weekend

From the TD Jazz festival website:
"For the past 20 years, Toronto Downtown Jazz has produced the Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival as well as many other events and programs to further develop jazz talent and audience appreciation. Toronto Downtown Jazz is a registered charity (No. 12969 0269 RR0001) and over the years has come to be recognized as one of North America's premier jazz festival producers, while the organization itself has been used by other arts organizations and festivals as a model for community involvement, artistic excellence and outstanding production standards." The festival runs from June 20-29th across various venues in Toronto.

by Mary Ann Wilson

What’s more romantic than a candlelit evening? A candlelit evening inspired by a shared environmental conscience, that’s what.

Last year, millions of Australians participated in the first annual Earth Hour to raise awareness about, and to actively combat, climate change caused by global warming (if you still think that global warming “isn’t real,” better pull your head out of the increasingly hot sand real quick, and hope that right-wing of yours can fly you and your descendants to another planet). This year, at 8 p.m. next Saturday, March 29, 2008, millions of people worldwide will accept the Earth Hour “challenge.”

I put the word “challenge” in quotation marks (twice, even) because the concept could not be simpler or easier: shut off your lights for one hour. That’s it. Such a small gesture can be all it takes to really get you thinking about your personal environmental impact and responsibility, but Earth Hour is far from a gesture alone. According to its website (www.earthhour.org), “[i]f the greenhouse reduction achieved in the Sydney CBD during Earth Hour [2007] was sustained for a year, it would be equivalent to taking 48,616 cars off the road for a year.” Small effort, big results.

In general, filming a cafe is a pretty monotonous task- unless you're talking about a cafe and art gallery in one!  Welcome to the Art Square Café, located just outside of China town, near the University of Toronto. 

Staff filmographer Tuna met up with Mary, a Fox and the Fiddle bartender, to ask some questions about picking up women at the bar...  We think he's a bit clueless when it comes to these things, so it’s a good thing Mary's here to set him straight!

Hey Torontonians, when was the last time you went to the CN Tower? For couples who are looking for a place to celebrate a late Valentine's weekend, why not take it to the top of the world- literally! Through February 15-18, there's a buy-one-get-one-free pass (see website for details) up the tower. For a light meal and refreshments, spend some time at Horizons Café, located at 1136 feet on the Look Out level.

By Amber Whitman

Who doesn’t remember the original romantic movie “Dirty Dancing” of 1987, featuring the sexy and acclaimed actor Patrick Swayze as Johnny Castle, and the loveable Jennifer Grey as Frances “Baby” Houseman? Well, now you can see this movie-turned-musical, written and co-produced by Eleanor Bergstein, live onstage at The Royal Alexandria Theatre.

“Dirty Dancing” is a classic coming of age love story that begins when the adolescent Baby, a doctor’s daughter with lofty dreams, is forced to go on summer holiday with her parents. Bored one day, she wanders into a world of dance and new people, where she meets Johnny, a ruffian. Through as series of circumstances, they find themselves making an unlikely pairing as dance partners. However, against all odds they fall in love and face life’s challenges together. With popular favourites like “Hungry Eyes,” “I’ve had The Time of My Life,” and “Do you Love Me?” this summer-romance show is a surefire winner (emphasis on the fire)!

Every year, foodies can count on two things:  Summerlicious and Winterlicious.  Starting off the year just before Valentine’s Day, Winterlicious 2008 promises to be even bigger, with better selections and popular chefs such as Claudio Aprile of Colborne Lane, Didier Leroy of  Didier, Guy Rubino of Rain, and David Lee of Splendido.  This year, 121 restaurants are participating in the event, and it is gaining ground as one of  the most successful and anticipated annual events in Toronto.

The event is sponsored by local restaurants in the Toronto area that all offer prix fixe menus at a set cost of $15-20 for lunch and $25-35 for dinner.  If there was ever a time try out all the most prestigious restaurants in Toronto, the Winterlicious (and Summerlicious) season is it!

SweetLulu offers you a unique Asian inspired fast gourmet experience. Their signature noodle dishes are cooked to order with only the freshest of ingredients. A selection of delicious oriental soups and starters can accompany your main selection along with a wide variety of Western and Asian drinks. SweetLulu puts extra emphasis on healthy eating and for those who prefer offers numerous tasty vegetarian options.  The wait staff is very friendly and eager to help you design your dish.