Eating at the bar in a restaurant is an astoundingly intimate event, yet as anonymous as you like. For me, such dining-at-the-bar euphoria happens when the bartender is within gesture distance, the lights are subdued, and I’m alternating between talking to a shockingly beautiful stranger and the person I came with. Oh yes, and there’s not a sports-fed TV within olive-tossing distance. Of course, in a city where restaurants rise and fall according to their table sightlines, it’s a bit uneventful to dine facing bar-rail liquor bottles.

Fear not, Tom Nacos’ resto-bar Decca77 - in the space that was previously Tsirco - has forwardly implemented what Montrealers have always known: The bar is not just for drinking anymore. Great for singles, comfortable for couples, and, provided the rest of the party can trek around a corner so no one’s in the heavy traffic zone, good fun for groups.

Whether a deliberately misspelled Indo-European numerical reference or a weird shrine to a certain record label, DECCA77 has nicely carved out a sweet bar-behavior niche for itself. The lounge opened its doors in June, allowing downtown lawyers, area hipsters and savvy blue-collar regulars an enticing space to while away their earthly anxieties with small plates of fresh market fare.

One of the things that make Decca77 different from most of its predecessors is that it takes cocktail life quite seriously, making a visit highly memorable, even solo at the bar. With its hard edges, sharp corners and clean design, this lounge’s energy is steadily engrossing. That's because Decca77 keeps the emphasis on character, not flash. The interior looks lived in, not art-directed, an ideal place for a drink before and after dinner, as it boasts a wide selection of New World wines, and a novel cocktail list.

Of course, a lounge is nothing without cocktail, and Decca77 serves up the best of the lot that has ranges from the square-jawed cocktail list of Wunderbar to the more debonair selection at Le Club Chasse ET Peche and, to some degree, Pop. The bar uses all fresh, best-quality ingredients. Premium spirits are our standard pours (Bombay Sapphire, Stolichnaya, Johnnie Walker Red Label, etc.). Citrus juices for cocktails are hand-squeezed daily. We serve local, Quebecois spirits and beers. Our bartenders are schooled in cocktail history and recipe theory.