The sign might be the same but there's a new direction for the once shady "cafe" at the corner of Bloor and St. Clarens. A former patron and some friends have applied some paint, elevated the tunes and continued to transform Blansdowne in the process.

Read my review of Stella in the bars section.

Open since the end of last year, this new bar on Baldwin St. takes over from the short-lived Rear View Mirror and aims to fill a hole in Kensington Market's bar scene. What hole exactly?

Read my review of Detour Bar to find out.

A new place to drink has recently emerged in the old If Lounge space on Dundas St. West. Inside, the narrow room has benefited from a complete make-over. Behind the bar are pints of Stiegl and Paper Planes (bourbon, Amaro Nonino, Aperol, and lemon juice). It's all wrapped up in the shroud of Britian's most famous Prime Minister.

Read my review of Churchill in the bars section.

Occupying the space that was formerly Ku Bar (and before that, Pony Bistro), this Clockwork Orange inspired watering hole and occasional live music venue has a thing for PBR, Burt Reynolds and magnetic poetry sets.

Read my review of Korova Milkbar in the bars section.

Saturday, August 7:

GALLERY | Love Me Tender: 52 McCaul Gallery Closing Party
Originally launched as a two month experiment in brightening the community, 52 McCaul exceeded all expectations and for the past seven months has hosted an eclectic mix of local art, ranging from an 80s movie night to a custom bicycle show to an exhibition of modern Native representations. After more than half a year of battling stress and leaky roofs Well and Good, the grassroots arts organization behind the space, if shutting 'er down to refocus their efforts in other parts of the community, but they're not going out without a bang. They've recruited some great local musical talent to celebrate the end of their successful run, including heartbreaking songbird Kate Rogers and local multi-instrumentalist Henri Fabrege. They're also auctioning off some art, with proceeds going to support the artists and Well and Good's ongoing projects.
52 McCaul, Free, 12 pm - 1 am

FOOD AND DRINK | Toronto's Festival of Beer
Torontonians don't drink enough beer. Thankfully the Festival of Beer, which began on Thursday, is here to promote the little-understood beverage. Over 120 brewers from around the world are on site to thoroughly whet your whistle and all weekend the Grill Tent will be fired up to satisfy your hunger and give some helpful bbq'ing tips. Each afternoon bands including Skydiggers, Rebel Emergency and Little Feat will be providing the soundtrack to your consumption and Caskapalooza gives you the chance to sample unique one-off beers brewed specially for the event.
Exhibition Place, 200 Princes Boulevard, $38.50 plus beer tokens, Saturday and Sunday 1 pm - 7 pm

STREET FESTIVAL | Roncylicious
The Taste of the Danforth Festival takes over the East End this weekend, but not to be out done, Roncesvalles Village is throwing it's own street party on the other side of the city. Roncylicious runs all month but launches officially today with an outdoor picnic, cooking demonstrations, and sidewalk sale. Local eateries including The Blue Plate, The Abstract Tree, and The Dizzy Gastro are offering special deals for the occasion and all month area retailers are giving discounts in exchange for donations of non-perishable food items to benefit the High Park Baptist Church food bank. Runs til August 31.
Roncesvalles Avenue between Queen Street and Dundas Street West, Launch party today 220 Roncesvalles Avenue, Free, 12 pm - 6 pm

FESTIVAL | Taste of the Danforth
Unquestionably Toronto's favourite street festival, the Taste of the Danforth showcases all that the city's Greek community has to offer. Over a million people flood the East End neighbourhood each year to sample the Danforth's famous food and take in three days of music and entertainment. This year three stages will host a continuous line up of performers including the Toronto Symphony's brass quintet, Jesse Labelle, Alyssa Reid, and Frank D'Angelo and his 15 piece band. Second City comedians will be doing improv all weekend and some of the stars from So You Think You Can Dance Canada will make an appearance. If you're thinking that none of that sounds particularly Greek, one stage will be completely devoted to Hellenic culture, with performances of traditional music and bellydancing.
Danforth Avenue, Free, Friday 6 pm - 12 am, Saturday 12 pm - 12 am, Sunday 12 pm - 8 pm

FILM | Movies by Moonlight: The Parking Lot Movie
Outdoor movies have been all the rage this summer, and the Movies by Moonlight series is shaping up to be the Rolls Royce of free-range film. Not only do you get the chance to see some great movies in the open air, but Open Roof Films has added live bands and after parties to the mix. There will be seven screenings between now and end of August, each starting with a concert followed by a Q and A with filmmakers, then the film itself, and afterwards a party complete with alcohol courtesy of the Amsterdam Brewing Company. The series kicks off tonight with a performance by local up and comers Little Girls and a showing of the acclaimed documentary The Parking Lot Movie. If you think it's impossible to make an interesting film about parking lots, this trailer should change your mind.
Amsterdam Brewery, 21 Bathurst Street, 7:30 pm doors, 8 pm concert, 9:15 screening, $15

PARTY | Hip Hop Karaoke and King Sunshine in Yonge-Dundas Square
Hip Hop Karaoke blows up big time tonight when it turns Yonge-Dundas Square into a theatre of dreams for aspiring emcees. Usually held in the more modest confines of Revival on College Street, HHK has become a Toronto institution over the years and gives wannabe rappers a chance to test their lyrical flow on some classic hip hop tracks in front of a real audience. Once all the knowledge has been dropped, nine piece disco funk fusion band King Sunshine will light up the square.
Yonge-Dundas Square, Free, Hip Hop Karaoke 7:45 pm - 9:15 pm, King Sunshine 9:30 pm - 10:45 pm