Halifax, Nova Scotia | THE COAST, The Coast Halifax

The Hair Attic's turning heads

Kayleigh Robinson — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:25:00 -0300

Jason Gilbert and Lisa Myers have left the holy grounds of Jay Wells Salon (1673 Barrington Street) for new digs uptown.

The pair opened a new hair salon on May 1 called The Hair Attic— located on the top floor of 1539 Birmingham (406-8003), hence the attic.…

Presenting, the 12th annual Best of Food Awards

Allison Saunders — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:23:00 -0300

Oh, hi everyone. Happy Thursday.…

Best Family Restaurant

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

Gold Winner Tom’s Family Restaurant Silver Winner Athens Restaurant Bronze Winner The Armview Restaurant & Lounge Tom’s owner Dimitri Panopalis emphasizes home-style, made-from-scratch cooking on his family-friendly menus that run the gamut of hearty food: from seafood to steaks to ribs, wraps, burgers, pizza, salads, kiddie specials and made-in-house deserts, Tom’s has it all—for all ages. Which is probably why they snatched the gold honours on this one.…

Best Pub Food

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

Gold Winner Henry House Silver Winner The Old Triangle Irish Ale House Bronze Winner Mic Mac Bar & Grill In a city filled with amazing pubs serving Maritime classics, Henry House is the one that stands out—and collects this award for the third year in a row. Nestled inside a historic 1834 building that once housed the Confederate father William Alexander Henry, it provides a sophisticated ambiance where locals can drink up while (hopefully) maintaining their dignity.…

Best Place To Watch The Game

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

Gold Winner Bubba Ray’s Sports Bar Silver Winner Oasis Bronze Winner Boston Pizza, Granville Street Bubba Ray’s general manager Woody Menear has made some good memories at his place of work—opening at 4am for keen hockey fans at the World Juniors this past Christmas, and of course, Sidney Crosby’s unforgettable overtime goal at the 2010 Olympics that secured Canada’s gold medal. With a horn and siren going off every time a goal is scored, you won’t miss a thing even if your eyes aren’t glued to the 60 high definition TVs that boast 30 digital cable boxes and subscriptions to Centre Ice, NBA, NCAA, major league baseball and NFL Sunday ticket.…

Best Fish & Chips

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

Gold Winner John’s Lunch Silver Winner The Battered Fish, Scotia Square Bronze Winner Phil’s Seafood Stratos Baltas and Fotis Fatouros are the owners behind the steady operation that is John’s Lunch, which has served both Dartmouth denizens and international visitors seeking authentic, delicious fish and chips on the east coast for over 40 years. Baltas buys his haddock—which he cooks every morning in his own batter before finishing it off in the fryer when it’s ordered—from local Sambro fisheries.…

Best Place To Satisfy A Sweet Tooth

Allison Saunders — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

by Allison Saunders Gold Winner Freak Lunchbox, Halifax Silver Winner Sweet Hereafter Cheesecakery Bronze Winner Sugah! When Jeremy Smith and his now-wife Erin first showed up in Halifax, they didn't know a soul.…

A Few good folk

Kayleigh Robinson — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

The Jessica Stewart Few’s jazzy-folk will get your toes tapping and heads a-bobbin. by Kayleigh Robinson The band is described as "Joanna Newsom throwing a party with Stereolab at Erykah Badu's house. In Japan."…

Best Food Truck

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

Gold Winner Nomad Gourmet Silver Winner The Food Wolf Bronze Winner Bud the Spud An incredibly tight race proves that readers love their food trucks, but Nomad Gourmet grabs the glory. “People are looking for something other than fish and chips when they need a quick bite to eat,” says owner Nick Horne.…

Best Wine List

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

Gold Winner Obladee, A Wine Bar Silver Winner The Bicycle Thief Bronze Winner Chives Canadian Bistro It’s no surprise that this quaint little wine bar has pulled in Best Wine List victories three years running. Whether you’re a fancy-pants wine connoisseur or someone who usually drinks wine from a box, this extensive wine list is sure to have something for you.…

Best Dartmouth Restaurant

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

Gold Winner Nectar Restaurant & Wine Bar Silver Winner Cheese Curds Gourmet Burgers + Poutinerie Bronze Winner The Wooden Monkey, Dartmouth Owner Ian Hurst says Nectar is constantly reviewing its food offerings, and the menu is in evolution every six months. “Our servers and our kitchen under chef David Clarke are all true professionals and bring their A-game every day,” says Hurst.…

Best Shawarma

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

Gold Winner Mezza Lebanese Kitchen, Halifax Silver Winner Tarek’s Cafe, north end Bronze Winner Kababji Lebanese Cuisine, Dartmouth Mezza, the downtown mecca for hungry lunchers and the late-night post-bar crowd, combines pickled beets and turnip, lettuce, tomato, pickles, chicken and garlic sauce (and fries, if you’re wise) in a shawarma to die for. “They’ve had great shawarma since before it was cool,” says one reader of the addictive, Avengers-approved delicacy. The family-run business, formerly known as Venus, may have changed its name, but the Barrington Street restaurant, with its bright, revamped interior, is still the go-to place for night owls, vigilantes, superheroes looking for a lively place to get a flavour fix.

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Star Trek Into Darkness

Jacob Boon — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

True love and a super terrorist by Jacob Boon A love story between Kirk/Spock (Chris Pine/Zachary Quinto) barely gussied up as summer blockbuster, Star Trek Into Darkness finds the crew of the Enterprise on the hunt for a super-strong terrorist (Benedict Cumberbatch, thankfully) who's waging a one-man war on the Federation. Pine and Quinto (Pinto?), refreshing in their first outing, already feel stale in roles that ratchet ever more towards imitation.…

Best Pasta

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

Gold Winner il Mercato Trattoria, Halifax Silver Winner Vinnie’s Pasta Bar Bronze Winner Ristorante a Mano Collecting its second gold of 2013, downtown’s recently departed il Mercato wins for Best Pasta. Its true-Italian-inspired dishes included handmade ravioli, seafood linguine with garlic in white wine cream sauce, pesto penne with sundried tomatoes and arugula…yep, our mouths are watering too.…

Best Server

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

Gold Winner Shannon Carrigan, Finbar’s Irish Pub Silver Winner Alexa Atkins, Fid Resto Bronze Winner Kim Larkin, Darrell’s Restaurant Something about Finbar’s keeps people coming back and it might have something to do with its servers, who’ve been snagging the title for Best Server for the past few years. Twenty-four-year-old Shannon Carrigan, who’s worked at Finbar’s for two years, knows her clientele on a first-name basis.…

Best Cafe

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

Gold Winner Two If By Sea Cafe, Dartmouth Silver Winner Java Blend Coffee Roasters Bronze Winner Just Us! Coffeehouse, Spring Garden Props must be given to ambiance of Two if By Sea.…

All apologies

Dan Savage — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

Is it worth righting a high school wrong, even (especially) online? Plus: I’m scared of telling my awesome new wife about my kinks. What now? by Dan Savage Q Twenty-one-year-old female here. When we were both 14, my first boyfriend took advantage of me. I wanted to explore my sexuality a little, but things went further than I wanted.…

Best Burger

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

Gold Winner Ace Burger Company Silver Winner Cheese Curds Gourmet Burgers + Poutinerie Bronze Winner Darrell’s Peanut Butter Burger The year’s most interesting category saw burger-loving voters divided between more choices then ever. After years of Brooklyn Warehouse playing second fiddle to the unstoppable Darrell’s, its powerhouse little sister Ace has finally dethroned the Peanut Butter Burger.…

Best Bakery

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

Gold Winner Julien’s Patisserie, Bakery & Cafe Silver Winner Boulangerie la Vendéenne Bronze Winner Gingerbread Haus Bakery Established in 1993, Julien’s Patisserie Bakery and Cafe has been cranking out mouth-watering pastries, tantalizing treats and delicious warm bevies for two decade. Nestled in the heart of the Hydrostone Market, this aromatic little spot has the perfect, warm atmosphere of an old, European-style bakery.…

Best Indian

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

Gold Winner Grand Taj Restaurant Silver Winner Curry Village Bronze Winner Dhaba Casual Fine Dining and Express Formerly known as the Taj Mahal, co-owner Meera Jaggi says her restaurant’s name got an upgrade to Grand Taj since “Grand means bigger”—and bigger and better it is since recovering from the damage of two fires. But the popular lunch buffet remains, open everyday from 11:30am until 2:30pm, featuring old favourites like butter chicken, chicken tikka misala, shrimp tikka, coconut fish currie, biryani and an assortment of vegetarian paneers.…

Best Cocktails

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

Gold Winner The Middle Spoon Desserterie & Bar Silver Winner The Fireside Bar/Restaurant Bronze Winner Bitter End With a menu full of original drinks, it’s no wonder The Middle Spoon snagged this year’s gold for Best Cocktail. Owner Lacey Doherty attributes much of the success to bar manager Jenner Cormier, who creates all the drink recipes himself.…

The Things We Need

Lindsay Raining Bird — Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

Aaron LaShomb’s series of whimsical acrylic paintings explore the recipe for happiness. by Lindsay Raining Bird What does it take to be happy? It's the sort of question that changes depending on who you ask.…

Best Fine Dining

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

Gold Winner Chives Canadian Bistro Silver Winner The Bicycle Thief Bronze Winner da Maurizio Despite chef Craig Flinn’s best efforts, Chives wins again for Best Fine Dining. “Kind of surprised that we win fine dining category because I’ve strived since opening to not be fine dining,” he says.…

Best Ribs

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

Gold Winner Boneheads BBQ, Halifax Silver Winner Q Smokehouse & Southern Barbeque Bronze Winner Bearly’s House of Blues, Burgers and Ribs For the meat-loving carnivore, Bonehead’s is heaven on earth—and boy, do they know ribs. With BBQ made daily, this big ol’ rack of baby-back ribs will make your mouth water just looking at it (or inhaling its aroma).…

Best Patio

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 -0300

Gold Winner Your Father’s Moustache Silver Winner Hart & Thistle Gastropub & Brewery Bronze Winner Mexicali Rosa’s With a fantastic view of Spring Garden Road and the Public Gardens—and optimal sunshine exposure—it’s no surprise Your Father’s Moustache’s huge rooftop patio takes the top spot again this year. And the restaurant is introducing new menu items to compliment the beginning of patio season, including summer salads, pastas, burgers and grilled meatloaf (owner Shaun O’Hearn’s favourite).…