The Olive Board Kitchen & Wine Bar

At The Olive Board Kitchen & Wine Bar, the first thing a table settles is the middle of it — which board lands there, and what the rest of the meal gets built around. This wine bar in Grimsby on the Lake treats the shared board as the opening move rather than an appetizer: two or three diners graze across cured meats, cheeses, breads, olives, pickles, spreads and dips before anyone has to commit to a main. The kitchen is Mediterranean-leaning and organized for pacing, the kind of meal that unfolds in stages instead of arriving all at once. Wine runs alongside from the first board to the last plate.

The boards are where the kitchen shows its range. They climb from a straightforward cheese or charcuterie selection up to composed spreads with their own point of view: the Canadian leans regional, with brie, Niagara Gold, cheese curds, candied bacon and Montreal smoked meat, while the Little Italy works through bocconcini, gorgonzola, soppressata, prosciutto and spicy calabrese. A Mediterranean mezze gathers feta, halloumi and manchego with hummus and tzatziki. The cheese fondue is the most theatrical of them, warm melted gruyère loosened with white wine and set out with garlic sausage, roasted potatoes, vegetables and bread for dipping.