the patio, sharing and pairing with one of Bier Markt’s more than 100 biers.

 

The Schlurpin and Schmakken Shellfish Feastivul is occurring simultaneously at all three Bier Markt locations in the GTA including: • 58 The Esplanade • 600 King St. West • 7 O’Neill Road (Shops at Don Mills) until July 1st 2012.

Here is the patio at Bier Markt on Esplanade at around 1pm.

Inside the front door to the patio there was a young lad playing acoustic guitar and singing soulful Led Zeppelin covers.

Summer is here and the seafood is in season at Bier Markt!

Cinco de Mayo – Street Food Block Party at Evergreen Brick Works

What can be more exciting than when a foodie hears that the Toronto Underground Market (TUM) and Food Truck Eats, two of the most popular street food events, joined together to host a Street Food Block Party? Last Saturday, May 5^th 2012, Toronto foodies gathered for a mouth-watering and amazing, Cinco de Mayo-themed evening at the Evergreen Brick Works. Street food has been on a new trend in GTA in the last year. Numbers of food lovers started to increase their support for Toronto food trucks and pop-ups.

The admission fee was $20 and these 3,000 tickets sold out in 6 hours. Instantly people were asking around the Internet to see if anyone had some extra tickets. Luckily, I got 4 tickets for friends and myself (well, I woke up early and waited in front of my laptop for 3 hours before they started to sell the tickets).

TUM released the vendor list and map about two weeks before the day of the event. My friend and I all got super pumped up when we read all the information and food pictures online. We planned our route and the must eat/desire list for the night. I totally lost my mind when I saw the photo of “Lobster Poutine” from Rock Lobster. All of my friends know that I am a crazy lobster lover and will pay anything to eat Lobster!

For my friends, and I the Rock Lobster was the spot, but another highlight of the night was Caplansky’s food truck. Caplansky is well known as their smoke meat and they first started as a restaurant on College Street then purchased a food truck team. We choose to end up our wondering evening by having “Maple Bacon Doughnuts” from Caplansky.

The event started rolling at 6pm, the parking lots were already packed with cars by the time we arrived around 7pm. This resulted in driving home and returning to Brickworks via a taxi. Parking at this venue is a whole other story. People decided to park all along Bayview Avenue. Hungry foodies were excited and ready to start a fantastic journey that would last well into the night. The night was very successful; every vendor had a line up full of craving food lovers. Evergreen Brick Works has a great outdoor covered space with great facilities to host this type of event (despite the parking).

If you think this type of event sounds fun and you’re looking for another street food event – Food Truck Eats and Peller Estaesin Niagara-on-the-Lake are hosting 16 food trucks on May 20^th and 21^st. For more information or to buy the tickets, please visit: http://reservations.andrewpeller.com/events/food-truck-eats.html

 

Liberty Social Hour: Carnival del Sol

On Wednesday April 18, 2012, CityEvents, RPC Group and Bar Vespa collaborated to welcome many Torontonians for this month’s Liberty Social Hour.  Taking place in the heart of Liberty Village, this season’s social hour was themed as a celebration of spring.  Local residents of the village, as well as others from around Toronto were pleased with the opportunity to socialize and get to know what this new neighbourhood is all about.  When the evening began, the sun was shining and the drinks were flowing.  Bar Vespa, the host restaurant, was filled within a few short moments, and was ready to encourage the crowd to mingle.

As the night led on, the amount of people in attendance picked up, and so did the conversation.  It was clear that many of the guests had different reasons for attending Liberty Social Hour.  Some were there just to meet up with a friend, others were curious to see what the hype was all about.  Each guest had heard the buzz about the social hour in different ways.  For some, it was hearing through past attendees, others through social media, and for a small handful, they were persuaded by the many posters surrounding the Liberty Village area.

Overall the environment was very friendly and outgoing. The same guest that stayed for 30 minutes was just as satisfied as the guest that stayed for four hours.  Whether the guest was there to have a drink with old friends, or a stranger to the community, everyone felt welcomed and walked away having had a great interaction with another.  As guests made their way out of Bar Vespa, they were surprised with a gift bag filled with exciting new products and deals from within Liberty Village and the surrounding area.   As well, they received a special treat contributed by Bar Vespa.

Liberty Social Hour is an event meant to bring social interaction to many types of Toronto individuals.  It allows one to learn more about what Liberty Village has to offer, as well as the type of people who fill it.  Make sure to keep an ear out for the next Liberty Social Hour coming up in a few short months.  Be a part of the growing neighbourhood of Liberty Village, and have the chance to be a part of the excitement.

 

« Previous Page — Next Page »