More MODA!

Last Friday night, my BF and I went out to a late dinner at MODA on Dresden Row.  Neither of us ad been before, but we were looking forward to trying it out.  When we arrived at about 8:30, we were seated at a tiny table for 2 by the window. After quite the  time trying to make a decision, we finally settled on two courses each - although mine were a bit smaller.  

After hearing the specials, there was no way that we could turn down the incredible-sounding soup; a broccoli base with Applewood Smoked Cheddar and pieces of prosciutto.  Mitch does have a weakness for soup and often orders one as a starter, but this one is by far one of the best we've had in a long time.  The broccoli base was pronounced, but incredibly well-balanced with the smokey cheddar and cream.  The prosciutto crisps were like little treats within each spoonful. 

Soup of the Day $9

Broccoli & Applewood Smoked Cheddar w/ Prosciutto

My first course were three jewel-like spheres in the most luxurious tomato sauce I've ever had.  Within the crisp shells, the rice inside was well-cooked and creamy with the earthy flavour of mushroom.  The sauce was a lovely pool; smooth and fresh with a hint of rosemary.  I could easily have had another plate of these.  

Risotto Spheres $11

Mushroom risotto stuffed w/ Asiago cheese

Rosemary Tomato Sauce

The tomato sauce was soo good that I scraped every last bit off the plate!

Holy cannoli!  When Mitch ordered a steak, I didn't think anything of it - he often does.  But neither of us were ready for this meal!  The tenderloin at MODA is the best steak I've ever had in Halifax.  First, it was cooked perfectly and it was also super flavourful and tender.  the steak is served with a couple different options, but Mitch chose the Shopshire blue cheese sauce.  Smothering the steak, it made every bite moan-able.  Instead of a potato on the side, he was allowed to substitute for another starch and chose some spaghetti tossed with loads of garlic and olive oil. 

Beef Tenderloin $32

w/ Shopshire Blue Cheese Sauce

Garlicky Spaghetti

I chose a lighter dish; a simple spinach salad with a lovely warm dressing of honey and Balsamic, dusted with Parmesan.  The menu listed bacon, but I did only find one piece.   

Warm Spinach Basil Salad

Baby Spinach w/ Basil, Smoked Bacon, Parmesan

Warm Honey-Balsamic Dressing

I would certainly go back to MODA again and have recommended it to several people since our dinner.  It's a nice little resto with fantastic service and food, and is a perfect spot for a celebratory meal, or just a really, really nice dinner.

Post-run dinner at Saege

As of this past February, I joined a running team.  It was a pretty good idea, since I eat out quite regularly - that maaayyy be an understatement!  Anyhow, on this particular running session we had to do hill training!  That's right - the very words made me quiver with fear.  

As it turned out though, it was a cinch.  I ran up and down Citadel Hill 18x, and was barely breathless at the finish.  To celebrate my athletic aptitude...I wanted a drink.  A glass of bubbly was the only thing on my mind, and when Mitch suggested that we go to Saege Bistro for dinner, I happily agreed.

Once inside with my sparkling flute in hand, we made some choices for dinner.  With my metabolism running at a feverish pace (yeah right), I decided to share the Appetizer Tasting Plate ($13) with Mitch and order the uber-delicious sounding scallop entree.

The Appetizer Plate was OK; but I wasn't thrilled.  The crab cake was very nice; light and with a crisp breading, but it was almost falling apart when the dish arrived at the table.  The shrimp was cooked well and had a great, bright and spicy flavour.  I let M have the spring roll as I was saving room for my main event.  

Appetizer Tasting Plate 

Chili  Shrimp, Spring Roll & Crab Cake

Glass of bubbly post-run

When the entrees arrived, I was ready to dig in.  My scallop dish ($22) was excellent.  The scallops were anchored in a creamy butternut squash & pumpkin puree that had just the right amount of sweetness.  Always one to appreciate some veg, the addition of spinach and tomato was a great choice, with the ripe red fruit bursting in my mouth.  I moved one of the scallops to the side of my plate and made a decadent discovery; hidden seductively between the squash puree and the incredibly supple scallops was a slab of salty, delicious Oulton's bacon.  I would, 100%, order this dish again.

Seared Digby Scallops

Braised Oulton's Bacon, Butternut Squash & Pumpkin Puree

Grape Tomato & Spinach

Ah, the bacon!

Unfortunately, M wasn't so lucky the first time around.  I've since convinced him to order his steak 'rare' instead of his usual (groan) "rare to med-rare", as he almost always ends up with a medium-well steak.  Minor rant here, as it's happened at 3 different restos in the last month.  Anyhow, when the second attempt at a rare steak arrived, it was a very nice plate. The meat was super flavourful and tender.  I also put away several forkfuls of the earthy wild mushroom risotto - I could have eaten a whole bowl!

Getaway Farms 6 oz. Striploin $22

Wild Mushroom Risotto & Braised Shallot Jus

Since I have a salty tooth and M, a sweet, I could do without when the dessert menu appeared.  But I did have a taste of his for good measure. ;)  I had mixed feelings about the Vanilla Bean Cheesecake ($8).  On one hand, the blueberry compote was lovely and the luscious lemon cream 'to-die-for', but the cheesecake had a very granular texture that I really didn't care for.  I'd think twice before ordering this dessert, but some of the other options sounded pretty decadent, and were a nice change from other resto's old standards.  

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake $8

w/ Blueberry Compote & Lemon Cream

Even with the minor disappointments of this meal; we had an excellent time.  The atmosphere in Saege is comfortable and unpretentious.  It's one of those casual fine dining spots that allows you to have a great meal at a reasonable price point, but still feel like you indulged. I will go back again, and have a couple times since.  It's well worth the visit - especially if it's scallops that you're craving!

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!

P,p,p, patio at Pipa!

One of my favorite restos in Halifax at the moment is Pipa on Argyle St. Actually, since Pipa opened in 2008, it's been a favourite.   It's a husband and wife-run resto that specializes in Brazilian and Portuguese food. One of the things that I find appealing about this spot is the fact that most of the dishes are unfamiliar, and each one is a new adventure! 

As luck would have it, the very day that we decided to head out to dinner and not get into the drink, pitchers of sangria are $5 off.  Obviously we ordered one; white sangria with peaches and strawberries. It was an incredibly hot evening and this delicately sweet bevy was just the thing to quench my thirst.  Since we planned on taking our time, I asked that they put ice only in the glasses so as to not water down our 'punch' .

As is often the way at a spot like this, my eyes were bigger than my belly and I ordered three apps; my friend ordered one plus an entree.  Loving a good game of chance, he often leaves his choice up to our server -  in this case, the owner, who suggested the pork and clams.  He prefaced this meal with more crustaceans, an order of Black Point oysters, while I ordered lobster soup, hearts of palm salad and lamb meatballs.

The soup was broth based with chunks of potatoes and other veg. I checked it out before ordering  as I'm not particularly fond of a creamy chowda on a hot day like this.    It was O.K. There were nice pieces of lobster, but it was lacking in flavour. My friend's oysters were super tasty and sea-salty fresh.  Served with some of Pipa's uber-spicy green salsa they set my mouth to waterin'. 

And then came the entrees; my two small plates and my friend's lovely stew-like pork, clam and potato mix.  The hearts of palm salad was original and refreshing.  Reminiscent of artichokes, the palm hearts were quite tangy after marinating for several hours in a lime-cilantro dressing.  On a bed of mesculn mix with chunks of corn, avocado and tomatoes, this salad was full of flavour and a nice change from other resto's typical salad options. 

The show-stopper was the meatballs.  Admittedly an odd dish; meatballs in a delicious tomato sauce sans pasta, they were served with crispy grilled baguette.  It was a decidedly simple, rustic preparation and it was delicious.  Ground veal was mixed with the usual suspects: garlic, basil and oregano, but the intriguing edition of a baking spice - nutmeg, made them all the more mysterious.  

My pal's pork and clam dish was awesome - and I don't even  like clams!  Pieces of pork and clams in the shell were cooked in a flavourful sauce,  sprinkled with verdant cilantro and served with grilled bread -  which he used to mop up the sauce.  These are some of my favorite meals; where bread is a utensil!

If you are - or even if you aren't adventurous, try heading down to Pipa to sit on the patio this summer, or in the atrium in the winter.  Though there are options for the curious palate, there are also plenty items on the menu for those with a more vanilla palate.  Of the 25+ menu options, only 6 are NOT gluten free, so it's a great spot to take friends and family who are trying to avoid gluten.

jane's to go? I'll take that!

At the end of June, myself and my staff fun day team managed to pull off one of the most adventure-packed staff fun days to date.  Using our  powers of persuasion, we managed to have a day full of excitement capped off with gourmet-good food.

We started off at 9am with a session of laser tag at Alpha Strike.  That shit is sooo much fun!  I have never squealed and giggled so much in my life -- and being able to take down my boss didn't hurt ether!  When we were finished, we boarded an Ambasstours double decker to take us to our next destination: Kartbahn in Bayer's Lake.  We speed around the track for an hour or so and once we had our fill of burnin' rubber,  got back on the bus to pick up lunch - a gourmet brown bag from jane's on the common.

We had preordered the week before from an incredible selection of smoked salmon, roast beef, turkey, ham and cheese and veggie sandwiches.  With these came a drink and two side salads; broccoli with dried cherries, fennel and nuts and a tasty orzo and chickpeas with sundried tomatoes.  To top it all off: a decadently dense gluten free brownie, which I took home and later warmed and topped with vanilla fro-yo and fresh raspberries.  

If you're ever looking for a great quality lunch or need a change from fast food, this is the spot to go.   Fer real, this part was the highlight of my day, and wayyy better than take-out pizza!

Fujiyama: Eat in, or Take Out!

Mmmm- sushi!  Sushi is one of my favourite eats here in Hali.  It's just one of those meals that I could eat at any time of day, and the only late-night dinner I can really get into....Unless it's a greasy feed on an early Saturday am.  You know what I'm talking about....

This particular sushi experience is Fujiyama, the sushi spot that has taken over the old Le Cave location. I like this spot because I can count on its quality and creativity.  This blog post incorporates two dinners from Fujiyama - one on site, and one take-out.  I felt the need to write about the take-out, as it's not too often that your food quality remains intact when taken off-site.  On this occasion - and many times thereafter - it was.

Shrimp and Veggie Tempura 

How could you go wrong with this one?  Tender veg and plump shrimp in a light, crispy coating.

Chef's Sushi for Two

I was so glad that we ordered this dish - it really gave me the opportunity to try all types of sashimi and decide which ones I truly liked - the Butterfish was our favourite!  We really appreciated the fact that our server let us substitute the eel rolls for an additional salmon sashimi.

Deep Fried Banana

I could take or leave this dessert.  This was the only thing that really appealed to me on the dessert menu, but it tasted kinda funny...and I'm pretty sure the whipped cream was from a can. :S

And, for take-out...

Salmon Sashimi, Spicy Salmon Rolls & 

Tokyo Scallop Roll - Spicy scallop and avocado 

rolled in soybean paper with eel sauce and spicy sauce

Soybean paper is so tasty!  If ever you come across a roll enclosed in this deliciousness, go for it!  You'll appreciate the change from the texture of the usual nori, and it's quite tasty too!

Shrimp Tempura- Just as good at home...

My first Wine Dinner gig!

I'm so excited to be pulling together both sides of my work experience in a brand new event for the Halifax Chamber of Commerce!  Next Wednesday, May 18th, I'll be working with  Innovative Beverages and Bishop's Cellar to launch the Chamber's first ever wine dinner! 

As a sommelier in training, I managed to sweet-talk my boss into introducing our members to the exciting world of wine, as well as opening it up to the public at no extra cost! The Chamber's first ever wine dinner will allow members and non-members the opportunity network while dining on CUT's award-winning cuisine while sampling fantastic wines from all over the world. 

And talk about a great deal! This event features 5 courses with wine pairings, as well as a sparkling wine reception, for only $90, tax and tip included! It doesn't get much better than this! For more info, or to book your tickets, email me Kristen Pickett, or call direct at 481.1234.  Check out the menu below to get your palate ready for this great event!

Chamber Wine Dinner

CUT Urban Grill

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

6:30 ~ Sparkling Wine Reception & Networking

7:00 ~ Dinner

$90, Taxes and Gratuity included

MENU

Reception
Graham Beck Brut NV - Western Cape, South Africa

1st Course
Parsnip Apple Soup with Cinnamon Foam.
Montes Classic Sauvignon Blanc - Casablanca Valley, Chile

2nd Course
Digby Scallop in a Coconut Curry Cream Sauce.
Spy Valley Reisling- New Zealand

3rd Course
Juniper & Salt Cured Duck Confit with a Bing Cherry Demi Glaze
Glen Carlou Grand Classique Bordeaux Blend 2008- South Africa