Macaron Day at Patisserie de Cigogne

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Patisserie de Cogogne at 1626 Bayview has a charming way of welcoming spring. On Wednesday, March 20, 2013, the patisserie will celebrate Macaron Day and they invite shoppers to come and get an complimentary treat. As a bonus 25% of all additional macaron sales on this day will be donated to the Red Door Family Shelter. Here incidentally is the definition of the macaron which some sources say contains coconut and some not. As to the spelling, it appears that the world is really all over the pl;ace. Sometimes the English trasnslation of macaron is macaroon. We leave it to you. Here’s the definition: A small, round, biscuit (cookie) crunchy outside and soft inside, made with ground almonds, sugar and egg whites. Macaroons are sometimes flavoured with coffee, chocolate, nuts or fruit and then joined together in pairs.

Egg-white McMuffin gets rough reception

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McDonald’s has announced an egg-white McMuffin as an appeal to those who want to eat healthier. Instant  comment to this move has been rough. The new McMuffin avoids the 60 calories contained in the egg yolk, but the egg-white version continues to contain cheese and a slice of lean Canadian bacon. Thus comments like: “It still has pork, hollandaise dressing and cheese, all saturated fat and calories. (expletive)” are understandable. Another said: “McDonald’s will be releasing an egg-white McMuffin in April for Americans to try once, spit out and never buy again.”

475 Davisville near Cleveland sold for $730,000

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An updated and well-staged semi-detached home at 475 Davisville Ave. has sold for $730,000, $81,000 over the asking price of $549,000. The home is located just west of Cleveland Street.  The healthy step-up over the asking was the result of several buyers presenting competing offers Earlier in the month, 226 Hillsdale, a detached home, sold for $172,000 over the asking price of $921,000. 

Grumpy Cat is star of south-west film festival

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A Grumpy Cat with some 7.5 million YouTube hits to her name will star this weekend at the South by South-west (SXSW) Interactive Film and Music Festival at Austin Texas. There will be other famous creatures there — films makers, writers etc — but who cares. The 11-month old, mixed breed is the pet of a Morristown,  Arizona woman, Tabitha Bundesen.  Grumpy Cat’s real name is Tardar Sauce (a.k.a.: Tard), and she’s famous for the pouty “nothing impresses me” face with which she was born. Check the video for the outrageous occupations of Tard and her fans. 

Youth has shoes stolen in Kennedy station

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Toronto Police Service report:  A 17 year old male reports that on March 12, 2013 at approximately 1345 hours, he was at the Kennedy Subway station with two male suspects. At this time, the suspects took a pair of shoes from the victim’s person. The victim attempted to grab his shoes from the suspects, when the suspects pushed him and fled the scene in an awaiting vehicle towards Eglinton Avenue East. No injuries were sustained by the victim. Police are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying the following described persons in connection with this offence. 

New streetcars get a test run on Bathurst

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The TTC’s new streetcars took a brief ride along tracks near the Hillcrest yard on Bathurst Street this morning and it seems to be a case of so far so good. Brad Ross, of the TTC, tweeted that the transit agency is happy with the performance of the new cars, but he didn’t get into just how they fit on the tracks at some of the corners. Today’s route took the streetcar down to Bathurst Station on the Bloor line. Mr. Ross also tweeted pictures of the streetcar which was designed by Bombardier Transportation and made in Thunder Bay, Ont. Previous post 

Joyous Canadian tribute to Stompin’ Tom

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Eight RCMP officers carry Tom Connors casket out of the Peterborough Centre following a memorial service and concert dedicated to the late national balladeer. Former Governor General Adrienne Clark was one of many speakers. She said she considered Connors a friend and  praised his capacity to speak with love and clarity about the country. She said that no matter where a Canadian originated, each knew what Connors mean’t when he sang things like: The girls are goin’ to bingo, The boys are gettin’ stinko, And we think no more of Inco, On a Sudbury Saturday Night. It is reported that there was a large contingent of fans from Prince Edward Island, the province Connors considered his home.  CBC

Bright day as Blackberry ships a million phones

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It was a Bright Day at Blackberry on Wednesday as the Waterloo smart phone maker boasted of an order of a million units to a mystery buyer. Blackbery called the purchaser  an “established partner” and said delivery was to be immediate. Meantime,  chief executive Thorsten Heins  said the new BlackBerry Z10 touchscreen phone is selling better than the company expected, while Canadian carrier Bell said last month that pre-orders broke its previous records for BlackBerry. Verizon Wireless says it will begin stocking the BlackBerry Z10 on March 28, with pre-orders starting on Thursday. Earlier this week AT&;T announced it would begin to offer the phone on March 22, while T-Mobile expects to carry the BlackBerry device for its business customers as early as the end of this week, though it did not provide details on the availability for non-business customers. A keypad version of the phone, dubbed the BlackBerry Q10, is expected this spring.  Shares in the company closed up $1.21 at $16.04 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

CP24 to carry Stompin Tom Connors memorial

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There will be a live feed of the memorial for Stompin Tom Connors tonight.  CP24 has said it will carry the event live beginning at 7 p.m. from the Peterborough Memorial Centre. Connors was one of Canada’s most famous country and folk singer and songwriters. He died last week at his home in Peterborough at age 77.  The event ceremony planned to honour him will  feature a variety of live music, video clips, family photos and a recounting of Stompin’ Tom memories by close friends, musical peers and government officials that include former governor-general Adrienne Clarkson and former Liberal MP and Montreal Canadiens goalie, Ken Dryden. Stompin Tom Connors, A Celebration of his Life will be televised live province-wide by TV-COGECO.

South Bayview GPS spots openings and closings

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At Culinary Arts

The closing of The Trend Shoppe at 1622 Bayview leaves an attractive and spacious vacancy and there’s a feeling it may soon be taken. Same goes for the smaller location at 1699 Bayview which was occupied for so many years by Smokin’ Cigar. It has a fairly long exposure to the street compared to shallow depth. That can be useful and by the way Smokin’ Cigar is now housed at large new quarters at 1540 Bayview down by McSorely’s. At 1685 Bayview the elegant double-store premises of Detail the home decor business has a large sign announcing the space is for lease. This news seems sad because the store opened barely 18 months ago. The space was transformed from ratty to attractive at no doubt some cost. Space once occupied by the much missed Country Store remains for lease at 1657 Bayview. As to openings, the store known as ZoeII has its sign up and women’s wear stock in place at 463 Manor Road just off  Bayview. Curiously, it seems to be closed a lot. Back on Bayview the heroic renovations at the Merchant of Tennis have over-shot the target date for re-opening. The Merchant had posted signs saying he would be back in business by February 15, but the shop is still closed behind  plywood hoardings. On a bright note the Academy of Culinary Arts has posted a sign asking for an “enthusiastic , friendly individual with previous retail experience and an interest in food.”