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...

Review #35 - Boneheads BBQ

Boneheads BBQ
Variety: BBQ
Address: 1014 Barrington Street
Date Visited: Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Orders: Beef Brisket Plate with Dirty Rice & Chili, Half Rack of Baby Back Ribs with Salad and Fries

Taste: 9 + 8 = 17/20
Portion Size: 10 + 10 = 20/20
Presentation: 9 + 9 = 18/20
Value: 8 + 8 = 16/20
Service: 7 + 7 = 14/20
Bonus: -
Minus: -
Final Grade: 85% (Excellent)

(Scoring: 100% to 140% = Exceptional, 85% to 99% = Excellent, 67% to 84% = Good, 60% to 66% = Satisfactory, 50% to 59% = Marginal, 0% to 49% = Poor, -40% to -1% = Abysmal)

Notes: T was busy again, and longtime friend A was in town before heading around the world again, so we went out for some Southern BBQ. I'd been to Boneheads before and did not leave disappointed, and was pleased that the experience was similar today. Whereas it was dinnertime, I decided to pick a plated meal instead of just a sandwich - beef brisket, which came with cornbread, coleslaw, and a couple of sides (I picked Dirty Rice and Chili). It was a good thing I was hungry, because it was a TON of food - borderline Man Vs. Food quantity. The brisket was incredibly tender and very well seasoned, and all three of Boneheads' signature sauces worked well on it. The Dirty Rice was a little bland and the chili was pretty salty, but across the board, it was a solid feed. The "vinaigrette" on A's salad was suspiciously thick, but the food was enjoyable and his ribs were "Finger Lickin' Good." Interestingly, as I posted on Twitter the following morning, I actually had a really rough night after scarfing down the BBQ - meat sweats, night terrors, and T didn't exactly appreciate the nasty smells that were emanating from my pores throughout the night. I'd call that one hell of a brisket!

Pardon the soap box rant, but here's my only complaint about this dining experience: "service" is not really an applicable category at Boneheads - you have to go up and get your food (or stand around waiting for it), which to me equates it to a fast food restaurant or indoor food cart. That's fine, but you're not expected to leave a gratuity at Taco Bell or Bud the Spud. Nobody has a gun to your head, but whereas you have to pay when you order, it always feels awkward to hand the credit card machine back with no tip. I know that these folks work hard, and I'm notoriously frugal as is, but tipping at a place where you're not actually served or even checked on is like tipping at a buffet - you don't have to, but if you're like me, you feel like a jerk when you don't, and I don't think that's fair. I'll still be back again - T wants to try it - but that's the one reservation that I have about this place.

Review #30 - Woody's Bar-B-Q

Woody's Bar-B-Q
Variety: BBQ
Address: 159 Hector Gate
Date Visited: Sunday, February 19, 2012
Orders: Corn Nuggets, Fried Dill Pickles, Brunswick Stew, Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich with Mac 'N Cheese, Sloppy Woody Sandwich with Bar-B-Q Beans, Banana Pudding

Final Grade: 87% (Excellent)

(Scoring: 100% to 140% = Exceptional, 85% to 99% = Excellent, 67% to 84% = Good, 60% to 66% = Satisfactory, 50% to 59% = Marginal, 0% to 49% = Poor, -40% to -1% = Abysmal)

Disclaimer: To be completely upfront, we received an invitation to attend the "Friends and Family Day" pre-opening party for the new Dartmouth Crossing location of Woody's. This invitation was clearly intended to drum up word of mouth, so we promised ourselves that we would go in and provide a purely objective review of this visit. As such, because the meal was free and the wait staff was clearly on their best behavour, we've omitted our usual five categories (Taste, Portion Size, Presentation, Value and Service) in favour of a straight up final grade.

Notes: Our first Dartmouth review! We were served a trio of appetizers - corn nuggets (kind of like mini deep fried corn fritters - an interesting and tasty mix of crunch and goo), Fried Deep Pickles (with light and corny batter, which complimented the saltiness of the pickles) and Brunswick Stew (a hearty soup that wasn't too heavy). Then we moved on to our mains: the Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich was good on its own, but even better after we added the four varieties of BBQ sauce available on the table - particularly the Tangy Mustard. The Mac 'N Cheese wasn't the greatest, as the noodles were a little overboiled. The Sloppy Woody Sandwich was quite good, and no extra sauce was required, as it was already coated with just the right amount of "secret sauce" (not a kind available on the table), and the Bar-B-Q Beans were nice and tangy, with a modest sprinkle of meat for good measure. We were just about ready to roll when we were brought a Banana Pudding for dessert. The words "banana" and "pudding" don't do this thing justice. It really should be given a sexier name, as we would normally never order something like this, but are we ever glad we gave it a chance. So incredibly flavourful - chock full of banana chunks, pie crust, pudding and whipped cream. So simple, but so perfect. Give it a whirl - you'll be glad you did. All in all, a great meal, albeit a little salty. Regardless, we'll be back.