Le Gourmand 
by Matt MacGillivray

Sometimes you need a coffee, and sometimes you need a solid lunch; Le Gourmand offers you both! Located just south of Queen, on Spadina, it is a cute little café that doubles as a small, high-end grocery store.

Interior

The décor is a stunning mix of mid 20th century luxury den and quaint French bistro. The hardwood floors and electric fireplace are complemented by old photos and paintings that adorn the soft-toned walls. There are dark wooden shelves stocked with jams, oils, vinegars, syrups, chocolates, and preserves that make great hostess or housewarming gifts. The comforting feel of the place always draws a crowd, but there is plenty of seating to go around.

Beverages

Coffee-wise, they have either the Black Gold or the French Roast, which are sure to please even the most critical coffee drinker. You can also get all your typical espresso-based drinks, from lattes to macchiatos. But Le Gourmand offers much more than your average coffee shop.

They have not just one but several hot chocolates to warm you up on a cold day. There is a white hot chocolate, a caramel chocolate, a couple of dark varieties, and even a Nutella version!

Food

Le Gourmand Selection

But drinks are just the beginning. Le Gourmand’s signature treat is the freshly baked cookie. They are constantly pulling fresh batches of chocolate chip, peanut butter, and oatmeal raisin out of the oven, so you are guaranteed to get one that is soft and warm. The chocolate chips will still be melted as you bite into it!

If you are on a health kick, that’s okay too! There is an abundance of freshly made soups, salads, quiches, and sandwiches to choose from — and delicious bagels and baguettes to go along with them.

They also offer breakfast options, such as steel-cut oatmeal and burritos. Or, if you come before 11:00 A.M. on a weekday or between 10:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. on the weekend, they will happily whip you up an omelette or some eggs just how you like them.

And because Le Gourmand doubles as a grocer, they have many products to fit your every cooking need, as well as some delightful beverages and snacks that you don’t see anywhere else.

Whether it’s a healthy lunch you are looking for or just a quick pick-me-up, this little café is sure to hit the spot. Le Gourmand is home-cooked decadence at its finest!

Contact

Email:
Address, Phone:
152 Spadina Ave., Toronto
416 866 2127
www: www.legourmand.com

Operating Hours

Mon–Fri: 7am – 8pm
Sat: 9am – 6pm
Sun: 9am – 5pm

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Dark Horse Espresso Bar
Atmosphere

There has been a trend in some coffee shops towards mass production. The food is made in a factory and shipped out to the various locations. Because the sandwiches and baked goods have to last longer, they are pumped with additives to extend their shelf lives and are then left to sit in a refrigerator for days on end. But Dark Horse Espresso Bar is a different breed of coffee shop entirely. They favour all that is natural, and it shows in the taste and value of everything you can purchase from them.

There are several locations you can visit in Toronto. Two of them are along Queen Street, and the third is just North of Queen, on Spadina, in Chinatown.

Interior

Dark Horse Espresso Bar
Interior by Matt MacGillivray

There is no plastic or artificial feel when it comes to Dark Horse. For example, the Chinatown location features exposed brick, wooden pillars, and natural-looking tables and chairs. All this is complemented by elegant chandeliers that hang from the ceiling and bouquets of flowers that adorn the room. And instead of the dark dinginess and florescent lighting you find in many chain cafes, this particular location has an entire wall of windows that lets the natural light shine in. The cafe has two floors. The larger of the two features long tables that allow you to spread out and get work done or strike up a conversation with someone new who happens to be sitting beside you. The second floor is a smaller, more intimate space with individual tables that allow for catching up with an old friend or a quiet business meeting.

Food

They have some delicious food options to choose from, such as whole grain muffins or fresh-pressed panini. They also offer yoghurt parfaits, a soup of the day, and several inventive baked goods. In addition, they cater to different food needs, so they even have some vegan options available.

Beverages

When it comes to beverages, nothing else compares. Many of the people who work here are trained in latte art, so your beverage will likely be adorned with a delicate flower or inspirational heart. And they don’t load the drinks up with chemicals as they do in other coffee shops, but rather invite you to sweeten your coffee with a more natural option such as honey or brown sugar.

You can certainly order your drink and food to go if you are in a hurry, but if you have the time, I would definitely recommend sitting down with a warm beverage in a real mug and soaking in the relaxing atmosphere. Dark Horse Espresso Bar is truly a unique coffee experience!

Contact

Email:
Address, phone:
684 Queen Street West, Toronto, 647 352 3512
682 Queen Street East, Toronto, 647 436 3460
215 Spadina Ave Suite 102 Toronto, 416 979 1200
www: darkhorseespresso.com

Operating Hours

Queen Street West: Mon-Fri: 7am - 7pm, Sat-Sun: 8am - 7pm
Queen Street East: Mon-Sun: 7am - 7pm
Spadina Ave: Mon-Fri: 7am - 7pm, Sat-Sun: 8am - 7pm
 

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Basia Bulat
by John Benson

Basia Bulat (pronounced BAH-sha boo-LOT) was born in Etobicoke (now part of the City of Toronto), Ontario, in 1984. Beginning with piano at an early age, Bulat soon progressed to ukulele, guitar, saxophone, banjo, flute, and (perhaps most iconically) the autoharp.

Both she and her brother, Bobby, were involved in various bands in their teenage years, and this musical interest persisted when Bulat left Toronto for London, Ontario to attend the University of Western Ontario. During her time in London, Bulat became more seriously involved in music and had her own program on the campus radio station.

In 2006, Bulat stayed in Montreal for a few months, and it was there that she recorded a number of songs with the help of a studio owner named Howard Bilerman. Although Bulat had, at first, no intention of distributing this proto-album for public consumption, Bilerman eventually had it released by Rough Trade Records in 2007, first in Japan and Europe and then in North America. Along with many praise-filled reviews, this debut album (entitled Oh My Darling) was nominated for a Polaris Prize in 2008.

Since that time, Bulat has toured the United States, Australia, Europe, and Canada, and has released a second album, Heart of My Own, in 2010. When not touring, she lives in Toronto.

Sylvia Tyson

Sylvia Tyson
by Wikimedia Commons

Sylvia Tyson was born Sylvia Fricker on September 19th, 1940, in Chatham, Ontario. Playing guitar and autoharp as well as singing, Fricker’s first major musical forays were in coffee-houses in Toronto, and later for club audiences in 1959, with her future husband, Ian Tyson. By 1961, Ian and Sylvia (as they were officially known) were playing in clubs in the U.S. as well as attending the Orillia Mariposa Folk Festival.

The pair were married in 1964 and soon became two of the best known faces of the folk genre of the period, both as musicians and as the writers of such songs as Four Strong Winds (by Ian) and You Were On My Mind (by Sylvia). After thirteen albums and much applause, Ian and Sylvia divorced in 1975, and went their own separate ways musically, as well. Sylvia way involved solo work (which she had begun before the break-up), as well as branching her career into radio by hosting the CBC folk music program Touch the Earth from 1974 to 1980. She continued to perform with the band she and Ian had formed in 1968. Tyson was also involved in television as a host for CBC TV’s Heartland and Country in My Soul and even did some scriptwriting for Video Hits. With ten solo albums recorded since the duo Ian and Sylvia ended, Tyson was also wrote and performed in stage musicals such as The Piano Man’s Daughter. In 2000, she joined Caitlin Hanford, Gwen Swick, and Cindy Church as a member of the all-female music group Quartette.

Sylvia Tyson is now a member of the Order of Canada, and also serves as the president of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. She still resides in Toronto, and recently completed her first novel, Joyner’s Dream, published by Harper Collins in early 2011.

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Gordon Lightfoot
by Peter Beens

One of the best known Canadian folk musicians in history is still alive and singing, and living in Toronto. Born in the Ontario city of Orillia, on November 17th, 1938, Gordon Lightfoot was singing in Kiwanis festivals, and was even being broadcast locally on the radio during his teenaged years. By the time he was twenty, Lightfoot had delved into piano and drums, had sung in a barbershop quartet, and had studied at the Los Angeles-Westlake College of Modern Music.

Back in Canada, he took up the guitar and became involved in folk music, recording four albums as a member of the group Two Tones in the early sixties. The music of the rising Bob Dylan greatly influenced Lightfoot’s lyrics, and his songs became popular through their renditions by the likes of Peter, Paul and Mary, and Ian and Sylvia Tyson (with whom he would tour England in 1966).

His debut album, entitled simply Lightfoot!, was released in 1964 and would eventually be followed by over forty others. Lightfoot continued performing in coffee houses, at folk festivals, and other venues, and easily survived the shrinking popularity of the folk genre to become truly famous throughout North America by the 1970s. He toured Canada, Europe, and Australia, performed nine concerts on nine consecutive nights at a sold-out Massey Hall in Toronto in 1978, and was averaging between 60 and 70 North American concerts per year through the 1990s.

His schedule has lightened considerably since suffering a major haemorrhage in 2002, but Gordon Lightfoot is still performing live on tours across North America. So far, he has won fifteen Juno Awards, and is both an Officer and a Companion of the Order of Canada. He lives in the North York area of Toronto.