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Chefs love French bistros. After a long, stressful day behind the stoves, we build up the kind of appetite that only butter, garlic and the flesh of beasts can satisfy. Of course, copious amounts of red wine are required to wash things down whilst keeping the arteries happy.

Fortunately for us, Toronto is home to many fine bistros - Le Paradis, Batifole and Midi to name a few. The new kid on the block is Tati, named after the French filmmaker Jacques Tati. The critics are raving, the foodies are buzzing and my friends who live up the street from the restaurant keep asking, "Have you been to Tati, yet?"

I rarely yield to peer pressure and hype, but with the promise of snails, duck and crepes Suzette, I couldn't resist.

Things do not get off to an auspicious start. We show up for our 7 p.m. reservation and are immediately given the worst table in the house. Crammed between the bar, an overflowing coat rack and the waiting area, our table is in line for more hip checks than Mats Sundin.

But it's nothing a little wine can't fix, and the reasonably priced list has many options by the glass. If you order from the "reserve" list, you are upgraded to opulent stemware.

Appetizers impress. The duck terrine is rich, moist, deftly spiced and imbedded with emerald nuggets of pistachio for crunch. Classic accoutrements include pickled onions, cornichons, grainy mustard and baguette toasts.

A fricassee of tender snails and mushrooms (shitake, cremini and king oyster) arrives in a ramekin overflowing with a buttery white wine broth detonated with fistfuls of garlic. Crusty baguette is procured to mop up this Gallic elixir.

Steak frites is done to a turn with a nicely charred New York strip melting a disc of herb-garlic butter. A haystack of sweet, crisp Yukon Gold frites are so good, the accompanying mayo is superfluous.

The lone misstep, albeit a major stumble, is the depressingly bland duck confit. The hefty leg wasn't cured aggressively enough, nor was it simmered in fat long enough and it offers none of the salty, lip-smacking succulence one deserves when ordering this dish.

As if to make up for the duck, desserts come out charging. The aforementioned crepes Suzette offer a trip down memory lane with warm crepes bathed in a heavenly emulsion of butter, sugar, citrus and booze. Chocolate Charlotte is another old-school classic with ladyfingers supporting a smooth chocolate mousse that manages to be both rich and light.

The servers do an admirable job of handling a full house, though their lives would be made easier if the bookings were spaced farther apart. They could also eliminate a table or two (like ours) to alleviate the claustrophobia. But I guess a hectic vibe is what bistro dining is all about.

Tati Bistro

124 Harbord St. at Spadina Avenue

416-962-8284

www.tatibistro.com

Dinner for two with wine, tax and tip: $135