Yann de la Chanonie is, without a doubt, a wine guy. Having grown up in France surrounded by the stuff, it’s fair to say connecting great wine with thirsty people is his life’s passion. But wine and food are natural best friends, so it’s not surprising that De La Chanonie has found himself taking on the role of budding restaurateur.
De la Chanoie — who, with his signature moustache and European joie de vivre, is one of the most identifiably French figures in Calgary’s food scene — first garnered attention when he opened Avitus, his Marda Loop wine bar, in 2023. The idea there is to provide quality wines in a welcoming and approachable setting, giving locals a place to learn about wine or just sit and watch the world go by from the sidewalk patio with a glass of Beaujolais in hand. While Avitus has always had a cheese and charcuterie component (where there is booze, there must be at least some food), De la Chanoie and his partners have always been keen to position it as a wine bar, not a restaurant.
Alex Ille, Tristan Chaboche, Yann de la Chanonie, and Josh VanDerLeest behind the bar at Brioche in Marda Loop. Brent Calver/Postmedia
Enter Tristan Chaboche, a close friend of De la Chanoie’s from France who arrived in Canada a little over a year ago, who is indeed more of a restaurant guy than a wine guy. Wanting to help his friend flourish in Canada through a collaborative project where he could help develop a genuinely French menu, De la Chanoie and the rest of the Avitus team set out to create Brioche by Avitus, a full-fledged French bistro that quietly opened late last year. The new restaurant lets Chaboche do his thing while giving the Avitus brand the opportunity to grow and a new French restaurant option to a city that has relatively few.
“I’m still surprised by how few French restaurants there are here, for a city of 1.5 million people,” De la Chanoie says. “French cooking is the king of gastronomy.”
The shrimp roll at Brioche in Marda Loop. Brent Calver/Postmedia
What they ended up with is not an overly fancy version of French cooking, but in a similar style to Avitus, a homey and inviting eatery focused on casual bistro-style food. The 30-seat downstairs restaurant has a refreshing DIY vibe, with simple tables, a warm colour palette, lots of wine-related art, and a small bar for those wanting to stop in for a quick bite and a glass of wine while chatting with the wait staff. Staff don chic striped T-shirts; should anyone forget for even a moment, this place is very much a French restaurant.
The boeuf bourguignon at Brioche. Brent Calver/Postmedia
In terms of food, the team keeps the menu small and writes it out with chalk on sandwich boards placed around the room to accommodate any changes or substitutions. The prices are not necessarily thrifty but do reflect the high quality of ingredients: expect small bites like salmon rillettes ($18) or roasted carrots and burrata ($21) and a rotating spread of the day ($14). The mains primarily fall into the sandwich category — the restaurant is called Brioche, after all — with picture-perfect shrimp or lobster rolls ($24/$36) and a tasty croque monsieur ($24) or, for something more substantial, a hearty boeuf Bourguignon ($43). The sandwiches come with salad, but those with larger or more extravagant appetites can add on a dish of potatoes ($12) or 10 grams of Siberian caviar ($49). Naturally, specific items are all subject to change from visit to visit.
The owners of Brioche had a delivery of freshly imported black truffles from France. Brent Calver/Postmedia
Of course, being a wine guy, all of this food is also De la Chanoie’s stealthy way to get Calgarians drinking more, or at least better, wine. All the wines on Brioche’s thoughtfully curated by-the-glass wine list are French in origin, with a nice selection of fun and interesting wines. De la Chanoie intentionally keeps the mark-up on the wines lower than typical restaurant prices to encourage adventurous drinking.
“For lunch, if you look at the tables, almost everyone has a glass of wine,” De la Chanoie says, with a smile. “We almost sell as much alcohol here as we do at Avitus.”
Brioche by Avitus is located at 1512 29th Ave. S.W. and is open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:30 a.m. onward for both lunch and dinner. For more information, the restaurant can be reached on Instagram through @briochebyavitus.yyc and reservations can be made through OpenTable.
The dining area and cafe bar at Brioche in Marda Loop. Brent Calver/Postmedia
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Brioche isn’t the only new business from the Avitus gang — De la Chanoie and his crew also took over the spacious upstairs room directly above their new restaurant to open an events venue dubbed The Tasting Room. This one takes De la Chanoie back to his wine-centric roots with a small bottle shop and room for a series of events to help educate curious wine drinkers. Initial events have included things like a basic (and judgment-free) introduction to the process of tasting wine and an upcoming wine and macaron pairing experience, as well as wine region-specific multi-course dinners.
The room also hosts regular DJ nights and can be rented out for private events. Follow it at @thetastingroom.yyc to stay up to date on upcoming events, which can be booked through the experience tab on OpenTable.
Elizabeth Chorney-Booth can be reached at elizabooth@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram at @elizabooth or sign up for her newsletter at hungrycalgary.substack.com.
Dining and Cooking