Holy Oak is a welcome edition to the Bloordale Village neighbourhood, on Bloor just east of Lansdowne Ave. As a cafe by day and a bar with live music at night, Holy Oak is a truly local hangout. When I visited last I had delicious chicken curry naan and an americano that hit the spot. On a weekday morning the cafe was almost full with people reading, working on their laptops and enjoying lunch. The spot has a relaxed vibe, not unlike the feeling you might get visiting your cool aunt’s house.
I keep reflecting back on last weekend’s brunch at Sadie’s. Mmm… those huevos rancheros, the bottomless coffee, the sun shining in the window, the freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, the homey decor. On one hand I’m not sure I should go back, since it can’t possibly be as perfect as it was last week. On the other hand, how can I not?
If you decide to try your own Sadie’s experience, know this: there will be no meat. Sadie is said to be vegetarian.
You’ll find Sadie’s Diner and Juice bar on the corner of Adelaide street and Portland, east of Bathurst.
Technorati Tags: brunch, Cafe, coffee, juice bar, diner, Queen St. W, Toronto
It seems the weather for hot beverages is here. David’s Tea is a great source for lovely hot teas and a fairly recent addition to a few of Toronto’s neighbourhoods, including Bloor West Village, Queen West and Yonge north of Eglington. David is a native Montrealer who travels the world in search of flavourful and exciting teas, and it shows: they have every type of tea you can imagine. The teas I’ve sampled have all been fantastic.
This is one of my favourite grafitti walls in Toronto. It is done by none other than Elicser. I could spend days looking at all the intricate details and forming a storyline around these images. You can see them live in the alley south of Queen Street West, West of Bathurst Street.
Check it out when you’re in the area.
The weekend before last we were out at the Roncesvalles Street fest selling t-shirts and promoting the new website we’re working on called 5 Blocks Out. It was a great couple of days. We met a lot of lovely people and sold a bunch of t-shirts.
We have now launched our 5 Blocks Out Blog. It will have some content similar to Mukodu and other content chronicling the development of the site. If you have enjoyed reading this blog you will likely enjoy our project 5BlocksOut.com and following the blog. Currently 5BlocksOut.com is in the early stages of development – but already a great deal of fun. So whether you are interested in hearing about early stage start-ups, adventures in the City or how to get the most out of the site, the blog should have something for you.
Send me a line if you would like to learn more. Or check out the new blog as it gains momentum.
Have a great week!
There’s a great new flower store in Parkdale. Corriander Girl opened on Queen Street West near Sorauren. It is a charming little shop with beautiful arrangements of fresh and dried flowers for reasonable prices. The shop is absolutely adorable.
Well it’s that time again: time to eat pierogies and dance the polka down Roncevalles Ave. Osh and I will be at the Polish Festival again, and this time not solely to see the sights and wolf down delicious food. We’ll have a booth of our own where we’ll be introducing and promoting 5 Blocks Out, our neighbourhood website that we are finally ready to share with a few friendly people.
5 Blocks Out is invite-only since it is still in the early stages. We have a limited number of invitations to give out to some local people who are willing to give it a test drive, suggest how we can improve, and share thoughts on how it should evolve.
People that enjoy this blog will surely enjoy 5 Blocks Out as it allows you to tap into many people’s local knowledge and musings, instead of just… well… my musings. 
If you are one of those friendly people that is interested in a neighbourhood-focused website then send me a line or, even better, come out and say hello to us on Saturday or Sunday at the festival.
Technorati Tags: beer on tap, food, Roncesvalles, Toronto
I enjoyed walking past this street art yesterday on Queen east of Spadina.
Thanks to the artist, Victor, for making the walk that much more interesting.
Technorati Tags: Artist, Queen St. W, Toronto
A group of our top local barristas have congregated at yet another new coffee bar. The Sam James Coffee Bar focuses on espresso in the true sense of an espresso bar: standing room only, except for a few stools. The drinks are, as expected, fantastic. The snacks, also yummy, are made by a local chef. If you’re a coffee connoisseur you’ll have to check this one out on Harbord just west of Bathurst.
Technorati Tags: delicious, espresso, latte, Little Italy, take out
