Havana Cultura starts today! and if you like everything Cuban this is the festival for you.
Ossington and the vicinity already has it’s share of Cuban influences from the House of Horvath cigar store, to Julies Cuban over on Dovercourt and Foxley serving Cuban tapas, to Delux, whose Cuban cooking we’ve been enjoying since they opened. And, of course, nothing says Cuba like rum. The festival is sponsored and promoted by Havana Club, so there’ll be lots of rum cocktails served with that brand.
This festival brings music, dance and art from Cuba to the Ossington strip. And the list of events is extensive. (Don’t forget to check the Ossington Village Events Calendar for full listings)
They’ve even come up with a special cocktail for the event called the Cuban Correspondent, created by Brad Gubbins from the Toronto Institute of Bartending, which is a variation on a Daquiri inspired by Hemingway’s time in Toronto in his early writing career (or that’s what they tell us).
There will also be a performance by Gilles Peterson, DJ/producer/musician. Peterson and his band will perform tracks from his just released, remixed album, Havana Cultura: New Cuba Sound at the Great Hall at Dovercourt and Queen.
In the back of Reposado there will be a cigar lounge with rolling demonstrations and some guests will receive complimentary cigars.
Angel Carrillo, a local graffiti artist and urban designer will be painting a large mural on the wall outside of Levack Block, and Cuban artist Ernesto Villanueva will be showcasing his artworks Friday and Saturday from 3pm until 8pm.
Elmer Ferrer, a super-talented Cuban guitarist, is playing with his band at The Painted Lady at 3 p.m on Saturday.
It’s going to be a very Cuban next couple of days on Ossington, so take the time to enjoy everything this festival has to offer, and of course, buy a few rum drinks to keep the festival coming back next year.
Our favourite Tequila bar on Ossington is turning three tomorrow! We’ve had a lot of good times there, including listening to Sandy lead the Reposadists on a weekend evening, or sitting in the back patio enjoying one of the many specialty margaritas they have.
It’s hard to believe it’s been three years already. Reposado was one of the first bars to arrive to start the changing scene on Ossington. It was started and run by Sandy and Catherine whose taste, hospitality and love and knowledge of all things tequila have made the place a success. We’ve learned a lot from their tastings, and various flights of different brands of tequila, many not available at the LCBO. The are also a venue for the upcoming Havana Cultura Festival where they will be hosting a cigar rolling session in the back.
They are have having a little get-together Monday night in celebration. Stop by and join us in thanking them for three years of a great spot on Ossington. RSVP on their facebook page (and become a fan too), so they know who’s coming.
We had a fun night on the ride. We biked from Spadina and Bloor, along College St. down Dufferin, back along Dundas, and then down Ossington where I caught some pictures. The ride ended up under the Queen and Dufferin bridge in a party.
This weekend is the one year anniversary of the OssingtonVillage blackout anniversary party. It’s been 7 years since the blackout that covered most of the northeastern U.S. and southern Ontario, and that’s a reason to celebrate. It seems this year is going to be a different type of celebration, with a ride starting at 8:30pm at Bloor and Spadina.
The end of the ride is still shrouded in mystery, but Michael J, in his leaflet is suggesting to bring your dancing shoes. So we’ll keep an eye and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter as we update happenings from the night. And if we hear anything further tonight, we’ll let you know.
There are enough Toronto brewers, beers and bars that serve them to warrant our own Beer Week, and we’ve just learned we’re having one this year. Bars and restaurants all over the city will be participating, including several on Ossington.
Toronto Beer Week is September 20-26, 2010. Participating Ossington bars include The Painted Lady, The Dakota Tavern, BQM and The Crooked Star. This is the first ever Toronto Beer Week, and the purpose, as quoted from their site, is “a chance for breweries from Canada and elsewhere to show how great their beer is” and “will showcase authentically brewed and flavourful beers, the talented brewers who create them, and the licensees who proudly support them.”
From Canadian breweries like Great Lakes, Creemore and Steam Whistle, to importers like Beer Barons, we will be enjoying some good beers next month. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more about the events in our neighborhood.
This August 19-22 mark the dates for the Havana Cultura Festival in Toronto, and this festival is really making great use of a variety of venues on Ossington, plus some on Queen West and Dovercourt.
The festival was founded and is sponsored by Havana Club Rum, and it celebrates Cuban culture in all it’s forms, and each venue on Ossington will highlight something different about that culture.
Delux, a well known home for Cuban food, is featuring a special Cuban lunch each day of the festival. On opening night, Reposado hosts a unique cigar lounge in the backyard patio, with a rolling demonstration, and free samples for guests.
On Friday, August 20, Levack Block focuses on the art of Cuba, with a gallery set up in the second floor (who knew they had a second floor?) and graffiti created live and displayed on the wall outside. The Ossington is hosting a rumba party on the same night.
So, along with music, dancing, Cuban food and art, Levack Block, Reposado, Julie’s Cuban on Dovercourt, and Camera Bar on Queen West are all turning Cuban.
Live music performances at The Painted Lady with the Elmer Ferrer Band, Watusi has the Orlando Cardozo Latin Jazz Trio, and The Ossington features The Kevin Barretto Jazz Trio.
After all the partying and dancing, wind it down on Sunday with some Cuban brunch at Delux or a BBQ at Sweaty Betty’s. Full schedule (and it is quite full) is on the website.
The Scream Literary Festival runs in Toronto next week with a variety of different events across the city. This festival, running July 6-12, features readings and performances by lots of talented authors, and one of the interesting events is a “Scream Pub Crawl” taking place on Dundas West and Ossington.
The pub crawl is scheduled to run next Wednesday, July 7 at 7PM at Camp 4, Reposado, The Ossington, Baby Huey, and Levack Block. Don’t forget though, this pub crawl is literary: Chart your own course through the evening: 18 Toronto writers are positioned in competing timeslots and venues along Ossington Avenue. Pick up your itinerary, a Choose Your Own Poetic Adventure storybook at each venue, or download a pdf from thescream.ca.
The North by Northeast music festival returns to Toronto this week, and with 50 venues around town, you know some have to be in our neighborhood! We’ve got the scoop for you on where to go on and near Ossington to see some amazing live shows.
If you don’t know the deal about NXNE already, you can buy a wristband to get into all the music and film events, or pay at the door if you’re only going to a couple of shows. If you are going to want to check out the music on more than one night, the wristband is worth it, since you are free to walk in and out of as many NXNE shows as you can, and as capacity allows. There are more bands from Canada than anywhere else, but you’ll see artists from Europe, Asia, the U.S. and elsewhere.
Considering our neighborhood has several venues to hear music all year round, we knew we wouldn’t need to travel far for this festival. The Painted Lady, Dakota Tavern, and The Garrison will all be hosting multiple nights of live NXNE music. You can also check out shows at The Social and The Great Hall, and many places on West Queen West.
NXNE starts Wednesday night at some venues, but Thursday is when the festival really kicks into gear, with shows in every venue.
One of the hidden culinary gems of Ossington is the menu at the Painted Lady.
When you walk into this funky little bordello themed bar, food is not what comes to mind. Empty seats early in the evening, no kitchen or even prep area visible, crumpled plain paper menus, and prices which suggest that food is going to be pulled from a freezer in the basement all tell the unwitting visitor that you won’t want to sit down and eat.
But we suggest you do!
A few weeks ago we sat down at the bar early in the evening, and as time went by we decided it was time to get some food. We were about to head out to one of the many places on the strip, but were convinced to stay and try some food from the small kitchen. The recommended item? – Jess’ Dead Sexy Bad Ass Mother F**** Pulled Pork Sandwich. And was it ever great.
It turns out that The Painted Lady takes their small menu seriously. Put together by Jess, sister of owner Nicky, all the ingredients are prepped well in advance in a home kitchen, so they can be quickly put together in the small space in The Painted Lady. The pulled pork is cooked for hours on end using a tangy, vinegary sauce which makes it perfectly tasty. It is served on a fresh local Portuguese bun with fresh greens on a wooden board. It’s both rustic and delicious.
Other menu items include the One Love Vegetarian Corn Soup, served with cornbread; Gotta Getta Grilled Cheese, with honey and fresh basil; and the more famous White Trash Nachos, with beef chili and Cheez Whiz.
The amazing thing about all the food at The Painted Lady, is that they make everything fresh, with real ingredients. If you order a drink with sour mix at the bar, you can be assured that it wasn’t store-bought, but that the citrus was juiced by the staff. (we’re still not sure about the Cheez Whiz thing). Right now the food is the best deal in town – with the Pulled Pork sandwich being only $7.95. Get one soon, because we’re not the only ones who’ve noticed, and when more people figure this out, the price is sure to go up.
UPDATE – May 11th: Nicky informed me that this event raised over $40,000 for the charity! Well done!
The Painted Lady is a busy place, and Nicky Potter, the proprietor, has her hands full daily with growing and building the business. But, when she’s not running one of Ossington’s local hot spots she has been busy with a charity she holds dear : Friends of Noah Canada. This Thursday, the charity which helps children orphaned by the Aids epidemic in southern Africa is having a dinner and benefit concert at the Berkeley Theatre at 315 Queen St. E. The dinner is early and features a Afro-Fusion dinner by chef Nathan Isberg, formerly of Coca and opening a place soon on Dundas near Brock. You can get tickets for by calling their office at 416-557-4819.
For those of you who don’t know about Noah, it was originally set up in South Africa to build Arks – essentially places for kids who have been orphaned by the Aids epidemic could go and get necessary service and assistance. Friends of Noah is the Canadian arm, started by Nicky, to raise money in Canada for this great cause.
It should be a great night. For tickets to the after party, and to support a great cause click here.
Havana Cultura starts today! and if you like everything Cuban this is the festival for you.
/musician. Peterson and his band will perform tracks from his just released, remixed album, Havana Cultura: New Cuba Sound at the Great Hall at Dovercourt and Queen.
In the back of Reposado there will be a cigar lounge with rolling demonstrations and some guests will receive complimentary cigars. 
