I am no stranger to Caroline’s Bakery. It opened on Alderney Drive right across from the library around a year ago, and for a few months now I have stopped in pretty frequently, picking up a loaf of bread here and a turnover there. It’s a plain little bakery—mumsy, even— with chintz-upholstered cafe chairs, and a […]
Restaurant Reviews
Posted inFood + Drink
Stubborn Goat time
The Stubborn Goat is an almost perfect blend of the styles found at the owners’ other popular establishments, Durty Nelly’s and Saege. It’s a restaurant that seems built around the idea of appealing to as many people as possible—there’s a thoughtful beer menu, a simple wine menu and the food focuses on trendy comfort food […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Off the Grill talk
John’s Lunch casts a long shadow on Pleasant Street. While several fast food joints run the road in that stretch, the indomitable John’s continues to set the bar for fried food in the neighbourhood. And while burgers of all kinds converge on the strip across from Value Village, Off the Grill—which opened in the fall […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Mother’s nature
Pizza is hard to review. It’s so intensely subjective, that—perhaps more so than with any other food—saying you like one better than another is basically just the opening strains of a Sondheim musical. Do you like Neapolitan more than Sicilian? (Finger snaps.) New York more than Chicago? (Heel turn. Kick.) It’s clear after a few […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Wild Leek style
There are few things more delightful than having brunch with my friend Laura. She loves good times, good food and good drinks just as much as I do. Just as much as pretty much all of my friends do. The only difference: she’s vegan. So we need to find vegan food. Good vegan food. There […]
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Fine La Frasca
Things are picking up steam at La Frasca when I stop in for dinner. The dining room is a little over half full and tables are being pushed together for various reservations. I ask for a table for two and am told that will be impossible, but I am welcome to sit at the bar, […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Filling time
A peek behind the curtain of The Coast’s food section would show you a to-do list of restaurants to review that sprawls into the dozens at any given time. How I choose what restaurant to review is as much schedule as it is spontaneity; there is very little rhyme to it, but there is generally […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Terry Vassallo’s awesome sauce
“That’s Amore” is playing in the dining room at Cafe Chianti as I sit in the dining room, perusing the menu of classic Italian and Italian-American dishes— beef carpaccio, cioppino, handmade potato gnocchi, linguine vongole, insalata Caprese, and various pizzas. It’s fitting—Cafe Chianti is a classic. “It is a little bit, maybe right off the bat, […]
Posted inFood + Drink
The Dock side
Fisherman’s Cove is little fishing wharf dotted with a row of shacks that sell knick-knacks, artwork, souvenirs and ice cream. It’s a colourfully bland experience in the middle of a naturally beautiful waterfront vista, a tourist trap that’s meant to evoke the stereotypical Nova Scotian experience. There’s a boardwalk and a small beachy area where […]
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Hungry for the Food Wolf
I see the little clapboard sign for the Food Wolf on the sidewalk before I see the truck itself, tucked away slightly off of Gottingen Street, across from the Marquee Club on the corner of Falkland, in the gravel lot they call Squiggle Park. Allison and I meet there shortly after the truck arrives for […]
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Batter up for Acadian Fish & Chips
The first thing we spot at Acadian Fish & Chips, after the Acadian flag, of course, is a string of lobster traps that shore up the border of the parking lot. They lead to a lighthouse beside the restaurant that stands ready, one would guess in this landlocked space, to alert cars of any puddles […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Ottoman alive
Sometimes it seems like Halifax is nothing but a series of cached images from the 15 years I’ve lived downtown, and no matter what I see, I can’t refresh and reload. There is clearly a disconnect between my eyeballs and my brain. Orange condos seemingly spring out of nothing but the sudden absence of the […]
