New bistro hits Davisville Village

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1:03 pm

Malbec is staking its claim on Merton Street. The Italian restaurant, in the former location of Steve’s Steakhouse and Seafood, opened on recently, and owner Francisco Bogado says the locals have been flooding in.

It’s Argentina-born Bogado’s first restaurant though he has worked in the Italian food industry for nearly 20 years.

Dishes run from $20 to $25 per person, he says, and you can find such fare on the menu as baby back ribs, sweetbread, lobster pasta and filet mignon with port wine reduction.

Malbec has a full bar and serves dessert as well, including fresh fruit salad and Argentinian crepes served with ice cream and berries.

Malbec is located at 234 Merton St., 416-489-1488.

Jamie Kennedy to dish out fries at the ACC

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5:31 pm

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A partnership between renowned Toronto chef Jamie Kennedy and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment means better deep-fried potatoes for all.

Starting Thursday, a kiosk on the 300 level of the Air Canada Centre (ACC) will offer Kennedy’s locally-sourced, gourmet French fries. The fries, made from local Ontario yellow-flesh potatoes, will be sprinkled with two different kinds of sea salt and thyme.

The finished product will be served with a side of either cider or chili mayo. The cider and chili used to flavour the mayo will also be locally-sourced, said Robert Bartley, the director of culinary and executive chef of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE).

Bartley said MLSE first approached Kennedy last summer about opening a kiosk in the ACC after looking at food vendors in stadiums in America. Bartley said some sporting venues, like Yankee Stadium, have already introduced big-name chefs to their list of vendors.

Jamie Kennedy told PostCity.com that his new kiosk in the ACC is in line with his company’s policy of broadening "the dining experience from the confines of the restaurant." Chef Kennedy is known for focusing on local, seasonal food and wine.

Kennedy’s kiosk will be open for the first time this Thursday at the Toronto Maple Leafs first regular-season game against the Montreal Canadiens. The kiosk will be open for every home game of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Raptors, as well as some big-ticket concerts. The fries are $6.50 an order, and are served in a paper cone.

Toronto's $1200 iPhone case

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5:25 pm

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Some people like to people-watch. I, on the other hand, like to gadget-watch. Taking the bus every day gives me the opportunity to indulge this admittedly peculiar predilection. For a while, I’d entertain myself by attempting to guess whether someone was a "BlackBerry type" or an "iPhone type."

Occasionally, I’d stumble across a real gem: someone who owned an old-school clunker—resembling, loosely (the phone that is, not the owner) one of those "car phones" that used to reside in a cup holder in my parents’ early ’90s mini van, and required the use of two hands to properly operate.

But I digress. Lately, I’ve been less concerned about delineating the iPhoners from the BlackBerry-ites.

Now, I’m just curious to see what kind of cases (or "skins") people are choosing. While I’ll never latch on to the trend of attaching trinkets or baubles to my phone (why? Because it’s a phone.), I might be persuaded to add a bit of "flair" to my otherwise sad-and-sorry looking portable horn. After an afternoon of searching, I’ve narrowed down my selection.

Without further ado: the Good, the Rad, and the Fugly of iPhone cases — plus a peak at Toronto’s most expensive.

The Good: Incase Monochrome Slider Case for iPhone

Incase’s "Slider Case" is smooth, sleek, and… plastic. That’s right. Plastic. No wiggly silicone iPhone skin here, folks. I like this particular case for a number of reasons. For starters, I’ve always enjoyed Incase’s products. I’ve housed an elderly Macbook in an Incase sheath for years—and the cover has held up far better than the actual computer.

Also on this case’s list of "pros" is the design. It’s nothing flashy—and that’s why I like it. Perhaps most importantly, the hard plastic cover (with interior "rubber guard rails") offers shock protection. So you’re actually getting far more than the usual iPhone scratch protection.

$39.95; available at Mac stores across the GTA

The Rad: GelaSkins Custom Designed iPhone Skin

Hey, remember the time I kinda sorta knocked iPhone skins… and then proceeded to recommend one? Right. So. GelaSkins. The company is based right here in Toronto, and a simple click of the mouse will lead you to a veritable gallery of iPhone-intended artwork. A one-of-a-kind iPhone skin? Yes, please. I really like the cute-albeit-slightly-creepy "I See" design by Simon Oakley, as well as the nerdy/lovely "Bookshelf" creation by Colin Thompson. And if you don’t like any of the designs they’ve got on offer, you can upload your own artwork and create your own skin.

$14.95; available online at www.gelaskins.com

The Fugly: Juicy Couture Crest Case for iPhone

Juicy Couture sweat pants are bad enough. (C’mon ladies, bust out those old varsity or Roots sweats—and leave those JC loungers where they belong: on a shelf, in a drawer, in a bag labeled "to give away"—somewhere far, far away from an actual human being.)

And if you even had to ask, no, we can’t get behind this Juicy Couture iPhone cover. Why? Because the only interesting detail on the darn thing is the Juicy Couture logo. And the logo itself reminds us of those sweat pants. It’s a vicious cycle, all right.

$39.95; available online at the Mac store.

Most Expensive: Louis Vuitton Alligator iPhone Skin

Last but certainly not least expensive, I found the Louis Vuitton Alligator iPhone Skin. This bad boy will set you back $1260 at LV’s Bloor Street store in Yorkville. Day-um. I mean, it’s pretty and all—but $1260-dollars’-worth of pretty? Who’s to say.

$1260; available at the Louis Vuitton flagship store in Yorkville.

Ossington hotspot closes as battle continues with City Hall

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4:00 pm

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The saga of Salt Wine Bar on Ossington Avenue took another turn recently.

Salt opened last month, trying to skirt the moratorium on new establishments by using a combination of the location’s existing grocery licence and a catering licence. But, it didn’t last long.

The restaurant is now closed, perhaps temporarily, perhaps until the end of the City of Toronto’s one-year moratorium on new restaurants and bars on the hot dining strip south of Dundas Street West.

Best case scenario: a bunch of local business folk are challenging the city’s moratorium at the Ontario Municipal Board and hearings are scheduled for November. Should the OMB rule against the city, Salt will be able to obtain a licence much sooner.

According to co-owner Kim Saustino, Salt will still be open for special events.

Salt Wine Bar is located at 255 Ossington Ave., 416-533-7258.

Peter Fonda honoured at Best Buddies Gala

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2:48 pm

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Best Buddies Canada, a national charitable organization dedicated to creating one-on-one friendships between Canadian students and individuals with intellectual disabilities, held their 16th annual Gala at the Four Seasons Hotel.

Hosted by ET Canada’s Rosey Edeh, the glamorous affair featured music, a sumptuous dinner and a gala tribute to Hollywood legend Peter Fonda, including the presentation of the 2010 Best Buddies Legacy Leadership Award.

Contributing photographers: Sandler, Sonia Recchia, George Pimentel, Jen Arron. If you have an event you would like to tell us about, please e-mail [email protected].

David Suzuki feted at starstudded Live Your Legacy Gala

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2:28 pm

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Singer-songwriters Chantal Kreviazuk and Lily Frost gave special performances at the Live Your Legacy Gala, a starstudded celebration of the life and legacy of David Suzuki.

The special eco-friendly gala took place at the Four Seasons Hotel and featured a surprise performance by Olivia Newton-John. Comedian Russell Peters and broadcaster George Stroumboulopoulos acted as co-hosts.

Contributing photographers: Sandler, Sonia Recchia, George Pimentel, Jen Arron. If you have an event you would like to tell us about, please e-mail [email protected].

Norman Jewison hosts Canadian Film Centre’s annual Barbeque

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2:18 pm

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CFC founder and chair emeritus Norman Jewison and executive director Slawko Klymkiw played host to both Canadian and international talent and over 1,800 attendees at the CFC annual BBQ.

The BBQ is one of the CFC’s biggest fundraisers in support of their training programs and tomorrow’s emerging talent. This year over $200,000 was raised, and in addition, Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism and Culture, announced that the province is investing $9 million over three years!

Contributing photographers: Sandler, Sonia Recchia, George Pimentel, Jen Arron. If you have an event you would like to tell us about, please e-mail [email protected].

Across the gendered-school divide

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12:39 am

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THE SINGLE-GENDERED learning environment may no longer be an option reserved solely for Toronto’s private school parent.

As the Toronto District School Board closes in on plans to introduce single-sex schools to the public realm, debates surrounding the constructive nature of this change continue to pick up steam.

“For me this is about choice,” says Dr. Christopher Spence, director of education for the Toronto District School Board. “Parents and students want more choice in learning environments for their children. Single-gender education will work for some students just because they feel they can be themselves.

“When I was visiting a boys’ academy and talking to students, they emphasized they were better able to focus on their studies and pursue their interests. In fact, one boy, all six-feet-four and 230 pounds of him, was the lead in the school play and on the football team. He said he wouldn’t do that at a coed school.”

Since his appointment to the board in 2009, Spence has spearheaded the development of single-gender education in Toronto and was largely responsible for the TDSB trustees reviewing a concept report on programs of choice last March.

The report, which included the proposed establishment of a girls’ school and boys’ school in Toronto, was approved for a feasibility study, now being conducted to review such things as available space, desire, location and cost.

“Right now we’re just looking at a school-within-a-school model, [seeing] where we would have space in a current school to set up, et cetera,” says Karen Grose, superintendent of innovative programs and futuristic schools for the TDSB.

Eglinton-Lawrence trustee Howard Goodman is voicing strong opposition to the idea of opening single-gendered institutions in Toronto, saying that he is not adverse to singlegendered education in practice, but feels its inclusion in the TDSB will contradict the board’s current model of inclusiveness.

“There are two main reasons that are being given for going in this direction,” says Goodman. “One is that boys aren’t doing as well as girls, and this will help boys who are at risk do better.The other is that it will attract new students to the TDSB.

“The student success argument doesn’t take into account that by creating these schools we’re sending a clear message that boys are different from girls and telling teachers that if there’s a boy in your class you’re not reaching then you can just send them off to boys’ school. That is a very dangerous thing because we may be doing good things for 400 boys [who can attend these schools] but doing untold damage to thousands of others who will be written off as simply unreachable.”

“As for the second reason, enrolment, well yes, there is some attractiveness for parents to having their kids in boys’ and girls’ schools. But parents who are sending their kids to Havergal are sending them there for a whole bunch of different reasons. ”

Iwona Kurman, principal of Heydon Park Secondary School (the city’s only stand-alone, singlegender public school), is in favour of the TDSB offering more singlegendered schools.“I think it should be a choice in different parts of the city,”she says.“But I don’t think it’s for everyone. If we are talking about academic success, the lack of that kind of component seems to be working here.”

Yet experts continue to argue whether this separation is constructive for younger learners.

“At [the Institute of Child Study (ICS)], we believe that single-sex education is not the best solution at this tender age, “ says Richard Messina, vice-principal of ICS’s laboratory school at the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education.

“In spite of their developmental differences, girls and boys learn a lot from each other.”

Spence admits he and the TDSB have some hills to climb before his vision comes to fruition.

The results of the program of choice feasibility study, still in the process of being conducted, will be presented to a newly elected board of trustees in the late fall.

Midday meal makeover

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12:34 am

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ARRANGING A LUNCH for your little student can often involve more pondering than packing: “What should I include?” you might ask yourself. “And how much?”

“One of the most shocking statistics I’ve come across is that today’s child will have a shorter life expectancy then his parents due to the epidemic of obesity,” says Leslie Beck, a leading Canadian authority on nutrition and the author of Healthy Eating for Preteens and Teens.

“We are more nutrition conscious than we ever used to be, but at the same time we also live in a world where we have never had so much variety of packaged processed food.

Parents are busy, and so more convenient meals come into play.”

Having operated a private nutrition clinic in downtown Toronto for more than 20 years, she has helped numerous local parents develop healthy eating plans for their youngsters that are not only more nutritious, but simplified for today’s overscheduled parent.

“The most common error I see is that parents tend to overpack lunches,” she says “They worry so much that the child’s not going to eat, so they overpack the quantity with lots of snacks and treats. The problem is that the kids fixate on the snacks but leave the sandwich and the healthy stuff as the last choice, and it ends up coming home at the end of the day.”

Beck says an ideal lunch should include reasonable portions of three key components: some kind of grain, such as whole wheat crackers or pasta; a protein; and a dairy product such as milk or yogourt. She adds that fruits and vegetables should always be integrated into the meals.

“There’s nothing wrong with packing finger foods,” she says. “Half a sandwich and some whole grain crackers and cheese or hummus. Or forget about sandwiches, try baked chicken strips or mini burritos.”

Julie Axford, Aramark food services manager at Bayview Glen Independent School, employs the same healthy and creative attitude when preparing the students’ weekly menu, which she builds around suggestions from “Canada’s Food Guide.”

She emphasizes the importance of involving young people in the menu-making process.

“The students suggested breakfast for lunch at one of our meetings.We were able to find whole wheat waffle sticks.They were a big hit. They also wanted pizza, and so we now offer pizza with a whole wheat crust and fresh veggie toppings.

“When they are being served, we encourage them to take up their vegetables and fruit, and the teachers do the same and talk about nutrition as they’re eating.”

Richard Gosling, founder and president of the Toronto Breakfast Club program says this interactive, community-style dining experience can produce healthy eaters organically.

“If kids are talking, having fun and being engaged, oftentimes they won’t even notice what they’re eating. They’ll just eat.” With that logic in mind, he encourages occasional meal gatherings between local parents and their youngsters, mimicking the school dining environment.

Alyssa Rolnick, registered dietician and nutrition columnist for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, knows, as a busy mother of two, that restaurant dining and fast-food purchases are bound to occur.

“It’s all about planning,” she says. “If you know you’re probably going to take your kids out for fast food for dinner, try to provide them with two highly nutritious meals for lunch and breakfast. Many fast-food restaurants are starting to offer things like apple slices and salads,” she adds. “But if they don’t, go ahead and bring along a small bag of fruit and vegetables.”

“Number one is that parents need to model their behaviour so that their kids see them making healthy choices,” adds Leslie Beck. “That has to start immediately.”

It’s a bird! it’s a plane! it’s… Super-Parent?

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12:32 am

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IT IS AN irony that the hardest thing we do as parents is not about parenting at all. It’s a skill called “not-parenting.”

This is the task that falls to us from the moment our children are born, and it has to do with working to perceive — and then act on! — the gap between them and us.

Mother Nature ill prepares us for this challenge. She does a great job of bonding us to our kids. I was chatting with a pregnant first-time older mom the other day, and she voiced her worry that she didn’t feel bonded with her baby and wasn’t confident that she’d feel connected to the child once born.

I and the other mom in the room laughed and said she had no worries on that score. Because at the deepest core of our being, we love our children. This is not a matter of choice. Nature wants it that way, so we’ll take care of them till they’re old enough to survive on their own. Which for human babies takes a while.

In fact some of us are still doing it when they go off to university.

Does Mother Nature want that? Once you become a mom, you know that inner she-bear. She becomes part of your character, ever ready to step out.

That mythical woman who could lift a Volkswagen off her child is not myth to us: I am mother, hear me roar! Threaten my child and watch out! There are not enough rescue clichés adequate to encompass what we as parents do to make things better for our children.

But back to the child going off to university. That moment looms like a cliff in parental consciousness — as if it were one traumatic moment. Jump off, you gotta do it.

But this is an inaccurate description of reality. In truth, from the moment our children are born, part of our task, if we are to be the best parents we can be, is to see them as separate people, people on their way to independence, whose brief (but ever lengthening) absences from us are dry runs for the big one.

If we see this developmental trajectory clearly, if we force ourselves to acknowledge where we begin and they end, we can begin to accept that our children are their own selves, and we can then give them some space to try out those new wings.

Like fledglings of other species, they will fall during some of their early flights from the nest. And we will desperately want to rescue them. It will feel like a physical imperative.

What separates us from animals is that they operate 100 per cent on instinct.We get to think before we act.This is the golden opportunity to grow resourceful independent children with their own life skills.

At the moment when rescueparent kicks us, just as you’re about to don the Superhero cape, please stop and think before Super- Parent roars into action.

Think: Does my child really need to be rescued now? What would happen if, instead of doing this for my child right now, I helped them figure out how to do this for themselves?

This question can be applied to almost every parenting situation. Okay, they can’t drive the car or go to parent-teacher meetings, but they can learn to cook, clean, take responsibility for their own homework and manage their friendships.

Did you ever have a great coach when you were young? Did they score goals for you, or did they teach you how to score? What made them a great coach?

My guess is that they first believed in your abilities, second, helped you grow those abilities and third, celebrated you for them. So be the coach. Grow great people with strong wings. They will thank you for it.

Modern motherhood

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12:29 am

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“THIS IS MY daughter, and this is my life. Deal with it,” says actress and television producer Jennifer Podemski, on her way to an audition.

“I’d just plop her car seat in the middle of the conference room table and get on with it,” she says, describing how she launched back into her full-time work when her daughter Willow (now eight months) was just two days old.

“When you’re self-employed, you don’t get a traditional maternity leave,” she explains. “I would schedule conference calls when I was breast-feeding her and arrange meetings around nap time.”

Podemski had seen other women put everyone else’s needs ahead of their own — which she was determined not to do.

“As I got older, I realized I had every right to live in a certain way.”

She works from home, so she asked her colleagues to come to her house to meet on projects such as executive producing the awardwinning National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, for the fifth year. She’s also into her seventh season of Degrassi: The Next Generation.

“I think I’m too big for that role right now,” she laughs, referring to the fact that she gained 80 pounds while pregnant with Willow, though she has shed most of it already.

Weight is something that has been a part of her performing lifestyle from a young age, and she admits that while she was pregnant the extra pounds didn’t bother her, but for about three months after she had the baby, she did feel down about how she looked.

And then she got a call from Sarah Polley for a supporting role in her second feature film, Take This Waltz, co-starring Sarah Silverman and Michelle Williams.

“[Polley’s] first question to me was, ‘Are you okay with a nude scene?’” says Podemski.

“I told her I had just had a baby and had skin sagging down, and then I decided. I said, ‘If you don’t mind the way I look, then I don’t mind.’” She did the nude scene and felt stronger and even more confident in herself as a result.

Even someone as strong as Podemski seems can fall into the trap of “mommy guilt,” but she stresses that she has less of it than she thought she’d have: “Because I work from home, I get to see her all the time. I’m lucky to have child care in the house, which allows me to stay focused when I need to.”

Focus could be a challenge for someone working on so many different projects, but for Podemski it’s a natural way to run her life.

“I was aware at a very young age that I wasn’t amazing at any one thing. I think I’m what you might call a natural multi-tasker. If I only had one thing to focus on at a time, it just wouldn’t work for me.”

She’s also extremely happy to have secured a book deal for Tales Behind the Loincloth, an anthology that will feature essays written by 16 Aboriginal actors and will touch upon how they deal with being in that profession from a native perspective.

“I’ve wanted this to happen for a long time,” she says, and one definitely gets the feeling that, if Jennifer Podemski wants it, it happens. Deal with it.

Create an endless summer with chic new outdoor fireplaces

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12:13 am

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AS COOL BREEZES begin to blow, many homeowners are turning to the latest trend in backyard luxury to take a bite out of the October chill and extend patio season as long as possible.

Outdoor fireplaces, whether you opt for sleek brushed steel or classic stone, are becoming more and more common among buyers looking to add some heat and flair to their backyard, turning it into a popular late-night hot spot for guests and family gatherings well into the fall.

Though many areas have bylaws in place to prevent outdoor wood burning, there are a wide variety of gas-fuelled gems that make the grade, guaranteed to please even the pickiest purchaser.

Gas also has marked advantages over its smoky counterpart, with no need to buy or store wood, instant flames once they are turned on and sophisticated controls allowing users to regulate the amount of heat being emitted.

In the current housing market, gas fireplaces are seen as a great addition to outdoor kitchens and a prominent selling feature for new buyers.

As an added bonus, building an outdoor fireplace can clock in at a fraction of their indoor counterpart’s price point, making them an affordable way to enjoy the luxury of a night in front of the fire, while adding to the resale value of a homeowner’s property.

Toronto’s Kastle Fireplace carries the ever-popular Montigo line, which promises superior heat distribution; realistic-looking, adjustable flames; and contemporary designs as well as the stunning stonework and crafting of the Regency models.

“Outdoor fireplaces have definitely become more popular in recent years, and the Montigos are a great fit because they can be contemporary or traditional,” says store manager Toni Davie.

“They are the only company I know of in Canada that will custom make anything a customer could ask for. They have all different sizes and designs, so something for everybody.”

Alternately, companies like EcoSmart Fire have striking designer outdoor fireplaces available that are run on denatured ethanol, an environmentally friendly, renewable fuel.

From portable units to traditional models, EcoSmart’s products are available across Canada, and they also carry firebox inserts to convert traditional outdoor fireplaces into clean burning, easy-to-maintain green units.

“Our two most popular outdoor models are the Cyl and the Tower,” says Enzo Giambattista, president of Toronto-based Company B Inc., which distributes EcoSmart products.

“The Cyl is a compact unit that can go anywhere, and the Tower is more dramatic, so people use it around pools and areas where there is a large expanse of space.”

Since starting distribution of these outdoor fireplaces earlier this year, Giambattista says customer response has been overwhelmingly positive.

“What people really like about them is that they are easy to use, clean looking and clean burning, so they don’t produce that black soot that you can get with other models.”