image via BlogTO

Recently I dropped into Nadege Patisserie on Queen West to pick up a paintbox mix of their incredible biscuits (flourless by the way). A special something for a special someone. My first thought was that this was a nice place, particularly by Toronto standards. After tasting some of these Marie Antoinettes (really?) my next thought was, "this place is too good for Toronto".

Yes. This place is so good, you'd expect it to be somewhere like New York or London or maybe even Paris. But Toronto? Really? Then I had another thought, there area a few things that Toronto, a city bereft of any design sense, despite being a center of design activity economically, just doesn't appreciate or deserve. Like the Japanese Paper Place also on Queen. This exceptional shop has been bringing some of the finest handmade papers from Japan and Italy for years without barely a peep. Swipe Books on Richmond is another exceptional store for both it's inventory and knowledgeable staff that gets nary a mention around town. Coach House Press. Ed Burtynsky's Image Works. Hariri Pontarini's McKinsey & Company Toronto Office. All examples of things that this town doesn't deserve.

Of course, there are a lot more things that actually are not good enough for Toronto. Things like the TTC, cycling lanes, storm sewer infrastructure, the municipal government, are all sub-par for a city of Toronto's size and economic importance.

So please, Toronto. Don't screw up the good stuff and let's try to make the crappy stuff better.

Labels: design, Toronto