Food lovers be warned: A first walk through North York’s Persian Plaza is overwhelming. Every shop is brimming with familiar and not-so-familiar Iranian hot food, baked goods, and meats. The Persian Plaza is located on Yonge Street in North York, just south of Steeles. It was originally a multi-ethnic plaza, but in the mid-1990s it [...]

Imagine a Bulk Barn of quality Persian delights. That’s Tavazo, located on Yonge Street just north of Steeles. I was tipped off about this place by Alex, the friendly owner of Memories of Africa, a South African store on Eglinton East. Tavazo is packed with high-quality nuts, dried fruits, and other oddities. Its claim to [...]

Still courtesy of TIFF. During the Islamic revolution of 1979, political unrest forced many Iranian Kurds to seek refuge in neighbouring Iraq, where they were then placed into refugee camps. Mandoo, which is featured in TIFF‘s Discovery program this year, follows the saga of Sheelan, a young female doctor of Kurdish origin who fled to [...]

180,000 people have applied to buy tickets for the eight games that the NFL’s Buffalo Bills will be playing at the Rogers Centre between now and 2012. The tickets will range as high as $295 (pre-scalper), which is still better than having to go to Buffalo. Because it’s such a long drive, we mean. Geez, [...]

It’s almost time for the Toronto International Film Festival for Children, Sprockets (it runs this year from April 12th to 18th) and the complete line-up of films has been announced. Once again this year all film journalists will find it impossible to mention the festival without bringing up Mike Myers (after all, it’s was one [...]

Toronto principal in controversial controversy over explicit poems he wrote and posted to his website. This is of course the first recorded case ever of somebody getting in trouble for something they wrote on the Internet, and the scandal has sent shock waves through the online community. “Wait, somebody actually reads this shit?” said Patrick [...]

In the most important news story of the day, two people have been arrested in the mysterious case of Huckleberry, the dog who vanished from outside a Yonge Street bakery and was returned after his owner offered a $15,000 reward. Police haven’t said whether they believe Huckleberry was in on the caper. Oil prices closed [...]

Though there are only three new films on release this week, it would be unfair to bemoan the shortage when one film, Persepolis, is of a high enough quality that it might as well be the only film released. During TIFF 2007 Christopher Bird handed it a 5/5 and called it “a masterwork in every [...]

It’s Boxing Day! Go spend money! If you don’t, Canada’s economy will suffer and it will all be your fault! You probably don’t even own all the seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on DVD yet, do you? You slacker. Turkey explains how well its airstrikes in Kurdish Iraq have worked. Short answer: they worked [...]

Almost half of all Toronto-area residents are foreign-born. This is the first little tidbit released from the 2006 census, which the government is doling out as if it were a movie trailer or something. (Will Smith versus zombies: probably more entertaining.) Bank of Canada lowers interest rates. A weakened loonie will allow Canada’s manufacturing sector [...]