Editor’s Letter: Illuminating the warmth of this community
Building a neighbourhood takes time — and it’s not something that happens passively. This year, our vertical neighbourhood has created what I hope will become a holiday tradition: In addition to some seasonal decorations for the foyer, the board added a Menorah. For the eight days of Hannukah, a group that included a variety of denominations gathered to light the candles each evening and reflect on the season. There were traditional jewish prayers and song. At a time with so much (literal and metaphorical) darkness in the world, this gathering of neighbours reflect the goodness that it is possible when we choose to slow our day down just a little bit to connect with those around us.
This edition of A letter from George marks our first anniversary of this publication. As editor, I get to assemble the features written by your neighbours — and every quarter I learn something new! I’m grateful for Nancy’s forays into the neighbourhood to meet the proprietors of local business. My image of Nancy is as our own roving reporter (cue the trenchcoat and notebook!). Diana has introduced food and drink that’s become part of my own repetoire, and Noelle’s curations of music has added to our household’s enjoyment of playlists that recreate some aural memories.
Wishing everyone a happy holiday and a prosperous 2024.
Susan Prince
A Little Upgrade on Milk and Cookies for Santa
Santa’s been busy reviewing his Naughty/Nice List and mapping his travels for Christmas Eve, so I’m sure he’d appreciate an upgrade on the usual milk and cookies. (sidebar – this may also ensure your place on the Nice list). This eggnog is a generations-old tradition in my friend’s family.
Johnston Family Eggnog
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 pint of milk
1 cup of heavy cream
3 oz. of rye
2 oz. dark or amber rum
1 tsp grated nutmeg
½ tsp grated cinnamon
4 egg whites
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks appear. Whisk the egg whites into the yolk mixture. Chill and serve with a sprinkle of nutmeg for garnish.
If you prefer a sweeter eggnog, you can adjust sugar to taste. Makes 6-7 cups.
To pair with this generations-old eggnog recipe, I’ve chosen Ginger Snaps – a recipe I’ve been enjoying since I was wee. The warm spices in both recipes make for a great pairing. Here is my mother’s recipe for Ginger Snaps.
Laraine Harris’ Ginger Snaps
¾ cup shortening (I use butter)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
¼ cup molasses
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp soda
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
¾ tsp cloves
¾ tsp ginger
sugar for dipping
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix butter, sugar, egg and molasses thoroughly. Blend dry ingredients; stir into butter mixture. Form in 1” balls and roll in sugar (place sugar in a small bowl – Rolling in white sugar makes a crackle look to your cookies). Place about 2” apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Make 4-5 dozen.
Author: Diana Harris
When One Italian Door Closes Another One Opens: Tulia Osteria
I know I feel quite fortunate to have Tulia Osteria located just down the street from The George.
Open for lunch and dinner it has become a go to for lunch and dinner for many in the area. But did you know they also do corporate events and private parties? They have specials galore. Who doesn’t love a special? Here’s a look at what you can find:
Monday to Friday lunch feature for $25. Includes select alcoholic (choose from the happy hour offerings) or any non alcoholic beverage, starter arugula salad and any pizza or sandwich.
Happy hour 3-6 everyday. $7.75 drinks include house wine (red is a primitivo, a dry Niagara rose and the white house wine is a dry Niagara riesling), a Folly Brewpub beer or any bar rail mixed drinks.
Tuesday Movie Night: 25% off food with a Beaches Cinema ticket stub for the same day. This does not include steak or the lunch feature.
Wednesday Date Night: $60 prix fixe for 2. Choice of crudo, carpaccio or burrata to share. Choice of any of pizza or pasta (1 each). Finish with gelato or tiramisu. No substitutions.
Thursday Family Night: Kids under 12 eat free with a $30 purchase per child. Includes a margherita pizza or plain pasta.
They also have fully customizable event packages, great for the holiday season. Aidan Hospitality assembled an incredible team of 22 including General Manager Tina Lineman. Tina was kind enough to devote some time to answer a few questions about our neighbour down the street.
“Tulia Osteria is ‘Italian Elegance meets Leslieville Charm’. We really respect Italian food and its roots. We are producing high quality and delicious items that you may find at a fine dining Italian place, but without the insane price point. We welcome families, date nights or celebrations, you name it! Everybody feels welcome when they come through those doors just as they’ve welcomed us so warmly into the neighbourhood” says Lineman. I can attest to that.
Here’s my conversation with Tina:
NLS: How long have you been in business and do you have other locations?
TL: We are still in our infancy and have only been open 5 months! Aidan Hospitality has some other restaurants in Toronto and in Oakville. Toronto: Prohibition Social House, Grace O’Malleys, Folly Brewpub and Charlotte’s Room. Oakville: Ce Soir and Beacon
NLS: Why did you choose Leslieville to open your shop and how has the reception been?
TL: Leslieville is such an amazing community that when the perfect spot became available we knew it was meant to be. The reception has been phenomenal, Leslieville is full of such warm and welcoming people that want to support us and see us do well, and that warms our hearts. It’s not dog eat dog like in downtown, but such a perfect pocket where businesses all support each other and all the neighbours seem to know each other.
NLS: You moved into a space that was previously a loved Leslieville go to for Italian food. Do you find that you are constantly being compared and if at all, has this helped your growth?
TL: We definitely get compared to Queen Margherita, but it has been only positive responses so far! We kept the wood burning pizza oven, which makes people happy because it pumps out some delicious pizza. However, Queen Margherita only had pizza and a small amount of other options so guests are happy that we’ve added on a lot more options like pastas, main dishes, salads and appetizers. So If you’re not feeling pizza, we have something else for you!
Tina has been happy to find “Once we get people through that door it is easy to have them come back again because the service and food speaks for itself.” On the note of food, every great restaurant needs a great chef and in this case, great chef and pizaziolo. Tina isn’t shy to speak of them, “We are so lucky to have an amazing head chef, Eugene Suhanov! His love for food really shines through and he will win you over with his dishes one by one. He has been a chef for 25 years and finished his apprenticeship under esteemed Chef Hans-Ulrich Herzig and is continually inspired by Chef Raymond Blanc’s work. He has worked in 5 star hotels and fine dining restaurants across the city and is happy to be bringing that talent to Leslieville! And we can’t forget about our head pizzaiolo, Cristiano Bilobran, who is a fermentation master. He has been cooking professionally for 12 years and moved his focus to pizza 7 years ago. His focaccia and pizza will make you fall in love at first bite!”
There are some menu items that are worth noting. They are Tulia’s most loved and and best sellers. I have to say, ‘must try’ items.
Cocktail: Fragola Negroni. A spin on the classic. It includes muddled strawberries and violette liqueur. It goes down way too fast!
First Course: Arancini hands down is the best appetizer. Orders include 5 smaller balls and the crispiness that comes out of that is fantastic. Bite sized balls of happiness, as Tina puts it.
Mains:
Pizza: Funghi and Pizzano. The funghi is a white pizza with mixed mushrooms and a truffle aioli. If you are a pizza dipper normally, this one’s for you! The pizzano is a spicy pepperoni and hot honey combo. The contrast of sweet and spicy absolutely kills it.
Pasta: Spanish Agnolotti. Stuffed with ricotta and spinach and served in a truffle cream sauce. it is very decadent but not heavy which is a tricky thing to pull off so well!
Entree: Whole Branzino. It is such a simple dish but is executed with such perfection that it is bursting with flavour! The acidity of the sweet and sour tomatoes it’s served with balance the dish so nicely while not being heavy. The ribeye is also an insanely good value for what you’re getting and, not surprisingly, also delicious!
Dessert: Tiramisu, made in house. It is rich and flavourful, and a perfect ending to your meal. Save room for it.
All in all, Tulia Osteria is a local gem that is worthy of local support and beyond. Put it on your list and pop in for a cocktail, lunch or dinner. You’ll be transported to Italy.
Author: Nancy Lee-Sing
Holiday Jazz Playlist
Taking a break from your holiday prep … or looking for the right soundtrack for you cocktail party? Pour yourself a libation and relax with some holiday jazz in our curated holiday playlist on Spotify: “George Wishes You a Cool Yule”:
Mix Tape: Noëlle Jenkinson
Another neighbourhood discovery: One Academy is one of our own.
I recently had the opportunity to dig a little deeper and find out more about another one of The George’s neighbouring businesses with a very close connection to our vertical community. Eric Vieira, one of our very own is co-proprietor of One Academy.
Eric and co-owner Jesse Bruce opened their 10,000 square foot flagship at 858 Eastern Avenue in July of 2017.
When asked about why Leslieville, Eric had this to say, “It was partly a love for this neighbourhood, partly a need for the neighbourhood. There wasn’t much around to scratch the group training itch, and we knew we could do it on a large scale to accommodate the community. We also wanted to provide a service within a tight-knit Toronto community, because that’s what this city is all about.”
For those of you not familiar with One Academy, it is a fitness facility that offers strength and conditioning classes with their proprietary HiFLUX® training methodology. These classes are programmed in four-week blocks to optimize development. Not to mention it is a good amount of time to start seeing results.
Personally, I know that I have been intimidated when walking by the open garage doors on Eastern or when their patrons are running circuits. What I have learned from Eric is that you need not be scared away. “Because of the space and equipment, people may be intimidated to step into their first class. First-timers can expect a warm welcome, facility tour, and introduction to their
Coach. A thorough class demonstration, a bit of extra attention from the Coach, and post-class high fives quickly show first-timers that One Academy is for everyone, no matter where you are on your fitness journey.”
Author: Nancy Lee-Sing
The George VIPs – A spotlight on our four-legged residents
Hi! My Name is Ella. I’m 1.5 years old and I’m a potcake from the island of St. Lucia.
For those of you who are not familiar with potcakes, we are mixed-breed dogs found throughout the Caribbean Islands. We are called potcakes because island residents fed us a mixture of leftovers, mainly consisting of the rice and peas that stuck to the bottom of the pot and formed a ‘pot cake’ while being cooked.
Nicknames: Ella-Bean, Bean, Beanie, Boo, and my more formal name is Lady Ella Bean of George
Humans: Diana and Noëlle
Favourite Toy: My chew bone…or any stuffed toy that I can disembowel in less than 5 minutes!
Voted Most Likely To: Make you fall madly in love with her.
Goal: To have everyone I meet fall madly in love with me. Hey wait, that was I was voted most likely to do…I think I’ve succeeded!
Favourite Quote: “Do you want to go to Cherry Beach?”
Not-So-Secret Crush: Bonnie, Rory and Lupé… don’t judge as I have a lot of love to give.
Author: Nancy Lee-Sing
Greetings from the Board
Hello Neighbours! As 2023 draws to a close, we hope that all have had a happy and healthy year. We’re feeling the holiday spirit this year and have added some seasonal décor to the building lobby. We’d like to thank the decorating committee for their work: David and Susan Prince, Nancy Lee-Sing, Diana Harris and Noelle Jenkinson.
January brings with it a new year and another AGM which we are in the process of scheduling. We expect to be hosting the AGM in late January. Keep an eye on your email for notifications and details.
With so much animosity swirling around in the world, we’d like to thank our fellow residents for the diverse and inclusive community that we have built here at the George. It is certainly something to celebrate this holiday season.
Happy Holidays,
James, Kelsey & Noëlle
Wishing Happy Holidays to all at the George including our full time staff:
- Manager: Simranjeet Kaur
- Custodian: Mario Ganitano
- Weekday Concierge/Security: Rupamdeep Kaur Nagi
- Weekend Concierge/Security: Megha Sathwara
Oh Tannenbaum!
Putting up a tree for Christmas? For those of you putting up a real tree, some say that fresh water is the best option for keep your tree fresh. Others, and I fall into this camp, believe that adding a little sugar water to your tree’s water helps extend the life of your festive fir.
How should you dispose of your tree after the holidays? Glad you asked. Since real trees require a little more housekeeping, here is a gentle reminder of how to dispose of your tree:
All trees are to be brought to the loading dock for disposal before January 12th.
There will be a designated spot in the loading dock near the overhead door. When bringing your tree to the loading dock, please ensure your tree is wrapped in a tree bag so as not to leave needles throughout the building. Please remove the bag once you’ve deposited your tree in the designated area as the service that picks up the trees will not take them if they are bagged or wrapped.
Until then, enjoy your tree, keep it well hydrated, and we hope it stands tall over a sea of wonderful gifts.
Author: Noëlle Jenkinson
Looking for a little holiday fun? Test your family and friends with this brainteaser:
Name That Christmas Carol!
- Bleached Yule
- Castaneous-coloured Seed Vesicated in a Conflagration
- Singular Yearning for the Twin Anterior Incisors
- Righteous Darkness
- Arrival Time 2400 hrs – Weather Cloudless
- Loyal Followers Advance
- Far Off in a Feeder
- Array the Corridor
- Bantam Male Percussionist
- Monarchial Triad
- Nocturnal Noiselessness
- Jehovah Deactivate Blithe Chevaliers
- Red Man En Route to Borough
- Frozen Precipitation Commence
- Proceed and Enlighten on the Pinnacle
- The Quadruped with the Vermillion Proboscis
- Query Regarding Identity of Descendant
- Delight for this Planet
- Give Attention to the Melodious Celestial Beings
- The Dozen Festive 24 Hour Intervals
How many did you guess correctly? You can check your answers HERE
A Letter From George 