http://www.torontobits.com/news/dining.html Dining en Copyright &copy; 2006-2007 Gromco, Inc. Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:27:52 EST Wed, 10 Jan 2007 01:00:00 EST info@torontobits.com info@torontobits.com Ah, January. The traditional time of year for Torontonians to take one look at their post-holiday credit card bills and the piles of snow outside, and then hibernate until the first warm day in April. Some local businesses with small numbers of employees, such as galleries, wisely shut their doors for the month and head south. Restaurants, however, are often hard hit during this slow month, and many have jumped at the chance to join a city-promoted restaurant week to encourage people to head out and have a good meal... Sheryl http://www.torontobits.com/2007/winterlicious.html Wed, 10 Jan 2007 01:00:00 EST <img ALT="Rhino (Toronto): the sign" class="leftill" src="http://www.torontobits.com/images/2006/rhino_toronto_sign.jpg"> In the thirteen years that I've lived in my neighbourhood, I've seen lots of businesses come and go. People too. Parkdale, in Toronto's west end, has a certain charm if you're open to it, but for many, it's a place they work hard to get away from. Created originally at the turn of the 20th century as an upscale neighbourhood, it's now a mix of low-income apartments, beautiful but neglected old houses split into crumbling flats, and a new wave of folks intent on renovating the place back to its former glory. <br/><br/> There's a certain grittiness to the area that scares a lot of people away; the mix of artists, new immigrants, low-income families and gentrified homeowners make for a colourful mix. You can pass a crack-addicted hooker, a hundred-thousand dollar SUV full of interior decorators, and a Tibetan family in full traditional dress, all in the same block. <br/><br/> Oddly, we all seem to get along and live together without too much culture shock, bound by our shared fear of the spreading condo boom pushing us all out. More hip bars, boutique hotels and swank stores are opening every month and the older neighbourhood hangouts are beginning to disappear. <br/><br/> One holdout appears to be the Rhino Bar and Grill. Located at the east end of the strip, it's one of the first places the hipsters encounter once they're brave enough to make it past the psychological barrier of the train bridge that defines the edge of the neighbourhood... Sheryl http://www.torontobits.com/2006/toronto_restaurant_rhino.html Fri, 27 Oct 2006 04:14:00 EDT