Chef-patron Corinna Mozo moved from Boston to take over Sparrow’s old nest on Ossington’s hip strip, giving the grungy space a new floor and bar but leaving the chic mood intact. Arts types love the cryptic signage (no name, just a glowing white arrow) and have crowded around the dimly lit white marble tables since day one. Mozo’s inexpensive menu is mainstream French bistro executed with panache. Very fresh flaky pastry makes a wild mushroom tart an event, with winter squash and ricotta enriching the ’shrooms. Chunks of juicy oven-dried tomato elevate a loose, creamy brandade of cod served with grilled slices of the dense house-made bread. That bread returns as a pressed Cubano sandwich: a well-judged panini filled with molasses-cured pork loin, cornichons and gruyère. It’s one of many culinary references to Mozo’s Cuban roots. A bistro needs good frites, and Delux’s are irresistible, paired with curiously undercooked mussels in a thyme-scented broth or with a tasty flatiron steak finished with herb-garlic butter. A pinch of whimsy leavens such desserts as free-form apple galette (chunks of tangy apple in a fold of pastry topped with chantilly cream) and chocolate chip cookies baked to order and served hot and gooey with a glass of organic milk. Smooth servers know their way around a small but sophisticated wine list. Mains $12–$23.