Yonge & Eg’s Dutch snack bar is the place to sip on gin

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2:08 pm

Tripe X marks the spot
When it comes to finding Noorden, look for the triple X sign on the street. At the Yonge Street eatery, which was Quince in its previous life, Jennifer Gittins, Michael van den Winkel and head chef Peter Tompkins are dishing out contemporary Dutch-Indo cuisine. Inside the pop-up (it’ll remain open until 2018), patrons tuck into sharing plates and swill gin tipples against the backdrop of a graphic Amsterdam skyline.

The pick of the Dutch
In the Netherlands, Dutch gin is the spirit of choice. Gin in its modern state has its roots in genever, Holland’s traditional juniper-flavoured liquor that reaches back to the 17th century. “People think they don’t like gin until they try a proper gin,” notes bar manager Mac Lebioda. Known affectionately as the resident gin whiz, Lebioda made a name for himself after winning Toronto’s Ginapalooza contest. “It’s all about finding what kind of gin really speaks to you.” With a stock of 45 gins, guests can go for a sipping gin, sample different G&Ts (they make a homemade tonic) or reach for one of the house cocktails instead.

A perfect pairing
Noorden’s signature creation is the Angry Dutchman ($14). “We started with the Bols genever ’cause it’s the only true recipe for gin,” says Lebioda of the Netherlands’ original spirit. In order to balance out the maltiness of the genever, he paired it with some herbal Green Chartreuse and St-Germain elderflower liqueur with a touch of citrus to keep it fresh. Chili water finishes the cocktail off, resulting in a drink that exemplifies what Noorden is all about. “The genever is so Dutch, and with the chilies it’s so perfect because of the Indonesian influence in Holland,” says Lebioda. Plus it’ll warm you up in January.
Noorden, 2110 Yonge St., 416-488-2110

Toronto snowy season music preview

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10:42 am

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WINTER 2017: ALBUMS
Although most music lovers are eagerly anticipating the new Bell Biv Devoe album, slated for release in the coming months, here are five noteworthy Canadian records that will find a place in our stacks this winter season.

The Sadies: longstanding roots rockers the Sadies release their latest album, Northern Passage, on Feb. 20 via Dine Alone Records. The Toronto band has been turning out some seriously fine music for the past 20 years. The psych-folk single “Riverview Fog” has a powerful punch. The Sadies play Massey Hall on Feb. 2.

Kid Koala: The groundbreaking Canadian DJ is back with an innovative new album dubbed Music To Draw To: Satellite. The ambient record featuring Icelandic vocalist Emiliana Torrini is this compelling artists's first sans samples, and he employs a number of instruments and techniques to create a lush atmosphere. Kid Koala plays six shows on three days at the Rivoli, Jan. 26-28.

Jenn Grant: Juno Award–nominated singer-songwriter Jenn Grant follows up 2014’s Compostela with her sixth album, Paradise, slated for release on March 3. Grant has released “Galaxies,” the first single off the new album, a groovy piano ballad with a richly textured sonic landscape suitable to the otherworldly song title. She plays in support of her new album on March 24 at the Great Hall.

Austra: Buzz-worthy Toronto electronic music project, founded by Katie Stelmanis, readies its third and most ambitious album, Future Politics, for release on Jan. 20. The band plays a release show on the same date at the Mod Club.

Serena Ryder: Yes, this album has been pushed back and is now an early 2017 release at best. But with such a powerful first single in "Got Your Number," fans are clamouring for more tunes from this talented Torontonian with the powerful pipes.

WINTER 2017: SHOWS
Although it’s not always easy to trudge through the snow to check out a concert, there are a few very good reasons to brave the winter weather in 2017. Herewith, a few bands that are sure to thaw out your frosty bones for a night.

Sam Roberts, Jan. 20, Rebel (Sound Academy): The Montreal rocker released his latest album, Terraform, in October, and he hits town with his big hair and even bigger sound. This guy turns out the hits and is sure to please. Along for the ride is local fave Hollerado, an equally high-energy pop-punk act that loves nothing more to entertain a big and exuberant room.

Adam Ant, Jan. 29, Danforth Music Hall: Yes, that Adam Ant, of “Goody Two Shoes” fame. To many in Canada, Ant is only remembered for his charming post-punk hit from the ’80s, but this charismatic performer, who may actually be the true inspiration for Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow, has been thrilling crowds, mostly in the U.K., for decades.

Run the Jewels, Feb. 19, Danforth Music Hall: The American hip-hop group, featuring El-P and Killer Mike, has been praised by critics and provides a seriously engaging and high-energy live performance. The group is in town in support of its third album slated for release this month.

Black Joe Lewis, Feb. 28, Lee’s Palace: If there is one band sure to blow the roof off of winter, it’s this hard-working, wonderfully loud and bluesy band from Austin, Texas. Although he dropped the Honeybears from the name, it’s the same brilliant sound on full display on the new album that drops in February. Do not miss this show.

Wilco, March 15 and 16, Massey Hall: One of the great ones, Jeff Tweedy’s band of folkie rockers turns out some of the finest tunes going, including the new album, Schmilco, and there is no better place to catch Wilco live than the venerable Massey Hall. Sure to be a magical winter’s night.

How They Met: Catherine Reitman and Philip Sternberg, of CBC’s Workin’ Moms, are on and off-camera lovebirds

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Andrew Mannsbach

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2:40 pm

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Catherine Reitman and Philip Sternberg are the team behind CBC’s sitcom Workin’ Moms, which premiered Jan. 10, 2017. The duo also star in the series — as a married couple, of course. Aside from their onscreen duties, Sternberg is an executive producer on the show, and Reitman is the showrunner, creator and co-producer. Here they dish on how they met, married and made it all work while balancing two busy careers.

How they met

Catherine: I was picking up a paycheque for my friend after an audition when I first saw Philip. I was dressed ridiculously, in short shorts, with two braids, for a role that I absolutely was wrong for and didn’t get. Philip handed me the cheque and there was clear electricity between us. We didn’t exchange numbers. We just smiled and knew that something was happening. Three months later, we ran into each other at an event. Philip told me there was no way I was walking out of his life again.

The first date

Philip: We went to the cast and crew screening of Knocked Up.

Catherine: I remember feeling deeply embarrassed about him seeing me act. When my back first appeared on screen, Philip leaned into me and whispered: “Now that’s a nice neck.”

The courtship

Philip: We moved faster than either of us had ever experienced in previous relationships. We were saying “I love you” within the first month and were engaged by six months. We just knew.

Catherine: I remember visiting Philip’s apartment for the first time. This confident man all of a sudden appeared so nervous. He lived in this dirty studio apartment in a dangerous part of town. I was taking the tour of his place when I stopped dead in my tracks. The man had an artsy mirror at the head of his bed. I looked at him and he turned beet red: “It’s not what you think.… It’s an antique.”

The proposal

Catherine: Philip is, hands down, the most brilliant producer I’ve ever worked with, and so his proposal was very well-planned. We were driving down to San Diego from L.A. for the weekend. I was starving and in a terrible mood for the entire drive. Little did I know what secret Philip was sitting on. I begged him to stop for fast food, but he said he had something planned. Did he ever. When we arrived, he pulled a picnic out. It was all of my favourite cheeses and cured meats. I dove in like an animal, while he sat and watched me nervously. A storm was rolling in, and he began to panic. He asked me to take a walk with him. I was crushed: “But we just started eating!” I took that walk and we approached a cliff. He asked me to walk over the fencing onto the cliff’s edge. It hit me all of a sudden: this man was either going to propose … or murder me. I took the risk. He pointed to a nearby beach. It was hard to see through the storm, but there, in the sand, he had written out “Will You Marry Me?” in painted white seashells and long-stemmed roses. He dropped to his knee, and I took the crappy flea market ring off my ring finger and threw it into the sea. Saying yes to him was the smartest move I’ve ever made.

The wedding

Catherine: We were married in Santa Barbara, Calif., at my parents’ home the following year. We honeymooned in Italy and managed to each gain 20 pounds. Worth. It.

The home

Philip: We live in the Lawrence and Yonge neighbourhood and love it! It is very family-friendly and has such great restaurants and shops in walking distance.

The kids

Catherine: We have two boys. Jackson is three, and Liam is six months old.

Balancing work and marriage

Philip: I don’t know. This remains one of the harder challenges for us. We are producing partners for the first time on a new TV series called Workin’ Moms for CBC. Plus Catherine is the showrunner, stars in it and directs two of the 13 episodes. We try to take these moments whenever we can. Naptime on the weekends has become our favourite minutes of the day.

Catherine: As we work together and have very young children, taking the time to just be together is extremely difficult. What always floors us is how just taking a small moment to connect can make such a difference.

Big Opening: Avenue Girl

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11:58 am

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Avenue Girl caters to the young tween girl who has outgrown children’s styles but is still not quite an adult. With an eclectic esthetic that includes a mix of formal styles, semi-formal, casual clothing, and fun/kooky lifestyle pieces (such as emoji pillows and funky toys), Avenue Girl has something for all adolescents who are developing their identity through their style.

With an average price point of $150 to $300, Avenue Girl has a fine collection of curated items from the U.S. and Europe, including popular London brand David Charles with his elegant designs for dressier nights out, and Miss Behave from the U.S. with its spunky, modern and trendy wares.

And for those who are hitting the road, Avenue Girl has two designated parking spots in the back and the front of the store, a premium for boutiques located on Avenue Road.
1806 Avenue Rd.

Joanne Kates on Toronto’s best new restaurants of 2016 — the top five

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Andrew Mannsbach

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9:40 am

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After you’re done with the top five, be sure to go back and have a look at number six to 10.

5. Planta
Last year was the year that vegan food went upscale, and Planta was the outfit that made it happen. Who better than chef David Lee from Nota Bene and Steven Salm from the Chase Hospitality Group to go vegan and show it to the world?

And who knew that a 100 per cent plant-based menu could taste so terrific?

Some of the menu reads predictable: zucchini and quinoa tartare. Not exactly a moniker to set the taste buds a-quiver. But the combo of many jazzy flavours turns bland-sounding vegan into flavour starburst.

Cauliflower tots re-imagine tater tots, the guilty pleasure, as adult sin. Truffle parmesan isn’t, but how they make nutritional yeast, ground almonds and garlic replace parmesan is splendid alchemy. Same way they top pizzas with cashew “cheese” and draw raves.

Lettuce wraps do the same job of making me not miss meat. It turns out that “chicken fried” (a.k.a. deep-fried with a little crust) oyster mushrooms replace meat just fine in lettuce wraps with great fixin’s: rice noodles, pomelo, mango, jicama, chili and Thai basil, for all the notes we love: hot, sweet, sour and mellow. But my newly converted heart belongs to the iconic 18 carrot. Chef cooks the carrot long and slow, smokes and grills it, presenting it hotdog-style on a house-made bun with mustard, sauerkraut and pickle. And fries. This all happens in a graceful tall room with comfy seating and a feeling of great grace — as if to remind us that doing good for the planet can equal doing good for our selves and our senses. 1221 Bay St., 647-348-7000

4. Flock
Three Flocks took wing in 2016. And owner Cory Vitiello closed the much-beloved Harbord Room. Why? Because the future is in the Flocks, not the incredibly laborious, pain-to-manage fine dining that was Harbord Room. Flock is a brilliant formula. Expect more of them. Mr. Vitiello deserves to prosper.

Because I, the ultimate snob girl, I who would go hungry before eating a Big Mac, love Flock food. It’s quick, it’s inexpensive, it’s takeout-friendly, healthy and it tastes great.

They roast the chicken in a snazzy French rotisserie (same one as Boulud at the Four Seasons) and the bird is breathtakingly moist, with great spiced skin. It comes with two house-made sauces: spiky green chimichurri and habanero Caribbean hot sauce with mango, carrot, ginger and curry. And btw, the chicken is raised without antibiotics or hormones.

Yes it’s clean food too. The salads!! Meals in themselves and so healthy! Take the Frenchy: arugula topped up with green beans, roasted cauliflower and French lentils. Cucumber crescents minus the bitter seeds, sweet peppers, cherry tomatoes, onions and hard boiled egg, with roasted tomato, olive and caper vinaigrette. Or the Fancy Flock: Cabbage with grated coconut, marinated carrots, radish, pea greens, wheat berries, mango and mint with cashew lime coconut jalapeno dressing. Jumped up flavours!

My personal favourite Flock is one of the new 2016 ones: Harbord Street, a gracious sit-down space that proves quick food can be charming. We love the leather banquettes and marble tables, the smiley servers and the gentility of the place. 97 Harbord St., 647-748-7199

(IMAGE: Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

3. Chabrol
We all know French food is dead. Who needs all that bland butter and cream? Plus, the piquant flavours of Asian and Mexican have taken the town by storm, and they own our taste buds these days. So nobody was going to get excited about a tiny French bistro in (yawn) Yorkville.

But guess again, because Chabrol is a great restaurant. Breeding tells. Chef is Doug Penfold who’s doing great things at Cava. In chef Penfold’s hands, classic French mains get light and bright. Delicate salad of French lentils with beets comes together on a base of lightly smoked parsnip purée. Divine tartine of cured raw trout on house-made bread topped with shallot and chervil schmecks like Paris in the spring.

His papillote of cod with sea asparagus, leeks and Swiss chard gets a pour of superb vermouth beurre blanc from the ever-gracious waiter.

The resto’s signature dish is ttoro, bouillabaisse with big fat mussels and shrimp and perfectly cooked mackerel and snapper. The bowl comes full of fish, and the waiter, in the French style, pours on deep rich saffron-scented broth. Maybe the best fish soup in town today.

And for dessert, chef’s bow to my all-time favourite dessert, tarte tatin. The room is so tiny you can see — and smell — the buttery French apple tart baking in the glass-fronted oven in the open kitchen. It’s a sublime apple tart built on puff pastry and drenched in Calvados sabayon at the table. Chabrol is as French as it gets, the ultimate bistro. 90 Yorkville Ave., 416-428-6641

(IMAGE: JASON FINESTONE)

2. Piano Piano
2016 was the year that made it official: Toronto is done with white tablecloths. We’re finished with formal. The foodies of Toronto have voted with their feet, and the message is loud and clear: expensive, fancy and formal is over, gone the way of quiche and chocolate mousse.

Chef Victor Barry was probably hemorrhaging money with Splendido. Sure it was splendid. But not so many diners wanted to sit for three hours and pay $300 for a couple to dine in quiet splendour. So Mr. Barry closed Splendido and reopened as Piano Piano, a riotously colourful space that speaks of casual and cool. Toronto foodies have fallen for his $22 pizzas and $24 pasta mains, ’cause the place is packed.

The new pizza oven sends forth crispy crust pies with wonderful trad toppings. My fave is Fun Guy with roasted mushrooms, mozzarella and fior di latte, arugula and parm.

They also do some terrific pastas. Pumpkin agnolotti is superb, topped with sage and parm and swimming in brown butter. They do a big raviolo stuffed with spinach-ricotta purée and a slightly cooked egg yolk, so when you cut it a golden river oozes out, which goes great with the brown butter and parm on top.

For carb-haters there’s brick chicken — roasted breast with deep-fried leg. Both feature great crisped skin and good spicing, on a big round platter of kale salad with pickled onion, olive and lemon. And a terrific raw sea bream app with avocado, chili, lime, pineapple and just a hint of coconut. 88 Harbord St., 416-929-7788

(IMAGE: YVONNE TSUI)

1. Jackpot Chicken Rice
When our beloved Patois closed (not for much longer, we hope) for repairs after a fire last year, owner and chef Craig Wong decided to drown his sorrows in Hainanese chicken rice. Being Craig Wong, an iconoclast and a chef, he tweaked the classic to uptick the pleasure and opened a restaurant.

Jackpot is adding dishes here and there, but I stick to the original and the sublime. Like the great Michelin three-star chefs of France used to tell me: “Show me a man (sic) who can roast a chicken perfectly and that’s a great chef.” Simple talks.

So eat Jackpot’s from original items: poached chicken is cooked in chicken stock scented with ginger and scallions and it’s as tender a bird as one could ever inhale. The add-on of crispy skin is a must. It’s baked three times with sriracha salt: sin you can’t say no to. Dip it all in ginger-scallion sauce or fresh chili. The Southeast Asian–style roast chicken is equally juicy and tender.

Both come with the re-imagined Hainanese rice. This rice is no afterthought. It’s cooked in schmaltz-laden chicken broth with pandan leaves, which produces the most astonishingly flavourful rice. Rich, tasty, addictive. Add a bowl of winter melon soup and you’re in Chinese heaven.

Chef Wong is not exactly a health-food dude, but his flavours are so intense, his textures so compelling, that I cannot deny myself his French toast for dessert. Kaya toast is a Southeast Asian snack food. The magic ingredient is kaya coconut jam, a rich amalgam of coconut, egg and sugar. Wong’s version is several layers of thin-sliced bread, filled with kaya coconut jam and deep-fried fast and hot for ultimate crunch. 318 Spadina Ave., 416-792-8628

After you’re done with the top five, be sure to go back and have a look at number six to 10.

Dr. Jess on Sex: The 5 languages of love

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Jacob Fogg

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3:45 pm

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Gary Chapman’s bestseller, The 5 Love Languages, suggests that each of us has a primary love language — words of affirmation, receiving gifts, acts of service, quality time or physical touch — and that in order to improve emotional connection, we need to learn to speak our partner’s language.

With the holidays upon us, understanding and catering to your partner’s love language can make gift giving easier and more meaningful, so I’ve put together a gift guide for each love language.

Words of affirmation: Write a personalized card and consider a DIY gift. Last year, Rosedale resident Bruce made his wife a book of memories with photos and commentary from friends and family members.

Consider putting together a photo collage, poem or playlist in honour of your partner and share it with a loving note on social media. Don’t worry about oversharing — one study found that flouting your love online is positively correlated with higher commitment levels.

Receiving gifts: The key to pleasing this type of partner is to give him or her something your partner would not expect. The brain’s most reward-responsive area shows greater activity when there is an element of surprise.

Gifts that are sure to surprise include a 3D-printed figurine from Selftraits (545 Queen St. W.), a Luckies of London travel map (available at Indigo) upon which you can mark a surprise trip destination, or the new couples’ vibrator: the Sync by We-Vibe (Good for Her, 175 Harbord St.).

Quality time: Consider experiential gifts, which have been shown to improve relationship quality more than material ones. Take your partner to a sporting event or a concert. Book a room at Le Germain and take two full days off work. Dine in the dark at O.Noir, where cellphones are disallowed. Whatever activity you plan, leave your phone at home. This is a gift — not a typical date — and your partner deserves your undivided attention.

Physical touch: Look for gifts that encourage you to be hands-on with one another: salsa lessons, a couples’ massage class, body oils or an afternoon at Hammam Spa (602 King St. W.).

Acts of service: Prepare a week’s worth of meals in advance or steal one of your partner’s chores for two weeks and send him or her to the spa while you’re hard at work. Accompany your partner to a volunteer job or co-ordinate a new volunteer opportunity (consider ethical volun-tourism) you can attend together.

If you’re not sure which language to cater to, identify how your partner communicates his or her love to you. That primary mode of communication is likely the one your partner expects in return.

Jess O’Reilly is a sought-after speaker, author and sexologist (www.SexWithDrJess.com).

Taste Test: With David Lee, the cheesecake connoisseur

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Andrew Mannsbach

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10:16 am

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It’s been a decade since we last tested T.O.’s top cheesecakes, so we asked chef David Lee, the brains behind Yorkville’s hottest new restaurant, Planta, to help us find the best slice in the city. Who takes the cake? Find out here.

Winner: Indulge in dulce
Phipps Desserts, 1875 Leslie St., unit 21, $28.95
“It has caramel, a crust for texture and the right density. And it looks good, like you want to dive in.”

Berry beautiful
Amadeus Patisserie, 7380 bathurst st., $33
“It’s a no-brainer. The Oreo crust is good, and it has fruit on top, but it tastes one-dimensional.”

Pistachio perfection
Karelia Kitchen, 1194 Bloor St. W., $7 (individual size)
“It looks very cool, but it needs more pistachio to add texture, and the cherry jelly on top is not for me.”

Intoxicating
Dufflet, 2638 Yonge st., $26
“It has a good amount of Grand Marnier, but it’s overpowering after a few bites. The look is nice, it’s got a lot of drama.”

Raspberry rouge
Patisserie la Cigogne, 1626 Bayview Ave., $32.95
“It looks great, it tastes good, but it just doesn’t taste like a cheesecake. It has more of a mousse texture.”

From Japan with love
Love Me Sweet, 7181 Yonge St., unit 16, $11
“It’s very light, very aerated and looks very Zen. It’s a no fuss cheesecake that wouldn’t make me feel guilty.”

Mini but mighty
Mabel’s Bakery, 746 St. Clair Ave. W., $4.80 (individual size)
“I like the crust. It’s a little salty in a very good way, but there’s a little too many sour cherries in there.”

Shop Talk: Worthy of royalty

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2:15 pm

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From the Royals to the Trudeaus — and even Prince Harry’s girlfriend, Meghan Markle — unique ribbed detailing has been spotted on the sleeves of celebs across the world. We chat with the designer behind it all, Bojana Sentaler, to find out what inspires her and why she loves coats.

What inspired you to pursue a career in fashion?
A chance meeting with fashion guru Karl Lagerfeld inspired me to start thinking about having my own fashion line. Later on I spent some time in Peru, where I discovered the beautiful fabric alpaca. I automatically fell in love with it and started designing my first collection.

Why did you focus on outerwear?
Growing up in Toronto, we spend almost eight months of the year wearing outerwear due to the cold climate. I discovered a gap in the market for luxury outerwear. That, combined with my love for coats, inspired me.

Where do you get your design inspiration from?
My inspiration usually comes from my travels. This season’s collection is based on everything I love — the classic Sentaler hooded wrap coats and the signature ribbed sleeve details. I used a lot of blue tones — midnight, denim and royal blue — combined with beautiful shades of mulberry and olive green. The collection was big on colour this year.

Tell us about Sentaler’s sustainability and ethical practices.
Every Sentaler coat is made with extreme care and attention to every detail. The alpaca fabrics that are used in the collection are obtained by shearing alpaca animals in an ethical way. The animals are very sacred to the Peruvian culture and are protected by their government. Sentaler is also fair trade. We are proud to work with and support local Peruvian families.

What are your plans for the holiday season?
We are giving back with the #Sentaler4SickKids initiative that supports the SickKids Foundation and the children at SickKids Hospital. The initiative runs until March, and proceeds from all hats sold will go directly to SickKids. I will also be hand-delivering hats as milestone gifts for the children at the hospital. It’s a really special initiative.

North York native helps children with autism learn and grow

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10:02 am

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For the past 23 years, Janet MacDougall has been determined to help children who find themselves on the autism spectrum feel included and valued in North York.

As the director for Yes I Can! Nursery School, MacDougall has helped to develop programs that accommodate the different learning needs, particularly of toddlers with autism.

Sadly, despite the school’s one-of-a-kind programming and strong reputation, it is suffering due to the province’s funding cuts and may soon face closure. In an effort to keep the school running, it has launched a GoFundMe account to try and replace that funding.

The non-profit school’s specialized services were first thought of after a formative encounter MacDougall had with a toddler who had autism in the early ’90s. “They have their own gifts to give the world, and I really like to draw that out of them and have them feel good about where they are,” MacDougall said.

The school’s unique programming has built a strong reputation since. In some cases, parents have moved from different cities in order to be able to enrol their child at the school.

The idea of inclusivity that is encouraged at Yes I Can! could have significant impact on the future, MacDougall said. “It’s [important] because there will be future employers and CEOs who will have gone to Yes I Can! and they’re going to remember that they made a friend who learned differently,” she said. “I hope it will make society far more welcoming then it has been.”

Parent Hacks: Battling cabin fever with fresh indoor ideas for your kids

By

Andrew Mannsbach

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2:59 pm

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Soon enough, we’ll be trapped indoors on those cold winter days with the kids complaining about how bored they are (or how annoying that brother is).

To survive without going stir crazy, try out these indoor activities.

Start by teaching them some independence. I constantly hear complaints from parents about getting school lunches packed and prepared. So why not teach your kids to do it for themselves?

Have your kids write down what they think a healthy meal is for lunch. Have them place the foods into categories such as fruit, vegetable, protein, fats, etc.

Talk to them about their choices and then have them make up one of the meals. For little kids, a no-cook option is obviously best.

After they’ve made their lunch, let them have an indoor picnic. If they’re of school age, having a friend come over can make this even more fun, and it gives another cabin fever parent a small break (and of course you’re going to ask to have the favour returned on the next cold day).

Another thing you can do with the kids is a scavenger hunt (for those kids not yet reading, you can draw pictures).

This can be a great way to get some cleanup done if you list things like a dirty plate or a sock with a hole in it as some of your items.

Speaking of socks, gather up all those lost-soul (or is that sole?) socks from the laundry room and see how many they can match up. Make it a speed contest.

It can be tough to get the kids active indoors, but consider setting up a mini basement gym.

Create circuit-like stations where they have to “drop and give me 20,” do some jumping jacks, hop on one foot or hold the longest wall squat. Try it yourself if you’re missing your outdoor run due to the weather.

Let the kids set up a fort. If you provide them with old sheets, pillows, some snacks and a few books or comics to read, you might not see them until the temperature finally rises outside.

For added fun, hand them some flashlights and tell them to pretend they don’t have any electricity.

No electricity equals no screens. But, if you’re going to let them use a screen, just make sure you’re having them take a break from it every so often to give their eyes a break.

And then send them into the kitchen to make lunch … for you as well.

Not only will these activities keep the troop busy, they’ll also cross off some chores that you never find time to do when you’re rushing to get the kids to school or out to activities.

Then, before you know it, spring will be here and you can send them back outside.

Hit the slopes before the snow falls

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10:17 am

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There was some pressure from my base camp at home to do a good job on today’s assignment at Axis Freestyle. My husband, Storey Badger, was a competitive downhill skier and coach for the Ontario Women’s Alpine Ski Team.

I walked into Axis, Canada’s first all-in-one, year-round dry slope freestyle training facility for skiing and snowboarding, and was met by two of the three owners, Alex Ching and Simon Chang.

This is a fantastic facility for those snowboard and freestyle ski enthusiasts to hone their skills during the summer months or in the winter when they’re unable to get on a hill outside of Toronto. It’s also the perfect place to learn for beginners and toddlers.

I’m introduced to my instructor for the day, Karen Chan, and then pop my skis on. I am excited to try the dry slope and compare it to the real snowy deal.

It also feels great to be on skis again after a long summer and before the snow even flies.

The carpet, which is watered and soaped down each day, feels and looks much like hardpack eastern Ontario snow.

The workout really kicks in while I’m hiking up the hill with my skis on my shoulders — there are no magic carpets here.

The slope itself is comparable to a bunny hill, and I don’t want to get too much speed on it or I’ll find myself feet up in the reception area.

There’s a halfway point on the slope that makes it the perfect place to teach little ones or beginners to ski or snowboard.

Apart from the dry slope, participants can also do a yoga class or trampoline workout.

“We’ve specifically designed the trampoline zone to simulate on-snow scenarios while also giving the area parkour-like obstacles,” says Ching.

The trampoline setup allows skiers and boarders to learn how to master their tricks in a safe environment.

Soon, the team at Axis plans to provide a class structure with specific topics to work on each week with a coach. But for now, it is more of an open gym format where participants can use the slope and the trampolines as they like.

The 20,000-square-foot facility is equipped with 5,000 square feet of dry slope, custom high-performance trampolines, a variety of jumps and rails, foam pits, yoga studio and multi-purpose room.

From learning backflips to mastering corks, Axis Freestyle is not only a facility but also a centre of positive vibes.

I’m most looking forward to bringing my son, Bode (age three), to try out snowboarding. He’s already been skiing, of course, since he was 18 months old.

Restaurant Review: Parkdale gets a not so Guu’d izakaya

By

Andrew Mannsbach

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1:36 pm

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Name recognition is everything. I think of myself as intelligent and logical, but when my (annoyingly more logical) spouse pointed out to me that the Volkswagen Jetta fully loaded would drive just as well as an Audi and save me 10 K, what did I do? I bought the Audi.

Because name recognition matters a lot to us.

Hence my excitement when Guu, the Vancouver mothership, opened a branch in Parkdale. Guu has been fooling around with the Toronto market for a few years. They first opened a fabulous Guu on Church Street and a second one on Bloor West. Then came some corporate disavowals: it seemed franchises had been involved and head office soured on that arrangement. They left Toronto alone for a year.

But this one is the real thing. A 100 per cent Guu branch-plant imported from Vancouver, where they still line up for Guu.

The pared down interior of Guu’s Parkdale location (IMAGE: CJ BAEK)

The sashimi was meh. Bluefin tuna was very good, but the amaebi — sweet raw shrimp — had the faintest ammoniac tang, as did the uni (sea urchin roe).

So we switched to cooked foods, imagining that an izakaya, which in Japan is a raucous food ’n’ drink after-work grazing bar — would do better at that which is less challenging. Not so much.

One of my favourite Japanese snacks is okonomiyaki, the savoury pancake that’s pretty much always crisp, spiked with green onions and usually some seafood. Okonomiyaki are so popular there are whole restos devoted to them in Tokyo. (Yes, I ate them in Tokyo and loved them. I also watched dozens of drunken salarymen in identical black suits exit izakayas so drunk they were falling over. But that’s a story for another time.)

The Guu okonomiyaki is unfortunately soggy, with more cabbage than flavour. And good luck locating the seafood in it. They say there’s squid, but I had trouble tasting it.

Two items please me. Takowasabi, the classic izakaya big flavour burst, is as it should be: tiny morsels of octopus marinated in a lot of wasabi and a little sugar and soy, to be wrapped in super-crisp nori and crunched. They also do a credible kalbi: Korean grilled beef short ribs infused with sugar, soy and garlic.

Yakiudon, which is a big Toronto go-to dish, should have been picture-perfect. After all, who messes up noodles in this noodle-mad town? The noodles are slightly mushy, their beef garnish gristly, and the sauce bland. The sashimi salad is better — nicely dressed, but it takes a bit of a search party to find the eensy pieces of raw fish under all the lettuce.

Do we like banana tempura, a.k.a. deep-fried bananas with green tea ice cream? For sure, when the cladding is as gossamer as tempura ought to be, and the flash fry at ultra-high heat obviates any possibility of grease. Not so much this rendition. Disappointment is a funny thing. It’s all about managing expectations. Had I not been looking for the sun, the moon and the stars at the famous and beloved Guu from Vancouver, I might have liked it.