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Food & Drink

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

By Renée Suen| Photography by Renée Suen
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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.

What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
House-made bread is served with whipped butter.

 

What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
Hors d’oeuvres include (clockwise from top right): galantine de volaille ($12), leeks vinaigrette ($7), oeufs Pépin ($7) and jambon blanc with cornichons ($8).

 

What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
Ocean trout sourced from Taro Fish is served with sauce a l’oseille and poached cucumbers. $29.

 

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What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
Blanquette de veau: sweetbread fricassée, veal breast and chanterelle mushrooms. $38.

 

What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
Agnolotti with snails and hen-of-the-woods mushrooms. $16.

 

What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
Magret de canard with plum, parsnip and foie gras. $31.

 

What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
Steak frites with Café de Paris, a butter-based sauce. $24.

 

What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
Parfait de chèvre glacé with pistachio, cherry and rose. $15.

 

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What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
Paris-Brest: a choux ring with hazelnut-praline crémeux. $15.

 

What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
Baba au Rhum with pineapple, all spice and white chocolate. $15.

 

What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
Executive chef Luke Donato and sous chef Damon Clements in the kitchen.

 

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.”)

What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
Named after the famous beachside hotel in Normandy, Le Landemer is made with Calvados Boulard, St. James agricole rum, star anise-infused Lillet, orgeat, pineapple and lime. $14.

 

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What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
The Guillotine: a riff on the manhattan made with Marie Duffau bas armagnac, Dubonnet, Lustau amontillado sherry and Creole bitters. $13.

 

What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
Dalí is Griffin’s whimsical take on a (vegan) sour that uses Aviation dry gin, crème de violette, herbes de Provence, lemon, aquafaba and butterfly pea flower. $13.

 

What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
Here’s Griffin using chickpea water (aquafaba) to make his vegan sour.

 

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.

What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
This is a semi-private space.

 

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What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
It has a view of the pastry kitchen.

 

What's on the menu at Bacchanal, a new French bistro from Alo, Le Sélect and Campagnolo alumni
A focus wall in the dining room features a Toronto-inspired toile wallpaper designed by DreamWorks and Sony Pictures animation artist Ray Xu.

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