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!

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...