What’s on the menu at Viaggio, a new Italian restaurant from the team behind the Commodore

Name: Viaggio Contact: 1727 Dundas St. W., 416-519-8165, viaggiorestaurant.ca, @viaggiorestaurant
Neighbourhood: Little Portugal Previously: Branca Chef and owner: Jon Vettraino (The Commodore) Bar manager: Billy Killin

The food

A seasonally changing menu of classic Italian dishes—with a tweak here and there—that currently includes Tuscan bread soup, venison carpaccio, snow crab tagliatelle and Peking duck agrodolce. Vettraino isn’t limiting himself to one particular region of Italy, but he’s slightly more interested in what the north has to offer. “On the border of Austria and France, you start to see things like sauerkraut being used—I think it’s amazing that I can use ingredients like that and still call it Italian food.” And fans of Vettraino’s tiramisu pancakes—a holdover from The Commodore’s brunch—will be happy to see they’re on Viaggio’s dessert menu.

The drinks

“We try to keep the drinks, simple, approachable and tasty,” says Killin of the house cocktails, which include an Aperol spritz, a twist on the negroni and some non-alcoholic concoctions. The wine list is Italian-heavy, of course, but also includes bottles from France, Austria, Spain and Canada. There’s Woodhouse lager on tap, too, and a couple of large-format cider options.

The space

Not too much has changed since the space existed as Branca: it’s a little bit darker and cozier, the banquettes have been recovered and a couple of funky light fixtures have been added. There’s still a patio, but it won’t see any action until next summer.