Bar Kismet

BAR KISMET IS REFINED, relaxed and a little bit retro. Dark wood and white beadboard, milk-glass light fixtures, mix-and-match china and potted plants — all contribute to a room of inviting comfort, falling somewhere between your grandmother’s dining room and a French farmhouse inn. Annie Brace-Lavoie’s menu draws from Mediterranean and French regional cuisines and, for the most part, changes weekly. Handmade pasta is a specialty. Seafood and vegetables are charred, grilled, braised and torched. Along with oysters, clams and mussels, you’ll find blackened octopus or plump whelks in their knobby coiled shells. Rare ingredients often reach the plate, such as tardivo, a colourful, bitter lettuce recently paired with seared duck. The beverage program is exceptional, too. Wines and beers highlight producers from Eastern Canada. Cocktails routinely mirror the ever-changing menu. Native plants such as pineapple weed and spruce tips often elevate modern classics. Latest: pea-shell liqueur.