Is L’Unita the hottest new restaurant in town? I call twice in advance and can’t get a reservation for three for 7.30. Third time I’m told to come at seven and they will give me a table for two with a seat added. And it’s only Thursday not the blowout Friday and Saturday.

My expectations are high. It’s been three months since L’Unita replaced Arlequin, a veteran French café cum bistro at Avenue Road and Davenport. Arlequin was Annex Slow Food. Now owners David Minicucci and Sam Kalogiros have accelerated to top gear, given the premises an extreme makeover, stripped brick walls, Edison lights that look like transparent molars, gilt edged mirrors, lots more seats, 60, some tucked away in a bowling alley, a bar which has replaced the food counter, and the call of the kazoo.

The moment we enter, I sense a disconnect between the trendy deco, the focus on the bar, the interchangeable servers wearing black sweaters over shirttails and the sit-down resto indicated by a menu that goes beyond macpasta and macpizza. I can see L’Unita is gonna need not one but two reviews.   more »