 Location: 1185 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON
 weaty Betty's has been espoused so many times as a Toronto hidden gem, that it would no longer be appropriate to call it hidden. It's not uncommon to see the bar packed to capacity on any given night. Granted the capacity is only about 30, but that's still impressive for a bar that relies almost entirely upon word of mouth. That area around Ossington and Dundas is rapidly becoming the hippest neighbourhood in town right before our very eyes.
That's a rather ironic truth; it's the gritty authenticity of places like Betty's that has attracted so many hipsters to the area in the first place, but as it develops, it may soon end up as the next West Queen West, an area whose gentrification has caught up to and engulfed its hip factor. Once everyone's favourite alternative spot, the Drake Hotel has become place that everyone loves to hate.
Paul Cristo, the owner of Sweaty Betty's, has formed a partnership with Nick Savage, one of his bartenders to develop another nearby bar, this time located on Dundas. The bar has been given the purposely sketchy-sounding moniker, The Red Light. I asked Cristo what the vibe of the place will be. "Well we were saying 'Dirty Asian Whorehouse'," he replied. "But we're making it a bit nicer, just a regular Asian Whorehouse". If the bar doesn't work out, he can always get a job writing blurbs.
The Red Light will be over twice the size of Betty's with a whopping capacity of 75. It will be just another small cozy bar for the neighbourhood, later to be exploited by people looking for the next hi spot. There will again be an special focus on the jukebox, which will be loaded with 45's rather than CDs. Nick Savage works as a DJ, so he's bringing a love of music to the table. There will be a bit more focus on special booze as well; they're trying to stock the bar with some good bourbons. Again in Cristo's words, "it'll be another cozy little spot with good booze and friendly people. A little more class, but without being stupid."
The red light was aiming for an opening within the next few weeks, but due to "bureaucratic bullshit," will open in early November. - R.T. | | |
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Opening and Closure info comes to you via The Buzz, our regular update of debuts all over town. Did we miss something? The tip line is open. (info@martiniboys.com)
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