june 2012

JOSEBAUTISTA

The Slugger SuiTS up

LOOK BETTER • FEEL BETTER • KNOW MORE

JUNE/JULY2012 SHARPFORMEN.COM

True Blood's True BaBe

WoMen of Summer

RACHeL McADAMS

eLISHACUTHBeRT

MALIn AKeRMAn

eXClusIVe

Are YouCanada’s sharpest

Man?Enter to win

$5,000 worth of designer clothes

Page 87

SUmmEr SUITSWHAT To BUy HoW To WeAR IT

THe BeST BARS CoAST To CoAST

BOTTOmS UP!

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NIcE rAcK!RIBS Done RIGHT, PlUS: KILLeR TACoS AnD fUn WITH RUM

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FATHEr’S DAyGIFT GUIDE

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14 sharpformen.com·June/July 2012

F E A T U R E S T H E S H A R P L I S T

S T Y L E C U L T U R E T R A V E L G R O O M I N G W O M E N T E C H C A R S

Entertain Like a ChefGet the most out of your next get-

together with our guide to eating,

drinking and partying in the summer

months.

Fassbender Gets PersonalWe get into the Prometheus star’s head,

with the some valuable insights from

the man himself.

Tom Longboat and the MarathonThe story of one of Canada’s most

accomplished athletes, and the

scandal that brought him down.

The Summer ManUndo your top button, leave the

socks at home and do summer ca-

sual right with these ultra-hip looks.

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f o r m o r e s p o r t s , w o m e n a n d o t h e r m a n l y p u r s u i t s

v i s i t s h a r p f o r m e n . c o m

How to Win at SummerFollow our guide to the best things to

do, be and have this season, from the

world’s greatest axe to robot lawn-

mowers to the new Dodge Viper.

Jose BautistaThis soft-spoken Dominican slugger

kicked around various major and

minor-league clubs before landing in

the Blue Jays’ outfield. Lucky for Cana-

dian baseball fans, he starting hitting

home runs soon thereafter.

Summer SuitsThe season’s ultimate fabrics, cuts

and colours. You need a summer

suit—here’s how to wear it right.

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16 sharpformen.com·June/JuLY 2012

12 Editor’s LEttEr

20LEttErs

22Man about town

136 brand dirEctory

138rank & FiLE

The First ThingGoing somewhere? Make

sure you take this bag

with you.

A Man Worth Listening ToKevin Hart is the biggest

comedian in America right

now. What do you mean

you’ve never heard of him?

Five Recom-mendationsWisdom for the ages from

Joey Lawrence (yes, that

Joey Lawrence).

A Welcome IntroductionMeet Janina Gavankar, True

Blood’s sexy shapeshifter.

BooksRichard Ford’s latest novel

explores the literary hotbed

that is... Saskatchewan.

MusicYour summer listening,

featuring Wintersleep, Doug

Paisley and Buck 65.

FilmIs it too soon for another

Total Recall?

SportThe inside scoop on Euro

2012, the US Open and the

London Olympics.

TechPortable gadgets to keep

you connected, wherever

you may roam.

StyleRope plus fishhooks plus

rose gold equals the coolest

accessory of the season.

The Well-Dressed ManGuest-curated by Brad

Goreski, one of the best-

dressed men we know.

TimepiecesSplash out with candy-

coloured diving watches.

VicesThe top spots to enjoy a

well-made cocktail from

coast to coast.

GroomingLooking for a new

summer fragrance?

We’ve got a few picked

out for you.

AutomobilesMercedes-Benz’s newest

SL is as awesome as you’d

expect. Plus, a compelling

argument in favour of RWD

and Audi’s S8 super-saloon.

Dad SkillsIntrepid correspondent

Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall

goes to mechanic school—

and tries not to puke.

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CONTENTS

G u i d e

THE BEST BARS IN CANADA p.48

THE SHARp LIST p.64

AUTOMOBILES p.54

S T A N d A r d S

TOC's_June.indd 16 12-05-17 4:00 PM

22 sharpformen.com·june/july 2012

MAT

The launch party to celebrate our Spring/Summer 2012 issue of The Book for Men was, as usual, one hell of a time. The new Arcadian Loft space on the 8th floor of the

Simpson Tower played host, while, outside, a gor-geous new Porsche 911 set the scene, holding court on the red carpet. Inside, 400+ guests feasted on steak and quail egg appetizers, pulled pork sliders and mini braised short-rib poutine, prepared by Chef Jamie Meireles of Oliver & Bonacini. Drinks were provided courtesy of The Glenlivet, Absolut Elyx, Jacob’s Creek and Peroni. Elsewhere, compli-mentary shoeshines were on offer from Walter’s Shoe Care, while Mankind Grooming Studio and American Crew teamed up to touch up guests’ hair. Timepieces from Chanel, Gc, Concord, Bandiera Jewellers and Solaris Jewellers were on display alongside carbon-fibre road bikes from Vitess in our Editor’s Lounge, where guests reclined on furnish-ings from Contemporary Furniture Rentals. The latest men’s spring fashions from Strellson, BOSS and Bugatti were also on view, along with Viktor & Rolf ’s masculine new spring fragrance, Spicebomb.

M a n a b o u t t o w n

Sharp: the Book for men Spring/Summer launcheS

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Please enjoy our products responsibly.

Publication Sharp Magazine

Insertion June 5, 2012

Size 8" W x 10.75" H (Full Page)

Ink CMYK

Client Corby Distilleries Limited

Project Name Stoli Canada Ad – REMIX

Oxygen Contact Samantha Brightling Oxygen Design Agency 416 506 0202 x226

FOB_MAT_June.indd 22 12-05-17 5:33 PM

24 sharpformen.com·june/july 2012

MAT M a n a b o u t t o w n

212 564 4646

Client:Product:

Job#:Pub:

Trim:Bleed:Safety:

Coty PrestigeETM Aqua ROB PG AD

1000186Sharp - May ‘12

8 x 10.75 in.8.25 x 11 in.7 x 9.75 in.

4/2/12Version: 3

1000186B1_ETM_Aqua_Sharp_Canada.indd 1 4/2/12 11:08 AM

FOB_MAT_June.indd 24 12-05-16 6:44 PM

A P E R O N I W I T H

WHO dId yOu guys lIsTEN TO As kIds?

Steve: Lots of stuff. Classic rock, you know,

like Cream, The Beatles, The Who, all that

stuff. Once I was approaching university,

about to study classical music seriously, I

started learning all about the great canon

of classical composers: Brahms, Mozart,

Haydn—all the good stuff.

Jacquie: When I was in high

school I was really influ-

enced by punk music.

I was really into the

punk scene and the

ska scene, so I feel

like that’s played a

huge role in our gen-

eral energy.

dO yOu HAvE PlANs TO PlAy

ANy summER fEsTIvAls?

Jacquie: Yeah, definitely We’re

going to be playing Edgefest in

July, and then actually the next day we’re

going to be playing in Ottawa at the Ottawa

Bluesfest. We’re really looking forward to

that. We’re also playing in Milwaukee—it’ll

be our first time there.

TORONTO cROWds ARE NOTORIOusly HARd TO

mOvE. WHERE dO yOu fINd THAT cROWds HAvE THE

mOsT ENERgy IN cANAdA?

Jacquie: We’ve had some really good times in

Halifax. People love to dance out there. And

Ottawa, too, people love dancing in Ottawa.

Steve: Montreal’s great.

Jacquie: Montreal. But, yeah, I feel like

people in Toronto are slowly

realizing that it’s better to

dance and have fun.

sO, yOu guys HAvE bEEN

IN THE musIc INdusTRy

fOR A fEW yEARs NOW,

ANd IT cAN bE TOugH

ON yOuNg bANds. WHAT

mAkEs yOu PERsEvERE?

Jacquie: Really just the

fact that we love music. We

just want to continue writing

good music and reaching new au-

diences and making people feel good.

Liam: Also, we get to travel everywhere, and

that’s a lot of fun. Going to new cities to play

music is kind of the greatest thing. And the more

we get to do that, the more we get re-injected with

fun and energy. We don’t plan on stopping ever.

THE bAlcONIEsA T T H E y u k O N I N T O R O N T O

As part of Sharp and Peroni’s multi-part series on Canadian taste-makers, we sat down at The Yukon—a new Parkdale watering hole—

with The Balconies. Formed in Ottawa, the trio is now based in Toronto and consists of brother-sister duo Jacquie and Steve Neville along with Liam Jaeger. We talked to them about their musical in-

fluences, summer plans and the pleasures of Canadian crowds.

Promo_Peroni With_June.indd 26 12-05-16 6:46 PM

Visit Sharpformen.com/peroni for the full interview, plus an exclusive video.

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“GoinG to new cities to play music is kind of the Greatest thinG... we don’t plan on stoppinG ever.”

Promo_Peroni With_June.indd 27 12-05-16 6:46 PM


W O M e NG U I D E

A Welcome IntroductIon: Janina Gavankar GooGles herself

BY greg hudson

Where You’ve Seen her Nerds may remember her as the sassy, proto-Siri, Ms. Dewey, the face of Microsoft’s defunct Live Search search engine. But more likely, you watched her in The L Word when no one was around.

Where You Will See her Reprising her role as the comely shape-shifter Luna Garza on the fifth season of HBO’s True Blood.

nerdS, You are in good companY Despite being a beautiful actress and an accomplished mu-sician, these are not Gavankar’s only talents. “I’m an infor-mation, gamer, music-nerd kind of geek,” she explains. “I define geek as someone who is unafraid to show their love for something. It’s like the op-posite of a hipster. They hate, we love.” She even codes her own website.

So, then, talk nerdY to uS “Whenever I’m Googling myself—which is so dirty and narcissitic—I always type in my last name,” she says. “I assume that anybody who actually knows my last name, or has

taken the time to spell it right, is probably going to say some-thing that I am going to want to read. As opposed to, ‘oh that brown girl on True Blood.’

Speaking of googlingOn True Blood, she’s no stranger to sex scenes. But she learned the ropes on The L Word. “I think doing it with women is easier sometimes. Because—and I’m making a gross generalization here—we like to be pretty about things,” she says of her days on The L Word. “Plus, there’s no beard stubble to deal with.”

WhY Janina gavankar inSpireS uS to Shave See above.

F o r m o r e p i c t u r e s o F J a n i n a G a v a n k a r , a n d t h e o t h e r w o m e n o F t r u e B l o o d .

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June/July 2012·sharpformen.com 35

C U L T U R E G U I D E

They’ve been at it for nearly a de-cade, but Wintersleep still can’t tell if they’ve made it.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever feel like we’ve reached that plateau,” says frontman

Paul Murphy in his aw-shucks demeanour. “‘Making it’ is such a subjective thing.”

Despite his skepticism, ever since Wintersleep’s 2007 single “Weighty Ghost” ignited international airwaves, the Halifax alt-rockers have been racking up the acco-lades: a performance on David Letterman,

a Juno for Best New Group and a slot opening for Sir Paul McCartney, to name a few.

“The McCartney gig was bittersweet because we had a prior engagement to go to Ireland that night,” Murphy downplays. “So we played our set and we had to leave before he went on stage. He even made

a joke as we were leaving: ‘What is this, some sort of warm-up gig for you guys?’”

The lads have been courageous enough to stick it out for 10 whole years and, to Murphy, that’s as close to defining success as he’ll get.

Still, these Maritime men do know how to make ridiculously good music, though. Hello Hum, their latest record, is teeming with complex rhythms, ethereal instrumentation and earworm melodies, marrying the band’s sonic weirdness with FM pop charm. While Murphy says there are more love songs on this album than on any other, fear not: they’re cryptic enough that you might never know.

“Sometimes I just go with words that sound cool. I always try to keep it ambigu-ous, so even the love songs aren’t all that lovey-dovey.” There’s a reason musical/literary icon Dave Bidini recently ranked Wintersleep the sixth manliest entity in Canada (right behind the likes of Gordie Howe and Bret Hart). They aren’t exactly open with their feelings.

“I feel like just making good records and touring at all is ‘making it,’” he says. “It’s something you grow up dreaming of and it’s not something you actually think is go-ing to happen. That alone is amazing, even if it’s hard to pay the bills. We’re not some humongous band rolling in Benzes.”

No, they just open for people like that.

Wintersleep is the Band of the summerBehold, one of the man-liest groups in Canada

By Alex NiNo Gheciu

D-SiSive, rapper1 Spiritualized Sweet Heart Sweet LightI’ve been obsessed with Jason Pierce ever since I first heard his voice in Vanilla Sky. I fought to not illegally download this album. I wanted to experience it on its release day with the artwork and credits in front of me. My favourite record store was playing their advance copy and I got high off his voice. Luckily they had copies in the back and sold me one five days early. I got my fix. He can do no wrong.

Doug paiSley, alt-country artiSt2 BahamaS Barchords The best album so far this year is Bar-chords by Bahamas. It has a backbone of incredible songwriting, singing and musician-ship. Admittedly, Afie Jurvanen of Bahamas is a friend of mine. But as my fellow musician, he is a bitter foe and this fantastic album has struck a jarring blow.

Buck 65, rapper anD cBc raDio 2 hoSt3 death GripS The Money StoreI’ve been waiting for something different to come along in hip hop for a long time and here it is. It’s angry and absurd, which is a great com-bination. I’ve never heard anything quite like the beats—they’re heavy and weird and terrifying, but I can’t stop dancing. Put it all together and my heart rate quickens by a few BPM, which is a feeling I haven't felt in some time. It’s punk rap!

Danko JoneS, rock artiSt4 UndecidedIt's already proving to be a great year for new albums. Frontrunners in the race for Album of the Year for me has to be Van Halen’s A Differ-ent Kind of Truth and High On Fire’s De Vermis Mysteriis. Both albums are a return to form for each band. But when Grand Magus’ new album, The Hunt, comes out later this year, it will give them a run for their money. – ANG

2012 is half over—and by some accounts that means we’re mere months away from

total oblivion. No time like the present, then, to update your playlist with the best records of the year. And who better take stock of the best new releases then some of the nation’s

foremost musicians?

Best AlBums of 2012 (so fAr)

Guide_June.indd 35 12-05-16 6:48 PM


A U T O M O B I L E SG U I D E

DecaDence ReDefineDThe 2013 Mercedes-Benz sL 550 Takes refined performance To The nexT level

By Bradley Horn

The Mercedes-Benz SL is mere transportation in the same way Kate Upton is a bit attractive or Bono is a somewhat known in

music circles. Your nana’s hand-me-down 1978 Ford Granada is perfectly capable of A to B transportation, but this, gentlemen, is oh so much more.

You’re coveting the car on this page right now because it’s oozing $123,900 of roofless, two-seat German perfection. Only a handful of motorcars in the world today offer the sublime al fresco combina-tion of silken smoothness, velocity, overt

luxurious and NASA tech of the SL. You want this Mercedes-Benz because few machines on four wheels personify style, taste and status quite so flawlessly.

To mark the flagship Benz’s 60th birthday, it’s been redone from rubber to folding magnesium roof, becoming even more wonderfully excessive. It now darkens its own sunroof by electronically realigning the particles within the glass; uses its own spaceframe to reverberate and enrich the tones of the sound system; and it can even interface with Facebook via your smartphone. Wave your foot under the rear bumper and the trunk lid powers open or closed automatically. The SL’s even scrapped the tried-and-true way of building windshield wipers for a better adaptive system with laser-cut blades.

Dropping into the driver’s seat, you first notice the leather hide and expensive-looking trim. It’s everywhere. Then there are the buttons. So. Many. Buttons. Twelve on the wheel, more around the radio and climate controls, and still more by the shifter and click-scroll wheel for the car’s multimedia system. Overwhelming at first, it’s all easily understood within those first few glorious hours behind the wheel. What’s more—in a remarkable feat of Ger-

man aerodynamic finesse—with top down, windows and wind deflector up, you can have a normal conversation with your pas-senger while cruising at 120 km/h.

Car geeks will doubtlessly comb the details of how the Merc’s lost 300 lb, via a new, 90 percent aluminum core or how two turbos made the now-smaller V8 engine somehow more powerful and more efficient than last year’s model. For our purposes here, you need only know that few cars can get 429 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque to the road with this level of polish. Naught to 100 takes just 4.6 seconds, and there are even more potent turbo V12-powered AMG versions of this car coming soon with outputs well over 500 hp. It goes without saying that this amount of power is completely unneces-sary in a road car—but that was never the point anyway.

SPECS:2013 MErCEdES-BEnz SL 550Powerhouse: 4.6-litre, twin-turbo V8outPut: 429 horsepower/516 lb-ft of torqueGearBox: Seven-speed automaticPrice: $123,900avaiLaBiLity: Now

Cars-June.indd 54 12-05-16 6:51 PM

We’ve waxed poetic about Audi’s A8 full-size sedan on these pages before. Think IBM re-search lab with massaging seats

and you’ve the gist of the six-figure flagship. This new, high-powered S8, though, is on a

totally different plane. Heidi Klum wearing a jet pack comes to mind.

Here, Audi is showing the motoring world that it’s possible to construct a premium car that excels at, well, almost everything: it’s able to comfortably transport and entertain five people, make a statement curbside and rocket down a kinked roadway with aplomb.

The S8’s old engine has been given the heave-ho in favour of a new 4.0-litre TFSI, twin-turbo V8 that’s 25 percent more effi-cient. Surely, the S8’s been neutered then? A shadow of its former self? Nope. Output now dances in and around the numbers from Audi’s own R8 V10 supercar: 512 horsepower and 480 lb-ft of torque put to pavement by an eight-speed gearbox and quattro all-wheel drive. Tremendous.

The mostly aluminum S8 also rocks four exterior cameras for a 360-degree view when parking, Active Noise Cancellation to suppress “intrusive” racket in the cabin with opposing sound waves, adaptive air suspen-sion and even optional track-sourced carbon fibre-ceramic disc brakes. Ms. Klum and her jet pack don’t stand a chance.


A U T O M O B I L E SG U I D E

i f two seats just won’t do…The 2013 Audi S8

BY BradleY Horn SPECS:2013 Audi S8Powerhouse: 4.0-litre TFSI twin-turbo V8 outPut: 520 horsepower / 480 lb-ft of torqueGearbox: 8-speed automaticPrice: $130,000 (est.)availability: Summer 2012

Lifford Wine Agency is hosting the sixth annual Boys’ Night Out event. It’s a celebration of guy’s stuff cleverly disguised as a sophisticated wine tasting. Hot cars, golf, fine wine, steaks, live entertainment, oysters, motorcycles, music, bbq, auctions and much more.

Proceeds will benefit prostate cancer research.

Thursday, July 12th, 7pm to 10pm. Evergreen Brick Works.

Tickets: $100. For tickets or more details, visit www.LiffordBoysNightOut.com

BOYS WILL BE

MAGNUM SPONSORSJEROBOAM SPONSOR

MEDIA PARTNERS

Cars-June.indd 58 12-05-18 10:19 AM

J o s e B a u t i s ta i s t h e B e s t B at t e r i n t h e w o r l d . a n d h e p l ay s f o r t o r o n t o .

By Rohan Josephphotos By Matt BaRnesWaRdRoBe styling: donovan Whyte/Judy incassistant: coneli canayang

DO:

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WATCHTHIS MAN HIT SOME DINGERS...

t h e s h a r p l i s t


Bautista_June.indd 78 12-05-16 7:07 PM


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Think about this next time you talk about foreign women in lustful, hushed and reverent tones: the rest of the world? They’re doing the same thing when they mention Canadian girls. And if they aren’t, they should be. All year long, everywhere we looked—on the big or small screen, on magazine covers, and in certain men’s interest publications—there were beautiful and talented Canadian women making our country look good. Some exampleS:

T

DO: Cult ivate a Deeper appreCiat ion for

Canadian aCTresses

81T h e S h a r p L i S T

13.Sharplist-Women.indd 104 12-05-16 7:19 PM


Canadian aCtresses

Where the hell did this elisha Cuthbert Come from?

We were pretty sure we had Elisha Cuthbert figured out. She was that actress who was good at looking scared, and looked good when acting tough in 24 and a handful of schlocky thrillers. Basically, she was a young starlet. Someone who thanked the gods of genetics every night for her career, however short it might be. (And, should anyone view this as sexist, know that plenty of young male stars should be saying similar prayers nightly.)

Then, last year, she blossomed into the funniest actress on one of television’s funniest shows. Happy Endings has more jokes (that actually land) per minute than any other show, be it a critical darling like Community or low-brow popu-list fare like 2 Broke Girls. And it wouldn’t be nearly as effective without Elisha Cuthbert. Yes, the writers have made her character dumber in the process—but it takes savvy and real comedic skill to make a ditzy blonde be as real, original and lovable as Cuthbert’s Alex is. It’s been a wonderful surprise.

We used to have a crush on Elisha Cuthbert. Now, we think we might be falling in love.

Malin akerMan keeps getting better

Recently, whenever we think of Malin Akerman—the beautiful, most often blonde Swedish/Canadian actress starring in this month’s Rock of Ages—we can’t help but think of thuggishly handsome American actor Channing Tatum. Yes, it’s an odd incongruity. It’s not that the two have ever shared screen time—it’s that if Malin Aker-man were a man, she’d be Channing Tatum. And vice versa.

Stay with us, we’re making a point. Both actors very clearly scored their

first roles based on their looks, not their wobbly acting chops. But both kept working. Not just working as in ‘getting work.’ They’ve been working, as in working on their craft. Look at Tatum: he began as an animated lump of beef, and now, while he’s no Gary Oldman, he’s extended his meat and potatoes range into comedy, action and (passably) drama. He’s also down-right charming.

And Malin: There is not an actress in the biz who wants it more. She’ll take edgy roles, complex roles, roles she has no business getting…and she’s, well, getting better. But we love her work ethic. A girl with those looks could make a decent living playing the rom-com villain—that impossibly pretty girl that distracts our hero be-fore settling on The One (and, make no mistakes, she’s done that a few times), but no. She’s here to work, dammit. And there’s something special, some-thing heartwarming, about seeing an actress improve right before our eyes.

“It’s like when I used to run track and field,” she told us in an interview back in 2009, “our coach would say, Don’t you dare run with someone who’s slower than you, always pick someone faster because then you have to up your performance.”

You’re running fast now Akerman, and we can’t help but marvel at your form.

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108 sharpformen.com·JUNE/JULY 2012

O N

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Cover Story.indd 108 12-05-18 10:21 AM

JUNE/JULY 2012·sharpformen.com 109

O NAn essay examining the rise of the Irish Prometheus star.*

* Annotated by the man himself.

By Will Sloan IntervIew By Sian Edwards/The Interview PeoplePhotos By Nicolas Guerin

Cover Story.indd 109 12-05-17 7:50 PM

ENTERTAINCHEF

While entertaining in the winter has much to recommend it— the whole throw-a-log-on-the-fire aesthetic is pretty nice in

the dark of December—we much prefer summer entertaining. There are more options (indoor or outdoor!), the nights are longer, and everyone

is more relaxed. What follows is all you’ll need—from what to prepare to what songs to play—to make the most of the summer season.


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I use a charcoal chimney—a steel cylinder with a handle that holds about a gallon of charcoal—to light my coals without lighter fluid. Fill it up. When a few pieces on the bottom are ignited, let it sit, un-touched, for about 20 minutes.

During that time, prepare a spice rub. My spice mix is not canonical; it was created by Davis based on what he found on my shelf. The key elements are heat and sweetness, in balance. The amounts here are enough for one rack of ribs.

There is a membrane on the underside of the ribs that will be chewy no matter how long it’s cooked. To remove it, use a knife or spoon to dig under its surface, enough so that you can grab it by your fingers. It will be slippery; use a paper towel to grasp and remove it. Once you start lifting, you’ll feel it peel off with the unsettling tear of a back waxing.

Massage the spice mix into the meat. By now the charcoal should be a maelstrom of flame. Pour the contents into the bottom of the barbecue. Push them to one side, the opposite side that the top vent is on. Use tongs (duh) to build it into a pyramid.

Slap the ribs on the top grill, as far from the heat as possible. Hav-ing the ribs and vent on one side of the chamber causes the flavourful smoke to draw across them on its way out.

Soak the wood chips in a bowl of water but wait a half-hour before applying any.

Make a basting liquid of apple juice with a little sugar and hot sauce.

After a half-hour, apply a couple fistfuls of strained chips, another four charcoal briquettes and baste the meat, without turning it. Repeat every half-hour.

It should take no less than three hours, no more than four.

Somewhere around the second hour, the fat will mix with the rub and form a seductive glossy coat-ing. Resist taking them off the grill. When the ribs are actually done, the exterior will be nearly black-ened. That’s when the deep smoky flavour has set in. The meat should not be “falling off the bone” but it should tear easily.

Remove from the grill. Gently reheat to serve with corn bread and slaw, naturally. — COREY MINTZ

he idea that we can throw some meat on the grill and, in the time it takes to chug a beer or two, we will have succulent, glistening ribs, is nonsense.

Barbecuing is work. It requires more time and patience than labour, but it is still work.I was given a lesson by Tom Davis, owner of The Stockyards, a Toronto restaurant specializing in burgers, fried chicken and possibly the best ribs this side of the Mason-Dixon Line.

This method is for a charcoal barbe-cue. You can cook ribs on a gas grill or even in an oven. But if you want to do things half-assed, why bother taking anyone’s advice?

Fortunately, ribs do not need to be eaten straight off the grill. They taste fantastic reheated. So rather than try to time them right for when your guests arrive, make them earlier in the day and reheat them on the grill—at a low tem-perature—when company arrives.

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Ribs• 1 rack of baby back ribs (plan on each guest eating 4 to 6 ribs, depending on what else is on the menu)• 1 tbsp sugar• ½ tsp each: salt, black pepper, ancho chili powder, guajillo chili powder, chipotle chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika• ¼ tsp each: mustard powder, ground coriander, cayenne pepper • 1 bag of wood chips (apple, cherry or hickory)

For Basting• 1 cup apple juice• 1 tbsp sugar• 1 tbsp hot sauce

A L e s s o n i n M A k i n g T h e B e s T D A M n R i B s e v e R


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JUNE/JULY 2012·sharpformen.com 121

The incredible sTory of Tom longboaT, The greaTesT canadian olympian no one has ever heard of

ne hundred and four years ago, no Canadian scored more media

depictions than Tom Longboat. He starred on Pet Cigarettes Company’s

promotional trading cards, drawn brown and sockless, poised on a disappearing, curved path. And on the front pages of Toronto’s daily newspapers, the five-foot, eleven-inch athlete, slender and muscular, and only months past 20, was among the first generation of mass-produced images to saturate the nation.

“Wildfire,” they called him.

O

by donnell alexander

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CoConut waterWhere has this been all our lives? Delicious, refreshing and mixes perfectly with rum. On that note, it's also our go-to cure for summer hangovers.

Fiona appleNot only because we’re huge fans of her wise, sultry music, but also because we favour al-bums with titles that can barely be tweeted. And Fiona Apple’s The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do is one of those albums.

50 ShadeS oF GreyE.L. James’ bestselling series of erotic novels may not be spectacular lit-erature, but any book that helps women explore their freaky side can’t be bad.

the Summer oF CranStonWhether you're enthralled with Breaking Bad or not, Bryan Cranston’s craggy face is getting harder to ignore now that he's on the big screen, too. He’ll add subtle gravitas to Total Re-call, Rock of Ages and the latest Madagascar sequel, where he plays a talking tiger. But, he'll always be Walter White to us.

women on BikeSThe combination of women in flimsy summer dresses and two-wheeled transpor-tation gets us every time.

the 2012 preSidential eleCtionSWith the presidential campaign ramping up, we’re watching all of the hullabaloo down south like we watch all great sports events: emotionally invested to a dangerou degree without any control over the outcome. And, like sports, the results will affect us very little.

liStSCheck this space for the 100 reasons we are excited about the 10 best chef’s top five ingredients for the 50 meals you’ll need to make on the top 25 best food-inspired holidays. There are a lot of lists in the world, is what we’re saying (have you seen ours? Check pg. 64).

SandalS on menReal talk: no one wants to see your toes. (But that doesn’t give you license to wear socks either.)

Beer tentSThey are a blight on the face of all summer festi-vals. No man should have to wait in more than one line for an overpriced beer.

the walruSYou can win all the Cana-dian National Magazine Awards you want, but you’re more than a little stuffy, staid and—dare we say it—pretentious. Are we jealous of your awards? Certainly not! Are we trying to start a beef with Canada’s magazine of ideas? Maybe. Your move, Walrus.

R A N K & F I L ER&F

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OUR HIGHLY SCIENTIFIC RANKING OF THINGS THAT DO AND DO NOT DESERVE YOUR ATTENTION

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june 2012

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