Eating light at Elements

A few weeks ago, my one of my bf's best pals was in town from NL.  After a few nights of partying, we were quite content to spend a low-key, relaxing night out for a late dinner.  When you live in my hood, there are several dining options, but in this case, we were dying for some rosemary brioche cooked in a tin can - so Elements resto it was!

After being seated we ordered a bottle of Grand Pre's L'Acadie Reserve - our usual pick here since NS wines are priced at just cost + $5.  After pointing out our favorite dishes to our pal, I decided to try a few new-to-me dishes, and order the Micro Greens Salad ($7) and the Roasted Squash Soup ($8) - two of the  lighter menu options.  

The salad was delicious; with farmer's market vegetables and a lovely pear and ginger vinaigrette, it was a fresh choice that provided great crunch.  I ordered the dressing on the side - always cautious of dressing overload - but my friend's salad was expertly dressed, so I'll likely order the dressing 'on' the next time around.  Mitch chose the Indian Point Mussels ($10) as he often does.  The mussels are steamed in L'Acadie Blanc with garlic and herbs - which made our wine a very good choice - and they're served with a nice, sweet potato roll.

Micro Greens Salad

The soup is also fantastic, with the presentation being just as good as the soup itself.  Our server placed a bowl in front of me with a dollop of goat's cheese, several small cubes of squash and some crispy fried sage leaves.  Then, as his colleague poured my warm, thick soup from a lovely kettle, I could smell the squash's sweet aroma.  I'll have to go back again before the weather heats up - this is just the thing for a chilly night.

Roasted Squash Soup

Always a fan of the gnocchi ($21), Mitch ordered Element's latest version with braised lamb, sauteed mushrooms, Brussels sprout leaves tossed in a warm lamb jus.  On top of the tender gnocchi was a sage millet crumble.  This was pretty tasty, but the contrast in textures was a bit to abrupt for me, so next time I'd order that crumble on the side. 

This is a fairly heavy meal - but wonderfully warm and rich and the lamb jus lends just a hint of mystery to the dish. I love when Mitch orders mussels & gnocchi as he can never finish the pasta and my fork swoops in to save the day and clear away the last few delectable morsels!

Braised Lamb Gnocchi

Unfortunately, our pal doesn't live here, so we can't go to dinner with her all the time, but it was nice to be able to spend such a lovely, relaxed evening for her last night in Halifax.  And, lucky us: at the end of the meal, we were given some envelopes with an unknown perk. We'll have to visit Elements again to redeem it, but since our pal went home to NL, we left with three.  Weeeeee!

Incredible eats at the Wooden Monkey

I've been to the Wooden Monkey a few times, but it's just been for lunch or an early supper - I've never been for dinner.  A few weeks ago I met some friends for a late dinner where I was wowed by my meal.  Since we were going out later, I didn't want to eat too big of a meal.

If I only knew what I was getting into!  Since 'eating light' was the name of the game, I decided to go with the Nova Scotian seafood chowder.  Of course, that plan was foiled when my friend suggested that we split some nachos as an appetizer.  Well, we were really hungry, so I quickly obliged.  

Our nachos arrived and they were huge - not to mention delicious. And I hoped they would be, since at $17, they're likely the most expensive in the city.  The organic blue corn chips were topped with a mix of jalapenos, black olives, red and green peppers, white cheddar, Mozzarella cheese and served with salsa and sour cream.  Unfortunately, we didn't look at the price tag prior to ordering or else we may not have enjoyed them quite as much!  At this point though, they're my favorite ones in the city.

I can't stop myself from eating these things; they're delicious.  Gooey cheese, salty blue corn tortilla chips with an earthy note from the blue cheese and a fantastic (and likely organic) tomato salsa - we polished the plate in no time flat.  And then, my chowder arrived and I thought to myself, "how the hell am I gonna finish THIS."  But... you know me, I found a way!  The chowder was tomato-based (my favourite kind) and was chock full of fish:  chowder with 5 oz. of haddock, scallops, lobster, mussels, and potatoes.  Served with wedges of spelt baguette, this could easily have been enough to fill me up.

This was a great night filled with great food and good company.  I'm a pretty big fan of the Wooden Monkey for vegetarian fare or otherwise.  It often gets pegged as the vegetarian resto of choice in this town, but this spot has great stuff for meatatarians too!

Strawberry Picking in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine and fellow blogger, Maria of The Right Coast Nova Scotia, took an adventure into the Annapolis Valley to take advantage of the lovely NS strawberries in season and have lunch at a local resto.

After a pit stop at Just Us! Coffee Roasters in Grand Pre for some coffee, we headed into Wolfville to pick up breakfast at the Wolfville Farmer's Market. I was jonesin' for a baked good - as per my usual Saturday morning plan - and after scoping out 'the goods' we both decided on a lovely stall that sold muffins, squares and all other types of fruity, chocolaty goodness. Judging from the map on the WFM website, I think it must have been Ariel's Baking. My pal went for an oatcakey-type option with dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, nuts and chocolate chips, while I decided on my favorite type of muffin - a Morning Glory, studded with walnuts, carrots and coconut. We were both full by the time we were halfway through, and put them aside for the real task at hand, the Strawberry U-Pick.

Maria's oat cake got a little messy as the sun beat down on us and melted the chocolate chips!

We pulled the car up to the Elderkins' s U-Pick field and proceeded to marvel at the rows of berries - shocking really, as we were fairly late in the season. As we hunched over the bushes in the hot sun, exclaiming over the bountiful red jewels, we were thankful for the intermittent rain showers that came our way. We picked and picked, and finally decided that enough was enough - we should leave some for other pickers to enjoy.

I love the way strawberries hide themselves - like demure southern belles under frilly parasoles, or geishas behind their ribbed fans...such a tease.

Our baskets full, and our bellies only slightly (I only snacked on 3 strawberries while picking!) we headed back into town for lunch. As I had hoped, my friend was in agreement, and we headed to Tempest Restaurant to sit on the patio, sip some wine, and enjoy some of chef Michael Howell's spectacular cuisine.

We ordered wine - pronto! I sipped on a glass of Grand Pre's Verrazano Rose, while Maria chose a Nova Scotian white.

We ordered two small dishes each, with both of us choosing the Hutten's Roasted Beet and Microgreens salad. This was a lovely flavour combination; the tart beets and creamy cheese are a classic flavour pairing, while the sweet nuts provided a bit of crunch. While Maria started with the Dynamite Sushi Roll, I went for the cooling appeal of Tempest's 'Soup of the Day', a vegan Gazpacho. Though I didn't try Maria's sushi, there was a fair amount of "yums" happening. I was so pleased with my choice; a savoury soup, Gazpacho is served chilled and was a refreshing pairing to my glass of chilled rose.

Gazpacho

a tomato-based summer soup, served chilled

Dynamite Sushi Roll

Willy Krauch's BBQ eel, avocado, red pepper & ginger slaw

Hutten's Roasted Beet & Microgreens salad

w/ goat cheese and candied pecans

A Tribute to the Keith's Brewery Farmer's Market

On the heels of my Seaport Farmer's Market post, I thought I'd check in with my past - the past being 2008 and an article I wrote for Halifax Magazine about the Halifax Farmer's Market. Reviewing this article pulled at my heart strings and made me appreciate the side of those vendors who have chosen to stay at the Keith's Brewery Market.

Market day was always one of routine excitement (if I can used such a term). By reviewing this article, I realized that the Keith's Brewery Farmer's Market's individuality, uniqueness and authenticity is what made me fall in love with it in the first place.

In short, I am incredibly excited for the new market, but the Keith's Brewery Farmer's Market will always hold a very dear place in my heart. After all, it was this market - with these vendors and chefs - that made me want to investigate food just a little further, and lead me on the food writing path that I tread today.

I'd like to give kudos and my sincerest thanks to all the vendors who set up at 5 am to provide fresh produce, meats, seafood, breads, artwork, clothing, wines, etc. for so many years. Your contributions to the quality of life in Halifax will always be appreciated and remembered.

An intimate market experience

By: Kristen Pickett

Saturday is my favorite day of the week. It’s not because I get to sleep in, do the laundry or run all my errands abandoned during the busy week. But it’s because Saturday is market day and I look forward to it all week long. One recent visit in particular was different from any other, as I had the experience of exploring the Halifax Farmer’s Market with Chef Dennis Johnson of Fid Restaurant in Halifax.

In the wee hours of the morning, still cold and dark, I bundled up and headed down to Keith’s Brewery. I’m a frequent market-goer and generally fall in with the 9:30 crowd. This was a different experience because at 6:00 a.m.— without the crowds of fellow shoppers — I was able to see the skeletal structure of this Halifax institution as vendors scurried to and fro to make the last-minute adjustments to their stands.

Held on Saturday mornings year-round from 7:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., the Farmer’s Market is a highly anticipated ritual for citizens of Halifax and the surrounding area. This tradition spans generations, as market-goers who went as children, now bring their own families to take part in the food, sights and smells of market day. Vendors come from all areas from the province: Maitland, Tatamagouche, and Elmsdale to name a few, in order to participate in this weekly celebration of Nova Scotia’s bounty.

There was a hum of activity in the early hours as vendors completed their set-up. The headlights from trucks being unloaded in the early dawn shone like beacons, guiding shoppers toward their treasures. I watched with a mixture of excitement and curiosity while a vegetable vendor arranged and rearranged his produce to create an edible canvas of carrots, beets, apples and squash to appeal to the visual sense of his customers.

I met Dennis as he was hauling a full load of vegetables, and he proceeded to introduce me to some of the market’s key contributors. These vendors provide not only their produce, but their time, energy and enthusiasm as well. The advantage of traveling though the maze of the market with Dennis was apparent upon my discovering not only “new-to-me” vendors and products, but in discovering the background behind the market. The market is a co-operative, he explained, and all those on the executive council are producers present every Saturday morning, selling their products and interacting with the public.

As I asked Dennis where his list was, he pointed to his head. There were several things that he knew he needed; necessities such as onions, greens and bread for Fid’s breadbasket, but many menu items were inspired on the spot by the products available. This is, after all, a philosophy common to many Halifax chefs.

It was incredible to observe the chef, whose creativity in the kitchen is influenced and guided by the season, while he thoughtfully decided on his purchases. As he jumped behind the counters of several vendors, amassing his choices and tossing jokes back and forth, I watched the camaraderie that revealed itself between two very different professions: a chef and a farmer, whose purpose and futures are dependent upon one another and inextricably linked.

The respectful relationship between chef and vendors is evident, one going so far as to refer to Dennis as “the market’s champion”. He is a dedicated chef, with his dedication extending not only towards his own establishment and customers, but also toward the vendors themselves, their purpose, the market and community. I too felt a sense of respect here. I was a student to many of the vendors who, upon discovering my inquisitive nature, spoke at length regarding their personal desires and aspirations for the future of the market. While he guided me through his regular routine, Dennis purposefully pointed out vendors who can trace their ancestry back to the market’s establishment.

As I left the market with a bag full of goodies, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of gratitude. I had just been given a personal tour of one of my favorite places in Halifax — a place I thought I knew quite well, but realized that I had only just scratched the surface. Sure, I knew where to get the best herbs, tasty sausages and mouth-watering baked goods, but I was unaware as to the fabric woven behind the scenes.

Dennis showed me that this gathering of individuals isn’t just about buying and selling. It’s about the pride the vendors take in their craft, their desire to be environmentally and socially conscious, and their determination to support Nova Scotia’s economy.