In Toronto’s Little Italy, Ficoa’s Creative Menu Is Off the Hook

Gerry Quintero has been making his barbecue duck since 2012 and that decade-plus of experience has led to the mastery of the highlight dish on his ambitious and eclectic menu at Ficoa. The Little Italy restaurant that launched in January is an intriguing addition to a stretch of established neighbourhood favourites, and Quintero brings his fine-dining pedigree and culinary creativity to the scene. While the intricate menu at Ficoa features a number of memorable flavours, it is the duck that will have you quacking about the place to friends.

Sourced from a farm in Arthur, a small agricultural town about 120 kilometres (75 miles) northwest of Toronto, the duck is aged 2 1/2 weeks, basted with an onion jam and rubbed with a morita (or chipotle) chili sauce before being cooked using binchotan charcoal. The flesh bursts with flavour and moistness, the skin is delicate, not overly crispy. It melts into your throat and lingers there as the Bordeaux red wine paired with it draws out the sweetness in the meat.

The duck is the finale of a deeply thoughtful menu, crafted from Quintero’s remembrances of his grandparents’ cooking, his years of working in the kitchens of acclaimed restaurants in Toronto, and his passion to celebrate the cultural mashup that defines his adopted city. The common thread of his dishes is often his use of fermentation and his proclivity for earthy and umami-rich ingredients — truffles, mushrooms, caviar, and chillies.

Ficoa pushes whole-product cooking wherever possible, rendering fat from meats to make them useable in sauces or as oils, emulsifying them into avant-garde recipes. Chicken fat is soaked into delicious sausages that are dotted with truffle and hung for a month before being sliced and served as a sort-of decadent amuse bouche dubbed “Welcome Snacks”. They include mussels escabeche, sunchoke bravas, a melange of mushrooms, including lion’s mane, cooked sott’olio.

There are considerate touches on the plate and around it. Diners sit at tables adorned with nothing but a small, simple vase holding a tiny flower and water to sustain it. The Welcome Snacks are served  at the rear of the restaurant in a sitting room that would be suitable for “The Brady Bunch” set. A dark wood coffee table is between a cream-coloured couch and two utilitarian chairs from a time when cushions were considered glam and luxury. A push-button phone rests on an accent table, its antiquated cord dangling like a lost thread of history. The space is meant to evoke the living room of Quintero’s grandmother. A tray table that would have been used for those sad TV dinners of the 1970s and ’80s is a reminder of how far Canadians have come in our dining habits and understanding of food. The nostalgia isn’t just decorative kitsch. At Ficoa, it has a purpose.

MORE FICOA: Chef’s Travel Inspirations

“We know with the kind of exclusivity and menu-customization we offer and the kind of cooking techniques that we use that we’re going to attract people who know fine dining. They’re going to be familiar with Michelin-starred restaurants and will travel to eat at those places. They’re going to notice when they come in that there’s no wine glasses on the table when they sit, no charger plates,” Quintero says, letting me in on his thought process that makes me realize the level of detail and consideration he has put into Ficoa. “Once they see this living room in the back and have the Welcome Snacks where we encourage them to use their hands, because we don’t put out utensils for that course, then I think they’ll realize that they’re about to have some fun with the food. I want to simplify the process of eating while still showcasing the best ingredients and I hope people get that as part of the concept.”

The name Ficoa is taken from a small community in Ecuador, from where the restaurant owner hails. Quintero’s Mexican roots and the owner’s palate have built the menu that has many Latin American flavours, notably in the earthy and fragrant moles. The sauces star in dishes like the oyster course where a black-garlic mole covers the fried oyster, loading it with a unique savouriness instead of the garlic-and-butter taste that often overwhelms traditionally fried oysters. Along with the duck and pork sausage, the moles are a foundation of the Ficoa menu. Quintero hails from Monterrey but grew up vegetarian, only discovering meat once he began his cooking career in Toronto in the early part of this century.

Mole is often poured over poultry and meats after spending days in a fridge, fermenting into a complex sauce that often has hints of toasted bread, coffee, chocolate, plantains, dates, and nuts. Quintero has a deep understanding of mole (pronounced mole-eh) and demonstrates in his cooking some of the sauce’s varieties and regional distinctiveness.

Another unique aspect of Ficoa is its dining choices. It has a membership program that is rare for Canada but increasingly common in the United States. Members will have the chance to be alerted about special features, new wine shipments, and seasonal tasting menus. In July, Quintero launched an a la carte menu to go along with two tasting menus.

MORE ABOUT FICOA

Address: 585 College Street, Toronto, Ontario (see map below)
Website: ficoa.thethirdplace.is
Menu Price Range: Ficoa features tasting menus that range from $90 (Neighbourhood Menu) to the $200 16-plate option. The Golden Ticket is an all-inclusive menu for $500 per person. Wed to Sat we offer two tasting menus. 6 plates at $90, 16 plates $200. Welcome drink included.

What Else Is New in Toronto Dining

Waterworks Food Hall: Food markets and culinary districts have been a thing in cities around the world for decades. Think London’s sensational Burough Market, Madrid’s Mercado de San Miguel, or Torvehallerne in Copenhagen and you’ll have an idea of what Toronto developers were thinking when they envisioned Waterworks Food Hall. Taking ideas from food markets and food halls from around the planet, Waterworks is a marvellous addition to a fast-changing section of the King Street West neighbourhood. Waterworks features food stalls and kiosks from some of the city’s leading vendors, such as Pizzeria Popolo and Boxcar Social. Far more than a food court, Waterworks is a place to linger over a cocktail or glass of wine while sampling the flavours of Toronto. Located in a historic building that originally was home to the circa 1850 St. Andrew’s Market, the property was turned into a storage facility for equipment used by the city’s public utilities during the Great Depression era. After being sold a decade ago and receiving heritage status, developers worked to transform it into a culinary destination that retains its historical connections. Different than the city’s famed St. Lawrence Market, which is on the east side of King Street, Waterworks doesn’t sell produce or groceries, focusing on dining choices. It’s a must-stop spot next time you’re in the area.

The Well: Close to Waterworks is a mostly open-air retail shopping space with an exceptional food court. The Well includes a Japadog outlet — Toronto’s first location for the hugely popular (and extremely worthy) Vancouver gourmet hot dog spot.

You’ll also have the choice of other vendors serving colourful samosas, quality fish and chips, and incredible pies. Plus, stick around and enjoy board games with your cappuccino at Snakes and Lattes. The Well launched in November, so it has been through a Toronto winter, and is now thriving in the summer.

Alder at the Ace Hotel: Chef Patrick Kriss has risen to international prominence with the acclaim for Alo, regarded by many food aficionados as the best restaurant in the city. Alder adds to Kriss’s collection with Mediterranean-inspired flavours. It offers crowd-pleasing casual fine dining done very well. It opened in 2022 and in 2024 added its patio on Camden Street, across from the Waterworks Food Hall.