The Mogo Blog

Summer time is patio season (Toronto edition)

Summer in Toronto is short and sweet and to take full advantage of its brief magnificence, bars and restaurants across the city set up camp on the sidewalk. Yup, it’s officially patio beer season and there are many bars and restaurants that reserve a tiny enclave of outside space for their summer patrons. We take a look at the very best patios Toronto has to offer. One This is the place to see and be seen in Toronto. Here you are most likely to encounter designer watches and outfits, fancy spo

Toronto and the chocolate factory

If I had to pick just one thing I loved most about Toronto, it wouldn’t be its eclectic collection of fascinating residents, its beautiful parks or its wide selection of truly great restaurants and bars. Oh no, it would be the chocolate factories. Its precisely because of the parks, and great people, and bars and restaurants that Toronto collects a crowd that knows how to enjoy life. And there is no better way to bring joy to a life than with fine chocolate. Soma Soma [http://www.somachocolate

Vancouver's best patios

Can you smell it? Yep! That’s definitely the smell of patio season approaching! There’s nothing better than a long, lazy afternoon spent sipping a pint in the sun, watching Vancouver roll by underneath (or beside) you. It takes a lot to make a great patio. It’s not just enough to be an outdoor space with seats, drinks, and eats. A lot of factors come into play. Is it comfortable? Spacious? Is there a good view? Is the food good and affordable? Is the staff great? What times does it get sun? Dri

Vancouver - learn to cook and help the arts at the same time

There are things I tell myself I’m going to try every six months or so. Cooking classes are definitely on this list—I’m not a bad cook, but I’m not very skilled either. It would be nice to whip up something tasty with a little more variety than the Italian/pasta default I go to. That perpetual putting off of cooking classes is one reason I’m really thinking about enrolling in the Arts Club Theatre Company’s cooking classes [http://www.artsclub.com/events/cooking-classes/index.htm]. But there ar

Toronto Locavore Delights

More foodie posts from the Mogo Lounge! We’re your source for the best ways to spend your cash on great Canadian eats! Strawberries from Mexico, avocados from Peru and bananas from Brazil; with all that traveling, your summer salads may have the same carbon footprint as Boeing 747. We have grown accustomed to year-round availability of all our favorite produce and we don’t always stop and think about how far our well-traveled food has flown. Now a new movement is changing all that; locavore eat