The Curbed Cup, our award to the Toronto neighbourhood of the year, is kicking off with 16 'hoods vying for the prestigious fake trophy. This week we'll have two matchups per day, and all the results and the full tourney bracket will be reviewed shortly. Voting for each pairing ends 24 hours after it begins. Let the eliminations commence!
Rosedale: Home to some of Toronto's elitest elites, residential Rosedale is an old-boys' enclave of winding, shady streets and gracious old homes. Over on Yonge Street, though, there are lots of shops and pubs that you don't have to be rich to hang out at. Design and home-decor junkies will find lots to ogle at Decorium, Farrow & Ball and Love the Design; fashionwise, Rosedale isn't exactly cutting-edge, but does have some specialty shops like Ani & Wren (for expectant moms) and The First Step (for Birkenstocks). Foodies hang around All The Best Fine Foods hoping for sample trays to be passed around, and the glorious Summerhill branch of the LCBO is like a magical wonderland for oenophiles. Rosedale's also home to the Rebel House, Wylie's and the Rosedale Diner, three pubs that locals have been swearing by for decades, Black Camel's lengthy lunchtime lineups, and a few well-reviewed new spots like Sawasdee's.
Leslieville: While no one's really sure where Leslieville's boundaries lie—does it end at Coxwell? Kingston Road? Greenwood? -- most can agree it's buzzing with activity. Restaurants and bars are opening at a frenzied pace, but can the neighbourhood handle being the new Ossington? The owners of places like Hitch, Skin + Bones and Bero are betting on it. It's also a carnivore's dream neighbourhood: Rodney Bowers chose Leslieville as the second location of his popular Hey Meatball! sandwich place, which is on the same block as bacon-sandwich purveyors Rashers, which in turn is right across the street from Leslieville Pumps, a Southern-style BBQ joint. Home cooks are in luck, too, from the fresh, sustainable fish at Hooked to the award-winning sausages at Meating on Queen. You'll also find no end of galleries, vintage shops and tiny boutiques like Damzels and Thrill of the Find. Development is coming to the area, too, although the lowrise condo at Queen and Pape has been stalled for nearly three years.
· Curbed Cup 2013 Archives [Curbed Toronto]