The crowd is a little on the older side, but i was surprised at the number of women in there 30's that were there. Given the location its going to the local for people living in the Summerhill and Rosedale neighbourhoods, which means that most of the people who can afford the real estate around there are going to be older. I've been here a few times in the past and the crowd looks to be a pretty much the same, so its not like the place has really turned over. In keeping with the whole bistro thing, I think the atmosphere is pretty relaxed. The place was also pretty loud. I don't think they had any background music, or if they did I can't remember it.
The place isn't much to look at in the inside. I think they were going for a Provencal style interior because the walls were covered with the rough plaster work that painted a dark cream or yellow. The exact colour was a little hard to figure because it was kind of dark. There are some banquettes on the north wall and at the back of the main dining room. The rest of the room is filled with tables. I was kind of expecting a quaint fake french interior, so you like those bistros you see on the left bank in the movies. So at least the guy should get some bonus points for trying to be original.
The service was pretty good. The owner doubles as the maitre d'. I had my messenger bag with me and he asked me if I wanted it placed behind the bar. I told I would just sling it over my chair and then he suggested I use an empty chair to place it on. When we were leaving he checked to see if I had my bag (he didn't see me walk out with it). I like that kind of stuff. The waiter we had was fine. He was polite, efficient and professional. I think they had a woman working as a "bus boy", but all the waiters were males (so there were no waitresses).
The wine list has some really impressive stuff. Unfortunately, you'll probably end up paying a premium for them. The markup on the wines does seem to be a little on the high side. However, the house wine is a tremendous value. We had a half litre of both the white (a chardonnay) and the red (i forget what it was). Both of them came out to $40 and the wine tasted better than a lot stuff that is at a higher price point. For example, a few weeks ago I had a bottle of pinot noir at Colborne lane that was about $95. The house wine at Pastis was better than that bottle. So even though the bottles at Pastis can be a little pricey, the house wine tremendous value for the price (good quality for what you pay).
I had the fish soup to start. It comes with croutons, cheese and this garlic butter on the side. You can add as much as you want, so you can fix it the way you like. I especially like the garlic butter as a complement. The fish soup is tasty even without these condiments. Adding them just brings out the flavours even more.
I had the calf liver with the frites as my main. The calf liver was cooked just right. It wasn't to try and it wasn't to raw. The frites are cooked to a really crisp texture, so you can dip them in the calf liver juice and they don't get really soggy. There were some positive comments made about the steak with frites. I think that would be the can't-go-wrong-with-it item on the menu.
For desert I had the desert tasting plate. It comes with a small creme brullee, a little ice cream with chocolate and a piece of chocolate cake. All of these were good. I had a cup of coffee and it was pretty fresh. There was a favourable comment made about the cheese plate. I had a look at the cheese it looked like it was set up in an easy to understand way: so mild to sharper cheeses and fruit and enough bread.
There were three of us at dinner and we split the bill evenly 3 ways. It came out to $72 per person (starter+main+desert+house wine). I think that's a really good deal: good food and decent wine at a reasonable price. The starters are in the $10 range, except for the foie gras. The mains are in the high teens or low-20 range. The deserts are like in the $8-$10 range. The three desert sample plate I had was $10 and I think it would be the best bet for desert.
As an additional comment, I think that french bistros are dying in this city unnecessarily as people get swept up by this whole restaurant/lounge shit. It's too bad because I think the food that the bistros serve is a lot better than the stuff you see at these restaurant/lounges, or as they like to call them in this city resto lounge.
Overall, this is not a spectacular dining experience. However, they serve good food at a decent price. This a solid place that worth a visit if you don't mind the older crowd or you find yourself in the neighbourhood.
Rating: 1 Bunny
Notes on the Bunny Rating System:
- 0 or no Bunnies, it's a waste of time; don't go.
- 1 Bunny, the place is worth checking out.
- 2 Bunnies, you should go out of your way to check out the place; the food is really good and the place is cool.
- 3 Bunnies, you absolutely have to go there; the food is exceptional and the place is really cool
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