Nuit Blanche

I cannot believe that Nuit Blanche is celebrating its 10th year! Just like Luminato, I’ve been a fan since the very beginning. I was in high school when Nuit Blanche started, and first attended as an excuse to roam around the streets of Toronto til 3am. I’d like to say that I now partake for more sophisticated reasons, but come on! Toronto is never as lively at night as it is during Nuit Blanche.

Nuit Blanche, directly translated, means “sleepless night”. It’s an annual all-night arts and culture festival, originating in Paris. It’s grown rapidly in Toronto, with hundreds of artists now participating every year. Different installations and exhibits are set up around the city, all listed on a map. The TTC runs all night (in most places), and restaurants and bars stay open later too!

Normally, the idea of staying out past 11pm renders an instant “NO” from me. But Nuit Blanche is different. It’s a lot of fun! It brings strangers together to experience cool art! People seem to feel less inhibited, and are more likely to strike up a conversation and interact. It’s weird, but I kind of like it 🙂

Notable mentions:

Via Vai

Atmospheric. That’s how I would describe Via Vai.

It’s undoubtedly a beautiful restaurant, with a soaring ceiling, art hanging on the walls and from above, a geometric pizza oven, and gorgeous array of wine. The space feels open and airy, and yet I felt that I had an intimate dining experience.

I went for dinner last weekend with my boyfriend, after spotting the restaurant on instagram! We started with the fritturina di paranza, which was like calamari with shrimps and fish included. We both really enjoyed it, and the sauce it was served with. I was looking forward to the duck confit pizza I had spotted online whilst perusing the menu. Unfortunately they weren’t offering it on the night we went, so we opted for some delicious pastas instead. Mine had duck, and my boyfriend’s tortellini had delicious short ribs. My only complaint would be that the serving sizes were on the small size, even for me! But each bite was flavourful, and the pasta was fresh.

The tiramisu we ordered for dessert was a light, perfect end to our meal. I love tiramisu for dessert because it gives me the same satisfaction a cup of coffee would, but it’s so much more delicious! I’m really picky when it comes to ordering it, but this one lived up to my expectations 🙂

I would highly recommend this restaurant for any type of event, whether you’d like to celebrate a birthday, plan a corporate party, or to bring visitors from out of town. It’s such a beautiful space, and its location on Bay Street is so convenient. The service was a little slow on the evening we visited, but the staff were quite friendly, and even let me charge my iPhone so I could call my uber home!

We’ll be back!

The Toronto International Film Festival

TIFF is celebrating 40 years! If you’re a Torontonian, or perhaps visiting during this iconic festival, please make it a priority to partake. Besides a wonderfully curated selection of films, there are also concerts, art exhibits, and also parties (my favourite part!). This year, the festival is September 10 – 20. If tickets are all sold out for the movie you wanted to watch, then just visit a restaurant on King West or in Yorkville and get ready to see some celebrities…

Instead of writing a little blurb about what the festival is, how important it is, and which films you should go see, I thought I’d share some personal memories I have of past TIFFs!

My favourite TIFF experiences:

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During a TIFF many years ago, my family and I decided to go for brunch at Le Sélect. This is one of my dad’s favourite restaurants, and it turns out it’s also a favourite for many visiting celebs during the festival. While exiting the restaurant, I had a TOTAL starstruck freak out moment when HUGH DANCY held the door open for me. Yes, super cute Hugh Dancy of The Jane Austen Book Club, which I absolutely adore (main female character’s name is Jocelyn just FYI). I passed by him and also Claire Danes, his wife, standing behind him. Not only is Claire talented, she is TINY. Celebrities are way smaller in real life.

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In 2013 I went to see the film Third Person, with my friend Kalyn. It’s directed by Paul Haggis, the same director of Crash. The movie itself was very cool, but I left the theatre feeling like I needed to watch it at least twice more before I could fully understand it. Mr. Haggis actually came on stage to introduce the film, and stayed for a Q&A afterward, where he expressed those same sentiments. He suggested that many viewers would feel the need to rewatch, to catch clues and piece the intertwining storylines together. Adrien Brody also made an appearance during the Q&A – I liked his character best, so it was a treat to hear him speak about the role.

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When I was still a young whippersnapper, I participated in a Toronto Improv event during TIFF with my friend Ash. Toronto Improv shut down a popular stretch of Bloor Street just outside Yorkville (where many celebrities hang out during TIFF), and laid out a fake red carpet. Then myself, and a bunch of improv actors pretended to be famous movie stars. We had fake paparazzi come and snap pictures of us posing on the “red carpet”, and it was a blast. Tons of pedestrians actually ran over and asked for autographs, despite having NO idea who we could be! It was hilarious and a lot of fun 🙂

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This current TIFF, although only a few days in, has been fun as well! I was fortunate enough to attend the party hosted by Hugo Boss at The Four Seasons, which was featuring a mini-exhibit for the short film “The Man Who Shot Hollywood”. The party was hosted by Shinan Govani, who I think is a very talented writer. The director, Barry Avrich, was also there to explain the inspiration behind the short film. I think that may be my favourite part of the festival – hearing why the directors were inspired, or what drew the actors to the roles.
And for all you celeb-addicts, I did not see any movie stars this time but I did see Mayor John Tory! Who knew he was a fan of Boss?

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image of Errol Flynn and Lily Damita by Jack Pashkovsky (photographer, and inspiration behind The Man Who Shot Hollywood)

The Aga Khan Museum

Today in my Toronto Series, I wanted to talk about one of the newer and lesser-known museums in this city – The Aga Khan Museum. The museum opened last year, with a beautiful park connecting it to the also recently established Ismaili Centre of Toronto. The architecture of these buildings is truly stunning, especially the glass pyramid (reminiscent of the one at the Louvre), which is a jewel in an otherwise unexciting landscape. I feel lucky to live so close to these fascinating buildings!

DaiLo

I was originally going to talk about Summerlicious, as part of my Toronto Series, but I’ve already posted about Winterlicious here. Instead, I thought I’d give you a little insight on DaiLo (which isn’t participating in Summerlicious, but is still AWESOME).

DaiLo is one of the more hip and trendy restaurants in Toronto, and luckily they take reservations. Call early though, as they fill up very quickly! If you’re offered a spot at the bar as consolation, don’t turn it down. It’s actually a very cool dining experience, as the bar area is open and airy, and the bartenders themselves are fun to watch.

I rarely go out to eat Chinese food, especially Hakka cuisine. Nothing could ever compare to what my grandma makes, but DaiLo puts a cool spin on things. You can tell that French style and flavour has been mixed into the menu, and there are novelty items such as the fried watermelon – YUM. I went in skeptical, and came out a believer. Oh yes.

Besides the fried watermelon, I would recommend the Ponzu Beef Carpaccio and Satay Grilled Quail. There was such a beautiful mix of flavours – they all stood out, but at the same time seemed to blend in together. I mixed my mains with truffle fried rice, which was awesome, but I probably could have sprung for the plain old kind. For libations? The Chinese five-spice Dark and Stormy is not to be missed. I hear they have a wicked bar upstairs, which I’ll be sure to check out next time!

If you’re craving something a little exotic, or just want to be wowed by your meal, I’d recommend DaiLo. I especially recommend it if you’re in a small group of people, as their menu is made for sharing. For more on DaiLo visit their website here.

Why the Pan Am Games Don’t Suck

I wasn’t initially going to write about the Pan Am games for my Toronto Series – sports really don’t interest me, and Torontonians don’t seem to be all that excited about them either. We spent $2.5B on these games (which is by far the highest amount spent by any hosting city), and a large number of tickets remain unsold! Hotel occupancy rates are much lower than expected. And let’s not even get started on the traffic that the HOV lanes are causing. We’re not excited, ok??

But then I changed my mind.

The Bluffs

Let’s take it all the way to the East end for this part of my Toronto series. You think the only waterfront worth visiting is Woodbine Beach or The Harbourfront at Lakeshore? No way! The Bluffs are an incredibly scenic part of the city, with stunning views of Lake Ontario.

The Island

The Toronto Islands are probably my favourite part of Toronto. In the winter, they are almost entirely inaccessible, but in the summer, they are an oasis. Known familiarly to Torontonians as just “The Island”, the Toronto Islands are actually comprised of several islands – Ward’s Island, Centre Island, Algonquin Island and Olympic Island (there are a few more but they are mostly just forestry).

There are ferry boats that operate all summer long, as well as water taxis. I love taking the ferry; it’s a beautiful view of Toronto’s skyline, and a very peaceful and short ride.

Here are some of my favourite features of the island:

High Park

I think we Torontonians like to make the most of our summer months, since we spend the rest of the year freezing! I’d like to feature another “outdoors” area this week: High Park, Toronto’s largest and prettiest park, located in the west end of the city.

High Park is 399 acres, and has a zoo, many playgrounds, sports facilities, a waterfront (of sorts), and lots of cool events. Some of these events include the cherry blossom blooming, fitness classes (Zumba in the Park!), Doors Open Toronto, and informational nature sessions (50 Shades of Green, it’s real.). My favourite event which happens every summer is Shakespeare in High Park!

PRIDE

Whether you are a Toronto native, or just visiting for the week, you absolutely cannot miss Pride Week. This city has one of the best Pride celebrations in the WORLD! So no matter where your preferences lie, you will have an unforgettable time.

Pride is a celebration of our many sexual identities, and I’ve always felt that it is a celebration of love and happiness too. Everyone comes together to dress up, dance in the streets, and support each other. Anyone can feel welcome at Pride, because everyone belongs!