Ah Tapas. Is there any single more over-heated trend on Toronto's dining landscape than the small plate? It attracts more buzz than molecular gastronomy and I think I understand the rationale behind it: most restos make their biggest profits on the booze and small plates can highlight a kitchen's creativity, allow people to keep eating while they drink, and share a whole bunch of flavour without tying themselves to one dish. Makes sense. Much like their penchant for fascist dictators, the Spanish were way ahead of the curve on this one.

Though it's easy to be cynical when even the humble tubesteak is falling victim to this rampant tapas-try there's still much to love about the ability to indulge culinary ADHD and enjoy a little bit of everything your tastebuds crave.

Bread is one of the most concise and versatile film props. It was bread that finally drove Sam and Frodo apart. Yet when a film needs to look idyllic, the art director can still just pop a baguette in the scene (preferrably sticking jauntily out of a bike basket) and take the rest of the day off.

Toronto's taste in bread is growing up. We're getting away from the "how many grains can you fit in a loaf" game, which, while fun, isn't all that bread has to offer. These days we're favouring artisanal loaves, and we won't settle for any bread without a crust sturdy enough knock a man out at a thousand paces.

Running a successful gallery in Toronto is like riding a bicycle backwards on a steep incline in the rain on a Sunday in church traffic hung-over. Not entirely impossible but an uphill battle of fierce proportions.

Not a whole lot has changed in Toronto's art scene since the days of the now-defunct sis boom bah and Luft gallery. Rents continue to increase, galleries open and galleries close. And though we've whined and complained ad nauseam to the point of cliché, we all know how the story goes. The movement from counter-culture to culture to "authentic loft living" is nothing new and certainly not unique to Toronto.

The restaurant business in Toronto, much like in most cities the world over, can be a relatively volatile scene. Old favourites continue to shine, but some also suffer sad, seemingly untimely deaths. Some new places open and within a few months fail, while others become thriving, trendy hot spots within no time at all.

This diverse list of some the best of the newer restaurants in Toronto (those that opened in 2007) in the cheap eats category (entrees under $15) highlights those that garnered the attention and adoration of diners who come hungry and leave satisfied.

Now that it's Spring, many of us are digging out our trusty aluminum (or iron) steed, and realizing that it needs a thorough tune-up. Or maybe we're getting fed up with the TTC, and looking for a comfortable and dependable human-powered vehicle to take us to and from work. Or perhaps we're gearing up to rip through some trails or roll through some country roads, and all we need is a new bike?

Fortunately, as a city with a healthy cycling culture, Toronto has an abundance of bike shops for cyclists of every stripe, sort and persuasion.

Remember back in the day, when the infamous panda-laden Mr.Pongs truck would cruise the club district after drunken revelers were unleashed on the city at 2am? Given the right circumstances (read: hunger, convenience, a pocket full of bar change, and seriously alcomahol-blurred judgment), eating a giant egg roll off the mobile Chinese food truck satisfied. Nostalgia aside though, it paled in comparison to the experience of a short trip up to one of the many late night Chinese restaurants on Spadina - a Toronto tradition that continues today.

Late night Chinese food on Spadina isn't your normal weekend dining experience - in so many respects. Forget about ambience, a comfortable chair, and a slow-moving yet attentive server. If you're lucky, you won't have to wait in line only to then be seated at a large, round, communal table with drunken strangers quipping slurred phrases like "I think I ate here once but I can't be sure because I was so wasted." And if you're lucky, the lineup you've just managed to navigate won't end up cramping your space after you've been seated.

But minor annoyances aside, which definitely impart charm and legitimacy to the experience, nothing beats a great chow down at one of Toronto's better late night Chinese food joints. They're a great option for a fast, cheap, and delicious meal (and some are known to serve "cold tea" after hours). General Tao's Chicken at 4am in Kensington's Chinatown is something every Torontonian should experience.