I’m sure you’ve all seen the arresting Barbie display in the windows of 100 Ossington, and it’s made you curious. If so, read this article which profiles the creator of that collection.

Telegramme Prints had a nice write-up in the Globe and Mail this past weekend, with an article about the popularity of Toronto-themed poster art, which also featured Dave Murray’s poster which we recommended in December.

The Star went on a bar crawl, starting at Dundas and Ossington, and hit several of our local watering holes, including Camp Four, Churchill and The Garrison.

Finally, Via Rail’s “Destination” magazine covers Ossington as the “in street,” with mentions of our hot shops, like Ministry of the Interior, and restaurants and bars, including Foxley, Beau Lieu Bistro and Reposado to name just a few!

We’ve taken some pictures of the cool and creative light fixtures on the street. There are 10 of them, and some are more obscure than others. How bright are you and how well do you know the luminescence of the local spots? Can you name all of them?

Feel free to post answers in the comments. We don’t have any prizes for the winners (unless someone on the street wants to offer one up), but you will have the satisfaction of being someone who knows the bright spots in the neighbourhood.

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Fishbar is a partnership between William and Jose. Jose has been a long-time Ossington merchant, having moved his vintage clothing store, Vintage One, from Kensington about 10 years ago. He operated Todo for the last few years, which struggled to find the right formula for the street. This new venture has already generated a lot of excitement and looks like a formula that’s going to work.

We had a tour of the construction site and things are definitely changing quickly. The fixtures from Todo are gone and the space looks like it’s going to turn into something nice. There’s even a room downstairs which can be used for private parties.

According to the above recent tweet from SaltWineBar, they are hoping to be open for December 15th. We’re looking forward to it!

Sean and Christopher have changed much about this place, but there was one menu item that they simply loved and kept, and one we highly recommend – the beef shishkabab.

We ordered it on the recommendation of local Michael Louis Johnson, and as we were waiting noticed a whole preparation going on where a three foot metal stand was attached to our table and plates laid out nearby. Then a huge skewer arrived laden with large pieces of medium rare beef and hung right at the table in front of us. It was really impressive, and we had never seen anything like this in Toronto. We tugged hunks of meat off the dangling sword and ate them with a side dish of tasty poutine with crispy fries – a true hipster favourite.

Behind the bar Christopher worked his magic as the DJ with collection of 80s tunes – and he has dance moves too! Just keep in mind the song  “Footloose”, and you’ll get the idea.

We heard of plans to expand the menu and host special DJ nights and live performances. Check it out now – but when you go, don’t miss the beef shishkabob!

What was once a mixture of Portuguese sports bars, hair salons and video stores is now a booming strip of fine dining restaurants, hipster bars, and a new gym. Let’s explore Dundas just east and west of Ossington.

While some of the better known spaces have been around for years, such as The Communist’s Daughter and The Lakeview, many of the go-to places opened less than 2 years ago: The Red Light, Show and Tell Gallery and Opera Bob’s come to mind. Continuing that trend, The Garrison took over a huge sports bar and turned it into one of the better live music venues in the city, with on-the-verge acts playing most every night. Enoteca Sociale is an expansion of Ossington’s Pizzeria Libretto family, and the rustic Italian wine bar is packing them in after approximately 6 months in business. Loop Gallery opened a year ago just west of Dovercourt, adding to Dundas West’s cachet in the arts’ community.

One of the more recent newcomers is Brockton General, which is getting rave reviews for it’s small menu of daily specials on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.  Academy of Lions, a cross-fit gym, just opened in a former auto service station on Dundas a block east of Dovercourt. Churchill, a lounge-bar, opened last month at Dundas and Lakeview, and Bunda Lounge is opening soon just east of Ossington.

Since Dundas doesn’t have a moratorium, it is much easier to open a restaurant or bar there than on Ossington. We’re not going to get into the fact that maybe they should be revising some bylaws so there are different licenses for bars as opposed to restaurants, and that we don’t need to force bars to serve food because we are all adults and smart enough to know when we need to eat. Ok, maybe I did go into that. Seriously, it’s 2010, can our government treat us like grownups? Anyway, the point is, we assume the tough restrictions on Ossington have caused some of the spill-over onto Dundas, and we see so many “for lease” and “for sale” signs that this will probably continue for some time. We’ll be here to cover it.

The events run every night of the week, and range from deals on beer and meal combos, to full-fledged tastings with beer, to a massive Beer-themed adventure race on the final day.

Among the bars and restaurants participating on Ossington, some have started posting about their involvement, including Dakota Tavern with food and beer pairings each night of Beer Week, featuring food  from Sanagan’s. Their pairings include a different local beer and special menu item, all reasonably priced between $12-$17. Check the menu section of their site for more info. BQM does not mention the special on their website, but the Beer Week site mentions their “burger and beer” promotion running all week:  For the entire week you can enjoy a Bacon and Blue Cheese Burger with a Blanche de Chambly for $10.

The Painted Lady and Crooked Star are also listed as participants, but no information as yet as to what exactly that will entail.

Toronto’s first ever Toronto Beer Week launches September 20.

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’ll be there too.

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.

Brian and I stopped in for a few drinks last weekend. The fact they haven’t officially opened probably explains the limited beer and wine lists. We were there before the evening rush, so it was pretty empty, but the staff was very friendly. It is a pretty big space, with a bar in the front and one in the back (which wasn’t open when we were there). I got the idea they will be bringing in DJs. The front of the house by the windows is set up with some cushions and pillows, a nice chillin’ space.

The food menu looks really creative and fun. Lots of paninis (including banana and nutella!) and some retro desserts including a surprise box which included Nerds when we were there! Try it out and give us, and OURHOUSE, your feedback!

Here’s a quote from Jackie of OURHOUSE to give you an idea of the vibe they are trying to create:

OURHOUSE is modelled after the idea of having friends over  to a
great apartment. The soundtrack at OURHOUSE is on par with the ‘feel
good’ ambience and emanates the best of the 80′s, 90′s and early
2000′s, just with less Britney and more Tears for Fears.

Michael Johnson & The Red Rhythm

One of the real gems of the Ossington Village is the Saturday afternoon Gypsy Jazz show between 4 and 7pm at the Communist’s Daughter, on Dundas just off Ossington. Michael Lewis Johnson holds one of the most unique regular live music shows in in the city. The small 25 seat bar is transformed back in time; Michael sings and plays cornet in songs from the 20s, 30s and 40s while simultaneously bartending and playing gracious host to an always-packed house. It’s an experience that no Torontonian should miss.

But now, if you’re not the type of person who can make it out on a Saturday afternoon (and, I’ll be honest, I’m usually busy during these times), the audio experience has been captured in a new CD put out by Michael and the group, recorded live from a series of Saturday shows. The tracks do a good job of capturing the experience – including Michael’s always entertaining mid-song banter as well as passing the hat around the room. I did find a little YouTube video capturing one of the songs on the CD – a little video hardly does justice to the atmosphere, but it’ll give you an idea of the vibe.

Right now, as far as I understand, the only way you’ll be able to get this is by stopping by the Communist’s Daughter anytime and asking the bartender.

Check it out this afternoon, and every Saturday, between 4 and 7pm and don’t forget to pick up a CD. I’m listening to it now and it’s absolutely worth it.