WHO HE IS Ten years ago, Frédéric Tandy opened Ratinaud French Cuisine, a charcuterie brimming with cured meats, rillettes, sausages and imported cheeses. Since then, it has grown into a thriving business on Gottingen Street. But few know that, instead of a charcuterie, Tandy’s original plan was to open a French bistro. “I had this […]
Ratinaud French Cuisine
Posted inFood + Drink
The 244’s block party
The Eiffel Tower used to stand at the corner of Gottingen and Cornwallis. You could see it from a block away, tall and bright, almost two stories tall on the side of the building, a glittery accent to the neon script of French Casino, a restaurant where you’d find tournedos and foie gras, French food […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Ratinaud gets an upgrade
Ratinaud French Cuisine (2082 Gottingen Street) opened at the tail end of 2011, as Frédéric Tandy’s one man show. After almost four years of growth and expansion, including numerous staff additions, a partner (recently Tandy reacquired full ownership), several sausages, a veritable chorus of cheeses, and 2013’s launch of a limited-seating restaurant program, The Kitchen […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
What do you think needs to be fixed?
[Image-1] We reached out to public figures, community leaders and business owners to find out how they would fix the city. Some edited responses were printed in this week’s issue, but below are the full replies we received. “More use of our wonderful harbour. We should have extended hours on our downtown ferry, with more […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best International Grocer
Gold Winner Pete’s Frootique & Fine Foods, Halifax Silver Winner Ratinaud French Cuisine Bronze Winner Mid-East Food Centre & Cafe There’s nothing better than a freshly stocked fridge of groceries—except maybe a fridge of groceries from Pete’s. Something about the artisan, gourmet or just plain awesome food at Pete’s makes it almost too good to […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Ratinaud’s manic Monday
Maybe I just have a case of the Mondays but, MAN Charcuterie Ratinaud French Cuisine (2082 Gottingen Street, 446-8222) is on it today. Not only did it launch its brand spanking new website today (drool over all the meaty food porn here), but today also marks the completion of the shop’s renovations, the release of […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Frédéric Tandy
Frédéric Tandy has let the seasons be his guide since the beginning of his career in the kitchen. A native of Limoges, France, he grew up eating well and taking inspiration from his grandparents’ home cooking, garden-growing and pâté-making. So, his decision to go to culinary school was a natural one. “I didn’t want to […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Ratinaud’s dream Cuisine
“You must be here for dinner,” Tom Crilley says, leaning against the wall outside of Ratinaud French Cuisine. Two bottles of sparkling wine clink together in my bag as I walk down Gottingen toward him. He introduces himself and leads me inside, where my friends Ron and Kristina are perched on two of the 10 […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
A time of the signs
A sweaty summer stroll revealed two wonderful discoveries today—both Ratinaud French Cuisine (2082 Gottingen Street, 446-8222) and The Shack (1751 Lower Water Street AKA Queen’s Wharf) installed new signage! And beautiful new signage, at that. Just thought I’d share. See The Shack’s rustic-looking wood work above and check out Ratinaud’s bright red beacon below. Note […]
Posted inFood + Drink
Best of Food 2013: Editor’s Picks
BEST SPICY Chili Beef, Jincheng Chinese Cuisine “Twice-cooked pork, chili chicken, chili beef and gonbao chicken.” Chef Daigen Zou rhymes off the most popular hot and spicy dishes on the Jincheng menu. The special chili sauce—a chef’s secret—is what he attributes to the flavourful secret of the chili beef’s success. A simple mix of thinly […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Kitchen party
On (nearly) the eve of Ratinaud French Cuisine‘s (2082 Gottingen Street, 446-8222) one-year anniversary, the north end cure for charcuterie cravings released some super exciting news for the new year. Unwrap your brand new 2013 calendar and put a big circle around January 26: It’ll be the first of many Kitchen Table dinners at Ratinaud, […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Profile: Gottingen Street
With the St. Pat’s-Alexandra controversy bringing new attention to the neighbourhood, now’s a good time to shine the Shoptalk spotlight on the Gottingen Street retail district. I’m happy to report that things are looking good. Merchants are still disappointed about the UARB decision to not allow Reflections to transfer its late-night cabaret licence to the […]