Active Surplus Electronics

Rated this place:

347 Queen St W, Toronto, ON, M5V2A4

Electronic surplus stores: I've only been in once, and I didn't buy anything, but it's one of my favourite places in the city? Why, you ask? Because of the guy out front who chants "active surplus, you never know what you'll find" over and over and over, day in and day out. Except the one time I walked by with my cousin and his new amp from Steve's, at which point he briefly altered his script to exclaim "HEY! TUBE AMP! NICE!"

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• electronic surplus stores

7 West Cafe

Rated this place:

7 Charles St W, Toronto, ON, M4Y1R4

Late night restaurant: This is one of my faves at any time of day, but should you inexplicably (ha!) find yourself hungry and roaming the streets of Toronto late at night, this Yonge/Bloor area cafe on Charles offers terrific food, amazing soups, and the prices aren't altogether unreasonable. Give it a shot!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• late night restaurant

Cora's Breakfast & Lunch

Rated this place:

277 Wellington Street West, Toronto, ON, M5V 3E4

Breakfast: I argue with my friends that, while Cora's is the best breakfast in Toronto, it's still only three stars. My argument is that nobody's come up with a good breakfast restaurant yet. It's the most ignored meal of the day. But I digress, Cora's does a good job at putting together a tasty day starter, including something called "Gargantuan Feast" that scares me to even know about...

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Breakfast

La Paloma Authentic Gelateria & Cafe

Rated this place:

3175 Rutherford, Vaughan, ON, L4K5Y6

Gelato: There's a reason people line up for an hour to spend $9 on gelato - it's that good. I can't bring myself to buying it often, but it's a great treat when I'm feeling thin and rich.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• gelato

Silver Snail Comics

Rated this place:

367 Queen St. West, Toronto, ON, M5V 2A4

Comic book store: Sometimes the well-known one is still the best. Toronto has a lot of comic stores but I still enjoy this one the most, for simple selection and for their extensive collection of toys. The first stop every Free Comic Book Day. I still remember their Lord of the Rings mockup using Muppets figurines.. classic!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Comic book store

The Club at Bond Head

Rated this place:

4805 7th Line, Bond Head, ON, L0G 1A0

Golf course: Challenging, but so much fun. This is a relatively new set of two courses, one offering the authentic old European style of play, the other a more traditional North American style. Both will make you work to succeed, but you'll have a great time doing it!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• golf course

Allegro Fine Foods

Rated this place:

6 Queen St S, Bolton, ON, L7E1C8

Italian restaurant: Amazing formal and authentic Italian restaurant in the heart of the valley in Bolton, about 30 minutes north of the city. I've become friends with the owner through my visits and can speak for the passion and authenticity of the food here. Absolutely the best patio in the GTA!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• italian restaurant

Horseshoe Tavern

Rated this place:

368 Queen St W, Toronto, ON, M5V2A2

Bar to rock out in: I've started a new ritual in this place. I buy a tequila shot before every show, and wait until the band hits that first note before dropping it back and throwing the shot glass up on a speaker. Not sure why, but you should give it a shot, it's exhilarating. :)

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Bar to rock out in

Big Daddy's Crab Shack

Rated this place:

212 King St W, Toronto, ON, M5H1K5

Happy hour: The drinks aren't cheap but the appetizers are. One of my favourite summer treats is happy hour with a Waterloo Dark, two or three appetizers, and their nicely located patio across from Roy Thompson. Great stuff.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Happy Hour

Caffe Volo Ristorante

Rated this place:

587 Yonge St, Toronto, ON, M4Y1Z4

Beer choices: Great Italian food, but the big draw here seems to be their extensive rare beer collection. They've got a number of them on tap, usually something on cask, and a ton of bottles to try. Once a year you can enjoy Cask Days, a cask beer festival where local brewmasters brew up a one-off version of their beers.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Beer Choices

Korean Grill House

Rated this place:

214 Queen St. W., Toronto

Korean bbq: Lots of fun, but I highly recommend the ghetto location out by CityTV to get the full experience. Those new sexy ones near Yonge/Dundas and Yonge/Bloor are just too sharply dressed to fit the bill just right. ;)

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Korean BBQ

Steve's Music Store

Rated this place:

415 Queen St W, Toronto, ON

Music store: Hands down the best music store in the Toronto area, and it has to have been thanked in more liner notes than any other. I'm a frequent visitor, love the prices, love the selection. I could literally waste a day in that acoustic room.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Music store

Espresso Post

Rated this place:

139 Hurontario St., Collingwood, ON, L9Y2L9

Americano coffee: If you've picked another Americano as your favourite you haven't been here yet. It's so good not only would I drive over an hour to taste it, but I'd run over whoever got in my way en route. The owner is a Barista ninja from the mecca of coffee - Seattle - and does it right in this former post office on the main drag in Collingwood.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Americano coffee

Humber Valley Heritage Trail

Rated this place:

Highway 50 and Columbia Way, Bolton, ON

Hiking/running trail: Just north of the city this 15km trail is unbelievable in that it offers so many different styles and terrain of trail you'll think you're transporting. It's not incredibly difficult, and best of all, it's packed with Geocaches. It's worth the drive to Bolton.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Hiking/Running trail

King Brewery Inc

Rated this place:

5645 King Rd, Nobleton, ON, L0G1N0

Ontario microbrewery: The brewmaster does a great tour, and his attention to detail is stunning. There's no better replica of an authentic Czech Pilsner to be found outside the Czech Republic, and their Dark is one of my personal favourites. Drop by their brewery, take a tasting and a tour, and check it out!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Ontario microbrewery

Angry Tomato

Rated this place:

12612 Highway 50, Bolton, ON, L7E1T6

Jambalaya: One of the best restaurants north of the city, hidden away behind the McDonald's, but extremely popular for lunch and dinner. The jambalaya - served fusilli instead of rice - is my "go-to" dish.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Jambalaya

Thai Princess Restaurant

Rated this place:

387 King St W, Toronto, ON, M5V1K1

Thai food: Stumbled in here by fluke one day when nothing was open on a Monday and we decided to eat at the first place that was open on our left. We've returned many times, terrific thai food at very reasonable prices.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Thai Food

Beerbistro

Rated this place:

18 King St E., Toronto, ON, M5C 1C4

French fries: The Belgian Frites - with smoked ketchup and mayo - are the best in the city. Nobody else even comes close!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• French Fries

Massey Hall

Rated this place:

178 Victoria St., Toronto, ON, M5B1T7

Concert venue: It's old school, comfortable, and the acoustics are the best.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• concert venue

Neustadt Springs Brewery

Rated this place:

456 Jacob St., Neustadt, ON, N0G2M0

Brewery tour: Check in advance because tours don't happen every day but you'll never see anything like it. The basement is some old caverns situated on the original crystal springs, complete with damp brick walls, dull lighting, and albino spiders. Andy and Val are great and their beer is excellent. Don't miss it!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Brewery Tour