Marky and Sparky’s gets smoked out of the Junction

No longer will the intersection of Runnymede and Annette smell of hickory smoke: the co-owner of Marky and Sparky’s Smokehouse, Marcus De Simone, has closed his southern barbecue joint. De Simone cryptically explained on Facebook that the closure has something to do with a court order, and that he’s going to move his business ever-so-slightly west—this time, minus Sparky, his former business partner and the owner of neighbouring Butcher by Nature, Frank DiGenova. De Simone is promising that Marky’s BBQ will open March 15, at which point neighbourhood residents will have to follow their noses to 383 Jane St. in Baby Point (formerly the home of Mad Mexican’s taco shop) for their fix of de Simone’s brisket sandwiches and pulled pork platters.