l i s t i n gs & e v e n ts
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in spot
Sat, Oct 15. Royal Theatre. 608 College St. pwatoronto.-org. Then it’s broadcast on iChannel. 9pm. Oct 16. ichannel.ca.
Ortolan
Print & Readings
Review Anna von Frances
International Festival of Authors Running
Ortolan is by far the best restaurant in Bloordale, but many are saying it’s the first in what will soon become an onslaught of trendy spots along the Bloor West strip — the new Ossington, some say, but without the Liberty Village suburban expats. Fittingly, Ortolan is the brain child of restauranteur partners from Delux and Pizzeria Libretto, both Ossington staples. The space is quaint and quiet, seating just more than 20 people with a small reclaimed wood bar and pared-down, but chicly designed, table tops and chairs. Sitting in the window is the real spot for nosh and drinks. People watching on Bloor West is a mix between young lezzie moms, a variety of street people and old guys coming out of either Duffy’s or the House of Lancaster nearby. The menu is à la carte from the blackboard. You pick your appetizer, main and side as well as wine and beer from an edited list on the board. Taxes are included in the prices, which struck me as a nice change. We went all out with the rabbit rillette ($10), which came with bread and peppered mustard, the skirt steak ($18), the trout with chantrelle mushrooms ($18), and new potatoes and green beans ($7), and red cabbage ($7) as 26
October 2011
→ WESTWARD HO Ortolan leads the charge to remake Bloordale.
sides. Everything was delicious. The rillette was like a pâté with sour dough bread, the trout was cooked beautifully, moist and light right through, and the sides were just the right amount of crunchy and comforting. The steak was a little dry, but it was a minor bump in the road. Including two glasses of wine and a beer, the tab came to just under $100 for two people, which wasn’t bad, except we were expecting slightly closer to midpoint between the food, décor and service. It didn’t feel crosstown enough for the price point, but the food was good. We liked our server, although it was hard to tell if the service is good since we were the only people in the restaurant, so how could they go wrong? Long story short: Worth checking out, great for a date.
ORTOLAN 5pm onwards. Tue-Sat. No reservations. No wheelchair access. 1211 Bloor St. W. (647) 348-4500.
Wed, Oct 19 to 30 the IFOA opens with the PEN Canada Benefit featuring design guru Bruce Mau, discussing his life and work. $50. 8pm. Oct 19. Fleck Dance Theatre. Other events to watch for include: Linwood Barclay, Brian Francis, Dany Laferrière, and Emma Ruby-Sachs reading from their latest works. 8pm. Oct 22. Douglas Coupland discusses his latest book, Marshall McLuhan. 8pm. Oct 26. Readings by Johan Harstad, Bharati Mukherjee, Ruth Roach Pierson and Sina Queyras. Noon. Oct 23. Author, heiress, jeans designer and mother to Anderson Cooper, Gloria Vanderbilt reads from her latest collection of stories, The Things We Fear Most. 8pm. Oct 25. Helen Humphreys reads from her latest novel The Reinvention of Love, in a program with Riel Nason, Ruth Roach Pierson and Miriam Toews. Noon. Oct 29. Michael Ondaatje reads from his latest novel The Cat’s Table. 2pm. Oct 29. Most events: $18. 207 & 235 Queens Quay W. (416) 973-4000. readings.org.
Dance Fallen Rain Hari Krishnan’s contemporary spin on traditional south Indian courtesan dance. Originally a series of solos and duets, the piece is now expanded into a work for seven dancers and six musicians. Featuring Nalin Bisnath, Sreyashi Chakraborti, Hari Krishnan, Hiroshi Miyamoto, Srividya Natarajan, Shobana Raveendran and Vinod Shankar. $25. 7pm. Sat, Oct 1. 3pm. Oct 2. Robert Gill Theatre. 214 College St, third floor. indance.ca. Season 2011 ProArte Danza presents new and recent works by Roberto Campanella, Robert Glumbeck, Guillaume Côté and Kevin O’Day. $22-$39. 8pm. Wed, Oct 5-8. Fleck Dance
Theatre. 207 Queens Quay W. (416) 973-4000 . proartedanza.com. Eight Ways from Mara
Danceworks presents the world premiere of Zata Omm Dance Project’s distillation of Buddhist principles as conceived and choreographed by artistic director William Yong. With video by Elysha Poirier and music by Andrea Rocca. Performed by Heather Berry, Kate Franklin, Nicholas Melymuk, Erika-Leigh Stirton and Yong. $23 & $28. 8pm. Thu, Oct 20-22. Enwave Theatre. 231 Queens Quay W. (416) 973-4000. danceworks.ca. Pteros Tactics Toronto Dance Theatre’s season kicks off with a revamped version of artistic director Christopher House’s Pteros Tactics. $20-$26. 8pm. Wed-Fri. PWYC. 2pm. Sat. Fri, Oct 28-Nov 5. Winchester Street Theatre. 80 Winchester St. (416) 967-1365. tdt.org.
Stage The Girl Who Wants to Fly Theatre 20’s concert
production of a new musical by John Gray (Billy Bishop Goes to War) about aviatrix Amelia Earhart. Starring ElizaJane Scott, Karin Randoja and Steven Gallagher. Directed by Sarah Phillips with musical direction by
Michael Barber. $59 & $69. 8pm. Mon, Oct 3. Panasonic Theatre. 651 Yonge St. (416) 872-1212 ticketking.com. The Ugly One Theatre Smash presents the Toronto premiere of Marius von Mayenberg’s black comedy about today’s image-driven culture. Starring Jesse Aaron Dwyre, David Jansen, Hardee T Linehan and Naomi Wright; Ashlie Corcoran directs. $18$34. 8pm. Tue-Sat. 2:30pm. Sun. Tue, Oct 4-16. Tarragon Theatre Extra Space. 30 Bridgman Ave. (416) 531-1827. tarragontheatre.com. I Send You This Cadmium Red The Art of Time
Ensemble presents a theatrical exploration of the correspondence between artist John Berger and filmmaker John Christie, paired with Soudain, l’hiver dernier, a pas-de-deux from choreographer James Kudelka. Featuring dancers Ryan Boorne, Andrew Giday, Michael Sean Marye and Luke Garwood and actors Julian Richings and John Fitzgerald Jay. Daniel Brooks directs, with music by Gavin Bryars. $22-$45. 8pm. Mon-Sat. 1:30pm. Wed. 2pm. Sat. Mon, Oct 10-22. Berkeley Street Theatre. 27 Berkeley St. (416) 367-8243. canadianstage.com.