Neighbourhood Watch: The Annex

The Annex is a familiar deck of playing cards to me. Though it gets shuffled occasionally, the game remains the same. I've walked the beat here for a few years and have come to feel that it's a place to call home.

Amidst the sushi restaurants, organic markets, and used-CD shops, lies a truly liveable neighbourhood. The streets are well-connected for pedestrian, transit, and automobile. Jaywalking here is never a problem. The strip of Bloor between Bathurst and Spadina is as close to a 24-hour street as you can get, without the gross club district feel. I hardly ever leave the Annex to get something, and even if I do there's 2 streetcars and several subway stations to whisk me away.

Aside from foundations like the ill-reputed Brunswick House, hipster-haven the Green Room, grungy (but great) Lee's Palace, and the cavernous Sonic Boom... there are quiet winds of change blowing along Bloor. Smaller businesses play musical chairs, as fortunes can be made or lost on these bustling sidewalks every day of the week.

In a bizarre chain reaction, BC-based Cobs Bakery (370 Bloor W) invaded Los Incas Crafts' old spot, while L.I.C. appears to be reincarnated as Inca Crafts in Alter Ego's old haunt above Midoco (555 Bloor W). Cobs is doing well so far, thanks to their delicious bread and friendly service. Just next door to Cobs, Goldfish got flushed and has since been usurped by Asia Republik (372 Bloor W).

Fresh moved from their cramped location into their spacious new environs east of Spadina (326 Bloor W). It's bigger, cleaner, and noisier than ever! The spot they left behind at 521 Bloor W is being renovated into a new restaurant called Ginger Esquire, or so a little bird told me at City Hall.

Two new/renovated restaurants are also slated to appear at Tre Fontaine's (486 Bloor W) and ZiZi Trattoria's (456 Bloor W) old locations, the latter of which is going to be a Chinese dim sum restaurant.

Quite Phoenix-like, New Generation (493 Bloor W) burned down about a year ago and was updated with a more up-to-date interior and better seating arrangements (more booths). Still my favourite cheapie sushi joint ever.

Probably the weirdest event of the past year involved a lamp post and the stranded racoon outside Via Oliveto (376 Bloor W). That lamp post has since been removed, possibly to avoid any future wild animal drama.

In the blockbuster of the year, BMV opened its doors at the site of the abandoned dance hall near the Brunny. If the bright blue paint scheme isn't enough to send you into shock, perhaps the brightly-lit minimalist interior will. But seriously, where else was I going to find the used DVD for Richard Simmons' SuperSweatin' Party Off the Pounds???

Two new watering holes opened up in 2006. The Pump annexed the old delicatessen at 410 Bloor W, and The Beer Station took over the old Korean BBQ's location next to Pauper's. I haven't been to either, but I think the Pump's renovation job was decidedly superior.

JJ Albany's closed up for good, ending a horrible run of restaurants that started with JJ Mugs. This corner location (500 Bloor W) is the ugliest building on this whole stretch, but also the largest retail/restaurant space available. I was fooled by that Aroma Espresso Bar signage at first, but it's clear now that the space is still for lease.

Bloor Superfresh (384 Bloor W) replaced Bloor Supersave, which was Toronto's first 24-hour supermarket. Sad to see Supersave close its doors after such a long run, but everyone has to retire at some point. Superfresh seems to be more organized and thorough, with neatly-arranged fruits lining the sidewalk.

Hot Spot (362 Bloor W) seemed to be doing better than its predecessors at the troubled corner of Walmer and Bloor, but on last check the place was gutted and under renovation AGAIN. Is this location cursed like Albany and Bloor?

Clic Klak fashion studio's new Annex outpost (533 Bloor W) adds a bit of trendiness to the neighbourhood, albeit at the cost of the excellent Flash 'n Crash used-CD shop.

Whew, so much has happened on this little stretch, I haven't even gotten to my favourite pick of the neighbourhood... here goes:

I absolutely love Country Style Hungarian Restaurant (450 Bloor W). I love the family restaurant feel with the checkered tableclothes and dinnertime din. The food is amazing and sensibly-priced. For $14.95 (all prices tax included) I usually get a freshly-pounded Chicken Schnitzel about the size of my head. It comes with the choice of home-fries, mashed potatoes, bread dumplings, or rice. There's also a small salad (beets, coleslaw, lettuce, or cucumber) that comes before the main. A steaming plate of perogies, heaped with fried onions and sour cream, goes for $8.95 with a slice of sausage. It's a real challenge to save room for dessert here, but we do what we can because the Hungarian-style crepe with apricot jam and crushed nuts is worth going from 'full' to 'bursting at the seams'.

As an end-note: Just around the corner, at the side of the Futon Store (442 Bloor W), there's this great mural done by Atilla Szanyi circa 2005. While I've never seen the sidewalks crammed quite like that, he's successfully captured everything there is to love about the Annex. If you're interested in his work, it's available through the Apostolis Gallery.