The scene’s slowing down a little bit in the usual pre-TIFF lull, but there’s still a host of quasi-cool shiz to get up to this weekend. In lieu of our typical Thursday through Sunday list of awesome, here’s an equally awesome categorical list of what to get up to this end of week break. (Hey, we gotta keep it fresh, right?)
New Restaurants
From Trinity Greek Taverna and Brussels Bistro in the Beaches, to downtown’s newest Italian eatery – Destingo – and the Financial District’s new duo of The Chase and The Chase Fish and Oyster, there’s no shortage of fine new restaurants to check out in Toronto. We’re obsessed with the new wave of restos that are finally breaking the Latin-American trend (which we love, but again, we gotta keep it fresh). Book yourself some reservations to check out the new culinary kids on the block.
Best of the Fests
The annual gut-wrenching tradition known as the CNE aka The EX aka the Canadian National Exhibition starts on Friday and runs through to September 2nd. It’s gut-wrenching, naturally, thanks to awesome eats in the food pavilion like this year’s sure-to-sell-out wonder, the Cronut Burger.
The York-Eglinton Music and Street Festival is also on this weekend, bringing an international array of eats, treats, and music.
Saturday sees CraveTO Day and CraveTO Night over in the alley behind Honest Ed’s, fusing food, music, and local craft beers in a melee of munchie madness.
And the international craze that is FIGMENT! is coming to Toronto’s Olympic Island, making it the first Canadian stop. It’s a collaborative art project that amps up that good ol’ community feel, with a li’l bit of Woodstock-feelin’ tossed in the mix.
Poppin’ Parties
There’s the 2nd annual Porch Crawler that will help you get your patio fix in before summer’s end; the Sip & Sail Cocktail Cruise for on-the-water networking; the Italian celebration of Ferragosto over at Osteria dei Ganzi; and the Pop Art shindig over at Toika.
Outdoor Movies
Sail-in Cinema is on this weekend, bringing some great moveskies to the Harbourfront on a double-sided screen – sit by the beach or drop anchor and chill on your boat. (Or the boat of that executive you’re trying to get that promo from.)
We’ve also got the Open Roof Festival showing How to Make Money Selling Drugs, y’know, in case your young professional career isn’t as lucrative as you’d hoped it’d be.
It’s a double bill at the Junction BIA’s outdoor movie night, featuring Foxed and The Fruit Hunters. PBR, hipster chic, and ironic picnic blankets are a must at this one.
And dream of another day off aka long weekend as you sit under the stars and watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off over at Riverdale Park East on Sunday night.
Top photo courtesy The Chase