Hart & Thistle - TeamBuy's new deal!

I’m super excited to write this post as a first-time TeamGal!  I’ve been recruited to write and do reviews of various restos, cafes, etc. in Halifax and then report the experience as the TeamBuy deal goes live.

The Hart & Thistle on Halifax’s waterfront is a favorite spot of mine during the summer, when I can sip one of their micro beers on the sun-drenched patio.  I’ve even done some writing there from time to time – with beer in hand, of course.

This time, it’s 4:00 pm on a Saturday and there are only a few people inside.  It’s really nice though; a bright, comfortable spot to get some work done as I wait for my company.  The piano player seems to have a fondness for Elton John – which is fine by me.

I ask to order a micro-brew and the server describes the two current brews; Mad Man – at 7% alcohol, an IPA and Rocket Man – at 8%, a double IPA.  Appropriate, given the tunes!  I taste them both and decide I’m partial to the Mad Man; it’s a bit more zippy than the other, and with nothing yet in my stomach, I’m wise not to start on a 8% brew!

When my bf arrives, he orders a Muddled Cucumber ($6.09) and the Calamari immediately; panko crusted, it's served with tomato jam and sweet chili mayo.  Served on a slate tile, the pile of squid is tender and the batter, crisp.  We gobble them up quickly, piling each bite with the sweet mayo and yummy tomato jam.

As the server clears our plates, I order a pint of Stella Artois, while Mitch gets a Keith's.  We put in our orders for the 2-piece Maritime Fish n' Chips ($12) and an 8 oz. NY Striploin ($18).   

The lightly battered haddock is tasty; it's crisp and not too greasy.  Served with PEI russet fries and a house-made tartar sauce, I managed to eat one whole piece and then pick the batter off the other.  The quality of fish is excellent and the tartar sauce is delish.  

Mitch's steak is served with frizzled onions, vegetables of the day and horseradish potatoes. The steak is great - full of flavour.  The vegetables are the highlight of this dish for me though; they're al dente, so the carrots, cauliflower, asparagus and green beans still have a slight crunch.  The horseradish potatoes are OK - we think that they're not that fresh.

Believe it or not, after all that, we're still able to consume, so we decide on the dessert sampler platter ($15).  Another tile appears with a selection of the Hart & Thistle's desserts; a piece of bread pudding, a chocolate brownie in a pool of caramel sauce and a lovely oval-shaped disk of chocolate pate.  In the center, there's a small bowl of vanilla bean ice cream and a dollop of whipped cream with fruit.  This is a bad idea...but oh, so good!  I normally go for salty over sweet, but having had my fare share of salt tonight, this is a lovely change.  The brownie is dense and chewy, the bread pudding has a subtle caramel flavour and the chocolate pate tastes like the centre of a Lindt truffle.

We practically roll out of the restaurant, but it was a great way to spend a Saturday evening.  I love the Hart & Thistle on a hot summer's day, but now I love it on a cold winter's night as well!  

Make sure to check out today's TeamBuy: $35 of food for $17!  Click on the following link to see today's deal! http://bit.ly/wd6qev 

Satisfying standard fare at Trapeze

I love a good burger, like love.  The unfortunate thing is that: though you often expect this standard fare to be good, sometimes it's unpalatable; you have a dry patty or a bun that tastes like sawdust.  And then, there's the burger at Trapeze restaurant at the Casino, which is none of these things.  

I went with a large group a couple months back, eight of us in fact, and the food and the service was great.  We started the night with a bunch of appetizers: bruschetta, nachos and calamari that were all pretty good, though I only had a bite of each because I was saving room for the burger.  The apps were gone in an instant.

For my meal, I ordered the Mozzarella and mushroom burger with a side spinach salad.  I love the spinach salad at Trapeze, and I've had a large one several times since.  With a generous helping of spinach, it's dressed with marinated butternut squash, carrot ribbons, red pepper strips and a tangy goat cheese - I usually get the cilantro ginger vinaigrette on the side.

                              

Anyway, on to the burger.  As I said above, it was delicious; the juicy patty was topped with a generous portion of melty cheese and succulent fried mushrooms.  Add to that, the usual fare of lettuce, tomato, onion and a pickle spear, the burger was filling and satisfying.  

                             

This was a tasty meal indeed.  We finished the night off by sharing some awesome desserts: chocolate cake and a yummy blueberry-based one too. I only had a couple bites of those as well; I was full, but I had to try them...for research purposes, of course! ;)

A Birthday Feast at 5 Fishermen Grill

Last month, my friend celebrated his Bday so we took advantage of the specials at the Five Fishermen Grill.  For the whole month, the Grill offered a 'no corkage' option as well as a $5 lobster tail!! Who wouldn't want to make this a dinner destination with these offers on board?

I dropped off our wine earlier in the day to keep it chilled, and we arrived for dinner at 7:30 with another bottle in tow.  The staff was super-friendly and sat us in a mammoth booth for about 6 people, but we still took up the whole table with our orders.  Along with a glass of white and the irresistible bread basket, we took in a plate of the Calamari.  I've had these suckers before (and loved every lick of them - see here), but it was my friend's first time here, so it was nice to watch him discover this new, mysterious flavouring from both the Hoisin and the 5-spice on one of his favourite dishes. 

Calamari

 Flash fried, Hoisin-glazed w/ 5-spice aioli

Once our entrees came, I was already feeling almost satisfied, so the fact that I finished my entree and still had room for dessert still baffles me to this day.  My friend ordered the 10 oz. Black Angus strip steak; a huge piece of meat, and a great value at just $24.  It was beautifully cooked - better than I've tried in some steakhouses.  Grilled to a medium rare, it was served with richly seasoned mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, steamed spring vegetables and a hearty peppercorn sauce.  I don't normally go for a big steak in a resto - especially a seafood-based one, but I would certainly come back specifically for this dish, and I've recommended it to several people.

My salad was unbelievable; talk about a protein plate!! The Seafood Cobb Salad consisted of grilled shrimps and scallops a piece of hot maple smoked salmon, crumbled bacon, egg, 1/2 an avocado, corn salsa & tomatoes and a generous portion of Stilton cheese.  Believe it or not, there was lettuce at the bottom of the bowl as well.  

And if that wasn't enough of a treat, the 5Fish featured a $5 lobster tail w/ drawn butter as a special as well.  Needless to say, I got more 'Surf', while my friend had a bargain "Surf n' Turf"!  The lobster meat was succulent and tender and we finished every bite.

Since a pal of mine was the manager of 5Fish at the time, and caught wind of our Bday celebration, dessert was on the house, and we couldn't say 'no'.  A 'Field of Carrots' cake was his dessert of choice, and it was decadence to sum it up.  5 layers of moist and spicy cake was topped with a rich, but light w/ cream cheese icing and sprinkled with walnuts.  A lovely creme anglaise and caramel sauce kicked the indulgence up a notch.  It was a bit much for me, but the Bday boy sure was happy.

Two bottles of wine, some cocktails, sweet and savoury later, we closed down the resto and stepped out in to the crisp March night.  Though normally I would have called for a cab, I needed some serious movement to walk off my food baby.  The 5Fish Grill could easily be one of my favourite restos in Halifax.  Though some may think of it as a tourist trap, I think it's precisely the opposite.  Sure, tourists flock to this destination, but it offers quality like no other seafood resto on the waterfront does.  The quality is consistent, and there is a focus on local product, wine in particular.  

Early dinner at The Bicycle Thief

A few days ago I got one of those texts that brings a smile to my face.  A good friend of mine who used to live in Halifax was back in town for one night only. She always seems to come on a Wednesday too; generally Onyx is our stop of choice.  This time, however, she was interested in trying something new, something “mad tasty”. Since like me, she was a big fan of Bish, I suggested that I introduce her to the Bicycle Thief.

We met at 5:30; she had a flight to catch at 8.  The early bird gets the worm, so we got a nice spot on the patio.  We chatted for 20 minutes or so before even opening our menus, but once the server came by for the 3^rd time we decided to stop being so annoying and placed an order: Propeller Bitter for her, and a Montes Alpha Chardonnay since I was planning on the corn and lobster chowder.  My friend went for the Lobster ravioli.

Her ravioli were lovely – two big pieces, stuffed full of lobster in a rich sauce.  There was also a huge lobster claw on the plate.  And, in the grand theme of lobster, my chowder was also delicious.  With a good amount of lobster meat, there were sweet corn kernels, smoked bacon and chunks of potato that absorbed the flavour of the broth.

Handmade Ravioloni stuffed w/ Lobster, mascarpone, chives, 

Parmigiano & crispy breadcrumbs

Lobster and Sweet Corn chowder w/ double smoked bacon 

I was too full for dessert, but my friend has a weakness for lemon, so she chose a slice of the lemon-meringue pie.   I can't quite remember all the details, but I'm pretty sure the crust was made with brown sugar, giving it a deeper flavour that contrasted well with the tart lemon. Ever since a piece about tea came out in a local weekly newspaper, I’ve been a bit of a coffee snob – only going for the best.  Since I was feeling coffee deprived, I ordered a cup of the Bicycle Thief’s Illy coffee and it was just what the doctor ordered, perking me up for a long night of studying French wines.

Hankerin' for Henry House

Up until a couple of weeks ago, I had never had a Reuben sandwich.  Several people were shocked about this fact, but I didn't really see it as a big deal.  I'm actually not all that much of a sandwich gal.  I like the occasional Bahn Mi or a little hot turkey action over the holidays, but most of the time, I could take it or leave it.

And then...I went to the Henry House. I've been a few times before and on this particular occasion, for some random reason, my psyche was jonesin' for some the smoked meat. As far as my research goes, the HH has a pretty standard edition: (marbled) rye bread topped with sweet Thousand Island dressing, tangy sauerkraut, nutty Swiss cheese and a pile - I mean pile, of smoked meat.

Well...I'll have that again. I tried to do the noble thing and save half for later, but failed miserably.  The slight heat from the meat's seasoning mixed with the subtle flavor of the Swiss cheese is a flavour combo that I'm sure to crave again.  Not to mention the yummy, crispy, skin-on fries that filled out the plate.

Reuben Sammy

                            

My pal's lobster roll was huge!  With big 'ol chunks of lobster, including a full claw, the mayo-based dressing was light and didn't overpower the lobster's delicate flavour.  Paired with a tasty Caesar, she was a pretty happy gal.

Lobster Roll w/ Caesar Salad

With our bellies full, we finished off our pints on the patio.  If you're in the South end of Halifax, the Henry House has a great patio on which to spend a sunny afternoon.  And it's not bad in the winter either!

Hearty lunch at the Hart & Thistle

A few weeks ago, on one of those random days where we actually saw the sun, we went to the Hart & Thistle Gastropub & Brewery on the Halifax waterfront for a quick bite.  Well known for Brewmaster Greg Nash's fun, hoppy beers, the H&T also has  good pub food and was the perfect spot to stop on out way over to Dartmouth.  We saw several tables heading inside, having been beaten down by the crazy winds, so we settled at a table by the window and ordered some heartwarming comfort foods.

My friend ordered the Thistle's Bigger Burger, topped with Sweet William's sausage, spicy Havarti cheese and the standard burger fixin's.  This was a huge burger, like a: "I gotta cut this in half" kind of burger, and with flavour to rival Darrell's.  The addition of sausage added another rich  layer, and bumped it up to a 'hearty appetite' dish in my books. The fries on the side were crispy and clean,  just the way I like them, not grease-laden.

Thistle’s Bigger Burger 

topped w/ Sweet William’s Italian sausage,
peppered Havarti, lettuce, tomato,
red onion & dill pickle 

I wasn't feeling uber hungry so I opted for the Kettley's Kettle, a soup of the day.  On this occasion, the soup was described as a corn chowder with pulled pork.  Unfortunately, it wasn't really what I had in mind; being moreso a BBQ'd pork soup than a yellow corn chowder as I had envisioned, it was just a bit too sweet for my taste.  

I did leave satisfied, however, as we ended up swapping plates so that my friend gobbled up the rest of my soup and I chowed down on his yummy fries...!

Kettley's Kettle (Soup of the Day)

Pulled Pork & Corn Chowder

Fidtastic Brunches at Fid

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on innovative brunches in Halifax.  I love The Coastal Cafe for their yummy eggy, bacony, etc. creations, but another resto who offers crazy-good brunch dishes is a little closer to home - Fid Resto.

This is another multiple meal post, but all of the photos and dishes featured are brunch items available on the Fid Resto menu, and ALL are delicious!

For those looking for a meal a little on the lighter side, you should try The Good Bowl on  for size.  A bowlful of filling, healthy, fresh ingredients culminate into a meal full of flavour!

The Good Bowl

Yogourt, topped with

Apple, Banana, Berries, Dried Fruit, Nut and Nut Butters

If decadent but fresh comfort food is what you're after, this daily special would be just the thing. I know, fresh and decadent in the same sentence? Allow me to elaborate! Fresh, verdant basil pesto, combined with cream created this lovely, lush sauce that blanketed the soft and tender gnocchi.

Today's Special

Basil Pesto Gnocchi

The Lamb Breakfast at Fid are what a protein addict's dreams are made of! The sweet and savoury lamb meat is wrapped around lamb sausages filled that include dried fruit and nuts. Two fried eggs pair beautifully with the sweet tomato jam and yummy potatoes...there was something amazing about the potatoes as well, but I can't quite remember that detail!

The Lamb Breakfast

2 Fried Eggs, Roasted Potatoes, Tomato Jam &

Lamb Sausage wrapped in...Lamb!

A beautiful concoction of warmed blueberries, 
pastry and cream.

I don't think this is on the regular menu, but it reminds me of something my grandmother would have made - just simple, good quality ingredients. This dessert seemed like the kind of snack I'd like to have right before bed - talk about sweet dreams!

My three dining companions decided on the full breakfast. This plate is a ton of food and totally worth the price. The fact that you get a little bit of everything with this dish really evokes the 'full' in Full Breakfast.

FID Resto Full Breakfast

Bacon, Sausage, Fingerling Potatoes, Scrambled Eggs

Crumpets & Roasted Tomato

Ahhhh - this was so good!! A perfectly cooked, hard-boiled egg was enveloped in a sweet and savoury ground meat mixture, then coated with a crispy batter. You could hear the crunch as I cut through. I'd love to say that I made a dent in this, but alas, my little belly could only hold half this and some crumpet...I ended up letting my 22 year-old, rugby playing cousin have it....after he had devoured his own Full Breakfast! Where do men put this stuff?

The Scotch Egg

w/ Crumpet and Fresh Greens

The Skinny on Savour 2011

Well, another year's Savour food & wine Show has come and gone, and a great time was had by all. Last Wednesday night, Savourites gathered at the Westin Nova Scotian to celebrate the 8th annual event. With over 60 booths of food and wine, there was a bite to tempt every tastebud and a wine to please every palate.

The quantity of product at this show is amazing - there is so much to try that one person would never get to do it all...and there have been many to try! After 4 Savour shows, I never go in without a game plan. I check out the exhibitors and decide where I'll be stopping before venturing into the fray. As a sommelier-in-training, I checked out a lot more wine booths this year and tried to pair them with the most appropriate bite. In case you're wondering...I'm well aware of my uber-geekiness.

If you didn't get to attend this year, I would highly suggest giving Savour a shot next year. It's the perfect opportunity to try some of the best food and wine in Halifax all under one roof. There was even a Local Food Award (which went to 5Fish). And as the tagline reveals, Savour is 'Mingle-licious'!

Don't forget to check in next week to find out the winners of the 'Best of Show'!

How a foodie 'does' Savour...Mapping it out!

The Five Fishermen

Lobster Stuffed Scallops w/ a Chardonnay Beurre Blanc

Mini Lobster and Goat Cheese Cakes with Basil Aioli

Tempest

Crispy Fish Tacos

w/ Smoked Line Caught Haddock and Guacamole Coulis

Stories at the Haliburton

Tahitian Vanilla Panna Cotta w/ Drunk and Sober
Berries and Lacey Almond Tuille

Taj Mahal

Lamb Hyderabadi Biryani

Mango Juice and Chocolate Fountain

Saege

Getaway Farms Cider Braised Pork Belly, Balsamic & Red Onion Agrodolce

Sweet Potato & Thyme Blini and Caramelized Gala Apple

Chives

Nova Scotia Pulled Pork

Brioche w/ Winter Slaw and Bourbon BBQ sauce

Chez Tess

The Euro ~ Sweet Vanilla Crepe stuffed w/ Banana,

drizzled with Nutella, Caramel, Chantilly & Toasted Almonds

Chocolate Mousse ~ Chocolate Mousse in a bite size crepe cup

topped w/ Chantilly and Almond Brittle

The Press Gang

Seven Hour Bison Ravioli

tossed in a Truffled Caramelized Garlic & Bourbon Reduction

w/ Celery Toot Puree and Pistachio Wilted Chard

White Point

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Maple Creme & Pecan Brittle

Mix Fresh Kitchen

Lamb Kebabs

The Westin Nova Scotian

Mini Burgers on Brioche; Philly Steak & Crab Cake

Durty Nelly's

Fresh Shucked Oysters and Guinness

Delta Barrington & Halifax

Meadow Brook house-smoked Pork Belly topped w/ Dragon's Breath Blue Cheese

served w/ Celeriac Puree and Van Dykes Blueberry Drizzle

The Port Pub

Pan Seared Digby Scallop on Local Dulse Seasoned Cracker

w/ Apple & Fennel Slaw and Wild Blueberry-Maple Vinaigrette

The Spread at Hamachi

Morris East

Potato Ravioli

Root Vegetable Crackers

Nova Scotia Raspberry Daiquiris

Le Caveau

L'Acadie vine Smoked Salmon w/ chilled Fox Hill Quark Souffle and Leek Coulis

Wild Nova Scotia Porcini Risotto finished w/
Old Growler Gouda and Martock Glen Duck Confit

Fid Resto

The Black Pearl Shooter
Soy Tapioca Pearls & Fresh Carrot Juice

Seasoned w/ Apple Cider Vinegar, Chive Oil and a Sweet Potato Crisp

Pipa

Bacalhau a Bras

Saute of Cod, Onion, Potato & Egg

Seasons

Liquid Nitrogen Candy Pop Corn

White Chocolate Soup w/ Espresso & Cocoa Nibs

Blueberry Cocktail

My friend Stephanie and I - post event. I realized that I forgot to mention one of the other key rules to planning and making the most out of your Savour food & wine Show experience - Bring a friend!