Author: Outdoor Lifestyle Magazine

By Diane Slawych – Toronto, ON   There’s nothing more eye-catching on a residential street than a row of brightly painted houses. In the last few decades, jelly bean coloured homes in hues ranging from magenta and fire engine red, to chrome green and canary yellow, have been popping up with increasing frequency all around the country. The trend appears to have started in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where it’s most pronounced, and spread to other locales, particularly on the east coast, all the way up to the far north.  Some say the craze began with the wider availability of...

By Patrick Dixon – Toronto, ON   El Catrin Destileria is an authentic Mexican experience in the heart of Toronto’s historic Distillery District. The restaurant boasts an ambitious selection of traditional and modern cuisine. The team at El Catrin spared no effort in bringing Mexico’s culture and vibrancy to Toronto when it officially opened its doors back in June of 2013. The rustic exterior is welcoming and unpretentious. The floor-to-ceiling mural that greets visitors in the front entrance was painted by three Mexican artists and took over 14 weeks to complete. The Day of the Dead, or Dia de...

By Cedric Lizotte – Montreal, QC   How many restaurants in Montreal can claim to have celebrated 25 years of existence? Le Saloon Bistro Bar (in the Village) can…and that’s a serious testament to their perseverance and continuous hard work. “Le Saloon isn’t just an institution in the gay community, it’s an institution in regards to the city as a whole”, says Philip Demers, who’s been the owner for 17 of these years. It’s true, owning a restaurant in Montreal is a cutthroat business. And the many changes that the Village, Montreal’s gay neighborhood, has experienced over the years...