Best of Independent Toronto

Best brunch place: Le petit déjeuner

Best CD/Record store: Soundscapes, Rotate This

Best video rental store: Queen Video, Suspect Video, Revue Video

I nominate +nurse as best local, unsigned band.

I nominate +nurse as best local, unsigned band.

I nominate +nurse, best local unsigned band.

I want to nominate for Best Band of Toronto the one and only +nurse. These guys are AWESOME!

I nominate +nurse as best local, unsigned band.

Best Sushi: ZOD in Richmond Hill
Best Fitness Club: Extreme Fitness(North York, Thornhill, Pickering)
Best Men's Clothing Store: None in Toronto
Best Place to Buy an iPod: Pacific Mall in Markham
Best Fish Store: T & T Supermarket
Best Karaoke Bar: any one of those at Yonge and Finch
Best Late Night Chinese Food: First Markham Place

Can I nominate WORST Restaurant? Lee's - waaaay overpriced and the portions are so tiny.

LOL @ JackatM2. Richmond Hill etc are barely borderline GTA.

Now I know that there are actually readers out there reading what I wrote..
BTW, best korean restaurant: Sarawon at Yonge and Clark(NW corner) in Thornhill

Nomination for Smart and sexy blogs (NOW Toronto newspaper Thursday June 23, 2005) "A brilliant send-up of Canada's new queer mecca. It's writen with attitude, verve and style and really informs people about the goings-on in Toronto's other gay village. "

dork.

Does anyone remember Marianne Baker? She is, by far, the most exciting 'unsigned' independent artist I have discovered this year, and I've heard she is from Toronto and has possibly gone back (I met Marianne in Vancouver). Her site is www.mariannebaker.com

BEST...

BURRITO: Burrito Boys
PIZZA: Columbo's Pizza
BURGER: Lick's Veggie (Nature) Burger
FALAFEL: Yummi's
ROTI: Bacchus Roti
BAKED GOODS: Sweets From The Earth
HEALTH FOOD: Ambrosia (and cheapest!)
RECORD STORE NEW: Sam's
RECORD STORE USED: Vortex
VIDEO STORE: Jumbo Video Leslie/Queen
ART SUPPLY STORE: Gwartzman's
BOOKSTORE USED: Dencan Books
MEN'S CLOTHING STORE: Off The Cuff Resale Designer Menswear
VINTAGE CLOTHING: Foxy Boutique
SHOE STORE: vegetarianshoes.com
FURNITURE STORE USED: Cool and Unusual Antiques
FITNESS CLUB: Strictly Fitness
HAIR SALON: Evoke

Best Roti- Gandhi (queen)
Best Pad Thai- Young Thailand
Best Sushi- Crispy Roll (queen)
Best Late-Night Chinese Food- Gold Stone (Spadins/dundas)

Best Burger- Shanghai Cowgirl
Best Falafel- Ali Baba's (queen)
Best Indian Restaurant- Little India (queen)
Best Pho- Pho Train (spadina/dundas)
Best Baked Goods- Nova Bakery
Best Take-Out- Green Mango
Best Brunch Spot- Tequila Bookworm
Best Cafe- Le Gourmand
Best Health Food Store- Your Good Health
Best Live Music Venue- Horshoe Tavern
Best CD/Record Store (New)- Sunrise Records
Best CD/Record Store (Used)- Second Spin
Best Rep Cinema- Bloor Cinema
Best Video Rental Store- Queen Video
Best Art Supply Store- Aboveground
Best Bookstore- Chapters
Best Women's Clothing Store- Jacob
Best Vintage Clothing Store- Courage my Love
Best Bike Store- the one on Augusta
Best Place to Buy an iPod- Apple Store
Best Yoga Studio- Yoga Sanctuary (college/yonge)
Best Hair Salon- W Lifestyle (queen/bathurst)

thanks to everyone for all the nominations. we have a whole bunch of comments and emails to sort through. watch for the voting to begin in december.

Best Surf/Skate/Snowboard Shop: I can't believe you guys left Boardsports off your list for the best surf/skate/snowboard shop in Toronto!!! The guys there always care about setting me up with the perfet gear for my riding style and aren't a bunch of dumb, pushy salesmen (like at Sporting Life). I used to shop at Sporting Life and Hogtown but after going to Boardsports, I'll never shop anywhere else... just thought you should know. Anyway, my vote is for them.

If you are looking for places in Toronto to shop for snowboarding gear, I would not recommend going to Hogtown. I understand it's known as a "local favourite" but they are not deserving of this title. I believe if you are in need for boarding equipment, you should go to Board Sport instead. The following are my points for shopping at Board Sport vs. Hogtown:

1)All Hogtown cares about is making the sale.
The sales person kept trying to push a more expensive board at me, luckily a experienced boarder friend of mine was with me and suggested a less expensive board but with the same quality. In addition, I felt rushed to make a decision to purchase. At Board Sport, the sales person spent hours assisting me without making me feel that I had to purchase something at that very moment. He ensured I saw all the options and in the end I was very satisfied with my purchase.

2)Poor return policy at Hogtown.
At Hogtown, if you put the bindings onto the snowboard, the purchase is considered Final Sale. Otherwise, they only have a 2 week return policy. BoardSport allows you to test out your equipment on various runs and if you are not satisfied, they are more than happy to return your equipment and help you find something else until you are completely satisfied.

3)Lowest Price Guarantee at Board Sport
If you find your item at another store for a cheaper price, Boardsport will price match.

4)Hogtown has No customer service whatsoever.
When I was making a return, the sales person was extremely rude and literally threw the return receipt towards me. As a previous retail sales person, I believe customers are entitled to make a return when not 100% satisfied. The customer should not feel like they've done something wrong when returning a purchase.

The last point was the final straw that ensured that I would never return to Hogtown and will make it a point of telling others to not shop there. There are other stores (e.g. Board Sport, The sign of the skier, Sporting Life, Silent Sport, etc) in the city that have just as large (if not larger) selection of merchandise but with the great customer service that you are entitled to.