What’s on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni

Name: Bacchanal
Contact: 60 Sudbury St., 416-586-1188, bacchanal.ca, @bacchanal.to
Neighbourhood: Little Portugal
Previously: Recess Diner
Owners: Luke Donato (Campagnolo) and Lachlan Dennis (Le Sélect Bistro)
Chefs: Executive chef Luke Donato, sous chef Damon Clements (Ortolan, Delux), grill chef Liam Donato (Noce, Trinity Common) and pastry chef Cori Murphy (Alo)

The food

A single-page menu of contemporary takes on traditional bistro classics, including pâté, steak frites, a 38-ounce côte de boeuf (aged for 60 days and served with sides for $75) and baba au rhum. There’s a raw bar, too, and groups can opt for the carte-blanche menu, which lets the chefs cook a family-style feast (made up of dishes of their choosing) for a fixed price.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The drinks

There’s an eclectic mix of international wines (most of them French, many of them offered by the glass), and a number of French-inspired cocktails from bar manager Jason Griffin (Montreal’s Hotel William Gray, Maison Boulud), like the Guillotine, made with Armagnac, Dubonnet, sherry and Creole bitters. Also: absinthe (after all, the restaurant’s name means “wild and drunken revelry.”)

 

 

 

 

The space

An open kitchen and brass-accented bar are prominent features of the 100-seat, 3,500-square-foot space. A 50-seat patio is scheduled to open in time for next summer.