Fine Dining with @hfxfoodreviews: Cheetos Mac’n Cheese Edition

Ever since Cheetos announced that their Mac’n Cheese was coming to Canada in August 2020, we’ve been keeping our eyes on the “side dish” aisle in the grocery store. A year later, they finally made their way to Halifax, and after visiting numerous stores, we finally tracked down all three varieties. Just for the heck of it, we decided to try all three on the same day. The Bold & Cheesy was the mildest of the three, and tasted pretty much exactly like regular Cheetos. The Cheesy Jalapeno had a minor kick, and closely resembled the snack variety. M tapped out after a single bite of the Flamin’ Hot variety, although J didn’t really see what all the fuss was about – aside from turning his tongue red, it didn’t really do much or taste like much of anything. Would we buy them again? Probably not. In most stores, the price point is in the ballpark of $4 for something 3/4 of the volume of a regular box of Kraft Dinner. Still, it was worth a try.

 

Yes, we made and ate three boxes of mac'n cheese.

Famous Curry Garden

Famous Curry Garden (Indian, 5687 Charles), visited August 7. Our friends M&J invited us out to try this new spot in the former location of Water+Bone, and we nabbed a table in their fabulous backyard patio. We got off to a great start with the Mix Vegetable Platter featuring samosa, onion bhaji and spinach pakora – all great. We decided to team up and share our mains, including the Paneer Tikka Masala, Chicken Jalfrezi, SPL Dal Makhani and Butter Chicken. We truly couldn’t pick a favourite dish – they were all delicious and we pretty much licked the bowls clean. Verdict: 4.5/5 (90%) chance of returning.

 

All of the things from Famous Curry Garden

 

The Brown Hound

The Brown Hound (Pub, 2394 Agricola), visited July 23. We’d made several attempts to visit this spot at the start of Agricola, but were always unsuccessful – it always seems full! Although the backyard patio is much more inviting, we were able to grab a spot on the patio out front which was unfortunate due to nearby construction noise). Still, we were there for the food. We ended up going for the Korma Chicken Curry, which was excellent (although the mango chutney didn’t really mesh with the dish), and the Hound Chicken Burger, which was loaded with flavour and served with sumptuous beer-battered fries. It was well worth the wait, and we’ll be back to try some of the other offerings! Verdict: 5/5 (100%) chance of returning.

 

Hound Chicken Burger and Korma Chicken Curry from The Brown Hound

Road Trip: Maritime Express Cider Company

Maritime Express Cider Company (Pub, 325 Main, Kentville), visited July 17. After a morning of picking fruit in the valley, we stopped by this cidery located inside an iconic former railway hotel overlooking downtown Kentville. The Chicken & Waffles was a little on the small side but very high quality – the infused smoked maple put it over the top. The Fried Chicken Benny was also great with a more reasonable portion, and the sweet potato biscuit was a nice touch. The only thing we didn’t really like were the hash browns, which were kinda hard. Verdict: 4/5 (80%) chance of returning.

 

Chicken & Waffles, Hash Browns and Fried Chicken Benny from Maritime Express Cider Company

Lion’s Head

Lion’s Head (Pub, 3085 Robie), visited July 16. We lucked into a spot on the third floor patio’s comfortable lounge area, but it was a windy day so we had to sit strategically in order to keep our food from flying away (and to dodge flying obstacles) – others weren’t as lucky. We went for the Feed the Pride platter – a variety of appetizers piled atop of a large plate of nachos. The cauliflower bites were a little mushy, but the mozzarella sticks, onion rings and deep fried pepperoni were perfect and plentiful. The nachos were a little sparse on the toppings, but otherwise it was a good feed at a reasonable price. Verdict: 4/5 (80%) chance of returning.

 

Feed The Pride from Lion's Head

Jekyll & Hyde

Jekyll & Hyde (Casual Dining, 3061 Gottingen), visited June 28. The skies were threatening to open up, so despite our desire to sit on the patio, we instead opted to head inside the small restaurant with cool, industrial bohemian decor to await our friends S&S. As we waited, we saw a server pass us by with an order of onion rings coated in crispy quinoa batter and a side of lime aioli and just had to try them for ourselves – we weren’t disappointed. Although we were intrigued by the noodle bowls, the BBQ chicken nachos were good (if a little small), and the pan-fried baguette was the same – on the small side, but worthwhile. S&S went for the nachos and the Thrice Fries (sweet potato, zucchini and regular fries), seeming satisfied with their meals. Verdict: 4/5 (80%) chance of returning.

Onion Rings from Jekyll & Hyde

 

BBQ Chicken Nachos & Pan-Fried Baguette from Jekyll & Hyde

Westcliff Diner

Westcliff Diner (Diner, 3089 Oxford), visited June 22. This is a no frills mom & pop diner with friendly service and affordable prices. Watching the staff chatter with customers (and bicker with each other) is part of the experience. We had a club with onion rings, and a cheeseburger with poutine, all of which were ok, although the poutine had shredded cheese and the gravy had a peculiar spice. Verdict: 3/5 (60%) chance of returning.

 

Cheeseburger with Poutine & Club w/Onion Rings and a Strawberry Milkshake from Westcliff

Open City 2021 Recap

We posted photos from our Open City trek on Facebook and Twitter back on June 19, but here are our comments on each stop of our 7 km (door to door) jaunt:

Almonak (Brunch, 5659 Almon) had a savoury cornmeal & scallion waffle with BBQ pulled chicken and white BBQ sauce. It looked and sounded pretty good, but it inexplicably tasted like canned tuna on a sponge. Based on this experience alone: Verdict: 2/5 (40%) chance of returning, but given that Open City is a different-than-usual occasion, we’ll definitely give it another shot.

Chicken & Waffles from Almonak

 Café Aroma Latino (Latin American, 5780 North) had carne al pastor street tacos, which were simply delightful. This is another spot we’ve been meaning to visit, and based on this, we’ll be back! Verdict: 4.5/5 (90%) chance of returning.

Street tacos from Cafe Aroma Latino

Alteregos Cafe (Cafe, 2193 Gottingen) had a Reuben Sandwich & Lavender Lemonade special. The two didn’t work particularly well together, but were both tasty on their own. This is a cool little spot. Verdict: 4/5 (80%) chance of returning.

Reuben Sandwich & Lavender Lemonade from Alteregos

The Foggy Goggle (Casual Dining, 2057 Gottingen) had grilled Japanese-style hot dogs with miso mayo, nori, teriyaki, spicy gochujang sauce and toasted sesame seeds and green onion on a soft toasted bun. It was kinda weird, but really good! Verdict: 4/5 (80%) chance of returning.

Japanese-style hot dog from The Foggy Goggle

The Nook (Cafe, 2118 Gottingen) had chocolate chip cookies for $2. The only way it could have been better is if it had slid right out of the oven. Verdict: 4/5 (80%) chance of returning.

Chocolate Chip Cookie from The Nook

DeeDee's (Deserterie, 5668 Cornwallis) had a sundae special, and was a great way to end our culinary canvas of the North End – although we did stop by the newly-opened Boyd’s Pharmasave (2525 Agricola, Variety) on our way home to snap up some Faygo sodas. We had planned to head back out for round 2 for supper, but the skies opened up, dousing our plans. Verdict: 4/5 (80%) chance of returning.

Ice cream sundae from DeeDee's

 

A selection of Faygo sodas from Boyd's Pharmasave that Juggalos are sure to appreciate

Thanks to all of the businesses who participated, and to the organizers of Open City. We’re already looking forward to next year!

Seaforth Country Store

Seaforth Country Store (Casual Dining, 6344 NS-207), visited June 12. The menu boasts a taste of pretty much everything, just a short drive from Lawrencetown Beach, but we were there for the insanely cheap ice cream. M’s “regular” was two massive scoops of Chapman’s ice cream for $3.50, while J accepted the Mega Cone Challenge – four massive scoops in a waffle cone for $6 (he shamefully tapped out with about half a scoop to go). Well worth the visit, maybe for an actual meal next time! Verdict: 4.5/5 (90%) chance of returning.

Holy crow, that's a lot of ice cream - the one on the left is a REGULAR and cost only $3.50! 

Boondocks

Boondocks (Casual Dining, 6 Government Wharf), visited June 12. Club sandwiches usually have a middle slice of bread, but not so this time. Nevertheless, the sandwich had a good amount of bacon, which was a nice bonus. The Fish & Chips came with a huge slice of fish, and M said it’s “one of the better ones I’ve ever had.” The fries looked super crispy, but were surprisingly kinda mushy. No matter, it was a good meal to cap off our visit to Fisherman’s Cove, and had a great view of Lawlor Island. Verdict: 3.5/5 (70%) chance of returning.

 Club sandwich and Fish & Chips (with the requisite Keiths) from Boondocks

Hali Deli

Hali Deli (Deli, 2389 Agricola), visited June 5. Our sandwiches – Smoked Turkey and Deli Supreme (corned beef, smoked meat and Swiss) – DEFINITELY weren’t served on marble rye but were still pretty great, and the latkes were nice and crispy. We were mixed on the potato salad (M loved it, J was unimpressed). Verdict: 4/5 (80%) chance of returning.

Smoked Turkey, Deli Supreme & Latkes from Hali Deli