OUR MANAGING EDITOR & DIRECTOR OF DIOGENES GROUP MEDIA TELLS US WHERE TO GO
When our Managing Editor isn’t busy coordinating our print issue deliveries, designing for the mag or his creative business, Diogenes Media Group, or tending to two adorable cats named Henry and Gus, he’s out grabbing a coffee. Here he shares where to get a perfect cup of joe, where to find a great selection of menswear, and where to eat the best food in Toronto.
Shopping
I agonize over buying clothing. It’s rare that I just pop into a store and buy something. I’ll get an idea in my head of what I want and scour the city looking for it. I’ve also got zero patience for lousy customer service, just to complicate things.
Fortunately there are a number of shops in the city that make my dreams come true. Jonathan & Olivia has great brands and great sales, and Oliver Spencer, Philip Sparks, and Uncle Otis always have a hundred things I want. Sydney’s has some of the best stuff I can’t afford. When I don’t find what I want in the city, I’ve had some pretty good luck with SSENSE.com.
Food
The Harbord Room is my favourite resto in the city, having the ultimate combination of delicious raw plates, inventive entrées, and the best drinks in the city. Cava (Spanish) and Delux (Cuban-ish) are also great. Recently I went to Hammersmith’s in the East end for brunch, and it was great.
Most of the time I just eat the same things at the same places: L’espresso for donuts; OMG Soup at The Sprout; pulled pork at Black Camel, chicken vermicelli at Pho Hung, cheeseburger and onion rings at Big Smoke Burger, ice cream at XoxoCava.
Coffee/Booze
I think Mercury Espresso Bar is the best coffee shop in the city. Sam James Coffee Bar is a close second. Then Jet Fuel Coffee, then Bulldog Coffee, then Dark Horse Espresso, then L’espresso… I drink a lot of coffee.
When it comes to booze I like “old man” drinks. The Harbord Room and Camp 4 make fantastic ones. Sidecar and The Black Hoof also do well. When it comes to beer drinking it’s House on Parliament or The Victory Café.
Movies
No one should lament the demise of Blockbuster and Rogers video stores, but if Suspect Video ever closes, I’m going to be really unhappy. I rely on them for finding both terrible and amazing movies (and it’s better than Netflix).
