Events in toronto

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

The Best Persian Restaurants in Toronto

The best Persian restaurants in Toronto bring together the best influences from all over the Middle East. These restaurants serve a cuisine that is a harmony of colour, flavour and aroma, bringing together grains, fruit, meats and herbs for a truly exciting yet comforting culinary experience.

Here are the best Persian restaurants in Toronto.

11 - Khorak Supermarket

Lemon roasted chicken, eggplant, stews and fresh-grilled kabobs are highlights of the takeout counter at this North York Persian grocery store.
3 - The Pomegranate

Stews and rice dishes lay the base for classic Persian braised lamb shank at this Little Italy restaurant where the interior and the food rival each other in prettiness.
5 - Takht-e Tavoos

The little sibling of Pomegranate at Dufferin and College, this breakfast place does precious brunches of delicate little Middle Eastern tapas like olives and salads.
6 - North Restaurant (Shomal)

“Shomal” means “north,” which makes sense since this restaurant is in North York. Signature kabobs are made with halal meat here.
4 - Banu

This West Queen West restaurant serves up contemporary Iranian cuisine that represents seventies cosmopolitan Tehran with a modern interior and kabobs, salads and shares like sheep’s milk cheese and braised cow tongue.
9 - Shatter Abbas

Traditional dishes, sandwiches, stews and platters are served up at this Thornhill restaurant. For example, try Fesenjoon, chicken with walnut and pomegranate sauce.
10 - Darband Restaurant

Heaping portions of kebabs and stews are dished out with plenty of bread at this York Mills restaurant with a huge window.
7 - Tabriz Persian Cookhouse

Kashkeh bademjoon eggplant dip and tahchin are beautifully presented and tasty at this Yonge and Wellesley restaurant.
8 - Queen of Persia

This restaurant on St. Clair West serves a cornucopia of Persian stews, kabobs, and hot and cold appetizers.

by Amy Carlberg via blogTO

Cracked rail leads to another mess on the TTC

Another day, another mess on Toronto's subway system.

Commuters are reporting significant delays all over Line 1 this morning thanks to what TTC officials have revealed to be a cracked rail near Bloor Station.

Service will be slower than usual all day, according to the transit commission, as trains must pass by the crack slowly until permanent repairs can be carried out.

Here’s the cracked rail. We have made temp repairs. Travel times picking up. Will have a reduced speed zone through the area (this is at Bloor Stn northbound) for the balance of the day. pic.twitter.com/PQTIEJ1SPU
— Brad Ross (@bradTTC) January 31, 2018

The TTC is advising customers to allow themselves an additional 5 minutes between Union and Bloor today when travelling in either direction.

Customers are subsequently advising the TTC to go eff itself.

Come on #ttc get your shit together. I've been late EVERY SINGLE day this week. #commuteissues
— Sumaiya (@SumaiyaAh) January 31, 2018

Even the most forgiving of regular riders are starting to lose patience with North America's "transit system of the year" after yesterday's apology-inducing horror show of a morning.

Missed the "Perfect Storm" yesterday? Catch the "Perfect Storm: The Wednesday Edition." 😐
— Anon Y. Mouse (@flawedmojo) January 31, 2018

"Can I just forward my boss' email to you, so you can explain why the '#1 transit in NA' has now managed to make me late two days in a row?" asked one passenger on Twitter. " This is bad guys, 1000's of us depend on TTC & we get penalized for your ongoing issues."

"Why does TTc have to be this bad at the worst time of year?" asked someone else. "Like we get it, we all want to die, are you happy?"

You would think #ttc service would be much better after yesterdays fiasco guess again. Yonge & bloor packed. Guess @TTCnotices dont care cause ppl have no other choice. #dontvotetory #ttcsuck pic.twitter.com/QKEIUsWZU9
— Vikram (@VikramTOR) January 31, 2018

Now, in addition to problems caused by the cracked subway rail northbound at Bloor, signal problems at St. George Station are slowing things down on Line 2 heading westbound from Pape.

TTC spokesperson Brad Ross says that, while temporary repairs have been made for the first problem, Line 1 will have a reduced speed zone through the area "for the balance of the day."

by Lauren O'Neil via blogTO

8 things to do in Toronto today

Today in Toronto you can party in honour of theÂ supermoon, take in an epic barista competition,Â chow down on insanely cheap empanadas, and plenty more thanks to a full roster of events around town.Â

Events you might want to check out:

Full Moon Party (January 31 @ The Horseshoe Tavern)
Tonight we're getting a super moon, and the legendary Horseshoe Tavern is celebrating just that with a special party and live music night.
1 Dollar Empanada Day (January 31 @ Ama Always)
Argentinian cuisine has never been this cheap. Ama Always, the Latin American restaurant from the folks behind the Che Baby food truck, are serving one dollar empanadas from 6 to 10 PM.
Latte Royale (January 31 @ Propeller Coffee)
32 baristas compete in a single elimination style tournament that brings the local coffee community together for a fun, inclusive night in support of Food 4 Farmers.
Winter Indie (January 31 @ Rivoli)
The Rivoli hosts a night of indie music, featuring Liteyears, Of Gentleman & Cowards, Starstruck Avenue, and the Royal North. It's $10 in advance or $15 at door to discover the latest in indie.
Depression, Sports, and Me (January 31 @ Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema)
Celebrated athletes, including Olympian Clara Hughes and World Series winner Darryl Strawberry open up about their personal battles with depression in this special Bell Let's Talk screening.
Constellationscape and Changes (January 31 - February 11 @ Gallery 1313)
Gallery 1313 gets two new installations tonight. Constellationscape features night sky inspired works by Asma Sultana, while Changes is a group show made up of 20 artists' works.
Casual Gaymer (January 31 @ Power Up Game Bar)
Members of Toronto's gaming and Queer communities won't want to miss this hump day party going down at the Power Up Game Bar. Expect casual games like Just Dance plus solid food and drink deals.
Nightowl Let's Talk (January 31 @ Nightowl)
Nightowl is pledging to raise money for Mental Health Awareness by donating three dollars to CAMH for every person who walks through the doors of their bar tonight. Go out and drink for a good cause!

by Corey Van Den Hoogenband via blogTO

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Toronto is about to let car sharing services park on residential streets

Are you ready for another transportation pilot, Toronto?

City Council is set to consider a proposal this week that would see car-share companies like Zipcar, AutoShare, car2go get access to residential parking spaces on city streets.

"Car-sharing is a sustainable transportation option that allows people to have access to cars when they need one without the associated cost and responsibilities of personal vehicle ownership," reads a report on the proposed Free-Floating Car-Share policy.

The General Manager, Transportation Services is recommending that this policy be adopted as part of a one-year pilot project beginning April 1st, 2018.

The pilot program would allow car-share companies that offer short-term vehicle rentals (not ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft) to apply for a "free-floating car-share parking permit" at a cost of $1,499 per space.

A total of 2,000 permits will be issued during the pilot project, if approved by City Council, with a cap of 500 permits per car-share parent company.

"As part of the proposed pilot, participating car-share companies would be required to provide quarterly information to the City regarding fleet usage, membership, trip origins and destinations, etc," reads a report on the proposal.

The data collected from car-share companies would be used to ensure the program runs smoothly and make any necessary adjustments.

by Lauren O'Neil via blogTO

TTC apologizes for horrendous subway service today

TTC spokesperson Brad Ross is apologizing to the people of Toronto today for a series of unfortunate events that made thousands upon thousands of people late for work this working.

"This morning's service on Line 1 was abysmal," wrote Ross on Twitter shortly before 4 p.m. on Tuesday. "And, for that, the #TTC sincerely apologizes."

@JohnTory Mayor, Someone was really mad at you this morning at the line 1 and 2 meltdown when @TTChelps was completely helpless and the 40min standstill at Yonge na bloor. People pass out, there was no staff no police no crowd control. Something to reflect. pic.twitter.com/ISpfDIvRvD
— Dom (@domlee2010) January 30, 2018

Ross attached a list to his tweet explaining everything that went wrong this morning in order for full-on hell to break loose.

By his description, it was a veritable comedy of errors, complete with Benny Hill music playing in at least one person's mind – or it would have been, had anyone riding the subway stopped grimacing long enough to laugh.

This morning's service on Line 1 was abysmal and, for that, the #TTC sincerely apologizes. Here's what happened: pic.twitter.com/ANXSU8CBkx
— Brad Ross (@bradTTC) January 30, 2018

It was the 21-minute-long delay at Museum Station that set off the major ripple effect of excessive overcrowding at St. George and Bloor-Yonge Stations, says Ross.

"The pocket tracks mentioned above would have been useful to park some empty trains and to insert quickly into service as platforms became excessively crowded," he explains.

"That’s what happened, and we will learn from it."

#TTC
I’m having trouble remembering a time when I wasn’t on this platform. Fresh air is but a distant memory. The sunshine? A legend from my youth. If I don’t make it out of this, just know I died doing what I love...commuting to work. pic.twitter.com/O4K2ZqrEid
— Patrick Delaney (@patrickfdelaney) January 30, 2018

Some people aren't too keen on accepting the apology, but many on Twitter are thanking Ross for his transparency. If only the TTC did a better job of communicating how bad the situation was to people entering stations during the worst of it.

Fortunately, there are also many jokes to ease the pain. Toronto transit riders love to crack jokes. Consider it catharsis.

"I guess after a 100 years of service you're still working out the kinks," reads one reply to Ross's tweet.

"Cool cool, feel free to throw $3 back on my Presto considering I had to walk from Bloor to King at 9:45am," wrote another.

"And ya'll haven't figured out where to *suggest* we get off after bypassing major intersecting stations despite the subway existing since the '50s."

by Lauren O'Neil via blogTO

House of the week: 368 Markham Street

Attention bay-and-gable lovers: this recently listed property on Markham St. is about as nice as old Toronto houses come. That's because as much as the exterior shows off this classical architectural style, the interior reveals a contemporary masterpiece.

368 markham street toronto As the realtor's description indicates, this one was "stripped to the bones" before being reconstructed with all the modern features and amenities you could ever ask for. It's thus not too surprising to see the $3,680,000 price tag.

368 markham street toronto Perhaps the best quality of this house is that despite the completely revamped interior, it still makes use of the charming historical character of the original structure. From the high ceilings to window nooks and exposed brick, there's nothing cookie-cutter about this one.