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Aloette Bay
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It’s the details that serve as telltale signs of Aloette Bay’s esteemed lineage: the polished penny tiles, the buttery blond wood, the curvature of the ceiling and, most significantly, the technically flawless fare overseen by chef and owner, Patrick Kriss. The newest member of Alo Food Group’s famed family tree, Aloette Bay brings the team’s signature brand of approachable luxury to a Financial District audience.
What began almost a decade ago, with the opening of Alo, in 2015, has morphed into a clan of seven restaurants, a private dining space and a catering arm. From the meticulous, contemporary French mouthfuls at Michelin-starred Alo to Aloette Go’s craggy, hot-sauce licked buttermilk fried chicken, chef Kriss’ food jumps from opulent to greasily orgasmic, handily satisfying customers with deep pockets as well as those with less cash to burn.
At Aloette, and now its sister space, Aloette Bay, the mood is casually chic, with food that sates cravings while never failing to feel elegant and effortless.
“Aloette Bay is the perfect everyday restaurant,” says chef Kriss. “You can go and have a beer and a burger, and that’s totally fine. Or you can go in there and have a full meal, with cocktails and a bottle of wine.”
What makes the restaurant unique, he adds, is “the energy of the space. The quality of ingredients. We use basically a lot of the same ingredients that Alo does. We put just as much effort into the cocktails and wine list as at Alo and Alobar. It’s a small and mighty restaurant.”
Visit at breakfast, lunch or dinner for a taste of that greatness. “We decided to give it a go,” says Kriss, of the group’s inaugural breakfast offering. “We have lots to learn,” he adds, explaining that the menu is “pretty simple,” flowing from a subtly chichi Grapefruit Brûlee with vanilla cream to a crowded Full Breakfast heaped with enough sunny, crackly, savoury elements to see anyone through to lunch.
Available throughout the day and night (but especially appealing during Happy Hour, which takes place on weekdays, from 3-5p.m.), cocktails offer a glimpse into the team’s measured approach. Each, from the refreshing, daiquiri-esque Gong Show to the smooth and smoky Haymaker, is a relatively uncomplicated amalgam that relies on expertise for its balance and charm.
A riff on a classic sour, the Arctic Club is fresh, thanks to Ketel One Vodka, lime and grapefruit bitters, subtly sweet, care of agave, with budding botanical notes provided by a judicious splash of fino sherry.
The drink sure to inspire scads of copycats, the Aloette Mini Martini is a sensible pour when time constraints or lucidity are top of mind. With Tanqueray gin or Ketel One vodka, plus a briny East Coast Oyster, it’s a snack and sip that’s, let’s face it, also incredibly cute.
Though Aloette Bay’s lunch and dinner menus are more similar than different, Lunch Features specifically cater to diners watching the clock. Mounded onto a lush bed of kale, toasted chickpeas and grapes, piquillo peppers, feta, candied pepitas, tahini dressing and more join forces in a Chopped Kale Salad that’s endlessly entertaining.
Another slam-dunk salad, the team’s famed Iceberg Wedge is an import from the original Aloette, on Spadina. A member of the restaurant’s lauded can’t-take-them-off-the-menu clique, it’s a lemony, vinaigrette-moistened block of lettuce made appealing by the addition of avocado and chive cream plus puffed wild rice, seasoned soy beans and golden pumpkin seeds — a supremely satisfying, crunchy garnish.
The salad, along with the Aloette Burger, the Lemon Meringue Pie, Foie Gras Parfait et al., “are staples for the restaurant that we can’t change, we don’t want to change because we believe in them,” explains Kriss. “The rest of the menu is up for grabs,” he continues, “We like to play and try new things. We like to have fun and not take it too seriously.”
With shiso leaves, hajikame and nori goma, Tuna Tartare has a decidedly Asian air. Lively and bright, it’s a starter that won’t ruin you to the rest of the meal.
For its part, Octopus Carpaccio is a tame way to approach a somewhat intimidating food. Braised and steamed, each gossamer slice holds just enough perky romesco, cilantro and seasoning to pop without overwhelming.
A burger that needs little (if any) introduction, Aloette’s is built on a house potato bun, then dressed with onion, lettuce and a generous slice of dramatically draped, deeply bronzed Beaufort cheese. Accompanied by triple-cooked fries and a side of tabasco-spiked aioli, it’s a fast-food staple given a major Aloette upgrade.
The epitome of quality ingredients having their moment, an 8oz USDA Prime Creekstone Striploin is the steak you want when nothing but beef will do. Seasoned simply, served under a verdant knob of striking chimichurri compound butter, it’s Aloette on a plate.
“I like to open new restaurants with something that’s photogenic, that catches people’s eye,” says Kriss, reflecting on Aloette's burger, Alobar’s mille feuille and other signature creations. At Aloette Bay, that distinction may well belong to spiced Carrot Cake lavishly crowned with sweetened cream cheese frosting. Tender and satisfying, with crunch from pecan meringue crumble, it’s sweet without being cloying, and a dessert you won’t want to share.
Now in a new neighbourhood, where "there's a lot happening," Aloette Bay is a "multi-faceted location," says Kriss. A prime destination for business lunches and grab-and-go, for pre-game bites, post-concert sustenance and myriad moments throughout the day, Aloette Bay is an everyday restaurant that goes way beyond the norm.
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