Soon to close Jaiden's Petals Cindiloowho

In sad news (for us), Dani just blogged that she will be closing her flower shop/furniture store, Jaiden’s Petals Cindiloowho, at the end of June. She has been a supporter of new businesses, a purveyor of top-notch goods and services, and a wonderful neighbor, and we will miss her and her store. She is going to expand her career with Jazz FM 91, so it’s good news for Dani. Stop by before she closes to wish her well and get some of her beautiful arrangements while you can!

Dani does note that someone already has dibs on her space, in fact, two someone’s, Teo and Chasen from Union. So, in the “when one door opens, another closes” philosophy, just as Dani is moving on to an exciting new venture, so too is 130 Ossington. We wish Dani and Teo and Chasen the best of luck.

Also closing, actually already closed, is The Port at 1179 Dundas Street West. We wrote about the pinball machines and pool tables, and mostly about the beef on a sword,but it didn’t last. We are not sure what will rise in it’s stead, so if you do, please let us know.

The Port, now closed

A clue to the name of the new place just popped up in a food event release featuring several chefs including Leemo Han, in which he is referenced from Swish by Han and Oddseoul.

With all the new restaurants that have opened recently on the strip, we still don’t have Korean, so that coupled with the good reviews for Swish by Han, makes us eager for the opening, which is planned for August.

In the first category, Union is a stalwart in the brunch department, and if the weather is nice this weekend, you may even score a seat on the back patio.

The Cuban brunch at Delux is a reliable choice, and if you go that way, definitely share some donuts and/or fritters!

It doesn’t offer brunch, but Pizzeria Libretto serves lunch starting at 11:30, and may be a good choice if you are bringing kids along. Another child-friendly choice, especially for music lovers, is the bluegrass brunch at Dakota Tavern. It’s not fancy, but it sure is fun!

If you want a casual brunch, take mom to The Lakeview.

Don’t forget the casual ambience and scrumptious food on offer at Goed Eten. Now you can enjoy bloody caesars with your waffles!

The Grove just tweeted they are opening for Sunday brunch for the first time this Mother’s Day, so you can be one of the first to taste their spin on traditional English fare. Another new brunch option is The Saint, where mom can relax in one of their booths.

Let us know what you decide! and, of course, Happy Mother’s Day!

One of the great things about Jane’s Walks, besides being free, interesting, and fun, is that everybody has a story to share, and yesterday, we learned some new things about Ossington Village.

We shared stories about the recent development of the food, art and real estate scenes of Ossington, and even delved into some history. We pointed out some of the street art along Ossington, places where famous people have visited, and places we like to hang out.

We were also told a few stories.

For example, the CAMH rehab facility at the bottom west side of Ossington near Queen used to be a firehouse, not surprisingly when you look at the tower. The tower itself was built expressly for a firehouse, as the place to hang their nylon firehose to dry after use.

Another interesting story was about the condos at Halton and Ossington. The Ossington development was built on the site of a former auto repair shop and car wash, and the condos on Halton took over from an old church that was sold and demolished. Just east of there, where another set of newer townhouses now exists, the developer bought an old church for only $650,000 and converted them to the houses today.

We finished the weekend at a neighborhood favorite, which is also an unknown spot to many in the city, The Communist’s Daughter. We even got Michael Johnson to come outside and play some of his gypsy jazz for the crowd. A perfect ending to a tour of Ossington.

Jane’s Walks occur for a weekend each Spring. We had a great time leading one, and we’ll likely do it again next year. Let us know if you went on any Jane’s Walks or if you have any interesting info on the history of our neighborhood.

Our walk, titled “An Insider’s View of Ossington,” starts at 4:30pm on Saturday, May 5 in front of Bellwoods Brewery at 124 Ossington. Since we know and love this neighborhood, we’ll share some stories and recommend places for entertainment, food, and fun. It’ll take about 90 minutes, and covers Ossington between Dundas and Queen.

Also in the area, “The Walls Are Alive with The Sounds of Mad People” is an amazingly informative walk led by a local historian all about the mental patients who built the walls at CAMH. Click the link for details.

A few tours leaving from Trinity Bellwoods Park include a bike tour of Ward 19, a tour of the park itself, and, on the north end, a parade and storytelling walk.

There are also tours being led in Liberty Village, Parkdale, the Ex and Fort York. Tours are at different times on Saturday and Sunday, so check the website to find the ones that interest you the most.

Additional info on Jane’s Walk: Jane’s Walk is a celebration of people and cities taking place all around the world on the first weekend of May. It was created in 2007 in Toronto by friends of the urban thinker Jane Jacobs and has grown from 27 walks the first year to over 500 in 75 cities. Right now there are people walking and talking in Paris, London, New York… and many other cities around the world. It is free and open, and it should be a walking conversation. Walks are as varied as the people taking part, and they create the time and space for people to connect, share, and develop ideas about their communities and cities.

In news, Goed Eten now has a liquor license, so you can have a caesar with lunch and a beer with brunch, or vice versa!

In late March, The Grove opened on Dundas Street just west of Ossington. This upscale British restaurant is getting attention for it’s interior and its cuisine.

In the past few weeks, we’ve seen the launch of three very different restos on Ossington, upscale pub The Saint, Singapore street food purveyor Hawker Bar, and brewery with snacks Bellwoods Brewery.

It’s hard to say which of the three is getting the best press, so we won’t even try.

The Saint took years to open, but now that it is here, it’s getting good feedback for its upscale pub style and cuisine.

Hawker Bar opened without a liquor license (still pending) but that is not stopping the crowds or the rave reviews for its unique-to-Toronto Asian food.

Last but not least, Bellwoods Brewery opened its kegs and its kitchen to the public and both are much appreciated.

We are still waiting for Amaya to open, and there a couple of other places that look promising. What is your favorite spot in Ossington Village, old or new? Let us know in the comments.

You don’t have to travel far to experience the festival, although you can as sites range across the city. Lucky for us, many of our local galleries and art spaces are participating.

Oz Studios is part of the action, with “Rotating Reality” running May 6-27 with an opening on May 6, featuring Sandy Baron’s exhibit of playfully altered landscape photographs.

“Glass Ceiling,” Jill Greenberg’s project about the “setup” of being a woman,  is opening tonight at O’Born Contemporary and will be running until June 2. (Above, from Jill Greenberg: American Girl Doll, 2010)

Don’t Tell Mama features the Chris Grismer exhibit “New Suburban Photomat,” which explores and plays with new photographic processes to create experimental portraits. The opening is May 5 from 7-10pm, and the exhibit is up through May 31st. (Below, a photo from this exhibit: Superfriends, 2010).

“No Permanent Address” has been showing at Gallery TPW for much of April and garnered acclaim, and the run continues through the festival until May 26. No Permanent Address is a three channel video portrait of the New People’s Army, a Maoist guerrilla group in the Philippines.

“The Nine Eyes of Google Street View,” Angell Gallery‘s offering to Contact, will be sure to draw attention. We’ve all enjoyed the strange unexpected images snapped by Google’s cameras while mapping the world.  Jon Rafman’s series compiles “a fascinating array of incidental moments captured by Google’s cameras.” The exhibit opens May 3 from 6-9P until June 2.

If you are enjoying the festival, let us know what you’ve seen and what you recommend seeing.

The event is being held to raise awareness about environmental improvements, and to allow residents to easily dispose of used, unwanted and hazardous household materials. Some may be reused and/or recycled, and others will just be disposed of properly.

What else do you get if you attend? There will be a barbecue (hosted by Friends of Roxton Road Parks), and you can pick up some free compost from your garden. Also available for purchase are backyard composters, green bins and kitchen containers. Details here.

Go to the park tomorrow, Saturday, April 14 between 10a-2p to participate.

Bellwoods Brewery is a micro-brewery and cafe, serving beers and snacks currently created by Chef Guy Rawlings, already known to the neighborhood from his stint at Brockton General.

The beer list is on a chalkboard over the bar, and features several in-house brewed beers of varying alcohol contents, all detailed on the card. The food menu offers assorted snacks and finger foods, or as they call it, “picnic” foods.

Last night was opening night, and they will be open at night from Monday through Sunday. More details here.

You can see Now Magazine‘s Audience Choice Winners Peter ’n Chris at LOT on Friday at 8PM. Their show, Peter ‘n Chris and the Mystery of the Hungry Heart Hotel is a “ridiculous mash-up of genres including horror, adventure and mystery”

At 9:30 on Friday, Falcon Powder presents a full-length version of “Cowboys,” featuring some of the sketches that made them the Second City Best of The Fest winners in 2011, and some new material.