The restaurant is located in a space that formerly housed Cinq 01, a concept owned by Toufik Sarwa, Khabouth’s new Briscola partner. The new iteration features Italian cuisine by chef Sean Reeve, who studied at ALMA, the International School of Italian cuisine in Italy and worked at Cioppino in Vancouver and Via Allegro in Toronto.
Sarwa and Khabouth had always wanted to work together on a restaurant concept and when the opportunity came up to collaborate on Briscola, the two restaurateurs jumped at the chance. They repositioned the restaurant as a trattoria, specializing in pizza, pasta and eggplant parmigiana. Beyond those Italian standbys the menu also highlights classic Italian fare such as osso bucco as well as linguine and clams. “The idea is to do nice Italian comfort food,” said Khabouth in a recent Globe and Mail story. “Whether it’s northern or southern, I don’t really care. I don’t want to be that specific.”
With Briscola open, Khabouth is already working on another restaurant — a French brasserie in Toronto’s posh Bloor and Avenue Road neighbourhood.
