The Globe And Mail
Food is Serious Business at The Playpen
The Playpen is about as far from hipster heaven as it’s possible to be, not only as the crow flies but also in its sensibility. A dingy little plaza at Gerrard and Carlaw? Why put a restaurant there? Well, if you’re Johnny Katsuras and wife/partner/chef Laura Prentice, and your last restaurant (Tomi-Kro) closed in October with a bailiff’s notice in the window, maybe getting off the beaten path costs less and makes sense. ...continue reading
The Grid
Then & Now: Tazmanian Ballroom
History: Just as true characters have frequented Toronto’s most memorable nightclubs, they’ve owned them as well. Few have been as influential, audacious, or fanciful as nightlife impresario and restaurateur Johnny Katsuras. Since the late 1970s, the man better known as Johnny K has owned and operated a wide variety of thematic hot spots—often with wife, business partner, and chef Laura Prentice—in areas just off the beaten path, with a lean towards the city’s east end. ...continue reading