Life, Liberty Village and the pursuit of happiness
Liberty Village we’re pulling for ya! Yes indeed it appears the strip mall and generic condos might spoil the urbane mini-Meatpacking promise of this area’s rennaissance, but we’ll chalk this up to “mixed use” and focus on the more interesting and exciting developments. In fact, you can get used to this being a regular feature since we both live and work here - invested you bet.
It’s On:
Mildred’s Temple Kitchen, formerly Mildred Pierce of the awesome-est brunch patio, is opening at 85 Hanna (the building with the LCBO in it). BTW a new restaurant called Oasi is set to open in their old 99 Sudbury digs any day now, which I have to say looks very interesting from the outside, with that BC west-coast modern vibe going on.
Atelier Thuet expands, but has recieved lukewarm reviews from the Globe (not Joanna Kates though).
Brazen Head has nice patios (and that super-convenient 1 hour free internet access from Beanfield). Beware of the hidden upsell on sides though.
Liberty’s patio has free wireless too, with a more local vibe and nice thin-crust pizza.
Merci Mon Ami is the best expensive sandwich west of the SandwichBox. I think the gorgeous side salad and fresh fruit kabob that accompany it gratis actually make it better. Hey we got nothing against expensive sandwiches when they come this ample, nourishing, and gourmet especially with a salad and dessert thrown in. You can eat it at one of ‘em funky big communal tables too.
MyMarket, the farmer’s market, opens.
Haveli Home moves away from condo minimalism. Ornamentalism and colours. Nice.
What Up?
Merci Mon Ami: Cinq à Sept? No liquor license yet, but they’ve assured me they will be open for after-work cocktails soon. Just look at that patio: it’s sunny western exposure is just screaming Kir Royale, or at least a snappy rosé.
What’s going in the Barrymore Building? The Barrymore building is a former industrial building located next to 85 Hanna Avenue. The property is being renovated to accommodate a 20,000 sq. ft. retail space and a 50,000 sq. ft. office space scheduled for completion in Q4, 2008 (although another source says tenants will move in June 2008). Owned by First Capital Realty, their list of top 40 tenants are not too exciting, the best have already taken space in their other property next door: LCBO and Starbucks. They list Circuit City, Shoppers Drug, banks, video stores and other mundanity. Hope they find someone else, the artists rendering does have a hopeful mom ‘n’ pop vibe to it. We’ll see soon enough.
Liberty Village Market Building plans to resemble the Milan Galleria? “A glass gallery inspired by the Galleria in Milan will create a new space between the two parts of the building, with the railroad tracks preserved in the new walkway” writes Leslie Scrivener, Apr 22, 2007 on thestar.com. Looks almost complete, although perhaps more inspired by Mies than Milan (not that that’s a bad thing), or come to think of it - both. This especially deserves note as the first inspired piece of new public architecture in an area that held so much promise.
August 29th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Very interesting site, nice design, greetings
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:39 am
An Update on Merci Mon Ami.
Merci Mon Ami’s outside patio opened this summer and is a favourite spot for the lunch crowd, especially on those beautiful summer days that we’ve had this year (2008).
Their sandwiches are always delicious, no matter which one you order (I especially love the “seafood”), the staff is always friendly and somehow remembers everyone’s name, even if you’ve only been there once before. And, Oh yes, they also offer their own “secret ingredients” burger creation every Wednesday which has been getting rave reviews from all who’ve tried it and who keep coming back week after week for more of the same. In the winter they have a daily “hot food” speciaI and a soup of the day on their menu, which is always oh so good.
I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who enjoys a great tasting sandwich that’s made not with store bought cold cuts, but with freshly baked chicken, turkey, etc., served by a friendly face, in an ambiance that you will love.
I rate it ***** STARS.