When Joanne Kates, Canada's top food critic named Pastis as the best restaurant in Toronto, I thought hmmmm...I'll give it a shot. Just across the street from the LCBO at Summerhill, it's reasonably inviting from the outside. I would totally agree with the "first to review" (Erin) writeup, the decor needs some updating and it would be nice to have them open up the space a bit --- I was jammed into the traffic lane with servers and other patrons bumping into my back all night (brutal).
As for the food, it was quite good. I liked the fact that the flavours were subtle but not bland (that's generally a very tough balance to get). The tomato salad sure felt like a taste of summer (not the one in 500 Days). As for the main, I had the calf liver which was overdone but satisfying nonetheless. Given it's a bistro, dessert could have been nothing less than creme brulee which is arguably hard to screw up in my view (don't think I've ever had a bad one). Bottom line, solid dining spot but bring the body armour.
+ives: fresh, subtle but balanced flavours -ives: SEATING, get some cushions and open it up (felt like a mosh pit in the back)