I’m realizing that I never posted about Ricky + Olivia, even though we tried it back at the end of April. This is a relatively new addition to Leslieville, opening in 2024. As usual, we noticed it and didn’t get around to trying it until over a year later. It’s a fairly narrow space, with a small patio out back. They feature Ontario wines and their cocktails are also based around local spirits. The food is playful and fun, again focusing on local ingredients.
We split a wine flight:
- 2023 Big Head Stone Chardonnay, Niagara, unoaked, lots of peach and malo, thick mouthfeel, and lots of mineral.
- 2023 Traynor Marmalade Pie, Gewurztraminer and Riesling, PEC - floral and lots of honey, also mineral.
- 2024 Westcott, Pinot Noir rosé , Niagara - one we’ve enjoyed before
- 2020 Pearl Morissette, Gamay, Niagara - medium tannins, high acid, minty and then a touch of cough syrup.
Later we tried their non-alcoholic Rhubarb Spritz: Lennox Farms rhubarb juice, Elora botanical tonic, rhubarb bitters, wildflower honey, anise hyssop garnish - quite yummy.
To start, we had their steak tartare “dressed like a Big Mac”, with lettuce, pickles, R+O cheese whiz, egg yolk, sesame, and dill, to be eaten on deep fried saltines - while a little salty, this was also fun and tasty.
Even more interesting was Carrot+Ice Cream, described as “Carrot salad meets banana split” . It featured a jumbo carrot, roasted and split in half, slightly sweet bay leaf ice cream, spicy garlic chèvre, and hazelnut dukkah. This actually worked, and the cumin in the dukkah brought it all together.
Lake Erie pickerel had a crispy skin and was moist and just-done. It came with salsa macha, Ontario peanuts, onion, cilantro, tahina, and cinnamon crumb.
Perth pork shank was slow-cooked tender with maple and mustand, and was made to look like ham, with daikon “pineapple” rings (coloured and flavoured with sea buckthorn), with wine-soaked Niagara cherries in each circle - very impressive.
For dessert, we had granita which was made with Cherry Lane sour cherry and cola syrup, and then coated with Paradise Grapevine fortified orange wine.
