The only real recommendation is to read up on the boards (and in the book) about dishes which pique your curiosity and order accordingly. Another valuable tip would be to eat as little as possible the day before and day of your reservation and then order more than you need so that you can sample a greater variety. Enjoy!
IMHO any unit with a capacity of 100 bottles or less will fill up before you know it. Better to shoot for a 200 + bottle unit even if it sounds huge at present.
I have a 220 bottle Vintage Keeper which retails for about $1200. I have had the unit for close to ten years without any problems (except for a blown compressor that they happily replaced). It has some open space at the bottom which is great for magnums or other large formats. see their website at www.vintagekeeper.com
If I am not mistaken the former chef from Paesano opened up Restaurant La Gioconda on Decarie. You could always contact them and ask for the recipe: contact@lagioconda.ca