Shadia's Pizza

Shadia’s Pizza (Pizza, 2764 Gottingen), visited June 26. Simply put, this is the kind of slice you might crave after you’ve had a night out on the town. Our slice was big and cheap, but not particularly good. However, the staff was very pleasant. Verdict: 2/5 (40%) chance of returning

 A slice of Meat pizza from Shadia's (split in two)

Korca Pizza

Korca Pizza (Pizza, 2777 Agricola), visited June 26. A very flavourful crust, which was a good thing as it was the dominant component of the pizza. It was a bit lean on the cheese and sauce, but there was lots of pepperoni. We’re not crazy about reheated slices, but it was a good feed. Verdict: 3/5 (60%) chance of returning 

A slice of pepperoni pizza from Korca

True North Diner

True North Diner (Diner, 1658 Bedford Highway), visited June 23. The menu was truncated due to the pandemic, but what was on offer more than sufficed. When you see a Buttermilk fried chicken sandwich special, you get it – it was delightfully crispy, yet moist. The cheeseburger was a standard classic. The fries were just ok, but the milkshakes were generous and delicious. Plus, sitting on the patio overlooking the Bedford-Sackville Connector Greenway Trail almost made us forget we were right beside the highway. Verdict: 4/5 (80%) chance of returning

 True North Diner's Buttermilk fried chicken sandwich

Cha Baa Thai

Cha Baa Thai (Thai, 5858 Demone), visited June 21. As always, everything was good – the spring rolls, the Massaman curry (decent amount of chicken), the cashew chicken had a bit of a kick, the Pad Thai was flawless. We were a bit confused by the slices of tomato in the sweet and sour pork, and the garlic beef was a touch too salty and could have used some vegetables. Still, without question, Cha Baa is still among the best Thai in the city. Verdict: 4.5/5 (90%) chance of returning

Randy's Pizza

Randy’s Pizza (Pizza, 2380 Agricola), visited June 20. A quintessential Halifax big slice. It was kinda greasy and the crust was doughy and a bit uneven, but the sauce was flavourful and there was plenty of pepperoni and cheese. Verdict: 3/5 (60%) chance of returning

A slice of pepperoni pizza from Randy's

Tony's Donair

Tony’s Donair (Pizza, 2390 Robie), visited June 20. A decent snack, but far from a big slice. The crust was both fluffy and crispy, decent amount of cheese and pepperoni, but the sauce was kinda tinny. Verdict: 3/5 (60%) chance of returning 

 Slice of pepperoni pizza from Tony's

Rinaldo's

Rinaldo’s (Italian, 2186 Windsor), visited June 19. Although Rinaldo’s is usually pretty good, there were a few problems with this visit. The arugula salad needed some vinaigrette and the walnuts were only subtly candied; the mozza sticks tasted very fresh but needed some seasoning, and the accompanying dip is usually far superior; and the Federico Pizza is good, but it just isn’t a pizza – it’s loaded garlic fingers, and the menu didn’t reflect that. Verdict: 4/5 (80%) chance of returning (based mostly on past experience)

 Rinaldo's Federico Pizza

Sweet Hereafter

Sweet Hereafter (Deserterie, 6148 Quinpool), visited June 12. Everything on the menu was drool-worthy, it was so hard to pick just two. We went with the Peanut Butter Chocolate (impossible to resist that combination), which wasn’t too rich and didn’t disappoint; and the White Chocolate Blueberry, which had an excellent shortbread crust, but some blueberry infused into the dessert instead of a thimble full of drizzle would have been even better. Verdict: 5/5 (100%) chance of returning

Re-Open City HFX 2020 Tour Part 2 - Brooklyn Warehouse, Agricola Street Brasserie, Stillwell Freehouse & Chain Yard

We had such a delicious time at Re-Open City last week that we decided to do another tour on July 4. Here's where we went:

Our first stop was the Brooklyn Warehouse (Canadian, 2795 Windsor) to test out their Spiced Scotch Egg. M lived in England for a while so she'd had them before, and knew what to expect. J had only ever seen them on TV cooking shows, and literally yelled out “Yummy!!!!!” after his first bite (apologies to the residents of the nearby apartment building whose wall we sat on as we noshed). For the uninitiated, a Scotch Egg is a whole boiled egg wrapped in sausage, coated in bread crumbs and deep fried. This one was served with a spicy mayo that made our tongues tingle with delight. We wanted to go back for more, but knew we had to forge ahead to sample other offerings. 4.5/5 (90%) chance of returning

Brooklyn Warehouse's Spiced Scotch Egg

Next, we headed down to the Agricola Street Brasserie (French, 2540 Agricola) to take on their Jambon-beurre. This dainty little sandwich was adorably presented, but trust us, it meant business. A soft sourdough baguette, thinly sliced ham, buttery Gouda and, well, butter. That was it, and that's literally all it needed to satisfy our hunger pangs. A little taste of Paris in the middle of Halifax. Bravo! 4/5 (80%) chance of returning

Agricola Street Brasserie's Jambon-beurre

 
Our next stop was right next door: the Stillwell Freehouse (Pub, 2534 Agricola). We had our eyes on the Mini Sausage Rolls, but decided to try the Chicken Wings as well. The sausage roll was small but the pastry was buttery and the sausage delicious. The three-piece wings were right out of the oven, and coated with Sambal Oelek, Choonk & Tahini. In other words: they had quite a kick to them! They were good quality and very flavourful. The servers were also delightful. 4/5 (80%) chance of returning

Stillwell Freehouse's Chicken Wings & Mini Sausage Roll

Our final stop was the Chain Yard Urban Cidery (Cidery, 2606 Agricola). M’s reaction to the Ginxberry slushie (a dry apple cider slushie with gin) was: “yum, more plz!” It was a fun concoction (and maybe a little strong - no complaints here!). J was all about the chilli cheese dog, surprising literally nobody. The dog was quite spicy, the bun was nicely toasted and the meat was high quality. The cheese was kinda subtle, but the whole thing just worked, and it had a nice little slaw on the side. 4.5/5 (90%) chance of returning

Chain Yard Cidery's Chili Cheese Dog

Although it didn't start off as such a beautiful day, the sun was beating down on us when we stumbled out of the Chain Yard. We hope many others enjoyed a taste of what our fair city has to offer. Thanks again to all of the organizers and participants. Re-Open City is still running for the next two weekends. Don't miss this chance to check it out and show some love to your community businesses!

La Piazza

La Piazza (Italian, 6430 Chebucto), visited June 12. Our first meal out since the pandemic hit. It was as “normal” as could have been expected, despite the Plexiglas wall beside us. The Caesar salad was on point, and the pizzas were scrumptious. Great meal, great value, great service, and no dishes! Verdict: 5/5 (100%) chance of returning

La Piazza's Quatro Siagioni & Margherita pizzas

Re-Open City HFX 2020 Tour Part 1 - Primal, 2 Doors Down, Boneheads & Garrison

Let's face it, a lot of local restaurants and businesses have had a rough go lately. As such, the fine folks at I Love Local HFX handed Open City over to Develop Nova Scotia this year, who have expanded it to a four-week Re-Open City Extravaganza. We decided to do a little tour on June 27. Here's where we went:

Our first stop was Primal Kitchen (Canadian, 1463 Brenton) to pick up the Spruce Lee Bowl – beer-braised pork belly with rice, vegetables and more. It was a tasty production and fun to watch being assembled. It was kinda hard to eat on the go, but a great find. 4/5 (80%) chance of returning

Primal Kitchen's Spruce Lee Bowl

Next, we headed over to 2 Doors Down (Canadian, 1533 Barrington). “Korean Chili Cheese Fries” is our new favourite four-word combination. A generous portion and a flavourful kick that won’t burn your face off. Capped off with the Chocolate Peanut Bustah sundae also included all of our favourite things in one. This had “winner” written all over it. 4.5/5 (90%) chance of returning

2 Doors Down's Korean Chili Cheese Fries

 
After a stroll along the water, we made our way to Boneheads (BBQ, 1014 Barrington). The peach cobbler-stuffed waffle cone looked and sounded amazing, but unfortunately, it didn’t really work out for us. We wanted to love it, but there was a bit too much whipped cream and it really needed more peach. Although it wasn’t our jam, hat's off to them for trying something different. We’re fans of Boneheads overall and will certainly consider visiting again. 4/5 (80%) chance of returning (based mostly on past experience)

Boneheads' peach cobbler-stuffed waffle cone

Finally, we visited Garrison Brewing Co. (Microbrewery, 1149 Marginal) to conclude our tour with a couple of beverages on the patio. The Pucker Up! on ice is an odd concept (to us), but it worked well and was very refreshing (as was the Dockyard Soda). 4/5 (80%) chance of returning

Garrison's Pucker Up! on ice

It was a beautiful day, and we greatly enjoyed our tour. Thanks to all of the organizers and participants. Re-Open City is running for the next four weekends. Why not check it out and show this city some love? We just might...stay tuned...

Humble Pie & 24 Carrots Bakery

Humble Pie Kitchen (Bakery, 77 King), visited June 6, the day after friends raved about their New Zealand-style savoury pies. Chicken Bacon Alfredo and BBQ Pulled Pork weren’t our first choices, but they were the only ones available and we gave them a shot. No regrets. Pork needed a bit more sauce, but was very good. Alfredo was on point. A bit pricey, but well worth the trip to the Darkside. Verdict: 4/5 (80%) chance of returning

24 Carrots Bakery (Bakery, 3200 Kempt), visited June 6. Very reasonably priced and everything was good. The Carrot Cupcake was a bit better than the Carrot Square due to the nuts and the ratio of cream cheese icing, but both were lovely. The Cheese Croissant was the closest you’ll get to Paris in Halifax. The Peanut Butter Bar was good, but it was very dense and oily. Verdict: 5/5 (100%) chance of returning