What’s on the menu at Gare de L’Est, a new French brasserie in Leslieville

What’s on the menu at Gare de L’Est, a new French brasserie in Leslieville

Name: Gare de L’Est Brasserie
Contact: 1190 Dundas St. E., 416-792-1626, gdlbrasserie.com, @gdlbrasserie
Neighbourhood: Leslieville
Owners: Erik Joyal and John Sinopoli (Ascari Enoteca, Hi-Lo Bar, Table 17, The Broadview Hotel)
Chef: Mathew Gulyas (The Good Son, Table 17)

The food

Brasserie favourites, including French onion soup made with house-made beef broth, steak tartare and steak (or moules) frites. A whole-animal butchering program (so, charcuterie) is on its way, but until then there’s foie gras au torchon and a rustic pâté de campagne. The restaurant’s café is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and a pre-theatre prix-fixe menu is available when there’s a show playing at Crow’s Theatre.

Morning café service features pastries from the Tempered Room and breads from Blackbird Bakery.

 

Salade de betteraves: beets, cashews, watercress and Grey Owl goat’s milk cheese. $13.

 

Soupe de poisson en croûte: Provençal fish soup puréed with tomato, saffron and fennel, with a puff pastry crust. $15

 

Steak haché: medium-rare ground beef brisket, fried egg, white anchovy and Bordelaise sauce. Served with toasted baguette. $19.

 

Champignons bourguignon: shiitake, cremini and Hen of the Woods mushrooms, red wine, mushroom jus, pearl onions, celeriac, noodles and a poached egg. $20.

 

Oeuf.

 

Tarte au citron. $11.

 

Crème caramel. $11.
The drinks

French wines from small producers, a dedicated section for Champagnes, a selection bottled beers (some local, many Belgian), one beer on tap and ciders, many of which are on the dry side. The cocktails, including some pre-batched ones, feature French liqueur.

Le Bijou Volé: gin, Dubonnet, green chartreuse, orange bitters, sparkling wine, soda and orange. $13.

 

The vieux carré, made with rye, cognac, sweet vermouth, Benedictine, Peychaud’s bitters, Angostura bitters and maraschino cherry, is one of two batched cocktails. $16.

 

Les vins.
The space

A fully accessible 70-seat dining room and bar that Sinopoli likes to think evokes the fun, the levity and the romance of 1960s France. A 35-seat patio is in the works.

The open kitchen has Carrara marble counter seating.

 

The bar.

 

Chef Gulyas (centre).