Cafe Chianti crafts pretty good food

A few months ago, my bf's mother was visiting and we decided to go to dinner at Cafe Chianti.  It was a toss up between there are Elements on Hollis, but seeing as how we had never eaten at CC, this was an excellent opportunity to try it.

I had been in the space during Bear Resto's ill-fated run, and the layout is pretty much the same, save for some soft fixtures being updated.  As opposed to the larger booths, the seating is now white linen tables, and several of them were full.

Big mussel fans, we each decided to order the mussel special; a pound of mussels and pint of beer for $10.99.  Myself and momma chose the tomato sauce with wine and herbs, while Mitch ordered the white wine and basil cream sauce.  Both were delicious, although I think the cream version would have been too rich for me to eat the whole bowl.  The shellfish were supple and most (of mine) were open!

Mussels in Tomato Sauce

Lobster Bisque Acadienne 

After our mussel appetiser, M's momma ordered the Lobster Bisque Acadienne - a velvety soup with fresh lobster and a dollop of cream.  It looked delicious, although a skin had started forming on top which made me wonder how long it had been sitting on the line. 

I ordered the Calamari, lightly breaded and fried with a spicy tomato- chili sauce.  They were excellent, with the tender squid rings enclosed in a light batter and tossed in the spicy sauce. The order was quite large and I filled up quickly.

Calamari Fritti

Even after the bisque and calamari, the intention was to share the Crab Cakes, but I was so full that I barely touched them save for one bite.  These were ok.  They were heavy with the addition of risotto, and had a slightly greasy crust. The addition of the lemon-pepper cream sauce was a bit too over the top in texture which resulted in the dish being cloying.  

Crab Cakes

                        

For his entree, Mitch ordered the Halibut Special; grilled fish topped with a grilled shrimp skewer, new potatoes, leeks and a mango-ish chutney.  This was a pretty extravagant - looking dish. In terms of a visual, there was a bit too much happening on his plate; the food aside, there was a sprinkling of dried herbs and a sprig of Rosemary sticking out of the fish - I didn't think people actually did that anymore! The food itself was pretty tasty though, and moderately priced for a special.  The halibut and shrimp were both really nice - well cooked and flavourful.  

Halibut Special

Cafe Chianti is certainly moving in the right direction with one of the key points - the cooking times - being spot on as most of the items were cooked perfectly.  The dish elements and plating require a bit of a review however, as the crab cakes were far too heavy with both the risotto and cream sauce, and the halibut plate was a bit amateur in its presentation.

Though I can't say that it was one of my favourite meals in Hali, I can say that it was a really nice evening out.  Spending the few hours catching up,  over dinner in such a relaxing environment was a great way to spend the evening with Mitch's mom.  

Delicious dining at Da Maurizio

You might recall that in my list of Top Ten Bites of 2011, a certain meal at Da Maurizio was included.  It was such a great dining experience, that I had to share the whole meal with you, so here it is:

A few weeks ago marked my man and my 1 year anniversary (insert "awwww" here).  I had a hefty gift certificate for Da Maurizio and we were saving it for this special night.  We had to save it even longer too, since this girl got sick on the special day.

And so, we finally had our celebratory meal a month later - which was fine by me really, because I could actually enjoy it at that point.  And so, a Saturday evening, one month later, we finally made it  to the resto at about 8 pm.  Of course, I already knew exactly what I was having. Yup - I called ahead to make sure that a particular menu item in a photo on the website could be made!

Once we were seated, we chose two vodka martinis to start the night while we looked over the menu.   Mitch decided on the prix fix, a great deal at just $39.95 for 3 courses!  As I said, I planed my meal in advance and did so in order to save room for the Tiramisu.  I'm not normally a dessert fan, but I decided that after a meal at DM, Tiramisu would be essential!  I ended up ordering 2 apps - which I often do lately- as I leave a resto feeling fully satisfied, as opposed to FULL.

Mitch started off with the mussels- a lovely dish.  They were served in a luscious tomato-based broth and topped with some crusty bread.  All of the mussels opened and they were tender and succulent - not like many of those I've had often, which have been chewy and unopened.  While he enjoyed the crustaceans, I ordered the calamari...and they were incredible!  Light, crispy and with a wonderful, deeply flavoured chunky tomato sauce, it was definitely the best plate of calamari that I've ever had in Halifax.

Mussels

Sauteed with garlic, white wine, onions, chillies, leeks and tomato

Calamari

Flash fried, finished with tomato, garlic, crushed chillies,
lemon and parsley.

The Bread

When it came to the entrees, I decided on a second-plate size of polenta con fungi; a bed of polenta topped with mixed mushrooms in a demi-glace.   It. Was. Incredible.  The fact that something so simple could be so delicious is outstanding.  The polenta was rich, creamy and kissed with a touch of Parmesan, while the mushrooms were succulent, tossed in the rich demi glace.  I'd go back for this meal a thousand times over.

While I died and went to polenta heaven, Mitch had a spectacular Bolognese.  There were about 5 entree choices for the Prix Fixx, and he asked our server to surprise him for the main.  He was quite happily surprised by the al dente penne tossed in the luscious Bolognese sauce with beautiful ground veal.  Needless to say, I'll take ground veal over ground beef any day.

Polenta con fungi

Mixed mushrooms in a demi glass served atop creamy polenta

Penne Bolognese

Penne with ground veal in a Bolognese sauce

And so, the moment that I had been waiting for arrived; dessert!  My Tiramisu was excellent.  Booze-soaked cake sat layered with the lovely Marscapone mousse and whipped cream.  The dessert was slightly mushy - in a good way, while the dark chocolate shards on top provided a nice crunch.  For his entree, Mitch chose an incredibly rich chocolate torte - a bit too rich for me, but he managed to finish it!  Perhaps it was the specialty coffee that helped!  I suppose I could describe the torte almost like a chocolate pate.

Tiramisu

Marscapone mousse layered with savoiardi drenched 
in espresso and brandy 

Flourless Chocolate Torte

A very 'special' specialty coffee

This was a fantastic dinner out to a resto that I hope to visit very soon.  Not only was the food delicious, the atmosphere here is intimate and personal and it was just what we were hoping for on our special night.

Top Ten Bites of 2011

Every year, around the new year, I also celebrate a very special occasion.  Yes, today is my birthday.... But it's With Bite's Bday as well.  Yup - four years ago today, I started my blog and, unbeknownst to me at the time, a new gig as a freelance writer. Granted, I'm a weeeee but older than four, but I hope that my blog will age and grow with me. 

I have a lot of plans for With Bite this year; and I can't wait to share the developments with you.  As many of you know, I recently completed the academic portion of my sommelier training - only 40 service hours left!!  This took up a considerable amount of time, and I neglected this puppy in the process.  However, although you weren't hearing about it, I certainly had my fill of food and drink in the past year.  And,  though I'm dedicated to moving forward in 2012, and not looking back, I still want to share with you my top ten bites of 2011.  Here they are - in no particular order!

Top Ten Bites of 2011

Polenta + mushrooms + sauce = a plate of amazing goodness! I had a real nice gift certificate for Da Maurizio a couple months back,  and we used it for a special night.  The blog post isn't up yet, but stay tuned to see pics of the BEST calamari in town and an incredible pasta Bolognese in addition to the dish below: the Polenta con Funghi!

I love Indian food.  I love it's rich, saucy goodness.  This particular dish, the Subz Jalfrezi is my favorite one yet.  Indian food is expensive, but I thought it was well worth it.  I sighed with delight throughout the whole meal at the Taj Mahal!

Talk about money!  This was a money meal - as in sick -  as in really, really good!  And the ironic thing was how cheap it was! This lobster roll at Richard's, PEI,  was one of my favorite meals - but also dining experiences of 2011.  The memory of sitting on the patio, watching the sun set on the beach and sharing a meal with new friends and old will stay with me forever.

Not usually one for sweets, I felt as though I had died and gone to caloric heaven with one bite of this gingerbread cake from the Elephant's Eye.  The appetizer was pretty amazing too, but you can read all about THAT in my restaurant review.

Ah, Gio!  Who doesn't love to go out for a meal at this stellar resto - it's one of Halifax's best!  Though there's no blog post for this particular meal, it's certainly unforgettable for me.  A plate of succulent scallops; rich, celeriac puree; fresh, edamame and earthy Shitake mushrooms?  What's not to LOVE?  I joke that it's the most expensive take out of my life; once I finished my app and breadbasket, I had to take most of this dish home!

No blog post for this one,  but it still made the list! Check out my restaurant review of Dee Dee's here!  Dee Dee's has incredible ice cream and I savoured every spoonful of this tart and tangy Shaker Lemon! 

I don't normally order sammys when I go out to eat, but the description of the Reuben at the Henry House really caught my eye.  I was very happy with my order. I ate the whole thing - even the half I intended to pack up!  Check out the full meal deal here - the lobster roll was also delish!

Mother! This meal at Fid Resto was incredible.  The snow crab salad was my favorite part, but it was just one of many delicious bites on this particular visit.

The Mandoo Guk at Minato has taken away the chill on more than one occasion.  Savoury and filling, it's a nice alternative to the good 'ol chicken soup.  Check out my other favorite dish at this resto here.

One of the loveliest salads in Halifax and all of my favorite ingredients in one bowl!  The Seafood Cobb Salad at The Five Fishermen includes: smoked salmon, scallops, shrimp, blue cheese, egg and avocado to name a few!  Check out our full meal here!

Unfortunately, I don't have any pics, but I wanted to give some honorable mentiones to a couple bevys that passed my lips this past year.  First and foremost; treat yourself to a Hot Buttered Rum this winter at the Bicycle Thief!  This drink is incredible and just the thing to warm you up on one of these crisp winter nights!  I also had some fab cocktails at the Drawing Room on the top floor of the Henry House and at The Middle Spoon.

Happy New Year everyone! I'd like to wish you and your family and friends health and happiness in 2012.  I hope you have the courage to take leaps and bounds and still make time for a little R n' R this year!  Thanks for reading!