What happens when two lounge lizards with an unerring eye for club culture get together to open a restaurant? Intrigued Toronto diners will find out on Feb. 18, when Charles Khabouth (INK Entertainment) and Toufik Sarwa (Amber) open Italian trattoria Briscola.
The 2,500-square-foot restaurant is located at 501 College Street and executive chef Sean Reeve of Via Allegro will helm the kitchen that will turn out traditional Italian fare such as stone-oven pizzas, pasta, antipasti, as well as roasted and grilled dishes.
The space was formerly occupied by Cinq 01, which shuttered in January. Also a Sarwa project, it was the subject of a rather savage review from The Star’s Amy Pataki.
Briscola is also a popular Italian card game, and apparently, the restaurant vibe is all about relaxed and social dining. The design team at Commute Homes is overseeing the new look.
The opening marks what could be a busy 2011 for Khabouth, who has also set his culinary sights on Yorkville for a new French bistro dubbed Le Bistro in the former Dynasty dim sum space on Bloor Street West, and he’s got lots of other projects on the go, too.