I’m a huge fan of Peter’s Cajun Creole Pizza. For many years, it was directly across the street from our apartment, and our go-to place when Jenna and I didn’t feel like cooking. Pete’s was tiny, adorned with old-timey jazz memorabilia, and usually packed. There were two small tables, one long table (with old theatre seats), and a bar with room for one (maybe two) people. In the summertime, the garage-door front window would open up and let the breeze in.

Peter is Serbian, and the apparent contradiction of Serbian Cajun Creole Pizza is just one of those things that makes me smile and feel lucky to live in Toronto.

In short, Pete’s Cajun was a gem.

Last summer, Peter expanded beyond pizza, opening Peter’s Corner in the former Mr. Tasty location on the northeast corner of Queen and Parliament. They erected the sign (promising “Hamburger, Panini, Steak, Coffee, Gelato”) on July 2nd, but didn’t open until the end of August. That’s a long time for a restaurant to sit empty. I don’t know for sure, but I suspect the 2009 Toronto city workers strike had a lot to do with the delay. Then, earlier this year, both Peter’s Cajun and Peter’s Corner closed, with notes on the doors from the landlord.

I almost wept.

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But then, hope. A blog comment from Hunter:

well the good news is Peter is opening a new location in the same neighbourhood within the next few weeks. so you’ll get your panzerotti fix and i’ll get my estate pizza fix…

Well, it’s been a long couple of months of waiting, but today, based on a tip from neighbour Val, I stopped by Peter’s new location just north of Parliament and Gerrard, and was pleasantly surprised to learn that they’re open for business. I talked to Peter and Roma, and let them know how much we miss them on the northwest edge of Corktown.

Can’t wait to get a panzerotti.

Just north of our apartment in Corktown, the development at the corner of Dundas and Parliament continues. Yesterday, I noticed these harbingers of gentrification:

Perhaps now I can get a proper night’s sleep.

The TTC has scheduled streetcar service to resume along the Queen Street East bridge across the Don River at 5 a.m. today. Construction at Church and Queen Streets continues to disrupt streetcar service.

Via Transit Toronto

The horrible streetcar screetching at Queen and Parliament that I wrote about? For the past week, we’ve been spared. It seems that the previous diversion has been diverted by more construction on the Queen East bridge. So until August 27, the 501 will take this convoluted route:

501 Queen Streetcars will divert eastbound, from Yonge St.; east on Queen St., south on Victoria St., east on Adelaide St., south on Church St., east on King St., north on Parliament St., east on Dundas St., south on Broadview Ave., east on Queen St. to route. Streetcars will divert westbound, from Coxwell Ave.; west on Queen St., north on Broadview Ave., west on Dundas St., south on Parliament St., west on King St., north on Church St., west on Richmond St., north on Victoria St., west on Queen St. to route.

Laura and I tried to get to the subway today via the 501, and boy, was it confusing.

The other day, Jenna and I awoke to the sound of screaming steel at Queen and Parliament as TTC streetcars diverted south. Streetcar after streetcar made the turn, and I thought, “I wonder what’s wrong. I wonder how long long they’ll divert traffic.”

Turns out we’re in for more than a month of this. From TTC.ca:

Route diverting during watermain replacement

Starting 6:00 am, Monday, July 20 until 7:00 am, Tuesday, September 8, The City of Toronto and the TTC will conduct watermain replacement and streetcar track reconstruction affecting Queen Street East, between Berti Street and Jarvis Street. During construction, route 501 QUEEN and 502 DOWNTOWNER streetcars and 301 QUEEN route all-night streetcars will divert eastbound via Victoria, Adelaide, Church, King and Parliament. Westbound streetcars will divert via Parliament, King , Church Richmond and Victoria.

The stops on Queen Street East, between Victoria Street and Parliament Street will not be served.

Want to know what it sounds like? I made a quick and dirty recording. Make sure you listen all the way through before reading on:

One more thing: the 501 passes by our corner often. From 6am to 11pm, it comes by about every ten minutes. In both directions, east and west. So if we’re lucky, we hear this once every five minutes.

How long before I go crazy, I wonder.

[mp3 download]

[original image by mattjiggins]

The sign promises:

• Hamburger
• Panini
• Steak
• Coffee
• Gelato

But the best part? Their slogan is “Profile of Excellence.”

I’m not quite sure what that means, but I’m keen to eat there.

The Best of The Corktown Ukulele Jam, 8pm
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Dominion on Queen, main room
500 Queen Street East (at Sumach, 2 west of the DVP), Toronto, ON

I’ll be there, reprising (at Steve’s request) my ukulele cover of “She’s Dead” by Jim’s Big Ego. Video to follow, if it’s any good.

See you there. Or not, as the case may be.