Walking down on Danforth Avenue, you are mostly inundated by furniture stores and great restaurants. Just by The Carrot Common, if you walk too fast, you'll most likely miss it. What am I talking about? A little gem of a store called Erietta's.

Erietta's has been around forever and is a very well known secret in the neighbourhood. Erietta Gattos, the store's namesake has made quite an impression on many people over the years. She has a large following of regular clients and she knows them all by name. Likewise, when in the store, her clients will query over her family. It almost feels like the "Cheers" of retail.

Not usually swayed by the fickle nature of fashion trends, Erietta buys with her discerning and artistic eye. I was completely enamored by all the gorgeous, textured, gem coloured goodies her store had to offer. You always get the feeling that when you buy something here, you won't bump into your long lost twin walking down the street.

Some popular brands that you'll find are Duplicate Tees, Sinequanone, Dex, G1 Basics, Girl Friday and Free People.

Erietta's is located at 320 Danforth Ave. (at Jackman Ave.), 416-778-8363

A group of friends decided to have a holiday dinner before we leave the city to do our family gatherings. Deciding on Seven Numbers on the Danforth was pretty unanimous.

Very much like it's predecessor on Eglinton Avenue, the atmosphere still feels very homey and inviting with it's mismatched chairs and glass tumblers for wine. What is different is that there is a hipper, cooler vibe to the place in both it's staff and patrons.

If you happen to go in a big group like us, I highly recommend the "family" portions. For $27 each, we were served three appetizers, three pastas, a vegetable and an individual choice of main. My favourites were the linguine arrabiata, breaded calamari and snapper. High praise were also given for the duck and the lamb shank. Unfortunately, we did not have enough room in our bellies for dessert.

If you are looking for a romantic quiet evening for two, then this is not the place for you. If you are looking to have a really loud, boisterous and delicious dinner with friends or family, then Seven Numbers will not disappoint.

Seven Numbers Danforth is located at 307 Danforth Ave. (at Bowden St.), 416-469-5183.

It's now mid December and I am sure that holiday dinners are in full swing. I love to cook but unfortunately, my interests only lie in the main course. My easy option for appetizers are usually a medley of cheese and crackers. I am one of those fortunate Asian people who do not have lactose intolerance. I thank my lucky stars every day for that.

Although, I have to say that I did not get into cheese until recently. Growing up in Asia, I did not get much exposure to cheese. It's a bit of an odd notion, fermenting dairy. However, I have gotten a very great education through all the great cheese stores that are available in Toronto. My favourite is Global Cheese in Kensington Market. The selection is endless and they offer plenty of other goods that go beyond pairings for cheese.

If you should be in the area, you should stop by. The first walk in, you tend to get overwhelmed by the smell of all the cheese. After you get used to it, it really isn't so bad. Staff are supremely knowledgeable and willing to let you try any of their goods. If you are ever at a loss, trust them to make excellent suggestions. My only complaint is that they never write the names of the cheeses down. Should you encounter a really good one that you like, make sure they make a notation so that you'll be able to find that particular cheese again.

Global Cheese is located at 76 Kensington Avenue.

Every publication out there has their version of "gifts to get" right now. I find them quite handy because it's getting harder every year to find something interesting for the people on your list. For those of you looking for some home grown gifts, this list has 100% Canadian content and mainly from local Torontonians.



Bennie and Olive Ipod Case
Bennie and Olive, known for her tongue in cheek Canadiana inspired accessories decided to make her version of an ipod case. Cases are made to look like books, all covers are actual pulp fiction cases from the 50's to the 70's and the inside cover has an old fashion library card case. Fits 20G and 40G ipods.

Triggered Response Bath Lotions And Room Sprays
With hilarious names like "Good People Do Bad Things Sometimes" and "Self Love Is Better Than Prime Time T.V" you simply can't go wrong. Oh, and they smell really, really good too.

Foxy Originals Jewelry
Nothing like a little inexpensive bling to get you in the holiday season. Every year, this duo keeps coming up with cuter and cuter things to make your outfits complete.

For me, Christmas shopping doesn't officially begin until the Comrags sockmonkeys are in their shop window. What is a sockmonkey, you ask? It's exactly as it sounds, a monkey made out of socks. If you've never had one growing up, you've been deprived of a very special joy and it is never too late to get one.

Every year for the past eight years, the girls from Comrags have made and sold sockmonkeys where 100% of the proceeds go to a local charity that is family or women oriented. They alternate the years where they make monkeys that all sell for the same price and celebrity sockmonkeys where there is an auction held. The celebrity monkeys are made from celebrity socks with a little note that has the celebrity's signature or a story telling what their socks meant to them. Past celebrities include David Suzuki, Avril Lavigne, Coldplay, Ben Affleck etc.

TNT, the city's purveyors of ultra hip clothing for men and women are having a holiday sale!

With three very different concept stores that caters to every target market, (TNT Men - for upscale yet trendy men who wield their deals, TNT Woman - for the fabulous ladies who do lunch and host events and TNT blu - for the boys and girls who like to party) there will be something there for everyone.

Sale runs from December 1st to December 4th.

Locations: TNT Woman, TNT Man, TNT Blu at Hazelton Lanes (87 Avenue Road), TNT Blu (392 Eglinton W) and TNT Man (388 Eglinton W)