1977 Dundas St. W., 416-530-1430, @tommyswinebarto
Weeks before the first lockdown, Tim Morse and Jamal Watson were carefully turning an old convenience store into their dream coffee-shop-slash-wine-bar. Though the timing for a wine bar was unfortunate, the bottle-shop iteration of Tommy’s has nestled perfectly into the Dundas West strip. Expect the comforts of a good local laid-back energy, stellar espresso but with fridges of boozy (and non-boozy) bevvies.
The vibe: Pop in for a coffee, end up leaving with at least two bottles of wine
The snacks: Patties from Patty King and ham sandwiches from Donna’s
The selection: Strongly local, and more than just bottles of wine: bottled cocktails from Solid Olive; wine-beer hybrids from Hamilton’s Merit Brewing; and Ramona, a canned wine by sommelier Jordan Salcito
In a pre-COVID-19 era, Digicel Rising Stars finalist Jodian Pantry would by now be putting the final touches to her annual New Year’s Day concert staged in Clarendon, ‘Gospel Tenacity’. The event won’t see the light of day on January 1, 2021, but Pantry is undaunted and refuses to buckle under the pressure caused by the pandemic. Instead, she has opted to go the virtual route, with a concert titled ‘Musical Conversation’, to be streamed on Christmas Day and again on December 26. And, as usual, she has the support of her wide circle of friends in the music industry.
For this concert, Pantry has assembled an interesting mix of entertainers, including an aggregation of former Digicel Rising Stars (DRS) competitors. Among them are Rising Stars and ‘X-Factor’ winner Dalton Harris; Sherlon Russel, 2019 DRS winner; Jody-Kay James, 2015 DRS winner; Nickeisha Barnes, DRS finalist; OMI, Jamila Falak, Sheldon Shepherd of No-Maddz, George Nooks and 12-year-old Maylyn Dillon. Als