Here are three venues known to be star haunts—ones where you may still get a glimpse of the lovely Jessica Paré (pictured above), if you hurry. Economy Shoe Shop “The Diamond was the rock ‘n’ roll schmooze room,” says Dave Page, the Shoe Shop’s manager. While the dynamics of the Shop and connecting spaces have […]
Food
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All you can eat buffet makeover
“So, do you want to go classy or dirty?” These were the words that started our buffet journey. (Actually, they were “We need a student related food story by Monday.”) The assignment: create food porn from the endless troughs of buffets and make the cheap and plain into something fancy—high dining for the sub-$20 crowd. […]
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Web to doorstep booze
We’re slowly, inexorably, moving towards a sensible system of buying wine, beer and spirits in Canada, where consumers can go online—or use a phone, if they are dinosaurs—and order a case from anywhere in the world to be delivered to their doorsteps. And why not? Why should booze be any different than books and music? […]
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Assembling a local picnic basket
Sunday August 30 is the Incredible Picnic, the province-wide celebration of local food. At the Halifax location, on the Garrison Grounds, onsite vendors will have samples, but the truly adventuresome will bring their own picnic baskets. You can’t, however, rely on imported picnic staples like watermelon. Fortunately, savvy Maritime entrepreneurs make eating locally easier. Starters […]
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The Seaport Beerfest review
You couldn’t pick a better day for sitting around and drinking beer with hundreds of your closest friends. A bright sun was broken only occasionally by a passing cloud and a light breeze, and the breeze was from some direction that somehow missed the millions of litres of raw sewage floating past. Thirty beer and […]
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Where to find the best ice cream
As days get colder and shorter, what better way to savour the last weeks of summer than by slamming copious amounts of ice cream down your throat? But even the simplest pleasures can lead to confusion in today’s consumer culture—we have a slew of frozen treats to choose from and all are not created equal. […]
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Nash talks about his move to Hart & Thistle
Several dozen beer lovers gathered in the side room of the new Hart & Thistle Gastropub at 7 pm last Wednesday to taste the first brews out of the old system that returning brewer Greg Nash used when it was called Shippey’s…in the food court. Nash was on hand to chat with his acolytes about […]
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Manners: Tourism 101
Dear Tourists, Here’s how it works: We’ve got the cultural and historic sites, the cute little tugboat and, of course, the lighthouse. That’s why you’re here. And you’ve got the dough. That’s why we welcome you. We’re going to get that dough by pulling you into Halifax’s restaurants, “the premier culinary source for food and […]
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Catching a draught
Tension builds as Émélie Ouellet approaches the portable Stella Artois bar on the stage of the Halifax Alehouse. She’s won the first two rounds of this regional qualifier for the Draught Master title, and is looking pretty confident for this last round, pitted against New Brunswick’s Gary Burris. Ouellet is a young (but over 21; […]
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Into the trees at the Rich Forest Cafe
If you’ve walked down Bloomfield Street lately, you might have noticed the nondescript signs on the former union clubhouse advertising the recently opened Rich Forest Cafe. The words “where friends meet,” printed beneath the restaurant’s name, reveal little about the pleasant surprise that awaits you in this windowless basement. The Rich Forest Cafe is a […]
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Five vegetarian places where Paul McCartney should eat
1) Heartwood (6250 Quinpool, 425-2808) Probably the top fresh and local paradise for vegetarians and vegans in Halifax. Plus, it’s full of musicians working behind the counter. Heartwood specials for the week-end include the Lonely Hearts Club Sandwich, with soyanaise and smoked tofu, the Macca-roni, vegan-style with tahini, nutritional yeast, garlic and broccoli and some […]
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Atlantic wine awards give plenty of coastal gold
Atlantic wine was put on a pedestal this past weekend when results were revealed for the first annual Atlantic Canada Wine Awards. Thirteen wineries walked away with awards and most winners, unsurprisingly, were from Nova Scotia. About two-thirds of the 119 wines entered in the Atlantic Canada Wine Awards won at least a bronze medal, […]