Introducing: Red Sauce, the Italian-American snack bar that replaced Little Italy’s Acadia
(Image: Renée Suen)
Name: Red Sauce
Contact info: 50C Clinton Ave., 416-792-6002, redsaucetoronto.com , @RedSauceToronto
Neighbourhood: Little Italy
Owners: Acadia owners Lindsay and Scott Selland
The Food: The simple menu is stocked with Italian-American staples: hero sandwiches, miniature calzones and veal parmigiana rolls—all prepped by scratch with ingredients from local sellers like The Butcher Shoppe and Hooked. The restaurant’s dedicated clam bar serves raw, steamed and baked shellfish.
The Drinks: Beverage options include a tight wine list, a house ale from Ontario brewery Flying Monkeys and diner-inspired cocktails, like a caramelized-popcorn float. Fans of Acadia’s popular draught negronis will be glad to know the kegged cocktails survived the restaurant makeover.
The Place: Acadia’s slightly dreary interior has been transformed into a 1950s-style diner with worn wooden booths and teal-green wainscoting. By night, the space becomes a cozy cocktail bar.
The Numbers:
• 12 house cocktails
• 7 days a week until 2 a.m.
• 1 loyalty card program (20 per cent off on every fifth visit)
• 1 draught negroni
• 0 reservations
257788 Red Sauce was inspired by Italian-American restaurants in New York and Chicago in the 1950s (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Red Sauce https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-1-HERO-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-1-HERO.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-1-HERO.jpg 1179 667 {"credit":"Renee S Suen"} https://torontolife.com/food/red-sauce-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-1-hero/ renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-1-hero 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
257775 Teal-green wainscoting and decorative diner menus make the space feel like a 1950s pizzeria (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Red Sauce https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-23-ROOM-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-23-ROOM.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-23-ROOM.jpg 1001 667 {"credit":"Renee S Suen"} https://torontolife.com/food/red-sauce-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-23-room/ renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-23-room 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
257770 (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Red Sauce https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-37-PRINT-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-37-PRINT.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-37-PRINT.jpg 1001 667 {"credit":"Renee S Suen"} https://torontolife.com/food/red-sauce-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-37-print/ renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-37-print 0 0
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257774 (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Red Sauce https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-30-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-30.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-30.jpg 1001 667 {"credit":"Renee S Suen"} https://torontolife.com/food/red-sauce-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-30/ renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-30 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
257772 By day, the restaurant wecomes neighbourhood families; at night, it turns into a cocktail bar (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Red Sauce https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-34-BAR-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-34-BAR.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-34-BAR.jpg 1001 667 {"credit":"Renee S Suen"} https://torontolife.com/food/red-sauce-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-34-bar/ renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-34-bar 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
257773 Beverage options include wine, a house ale by <strong>Flying Monkeys</strong> and innovative cocktails, including some carryovers from Acadia (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Red Sauce https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-31-BAR-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-31-BAR.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-31-BAR.jpg 1000 667 {"credit":"Renee S Suen"} https://torontolife.com/food/red-sauce-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-31-bar/ renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-31-bar 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
257781 Popcorn Float: aged rum, caramelized-popcorn ice cream and coke ($9) (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Red Sauce https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-9-POPCORN-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-9-POPCORN.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-9-POPCORN.jpg 1031 667 {"credit":"Renee S Suen"} https://torontolife.com/food/red-sauce-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-9-popcorn/ renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-9-popcorn 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
257785 Negronis are available on tap for $6 (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Red Sauce https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-4-DAUGHT-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-4-DAUGHT.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-4-DAUGHT.jpg 667 1001 {"credit":"Renee S Suen"} https://torontolife.com/food/red-sauce-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-4-daught/ renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-4-daught 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
257784 Negronis are available on tap for $6 (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Red Sauce https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-5-DAUGHT-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-5-DAUGHT.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-5-DAUGHT.jpg 1001 667 {"credit":"Renee S Suen"} https://torontolife.com/food/red-sauce-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-5-daught/ renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-5-daught 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
257786 (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Red Sauce https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-2-REDSAUCE-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-2-REDSAUCE.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-2-REDSAUCE.jpg 1001 667 {"credit":"Renee S Suen"} https://torontolife.com/food/red-sauce-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-2-redsauce/ renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-2-redsauce 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
257778 Muffuletta sandwiches come stuffed with salami, capicola, mortadella, Berkshire ham, provolone and homemade giardiniera, an Italian-American pickled vegetable relish ($8/half; $14/full) (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Red Sauce https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-17-MUFFLETTA-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-17-MUFFLETTA.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-17-MUFFLETTA.jpg 1001 667 {"credit":"Renee S Suen"} https://torontolife.com/food/red-sauce-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-17-muffletta/ renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-17-muffletta 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
257780 In the Knuckle Sandwich, a terrine made out of pork knuckle and ham hock is crusted with panko, deep-fried and served on a Kaiser roll with broccoli rabe, grainy mustard and marinara sauce ($9) (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Red Sauce https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-14-KNUCKLE-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-14-KNUCKLE.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-14-KNUCKLE.jpg 995 667 {"credit":"Renee S Suen"} https://torontolife.com/food/red-sauce-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-14-knuckle/ renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-14-knuckle 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
257779 Panko-crusted pork knuckle and ham hock terrine on a Kaiser roll with broccoli rabe, grainy mustard and marinara sauce ($9) (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Red Sauce https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-16-KNUCKLE-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-16-KNUCKLE.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-16-KNUCKLE.jpg 1001 667 {"credit":"Renee S Suen"} https://torontolife.com/food/red-sauce-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-16-knuckle/ renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-16-knuckle 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
257777 Sweet-and-sour chicken wings ($9) (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Red Sauce https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-20-WINGS-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-20-WINGS.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-20-WINGS.jpg 1000 667 {"credit":"Renee S Suen"} https://torontolife.com/food/red-sauce-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-20-wings/ renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-20-wings 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
257787 Pepper-stuffed calamari with marinara sauce ($14) (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Red Sauce https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-42-CALAMARI-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-42-CALAMARI.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-42-CALAMARI.jpg 1001 667 {"credit":"Renee S Suen"} https://torontolife.com/food/red-sauce-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-42-calamari/ renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-42-calamari 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
257782 House ginger beer, root beer, tonic and grapefruit soda are kegged and bottled on-site ($4) (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Red Sauce https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-47-SODA-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-47-SODA.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-47-SODA.jpg 1000 667 {"credit":"Renee S Suen"} https://torontolife.com/food/red-sauce-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-47-soda/ renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-47-soda 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
257789 Amaretto Sour: amaretto, bourbon, egg white and Angostura bitters ($9) (Image: Renée Suen) Renee Suen - Toronto Life - Jan 2014 - Red Sauce - (38) SOUR https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-38-SOUR-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-38-SOUR.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-38-SOUR.jpg 1056 667 {"credit":"Renee S Suen"} https://torontolife.com/food/red-sauce-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-38-sour/ renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-38-sour 0 0
(Image: Renée Suen)
257776 Drawing supplies are provided to occupy kids (Image: Renée Suen) Introducing: Red Sauce https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-21-CRAYANGLES-96x96.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-21-CRAYANGLES.jpg https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Renee-Suen-Toronto-Life-Jan-2014-Red-Sauce-21-CRAYANGLES.jpg 1001 667 {"credit":"Renee S Suen"} https://torontolife.com/food/red-sauce-toronto-restaurants/slide/renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-21-crayangles/ renee-suen-toronto-life-jan-2014-red-sauce-21-crayangles 0 0
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Total ripoff of Parm in NYC…but hopefully it’s good!