There's something undeniably romantic about a crepe. Though I can't quite put my finger on it, it may have something to do with its inherent Frenchness, or the fact that I've gone on so many dates that involved a crepe and a long walk/talk that the humble paper-thin Gallic pancake will forever be associated with that giddy excitement of nascent affection.

Whether or not that's the case for everyone you can probably agree that even a substandard, rubbery crepe can almost be forgiven if it's slathered with creamy chocolate-hazelnut spread and stuffed with bananas and strawberries or busting at the seams with black forest ham and gruyere cheese.

Crepes are an awesome portable food that reminds the eater that it's always rewarding to think outside the sandwich. And now with new street vending regulations in effect, it'd be nice to see a crepe stand pop up on a corner somewhere seducing folks with the scent of butter and the hiss of the crepe pan.

Little kids are juice junkies. They're on a hamster wheel of sipping a juice, spilling a juice or being offered a juice. When we're young and finicky, our list of acceptable fruits and vegetables is about five items long. Which is why our parents hit us with the juice. Juice sneaks under the radar and quietly delivers vitamins and nutrients to unsuspecting children.

Then we get older and we eat the real thing. We show off with our full fruit bowls and elaborate salads. Juice falls by the wayside. Forget about it, we can barely remember to drink enough water. And there are so many interesting fermented drinks to explore. And the coffee. Oh god the coffee.

Enter the juice bar. Juice bars make juice newfangled and interesting. You don't just drink juice, you design, compose, substitute and supplement it. Virgin orange juice no longer. Beets! Parsley! Wheatgrass! Coconuts! Take all those fruits and vegetables you have been unable to bend to your will (I'm looking at you, kale) and turn them into a refreshing beverage. Juice bars wrangle those tricky pineapples and beets, distilling them down to their tasty essence.

By the time these top juice bars are through with them, fruits and vegetables have turned from something to quench your thirst into protein power-boosting smart smoothies --getting as close as we've come so far to Willy Wonka's three-course-meal gum.

Health food stores have come a long way, baby. When I was young, and my well-intentioned hippie parents were raising us on a diet of fruit leathers and wild rice casseroles, I spent a great deal of time in health food stores. If I close my eyes, I can still see the giant unmarked tubs of natural peanut butter, and smell the slightly astringent smell of chewable vitamin C.

But right around the time Lisa Simpson admitted she was going to marry a carrot, things started getting better for healthy eaters. A lot better. Even these days, while big business is slapping 'natural' and 'organic' all over themselves, independent health food stores are increasingly mainstream, stylish, and plentiful, with fantastic options all over downtown Toronto.

Toronto is flush with options for dressing fashionably while being environmentally conscious, and these shops scored big in this year's list of the best green retailers. But, much like the best green services, the variety of products on offer shows that making our lives green is easier than ever.

Green is in for fashion from head to toe, as is eliminating chemicals from nearly all of our home products. And the next time I build a bookcase, I'll head to Urban Tree Salvage, where Toronto's felled trees are turned into lumber.

Any remaining images of eco-fashion involving burlap bags or green living being something only for hyper-environmentalists are shattered by our top eight retailers.

Toronto is famous (or infamous, depending on your take) for having one of the most thriving bar and night club scenes in all of North America. Ranging in size and scope from the tiny, intimate watering hole to the gigantic, hopping superclub, Toronto does have a lot ot offer to those looking to get out for a drink to drown their sorrows solo, or get their party on with thousands of like-minded clubbers.

Back in In January we ran our annual Best of Toronto readership survey and the nomination and vote results confirm the notion that we have a decent variety of awesome, new options for nightime entertainment all over the city.

There's something so satisfying about having someone say to you, "I like your t-shirt/bag/earrings" and being able to respond with, "Thanks, I made it myself!"

And sure, you look like a huge keener but still.

The Do-It-Yourself mentality is wide-spread these days. The internet has been a big part of that (especially recently, with monster blogs like Craft: and Make:), but DIYers start (and grow) in real-life communities.

And Toronto has built a great DIY community. From hobbyists to those who subscribe to a whole DIY lifestyle, do-it-yourself-ers keep coming together to pool their resources, skills and ideas.

Keep reading to discover some of the best DIY spots in Toronto.