There’s a lot of history behind Blowers Street’s newest arrival, The Dandelion Cafe. Its location—5228 Blowers Street—was home to the open-air, people-watching haven Blowers Street Paper Chase Newsstand and Cafe for what feels like a lifetime before it closed its doors (and windows last April). The Dandelion’s name is a nod to Halifax’s past—John Connors […]
Food
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A royal flush at King Street Cafe
Of the 140 characters you’ll find on King Street at any given time, Fran Hiscock is the queen, the living jewel in the crown of downtown Dartmouth’s food community. Fran Hiscock is Fran’s Fish and Chips. For nine years, Fran’s has been parked in downtown Dartmouth, between Portland and Queen, fragrant steam puffing out of […]
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Some like it hot
It’s not quite a cold, but there’s one on the horizon. Camping out in the back of your throat and all up in your sinuses, waiting for the imperfect moment pounce on your immune system. A spoonful of Buckley’s, well it tastes awful. And a tall glass of OJ—or worse, a fizzy vitamin supplement a […]
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Bloody delicious
Blood is creepy, right? Nine times out of 10, if you find a list with the word “blood” on it, that list is going to be written by a total maniac. It seems like it would make for a very macabre recipe card, one more suited to Elizabeth Bathory than Betty Crocker. But that’s not […]
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Tap into fall beer
Post-haunted corn maze Leave Me Blue Kentucky Corn Beer (4.5 percent), Good Robot Brewing Corn is also known as maize. I can’t see any other explanation for a maze made of corn, but let us embrace the season. Lucky for us, Nova Scotia has plenty of terrifying corn mazes to choose from: for the brave, […]
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It takes a community
Dartmouth north is a food desert. There are no dedicated grocery stores between the Sobeys on Wyse Road and Chops Meat Market on Wright Avenue, from the waterfront to the Walmart in Dartmouth Crossing. To be generous—to geography, not the residents of Dartmouth north—that’s six to eight square kilometres of the HRM where corner stores […]
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Thanks for sharing
Looking to fill out your Thanksgiving dinner? Engage Nova Scotia is bringing culture to the table with a program for Canadian newbies and Halifax locals. Share Thanksgiving matches up local hosts with guests—like exchange students and people or families who are new to the country—to share in the Canadian tradition of eating a lot of […]
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The merroir the merrier
If anybody knows oysters, it’s Patrick McMurray. A two-time world-champion oyster-shucker, McMurray holds the Guinness World Record for the most oysters shucked in one minute—38 oysters—he set in 2010, breaking the old 2002 record of 33 oysters held by, well, Patrick McMurray. His quick hands also helped lead a Canada shucking team to a Guinness […]
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For shuck’s sake
1. The first step is the easiest one, but maybe the most important. “Keep your eyes on the oyster,” McMurray says. You need to pay attention to what you’re doing. “And use an oyster knife; don’t try a steak knife or a butter knife or anything like that. They don’t have to be as fancy […]
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Where I work: Peter Nowlan
Who he is If anyone knows about turning a passion into a business, it’s Peter Nowlan. Four years ago, the newly retired naval officer with a love for sharpening knives started New Edge Sharpening. “The purpose of opening the business was for me to make some money so that I could purchase Japanese water stones,” […]
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Squid goals: urban fishing in Halifax
Leaning over the wooden ledge of the boardwalk, Andrew Hunt preps one of his many fishing rods with a shrimp-like lure—a tackle suited for squid. “Those are huge!” he says, as he jigs his line near the tentacled shadows below the surface, waiting for them to take notice. Hunt, a local artist and graphic designer, […]