With Toronto’s most beloved bike broker no longer in business — godspeed on wherever the ten-speed of life takes you, Igor — Post City takes a look at the best of the city’s other cycle shops.

Duke’s Cycle – 452 Richmond St. W. (416) 504-6138

Since the time when two wheels were almost as quick a means of travel as four, Duke’s has been Toronto’s veritable velo headquarters. Founded in 1914, the family-owned and operated shop offers customers a wide selection of mountain, road, hybrid and commuter options. Standing behind what they sell, the skilled repair shop staff can handle all of your new ride’s needs. Their commitment to the cycling community also extends past the storefront with their support of the LapDogs Cycling Club, which operates social rides, skills clinics and participates in local race series.

Urbane Cyclist – 180 John St. (416) 979-9733

Opened as a repair shop in 1997, Urbane quickly expanded to offer all that is bike-related, including their own line of cycles. A worker cooperative — each employee is also a part owner — the shop has quickly become a favourite amongst the daily commuter and courier crowds, who make up the shop’s core clientele. Offering bikes for all riders — from fixed gears and folders, to commuters and kids — there is sure to be something to fit both your wants and your wallet.

Sweet Pete’s – 1204 Bloor St. W. (416) 533-4481

No matter what kind of rider you are, be it a trail-tackling weekend warrior or beach boardwalk cruiser, riding in the city is going to take its toll on your bike. The solution? Sweet Pete’s two-year, no charge service package that comes with every new bike they sell. Not only that, the shop recommends stopping in for tune-ups at the three, six, 12 and 24 month milestones. Sure, a bike might look good in the showroom, but how will it handle in the urban jungle? Is it really the right fit for you? The shop takes the guesswork out of the equation, encouraging customers to test ride their toys. Looks like you’re all out of excuses.

Is Midtown ready for Jason Carter?

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12:04 am

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Jason Carter has finally made his way out of the master’s shadow after being groomed for the last decade by Susur Lee, Toronto’s most internationally acclaimed chef. Did he settle for a small bistro and go all artsy to make a name for himself? Not a chance.

Carter has decided to tackle a beast of a restaurant head-on: Centro, the massive landmark Midtown restaurant that was formerly home to the city’s leading culinary heavyweights, including Marc Thuet, David Lee, Michael Bonacini, Chris MacDonald and many more. Is he ready? You better believe it.

“That was a big part of what swayed me,”says Carter, of his reasons for moving north to Centro. “It has been a culinary institution in the city for almost 25 years. Now it is in my power to revive it. I’m going to give it a shot. I’m definitely up to the challenge.”

Not satisfied with the hodgepodge menu direction that featured everything from a sushi bar to French cuisine, Carter has started to revamp Centro from the ground up, starting with the food.

“I think it was really unclear to people what kind of food was here. On the menu there was French, classic North American, Asian, a sushi bar and all this kind of thing,” says Carter.

“You could have whatever you wanted. It was like a buffet in Vegas sort of thing, you know.”

According to Carter, the Centro kitchen will be turning out Mediterranean cuisine, some Spanish, Portuguese, pastas, making local products the focus. But, with customers that want what they want when they want it, born and bred veal chop and rack of lamb lovers, is the former King Street hotshot’s haute cuisine too much for Midtown?

“The clientele, they’ve been eating here for years, and they are definitely the mainstays of the restaurant, so it is a bit of a give and take,” says Carter. “I need to get them to trust us a little bit. It has been — it is — a very slow process.… They are not used to my style, so I am going to keep it really simple, really good value.”

His vision: first up, lose the whole pretentiousness label that, accurately or not, has been weighting the pretty lady down as of late.

“Ya, I’d like to break that stigma, that pretentious stigma. We just love food here,” says Carter. “The service is going to be high quality, the food high quality, but this isn’t a snotty place. The younger diners I had down on King Street, the hipsters, might not be so keen to give it a try, but once you get in the room, it is a pretty chill place to be.”

Carter was plucked from his King West kitchen by owner Armando Mano, who has seen the best chefs in the city come and go over his 22 years at Centro.

Mano admits that there were a few “hiccups” over the first few weeks before describing Carter as a “one of a kind individual.”

“When the time came, and changes were going to be made, I had a window of time to find a new chef, and I always thought of Jason very highly,” says Mano. “His knowledge and passion about food got me very excited. But could a chef of his calibre adapt to the Centro beast?”

The answer seems to be yes.And that might be thanks, at least in part, to Carter’s upbringing in the blue-collar, border town of Windsor, Ont.

It was there that Carter got his start in the dish pit of a nursing home before graduating to the dish pit of an Italian restaurant opened by the nursing home staff.

“The women who were running it took me under their wings, and when they opened a restaurant, they shifted me over there.” he explains.

Carter continued to ply his trade part-time while attending the University of Windsor before dropping out to move to Toronto to pursue a career as a chef.

“There comes a point when you have a lot of time invested in this, and it would be silly to push it all away,” says Carter.

“I mean, I get to come in every day, people are always happy in a restaurant.… I don’t count beans, and I don’t swing a shovel, but there is a good mix of blue and white collar.”

Mano, for one, describes Carter’s work ethic as “mind boggling.”

“To see a chef like him come in at the time he does, early in the morning, go to the food terminal to buy his own produce and fruit, trim his own meat and then at 11:30 at night be scrubbing his own kitchen floor?” Mano laughs.

“I spend most of my time saying, ‘Jason go home.’”

When Carter arrived in Toronto, he worked down the street from Centro at North 44° for more than a year before his decade-long partnership with Susur Lee.

A collaboration that included opening Susur and Lee in Toronto as well as Shang in New York City, Zentan in Washington, D.C., and countless cooking gigs around the world that Lee would attend with his crew in tow. Not a bad learning experience for a young cook.

“I could never repay him for the things he taught me — as far as cooking goes — in a couple of lifetimes,” says Carter. “He’s been very supportive. It was more than a work relationship. I mean, I travelled around the world with him.”

His time with Lee meant, when the time came, Carter could pretty much pick and choose his exit.

But, perhaps not surprisingly, he chose the path of most resistance. “I really had to gear up. Lots of chefs leave to go to smaller places, a little more artisan, little more control, can dabble,” says Carter. “This is a much bigger lady for sure.”

Upscale burger barn offers primo perch

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11:56 pm

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PACKED CHOCKABLOCK with thirtysomething gal pals on power lunches and IPhone-toting guys of a certain age, this justopened burger joint, the third in the chain, draws the crowds with promises of “the best burgers possible” and 100 per cent biodegradable packaging.

Toronto’s burger boom is getting old. Standouts need an angle — or some other redeeming feature — to survive. Gourmet Burger turns out a passable patty, but its strength lies in location, location, location.

The Yonge and Eglinton ’hood draws two crowds: daytime office workers and residential community members, a good cross-section from which to lure customers. And Gourmet Burger’s street-facing window stools, set before retractable windows that will open completely to the sidewalk in warmer months, make an ideal people-watching perch.

Inside, dark brown matte paint on walls and a black tiled floor give the room a dark and epicurean feel.

A flat-screen television broadcasts sports and news from one corner of the room, distracting customers and getting boyfriends in trouble. Although this location opened just a few weeks ago, the room’s black, faux leather–topped stools are cracked, scratched and worn — possibly snagged from Gourmet Burger’s other locations.

To one side of this 20-seat hangout, staff work the ordering counter, filling innumerable takeout requests and calling out patrons’ dine-in numbers. The view through a peekaboo window to the kitchen is a blur of activity.

Burger buffs order one of the six set burger assemblies or create their own concoction from various grades and prices of patties and topping options — everything from roasted garlic and Dijon mayo to balsamic-marinated caramelized onions to portobello mushroom to goat cheese.

The heavy cornucopia that is the Aussie burger ($8.50) promises much, with a six-ounce patty made from 100 per cent Canadian farmraised beef, aged for a minimum of 30 days, and a smorgasbord of toppings. But the cubed beets contribute little to the overall flavour, the egg is but a tiny albeit greaseless thing, and the kitchen has forgotten to add pineapple. Other toppings include lettuce, thick tomato slice and two strips of bacon.

The burger patty itself is acceptable, but we wouldn’t exactly call it flavourful or succulent. A pleasingly plain, dense and thin bun, untoasted, sandwiches the lot. New Zealand lamb burger (patty $6.75), cooked to well done, scores similarly. Roasted red peppers add some zing; white cheddar (extra $1) contributes a bit of bite. Gourmet Burger’s fries ($2.95) and onion rings ($2.95) impress. Packed into huge cylindrical containers, the greaseless French fries flaunt a gorgeous golden brown colour, crispy on the outside, fluffy and potatoey on the inside.

Thick, expertly deep-fried onion rings brag of crunch as well. For those without stretchable waistbands: mixed organic greens and classic Caesar in two sizes. Old-style milkshakes ($3.50) stand up to the straw test, and it takes much control to resist filling up on these two-scoop indulgences while waiting for orders.

Funding for Leaside rink takes centre ice

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11:18 pm

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THE PROJECT TO expand the arena at Leaside Gardens is beginning to pick up momentum.

Last year, I reported the city and the province had agreed on a deal to carry out the transaction on the land next door. I am pleased to report that the deal closed this past February, and the property now belongs to the City of Toronto.
The next step is to fund the approximately $11 million construction cost.

I expect construction funds to come from three tracks: borrowings supported by anticipated revenues, capital funds reflecting declared policy priority and community fundraising and sponsorships.
The gardens board of management under the leadership of Leaside resident Paul Mercer has produced a business proposal — backed up by commitments from the three main user groups — that supports at least $6 million in commercial borrowing. That’s more than half way to our goal.

Earlier this year, I brought forward a motion at city hall’s social development and recreation committee to have the Leaside Gardens project classified as a priority project for the 2011 parks, forestry and recreation capital budget. This motion was endorsed by the full council at its February session. This should bring us close to our required total. The actual dollar value of the commitment, however, will not be known until the 2011 budget is set.

Meanwhile, the community is ramping up fundraising efforts. The latest success story is the sellout Yuk Yuk’s night in March pulled together by Leaside real estate agent Charlene Kalia. Thanks, Charlene.
The pace is picking up. Construction by 2012 is a realistic target.

Residents keep Yonge & St. Clair advertisers at bay

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11:18 pm

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RESIDENTS WHO FEARED that the Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue intersection might soon resemble the bright lights and abundant signage of Yonge-Dundas Square are breathing a sigh of relief.

A flood of applications for sign variances had come forward to East York Community Council in advance of the new billboard sign bylaw that comes into effect April 6.
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n the end, council refused nearly all of the approximately 25 applications from Astral Media after local residents expressed concern. The one application that was approved was to change a sign from MIX 99.9 to Virgin Radio 99.9.

Members of the Deer Park Residents’ Association were among those who expressed concern. One application, which was ultimately rejected by council, proposed an increase in the number of illuminated signs on the northwest corner of Yonge and St. Clair from three to four, and detailed a change from traditional ticker-style displays to LED curved signs and requested that it be opened up to third-party advertisers.

“There were big colourful signs. It makes it sort of like Yonge-Dundas Square,” said Cathie Macdonald, president of the association. “We wanted to know what was actually being proposed.”

“Our intention… was to modify [the signage] so that it would be available to our clients who are in the outdoor business as well,” said said Ron Hutchinson of Astral Media. He added the cost of making an application under the new bylaw is enough to deter them.

Doctor at local hospital faces sexual assault charges

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11:17 pm

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A doctor who has worked at the North York General Hospital for more than 20 years has been charged with sexually assaulting his patients while they are under an anesthetic.

Three women have reported being sexually assaulted while undergoing surgical procedures in the hospital, but investigators believe there could be more victims.

The assaults are alleged to have taken place between August 2007 and February 2010 at North York General Hospital, but the accused has worked at a number of other facilities in the GTA, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario is investigating to determine if there are any other victims.

The doctor has been an anesthesiologist since the early ‘80s and is no longer working at the hospital.

“I am confident that these charges are attributed to one physician and that patients should continue to feel safe when coming to North York General Hospital,” said Dr. David White, acting vice-president of medical and academic affairs.
CEO Bonnie Adamson said the entire hospital staff was devastated.

“I can’t imagine how painful this must be for those patients who have come forward,” Adamson said. “People put their trust in us as health care providers, and we take that accountability very seriously.”

“I encourage patients, families, staff and physicians to come forward if they have any information to report to the police,” said Adamson.

Does new proposal signal death of Bayview?

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11:16 pm

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A RECENT APPEAL at an Ontario Municipal Board hearing has Bayview residents worried about the future of the area.

An OMB hearing that took place on Feb. 3-5 appealed city council’s refusal of a proposal by local realtor Reza Akbari to build eight townhouses at Bayview Avenue south of York Mills. The ruling is expected shortly.

According to a city council staff report, Akbari’s proposal failed to conform to the city’s official plan for the stretch of Bayview from just south of Highway 401 to Post Road. That area is zoned for single-detached dwellings only. Residents are worried that if Mr. Akbari’s appeal were to go through, it may open the door to further townhouse developments in the area.

John Nicholls, York Mills Garden Community Association president, is concerned that an increased number of townhouses could lower the property values in the area.

“People are investing significant amounts into single-family homes on Bayview Avenue because it’s zoned only for single-family separate dwellings,” Nicholls said.

Coun. John Filion said, “It could cause other townhouses to be approved on other similar properties.” But, he said, “precedent is a complicated thing. Someone would have to analyze whether a property is similar or not.” Coun. Cliff Jenkins could not comment because of his residence’s proximity to the house, which would be a conflict of interest.

At the OMB hearing, Nicholls said the applicant’s lawyers used arguments that compared Bayview and York Mills to Bayview and Sheppard. “They were trying to compare 2500 Bayview with similar developments that have taken place, some as much as five kilometres to the north,” he said.

Nicholls said Highway 401 is the border between two distinctly different areas, and on Bayview Avenue at Sheppard Avenue it is more of a destination shopping centre, with high-rise apartments, whereas at York Mills Road it is an urban community hub, Nicholls said.

Bloor bike corridor puts the pedal to the metal

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11:15 pm

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THE CITY OF Toronto has begun peddling a new bike lane project along Bloor Street.

Daniel Egan, manager of cycling infrastructure and programs, said there is an assessment going on this year, and public consultation could begin in the fall. The plan is to create cycling infrastructure along 24 kilometres of Bloor Street. It is being created under the Toronto Bike Plan — Shifting Gears, a 10-year project that improves cycling infrastructure.
Todd Sherman, restaurant owner of Hey Lucy that fronts on Bloor Street in the Annex, said removing street parking for bike lanes would be a big mistake.

“[People] will look for a parking space and then go to a restaurant in front of that space,” Sherman said, adding there is not enough pedestrian traffic along Bloor to sustain a viable restaurant industry.
Yvonne Bambrick, executive director of Toronto Cyclists Union, said the goal of the project is to minimize the impact on traffic patterns, traffic flow and parking while providing a safer cycling infrastructure.

She said there are many options the city is exploring, such as “sharrows,” or bike lanes that share the road with vehicles or bike lanes in between the sidewalk and a parking lane.
“As much as parking has been a sales feature for condos in the past, even that’s changing,” Bambrick said.
“If we look at the long-term development of that east-west corridor … a new form of transportation will be a drawing feature.”

Lawrence Ave. bike lane draws opinions from all directions

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11:15 pm

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LAWRENCE PARK RESIDENTS are dividend on a proposal that would see 1.7 kilometres of bike lanes on Lawrence Avenue E.
A public meeting March 10 layed out the plans for the proposed adjustments planned for the street between Yonge Street and Bayview Avenue.

Residents opposing the bike lanes were mostly concerned with traffic congestion because both of the options to implement a bike lane would eliminate one lane of traffic in both directions.
Option one would see an eastbound and westbound car and bike lane, as well as parking on one side of the street and a centre turning lane at intersections.

The second option presented by staff would be to omit the centre turning lane and have parking on two sides. According to engineers, there are currently 100 available spots for parking and the most that are ever used is between 50 and 60.

City staff engineer Saikat Basak said the project involves only re-striping the road, at a cost of about $30,000 to $35,000.
Local area residents were also concerned because staff had counted how many cars and buses travelled the street but could not say how many bikes used the arterial road.

Lawrence Avenue residents agreed they might see 10 a day, at the most, making the the bike lanes seem unnecessary.
David Bawden, president of the York Mills Ratepayers’ Association, urged staff to re-route the bike traffic to a side street, such as St. Leonard’s Avenue or Blythwood Road, suggesting that local residents would not ride a bike down a busy street.
But other residents, such as Robert Wallis, a member of the Sunnybrook Bicycle User Group, said his group supports cycling.

Currently, he said, the hospital is faced with too many cars and not enough parking, and they are being forced to spend millions of dollars on parking. But as someone who cycles to work, he said, “As far as someone who commutes every day, I go for the most efficient route, which means I use the arterial roads.”

Lawrence Avenue resident Brian Hisey said he likes the idea of slower traffic but is concerned about the increased car exhaust from idling.
The proposal, which has undergone multiple public meetings, if approved, will go to the public works committee on April 20 then to city council for approval.
Installation would be as early as this summer.

Sharing the name of the culinary game

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11:14 pm

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KOKO! SHARE BAR is too good to miss. The Yorkville Avenue location is primo, but the subterranean position has its challenges.

A casual stroller might miss this place entirely, and that would be a shame. The cuisine is creative, the food quality is terrific, and the atmosphere is gracious.

The team of Sang Kim, in the front of the house; Veronica Joo; and master chef Shin Aoyama, in the kitchen, honed their partnership at Ki Modern Japanese. Together they have created a welcoming haute Korean restaurant with a Japanese twist.

Sharing is encouraged.We sit at a long, beautiful table with eight strangers. Chairs along one side of the table are most comfortable, but the bench along the wall side is hard and unyielding — cushions, please. Chopsticks come in cases that we are invited to sign in silver ink upon our departure.

The experience of opening a box with someone else’s name contributes to the global experience.

Bossam and temaki are featured, and each is $25 per person, minimum of two. Temaki presents as a gorgeous platter of sashimi, shrimp tempura, grilled vegetables and soft shell crab accompanied by rice, crispy nori, garlic mayo and sweet soy. A perfect summer dish but it is cold tonight and we want food that warms our cockles.

Bossam is a platter of three meats: slow-roast pork belly, spicy chicken and Korean BBQ beef. These are meant to be turned into wraps, enclosed by a selection of Boston lettuce or Napa cabbage, onions, rice, sweet chili paste, spicy mayo and salted baby shrimp.

Messy for sure but worth the effort. The chicken is deep fried and then sautéed, producing crispy yet juicy nuggets. Beef is a tangle of sweet/savoury micro slices that are no different from the bulgogi that can be found on every city block. Pork belly is not all created equal. Surely this is high-quality meat, but it only works when the fat component is meltingly yielding.

As it cools, it congeals, and this dish suffers for it.

Far more exciting to us is the spicy seafood bouillabaisse hot pot that we share as an appetizer.

The broth is an almagam of anchovy stock fortified with grilled chicken stock (chicken dashi). The pot is placed on a tabletop warmer and is teeming with black cod, mussels, tiger prawns and Hokkaido scallops. Of such things are dreams made ($22).

The problem with ordering a large platter is that it limits one’s opportunity to sample widely.

There are four listings under “signature modern roll,” and we have a wonderful creation of hotate (seared scallops) and caramelized shallots. I also score a piece of butterfish, described as “torched escolar, garlic stem and tamarilemon,” from the people beside us (it is that kind of place).

The delicate sweetness outshines even the scallop rendition. All signature rolls are $13 for six pieces.

The beverage list is concise but thoughtful, with an emphasis on sake.Three homemade desserts are offered tonight: chocolate cake, green tea cake with white chocolate, and the one we choose to share: banana mousse with caramel on a raspberry-blueberry purée. The ideal finale.

Leaside director’s film scores big name stars

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11:29 pm

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MICHAEL MCGOWAN, A Leaside native, is living the Canadian dream by creating the Canadian dream. The award-winning director and writer of films such as Saint Ralph and One Week is filming a musical about a young Toronto boy who makes it big as a hockey player.

Score: A Hockey Musical stars Australian actress Olivia Newton-John, who shot to stardom as the lead in the Grease musical alongside John Travolta in 1978. But count on appearances from a number of well-known Toronto residents including Grammy Award-winning singer Nelly Furtado, George Stroumboulopoulos as an arena announcer and even acclaimed author Margaret Atwood in a singing role.

“It’s a Toronto story about a Toronto teenager who is home-schooled, and he’s a s—-y hockey player who gets discovered to be the next Sidney Crosby, basically,” said Rudolph Blahacek, director of photography for the film.

The movie was filmed in Toronto over February and March at locations including the Art Gallery of Ontario and Yonge-Dundas Square. Blahacek said Score: A Hockey Musical will be released Oct. 22 by Mongrel Media.