In early April, 366 Dalhousie resembled a Vietnamese restaurant trashed by marines. Today, a new restaurant has opened featuring a charming, rustic setting with wood and natural colours decorating the interior. The owners were lucky to uncover beautiful brick walls while transforming the old Takara restaurant into Brothers Beer Bistro, which opens tonight. “We wanted something warm and inviting,” says Hamilton-native and co-owner Nick Ringuette. “We also wanted an industrial look, as you can see with the exposed pipes for the taps.”

Not only is Brother’s mise-en-scène stimulating – so is the beer menu. With 16 draft and 45 bottled beers from craft breweries in Barrie, Ghent, Toronto, Quebec, and so on, the mind boggles at the selection. If only Nick “Big Brother” Ringuette could solve all our problems by selecting for us?

The most unexpected items on the drink menu are from the popular Montréal Brewpub, Dieu du Ciel. Many Montrealers, especially Mile-Enders, revere the delicious brewskis concocted by master-brewer Jean-François Gravel. Péché Mortel (‘mortal sin’) is one of Dieu du Ciel’s mouth-watering stouts available at Brothers, offering a strong coffee taste and an alcohol content of 9.5%.

Another luscious Dieu du Ciel product is the Rosée d’Hibiscus. This wheat beer, with a hint of floral taste, is great way to quench your thirst. It’s also the winner of the MBière award at the 2007 Mondial de la bière de Montréal. But even if this beer is heavenly, there’s still a sin tax to be paid.

Speaking of sins, the one most likely to be committed within the restaurant is gluttony (Executive Chef Darren Flowers is directly responsible for this). The New Brunswicker gained experience in the kitchen at Play, Beckta and Luxe after studying at the Culinary Institute of Canada.

Flowers’ goal is to offer something different from the gristly quesadillas, soggy zucchini sticks and rubbery nachos found in local pubs. He succeeded. All the apps were far from being wallflowers, each one standing out and ready to interact with guests’ taste buds.

The first to ravish the palate was a spin-off of an asparagus salad. With red romaine, smoked parmesan, preserved lemon and anchovy vinaigrette, it was a great app to get the ball rolling. The tender and savoury beef tartar was a beautiful follow-up and then came the Pierogi. Wow! What a tasty treat. The finish was remarkable as the smoky taste lingered on.

Another great feature of Brothers was the cordial, funny and professional service. One of their servers even went to a comedy school in Toronto. And unlike in the Centre of the Universe, you will be glad to hear that some of the staff is bilingual!

An original restaurant like Brothers Beer Bistro is a welcomed addition that might help shake up the Rideau and Dalhousie sector of the By-Ward Market. The nearby Lone Star Texas Grill, Dunn’s Famous Market Deli, and Subway are not too inspiring. Frankly, it’s surprising a shawarma shop didn’t sprout in that location.

If you plan to check out the joint, you can reserve by going on their website or calling 613-695-6300. Lunch service start after June, 4. As for a patio, expect one after Canada Day.

To get more details on the opening of the restaurant tonight, check out this interview with Apartment613’s Laurent Cardinal.