The South Bayview Bulldog

The McMullen family is a South Bayview legend as founders and keepers of Summerhill Market. The dizzying success of the super high-quality grocery store and its satellite store on Mt. Pleasant Rd. near Sheldrake Blvd. attracts customers from distant parts of Toronto. North Toronto homemakers of particular taste deprived of Pusateri’s by last summer’s fire make the trip south. Then they wait for the Summerhill grocery cop to wave them into the snug parking lot beside the CP tracks. A footnote to the Summerhill saga is the closing of the nearby ice cream store known as Scoops. It was managed by Brad McMullen, currently manager of the main store. Ice cream in the cone is a seriously seasonal business. This alert comes in Friday’s arrival of the 12.36 e-mailer authored by Marc Weisblott and owned by St. Joseph Media, publishers of Toronto Life. The new year will see all grocery stores in South Bayview sizing up the new Whole Foods store soon to launch at 1860 Bayview (corner of Broadway). Will such effete “foods” as coconut water be able to knock out Summerhill Markets unreconstructed butcher shop favorites like marinated lamb rack? Or the deli with every processed meat including Veal Bolonga known to Italy and Germany combined? We think not.

Five Canadians were among more than 30 people mowed down by a woman driver who apparently purposely sped along crowded sidewalks on the Las Vegas strip Sunday. One person is dead. Two of the Canadians are still in hospital. Both are reported to have sustained critical injuries. The driver, Lakeisha Holloway, is in custody after she appeared to deliberately aim at people with her car.

A TTC bus driver has complained that a woman threatened him and spit on him for no reason. It happened Friday, October 30, 2015, at approximately 5:40 p.m. on a bus near Bathurst Street and Finch Avenue West . She is  described as white, Russian, 50, with light-brown collar-length hair. She was wearing a dark winter coat, sunglasses, purple leggings and brown boots.

CBC

McDonald’s Brand Eating reports says that the fast food chain is now testing a Mac and Cheese dish at a Cleveland location. Customers can get the dish a la cart or as a Happy Meal option to fries. Only piggies want both. Mac and Cheese has been a near-staple in many places for long time and has enduring appeal. McDonald’s is trying a lot of things to try to et back its mojo as the place to go for quickie food. This is a trial run of unknown length. In Cleveland, the current price of the Mac and Cheese extra is $1.75.  If this makes national release, customers may start throwing the cheesy noodles on their Big Macs or breakfast sandwiches says gourmand food writer Peter Pham.  Mac and JEEZ!: Festival leaves Liberty Village filthy

Christmas will be easy time to get around based on seven-day forecast for Toronto. The Weather Network is predicting above freezing and generally untroubled weather right through to Sunday, December 27, 2015. The weatherman says that during the next four days Toronto will see unseasonably warmer temperatures that range from 7 C to 10 C. Seasonal norms for this time of year typically hover around -7 C to 1 C.Christmas Eve will see a high of 10 C and a 30 per cent chance of rain, while Dec. 25 is expected to be a bit chillier and sunny with a high of 7 C. The two kissy deer approve.

Funny game this hockey. The afternoon after they beat the league-leading Durham West Lightning 3-2 in overtime, the Leaside Jr. Wildcats lost to 16th place Etobicoke Dolphins in a very similar way. The teams battled to a 2-2 tie in three periods. Then Hunter Barnett potted the winning marker for the Dophins at 2.02 of the five-minute sudden-death overtime. The shots on goal are stunning: Dolphins merely 13, Leaside 33. PHWL Summary 

Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie have sung Jingle Bells on Twitter in response to a Montreal Canadien player who is making a video that is being made for the Children’s Miracle Network. P.K. Subban has been drumming up snippets of carols for his #CanadaCarols initiative to raise cheer and funds for the CMN. A selection of video submissions will be cut into a video that will be shown in pediatric hospitals across Canada on Dec. 23. Subban has also asked Justin Bieber to add a carol.