Introducing: The Carbon Bar, a massive Southern bistro on Queen East from the owners of Nota Bene
Name: The Carbon Bar
Neighbourhood: Moss Park
Contact Info: 99 Queen St. E., 416-947-7000, thecarbonbar.ca
Owners: Yannick Bigourdan, David Lee and Franco Prevedello, the same trio behind Nota Bene on Queen West
Chef: Former Splendido chef David Lee, who is also the executive chef at Nota Bene
The Food: The contemporary American menu takes cues from Southern, Latin American and Texan cuisine. It’s divided into bar snacks, appetizers, sharing plates, “fixins” (i.e. sides) and wood-fired meats, which are slow-roasted in an actual wood fire pit. For 29 bucks, the Pit Master Platter brings beef brisket, pulled pork ssäm, jalapeño sausage and pork ribs, which have quartz-pink middles and heavily charred exteriors.
The Drinks: In keeping with current trends, the short cocktail list focuses on brown spirits and tequila, which are blended with unconventional ingredients like sea buckthorn and guajillo chili syrup. The wine and beer lists emphasize American bottles.
The Place: A big, modern bistro with brick walls, maroon booths and dozens of spherical light fixtures dangling from the ceiling. The building previously housed a Disney rehearsal space, a City TV broadcast studio and the nightclub Electric Circus. A few design details pay homage to that history, like a clubby neon sign and a collection of Donald Duck figurines.
The Numbers: • 104 seats plus an additional 45 at the bar • 30 seats in the second-floor private dining room • 30-foot ceilings • 15 Donald Duck figurines pay homage to the building’s former life as a Disney rehearsal space • 12 spherical light fixtures suspended on pantographs • 1.5 years to renovate
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Caroline Aksich, a National Magazine Award recipient, is an ex-Montrealer who writes about Toronto’s ever-evolving food scene, real estate and culture for Toronto Life, Fodor’s, Designlines, Canadian Business, Glory Media and Post City. Her work ranges from features on octopus-hunting in the Adriatic to celebrity profiles.
