If there's one recent restaurant opening that I've been pretty excited about, it has to be Happy & Olive. They appeared on the scene last year at a time when opening a new restaurant might have been viewed as an outlandish idea. But with the people behind other such beloved favourites as Red Ox Inn and Canteen at the helm it could be assumed that they had a pretty good idea of what they were doing. In a short amount of time (less than a year!) Happy & Olive has been named Favourite New Restaurant 2023 in the Edmonton Journal and Best New Restaurant 2024 in EDify Magazine. And they're not wrong!
Located in Crestwood (in Crestwood Centre to be exact - lots of great businesses there and easy parking!) you'll find a fresh little spot on the corner, a restaurant that is still all bright eyed and esthetically beautiful. The decor isn't over the top; just nice finishes, a combination of various types of seating, a central bar area, and an approachable atmosphere. It feels like a down to earth space while maintaining clean lines and modern sensibilities. The patio is also very lovely and I was happy to grab a table out there on a warm July evening. I found our server to be helpful, friendly, and happy to offer some guidance as needed.
Once settled in, I began to peruse the beverage menu and was pleased to find a rather good non-alcoholic cocktail portion of the menu, a trend that is really nice to see on more and more menus. I enjoy a boozy beverage as much as the next gal but sometimes I'm just not in the mood. On this occasion the list of five libation-free drinks were very welcome and I was glad to order The Gabby (Fresh mint, lemon, sugar water, bitters - $7.00). However, I will say that if you want to stay right on the olive theme it would be a great idea to order The Olive cocktail along with an order of Warm Olives - live your best olive dreams! Absolute perfection on a hot day! Not only was this beverage sweet and also tart, it was incredibly refreshing. The mint and lemon really made the drink feel like something quintessential to sip on in the summertime. A perfectly ideal patio choice!
I enjoyed the way that Happy & Olive breaks down their menu. Do you want something "crispy?" (Um, yes. Everyone does.) There's also "this & that" or how about most people's favourite; "bread things." Or maybe you just need the "hungry" part of the menu. I did find that I required a bit of clarification on whether the plates were meant to be shared and it turned out that a communal dining style was the main intention. Armed with this information we set about ordering a whole bunch of plates that caught our attention with the plan for us all to try a bit of everything. (I love doing this with my family because we all enjoy eating the same foods. I don't like it as much when I go out with friends because, in some cases, tastes can vary quite a lot.)
I'd heard a lot of excited buzz about the Fries (Rosemary, Parmesan, garlic oil, lemon aioli - $9.00) so clearly those were a must! Just when I thought that I knew everything that a french fry could be... I was served these. And wow, they are something special. Ultra crispy and likely double fried, the sprinkling of rosemary and parm really added a punch of unexpected flavour. The true surprise, however, was the lemon aioli, which was an absolute delight. I'm not sure that I've ever tasted anything quite like it! Creamy and fresh, this simple dipping sauce brought a whole brunch of bright acidity. It's always nice when a dish lives up to expectations and these fries certainly did.
I had also heard that Happy & Olive had a latke menu at some point?? This wasn't the case on my visit but I love a latke and I'm super curious about what this entailed.
Next up were the Crab Cakes (Remoulade, fennel celery slaw - $22.00) which I sometimes find can be hit or miss but I loved the sounds of these ones and had to give them a try. Positively golden on the outside, cutting into these crispy cakes revealed a luscious interior. Like a crab flavour bomb, I was met with actual crab meat and a satisfying mix of textures. I also loved the crunchy and refreshing slaw. I find fennel to be a completely underrated vegetable and it's one of my favourites. I always order it when I spot it on a menu! This dish completely nailed it for me and I think that it was the biggest winner of the night in my opinion.
As mentioned previously, the Warm Olives (Marinated Happy style - $9.00) just seem like something that you should probably order at a restaurant called Happy & Olive... I wasn't sure what "Happy style" meant but I was excited to find out! I loved the variation of types and stunning colours, like little jewels. I'm not sure why this was surprising (it says "warm" right on the menu) but these really were very warm! The oil that they were bathed in was hot, even. Grabbing a piping olive and tossing it into my mouth was a satisfying experience. I also loved how aromatic they were with the use of rosema read more