Barely a year old, this charming 30-seater in a converted townhouse on Harbord Street has established itself as one of the city’s most coveted reservations. Zach Kolomeir’s reputation preceded him—he was formerly chef de cuisine at Montreal’s hallowed Joe Beef—and the city’s been quick to embrace his exuberant, careful, but relaxed style of modern French cooking. Named, of course, for the wrongly convicted French artillery officer at the heart of early 20th-century France’s scandalous Dreyfus Affair, the restaurant’s menu offers nods to that period’s haute cuisine. Dishes like ris de veau avec beurre poivre (sweetbreads with pepper butter), a textbook tartare de cheval or canard sur la plaque aux olives are joined by more 21st-century classics like razor clams casino, trout crudo topped with crisp potato chips or skate wing schnitzel. Menus, handwritten in French, change daily, although the slider-sized, pickle-topped croque cubano sandwiches (a croque monsieur by way of Varadero), variations on pommes dauphine and the powdered sugar-dusted madeleines are staples and pretty much required for every table. The wine list tends toward the funky with a strong emphasis on small producers of natural wines.
Photos: GRAYDON HERRIOTT
