Toronto’s dining scene has been a whirlwind of dynamic, diverse and eclectic this year, as evidenced by our curated list of the 12 best new restaurants. We believe in getting the real scoop from insiders, which is why we tapped into the city’s culinary elite, from Michelin stars to celebrity chefs, to bring you their top picks.
Next on our list: Laura Maxwell, the executive chef at a farm-to-table restaurant and brewpub, Avling in the city’s Leslieville neighbourhood. We asked her to share her thoughts on the best new addition to they city’s dining scene. Keep reading to discover her exciting selection.
Chef Maxwell’s pick: Ricky + Olivia
Ricky + Olivia is the pinnacle of warm hospitality paired with locally curated wines with fun playful spins on timeless classics,” chef Maxwell recently told us.
Ricky + Olivia
View this post on Instagram
This new Leslieville restaurant is delectable — a tasty, fun night on the town. It’s a bar + lounge where you can order a steak tartare ($18) and a hand-held Caesar salad ($16) created by husband + wife who might just supplant Fonda Balam’s Kate + Julio as the dewiest new chef-owners in town. Here, their enthusiasm is infectious: clearly the chicken salad sandwich ($18) is a labour of love. Roast pork — served with charred cipollini yogurt and honey mustard pan sauce — is tangy, flagrant, revitalising, and the glazed tofu ($17), spiked with Boy Bawang pesto + crumble, delivers a burst of flavour reminiscent of street food indulgence. The unique offerings, including a deep-fried, saltine-infused vodka martini ($17), may be unconventional for some, but for Leslieville locals, it adds to the area’s charm. Along with Eastside Social, Ricky + Olivia makes this stretch of Queen East a fun spot for Leslieville cocktail crawling, just forget about Sunday brunch: the joggers will eat you alive. 996 Queen St. E.
TOP TIPPLE: The Kalimotxo, a Spanish classic, blending red wine with Coke for a refreshing twist reminiscent of cherry cola.
To find out which restaurant Michelin-recongnized chef Anna Chen picked, click here. And for chef Michael Bonacini’s pick, click here.