Strip malls. I can’t say I love ’em. Maybe it’s because the parking lots tend to be a buzzing glow of industrial light boxes. Or maybe it’s because if you look around too much, you are sure to find some Patrick Nagal-style artwork bathed in the assailing neon tint of words like “waxing” and “nails.” […]
Melissa Buote
Posted inFood + Drink
Beer and food
Bob and Doug MacKenzie. Those toque-wearing, Rush-worshiping hosers are arguably the classiest part of the image cultivated by the beer industry. It’s sad, but even though advertising executives may suggest that the entire beer-chugging market is made up of frat boys and gyrating girls, it simply isn’t true. Whether you went for a beer on […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Drink like an Irishman
From the hallowed, boozy days of Sam Mallone and Ernie “Coach” Pantusso on Cheers to weekly armchair visits to MacLaren’s, the haunt of Barney Stinson and the rest of the gang on How I Met Your Mother, our culture loves to celebrate the neighbourhood pub. But more than that, we like to go to a […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Chez Tess Crêperie charms
“Charming” is an adjective I long to use more often. Sometimes it seems like the only things you can depend on as consistently charming are vintage hats, France Gall songs and Colin Firth. So when I walk into Chez Tess Crêperie, I am pleased. It is, in a word, charming. A small, sweet space, it […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Delicious discovery at the Savour Food and Wine Festival
A cork pops, the trigger pull on a liquid starter’s pistol, and the foodie event called Decadence begins with Fresita, a Chilean sparkling wine, glistening ruby-red in a gently fizzing orchestra of champagne flutes. On the Friday before Valentine’s Day, Decadence is the first of three keynote events at this month’s Savour Food & Wine […]
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The Loose Cannon Scottish Public House isn’t about the food
It seems like Argyle Street is finally living up to its name, with the addition of The Loose Cannon Scottish Public House to the row of restaurants flanking the curbside. Heading to the pub, I hope for tams and knickers and maybe a vault full of gold that I could swim around in; I expect […]
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Cheap eats: breakfasts and brunches
Ardmore 6499 Quinpool, 423-7523 Everything here is cheap! Mon-Friday before 11am, the two-egg breakfast special (with toast, bacon and hashbrowns) is only $3.49. You can also carbo-load Olympic-style with two giant, delicious pancakes for only $4.95. Gus’ Pub 2605 Agricola Street, 423-7786 Heavy Metal breakfast is over, but Gus’ still has bacon, hash browns, toast […]
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Moxie’s provides classic chain reaction
If I were prone to exaggeration, I would say that going to a big-box chain restaurant is the culinary equivalent of being at the bottom of Jame Gumb’s well. If someone surreptitiously brought me to a Jack Montana’s East Side Pizza-type restaurant, the parking lot would have a trail of claw marks and broken fingernails […]
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Caribbean Twist makes us shout
An open space with a scattering of tables, Caribbean Twist has a modest, take-out joint feel. The walls are bright yellow and orange. Potted palms and other greenery weave around the tables, and a bank of windows at the front of the restaurant offers a bright wash of natural light. All together, there is a […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Take a Greek vacation at Estia
If I close my eyes tight enough, opening the door on the cold, salty curb of Spring Garden Road into the doors of Estia feels like walking into my own personal Narnia. Crossing the threshold, I step out of winter into the warmth of a summer day in Greece. The air hangs heavy, warm with […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Creating sparkling duos with champagne
The Liberace of holidays, New Year’s Eve is all about sparkle. From fireworks to sequins to sparklers to wine, everybody is looking for a little more razzle and a lot more dazzle. And if your drink can erase Ryan Seacrest’s spray-tanned face in a haze of bubbles by the time the ball drops, so much […]
Posted inFood + Drink
How to bribe Santa with cookies
Now that it’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, shifty-eyed tots around the world are breaking into a nervous sweat whenever the words “naughty or nice” come up. But before they take that long Christmas Eve walk down the red and green mile to their rooms, think about giving the naughtier children in your […]
