Review #51 - Bramoso Gourmet Pizzeria

Bramoso Gourmet Pizzeria
Variety: Pizzeria
Address: 6169 Quinpool Road
Date Visited: Thursday, August 15, 2013
Orders: Patio Pizza with Garlic Fingers, Pepperoni & Pineapple Pizza

Taste: 7 + 8 = 15/20
Portion Size: 7 + 8 = 15/20
Presentation: 7 + 8 = 15/20
Value: 7 + 8 = 15/20
Service: 7 + 8 = 15/20
Bonus: 2
Minus: -
Final Grade: 77% (Good)

(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: Out-of-town friend L was looking for a good place to eat. Neither of us had tried Bramoso before but we'd heard good things, and we were all in the mood for pizza. It was a gorgeous afternoon and we were thrilled to be able to get space in the comfortable chairs on the patio (hence the bonus point from each of us). In honour of this score, J ordered the Patio Pizza, featuring mango, prosciutto and avocado, while T preferred pepperoni & pineapple. J also ordered some garlic fingers for the table (they were decent). T & L went in to order first while J stood guard on the patio, and found the staff fun and engaging. When J went in afterwards, he found the staff kinda aloof. No matter. The pizzas arrived fairly quickly. T found hers to be tasty but nothing overly special. J took a risk - mango and avocado on a pizza? - and quite honestly, it was neither good nor bad. It just didn't seem like he was eating pizza, more like some vegetables on baked dough with a little bit of oil and cheese. All said, it was a nice meal but nothing spectacular. Not our favourite pizza in town, but certainly not our least!

Final Verdict: Awesome patio but pass on the patio pizza!

Hfxfoodreviews Top 50

Since our first bite on April 15, 2010, we're pleased to have reviewed 50 Halifax dining establishments. We're also thrilled to have more than 1,300 followers on Twitter!

Our scoreboard is below - all scores are out of 100. Our average score is 77, which is also our median score.

Thanks for following! We'll be back with our next reviews soon!

(* denotes restaurants that have since closed...)

Chabaa Thai Restaurant    100
Mongolie Grill    96
Thai Ivory Cuisine    96
Il Mercato Trattoria*    93
Curry Village Indian Restaurant    91
Darrell's Restaurant    90
Mexico Lindo    90
Bearly's House of Blues and Ribs    88
Woody's Bar-B-Q    87
Boneheads BBQ    85
It's All Greek To Me*    85
Rock Bottom Brewery    85
Rogue's Roost Restaurant and Brew Pub    85
China Town Restaurant and Lounge    84
Swiss Chalet Rotisserie and Grill    84
Cheese Curds    83
The Keg Steakhouse and Bar    83
Morris East Restaurant    82
Flipburger    81
The Foggy Goggle Restaurant and Bar    78
Applebee's*    78
botaniCa restaurant*    78
Pizza Delight    78
Smitty's Family Restaurant    78
Mexicali Rosa's    77
Mr. Chang’s Chinese Food Emporium*    77
Silver Dragon Restaurant    77
Brewdebaker's Tap and Grill    76
Indochine Banh Mi    76
Jerusalem Cafe*    76
Cafe Istanbul    75
The Italian Market    75
Lady Hammond Bar and Grill    75
Victor’s*    75
Vinnie's Pasta Bar    74
Waterfront Warehouse    74
Cantina Mexicana    73
Kempsters Cookhouse and Eatery    72
Cousin's Restaurant    71
Taj Mahal*    70
Jungle Jim's    69
Boston Pizza    68
Steak And Stein Family Restaurant    66
Lions Head Tavern and Grill    65
Jean's Chinese Restaurant    63
Argyle Bar and Grill    62
Gatsby's Bar and Eatery*    59
Hamachi Mura    55
Athens Restaurant    54
Jack Astor's Bar and Grill    32

Review #50 - Darrell's Restaurant

Darrell's Restaurant
Variety: Pub
Address: 5576 Fenwick Street
Date Visited: Friday, August 9, 2013
Orders: Hen Den' Burger, Original Pita Club

Taste: 9 + 10 = 19/20
Portion Size: 8 + 10 = 18/20
Presentation: 8 + 10 = 18/20
Value: 7 + 10 = 17/20
Service: 8 + 10 = 18/20
Bonus: -
Minus: -
Final Grade: 90% (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: We kinda butted heads on this one. T loves Darrell's, and her philosophy when it comes to this particular review was that this restaurant is the best in its class in Halifax. As such, she gave it a perfect score - perfect taste (loves the Darrell Fries), portion size, presentation, value and service. J thinks that Darrell's is pretty good and, yeah, it serves some of the tastier food in town. Still, he's never quite blown away by any of the categories - including on this trip. It's not that there was anything wrong, there just wasn't anything that truly set it apart from the other great joints in town. To be clear, the Original Pita Club is a quality sandwich, and the Hen Den' is a heck of a burger (lettuce, cheddar, bacon, chipotle mayo, guacamole, lettuce and a fried egg), but it is the most expensive non-lamb or turkey burger on the menu, and almost $15 (same as the Pita Club), eating at Darrell's is usually kinda pricey compared to other pubs in town. Regardless, one flawless review + a pretty good review = a really good review, vaulting Darrell's into a tie for fifth place in our hfxfoodreviews leaderboard!

Final Verdict: Great pub food vaults Darrell's into a tie for 5th place on our leaderboard!

Review #49 - Mexico Lindo

Mexico Lindo
Variety: Mexican
Address: 3635 Dutch Village Road
Date Visited: Friday, August 2, 2013
Orders: Fiesta Plate (Burrito, Quesadilla, Rice and Beans)

Taste: 9/10
Portion Size: 10/10
Presentation: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Service: 9/10
Bonus: 1
Minus: -
Final Grade: 45/50 x 2 = 90% (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 is allergic to onions and there really isn't anything safe on the menu for her, so while she was out of town, I (J) took the opportunity to visit the best authentic Mexican cuisine in town. I was not disappointed! The salsa with the complimentary opening tortillas was burn-your-lips-off hot, which was enough to scare away the weak-willed, but definitely not a problem here! Decided to go with Combo 7 to get a taste of a couple of different menu items. I was able to snag the last Tepa Burrito of the night - a delicious spicy potato and sausage concoction that really hit the spot. That plus the rice (had corn in it - yum!) and beans were more than enough to fill me for tonight, leaving the intriguing Halifax quesadilla (cheese, ham, lettuce, tomato) for tomorrow's lunch. Bonus point for offering delicious Jarritos Mexican pop instead of the standard Pepsi/Coke fountain varieties - the grapefruit was delicious! I only wish that they'd add tamales to the menu...

Final Verdict: Best Mexican cuisine in town, but brace yourself for the spicy salsa!

Review #48 - Smitty's

Smitty's Family Restaurant
Variety: Diner
Address: 1490 Martello Street
Date Visited: Sunday, April 28, 2013
Orders: Wake-up Special, Maple Sausage Special

Taste: 8 + 7 = 15/20
Portion Size: 8 + 8 = 16/20
Presentation: 7 + 7 = 14/20
Value: 8 + 8 = 16/20
Service: 9 + 9 = 18/20
Bonus: 1
Minus: 2
Final Grade: 78% (Good)

(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: Wow, sorry, forgot to post this review. Good thing we take notes! Better late than never? Anyway, we happened to be downtown on a Sunday morning and decided to stop by Smitty's. There was a big line but it moved pretty fast. J is usually a sucker for their skillets, but decided to go for the Wake-Up Special, which is your standard two-egg/bacon/pancake/juice kind of a deal. Hard to screw it up - it was fine but nothing overly special. The Maple Sausage special was similar, but had maple sausage instead of bacon and hash browns instead of pancakes. The maple sausages weren't the greatest - meat that's a little too sweet to eat isn't that neat. The service was good and bonus point for not seating us next to the screaming toddler. The two negative points, however, are due to the cleanliness of the bathrooms - there wasn't a toilet in the joint (men's or women's) that didn't have a floater. Ew.

Final Verdict: Solid standard breakfast, but for god's sake check the washrooms!

Review #47 - Bearly's House of Blues and Ribs

Bearly's House of Blues and Ribs
Variety: Pub
Address: 1269 Barrington Street
Date Visited: Saturday, March 23, 2013
Orders: Burger Week Special (Texas Burger with Fries)

Taste: 9 + 9 = 18/20
Portion Size: 9 + 9 = 18/20
Presentation: 8 + 8 = 16/20
Value: 10 + 10 = 20/20
Service: 8 + 8 = 16/20
Bonus: -
Minus: -
Final Grade: 88% (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: In the midst of the Burger Week euphoria, clearly we forgot to post this review. Better late than never, right? Anyway, as referenced in our Burger Week Special, despite having lived around the corner, J had never ventured into the iconic blues house, though T had visited on occasion during her university days. Anyway, the $5 Burger Week special was the Texas Burger with fries. Automatic 10 out of 10 for value, there! They were excellent burgers (nice kick with a particularly soft and fluffy bun), decent fries, and the meal was filling but not super-greasy so we didn't feel like arse for the rest of the day. You REALLY don't want to eat a burger that makes you not want to eat another burger during Burger Week, right?

Final Verdict: Though it's usually $11.75, it's definitely well worth that. Enjoy!

2013 Burger Week Special

March 21-27, 2013 was declared Halifax Burger Week by Halifax's Alternative Weekly, The Coast (and a brewery called Hop City that I've never heard of). In total, 21 local restaurants participated - eight offering a $5 special, with the other 13 offering a special that included a donation to Feed Nova Scotia.

Although it coincided with the final week of my office's Biggest Loser weight-loss challenge, I simply couldn't resist taking advantage of some of these deals. And by "some" I mean "one-third of". Aside from peanut butter, I think it's safe to say that hamburgers are my biggest weakness.

Thursday, March 21
Burger #1: I made a bee-line to the Chickenburger at the Dalhousie Student Union Building to tackle their mighty $5 old-fashioned triple cheeseburger. No messing around here, it was a serious burger! It took a hell of a long time to cook up, but it was worth every second. My only complaint was that other than the steamed bun, beef and cheese, there wasn't anything else on the burger. I jumped at the chance to add some of their spicy salsa, but such a thin layer was applied that it was barely noticeable. Aside from that, definitely an excellent eat!

Burger #2: I wasn't kidding, I am bananas for burgers, and went for the deuce that evening at Darrell's. This time, I went for the $5 Nova Scotia lamb burger served up Moroccan style, which featured curried mayo, spinach, fried onions and...as hinted earlier, banana, on a chewy bianco roll. Not gonna lie, I was still pretty stuffed from lunch, so I really didn't mind that it took forever to be served (lamb apparently takes six minutes longer than a burger to cook up). In fact, I was served about 10 minutes after my friends, which ordinarily would have been cause for rage, but the waiter insisted on comping the burger, which I could only finish half of anyway. Not because it wasn't good, but rather because I was full! Anyway, it was certainly unique (banana on a burger?), but very tasty, and the other half was a great lunch a couple of days later. Back to my food weaknesses, it turned out that Darrell's made their infamous Peanut Butter Burger a $5 special. Yum.

Friday, March 22
Burger #3: After two burgers in one day, I had serious meat sweats overnight, but the urge to tackle another burger persisted the next day as I was on a lunchtime stroll down to the library. I decided to place a take-out order at Your Father's Moustache, where there special was your standard burger platter (burger, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle), but it also came with fries. For five bucks. When I got back, it was neatly packed up for me, complete with a fork, napkins, and plenty of condiments, and the take-out carton was seriously heavy - borderline two pounds, I'd say. The burger itself was nothing special - it tasted kinda like it came straight out of the freezer, and the fries were a little mushy, but at five bucks, the value for the money was tremendous.

Saturday, March 23
Burger #4: My wife and I planned on going skating on the Oval, which to me sounded like a perfect excuse to pick up a burger first. Despite having lived around the corner from it for numerous months, I never bothered to stop by Bearly's while I lived downtown. I now regret this decision. Their $5 special was their Texas Burger - locally produced steer beef, jalapenos, cheddar cheese (none of that processed crap, onion rings and salsa, AND fries. Even better value than the 'Stache special and considerably more tasty. In a way, I'd describe it as "light," which is a weird way to describe ground beef, but it was hearty yet didn't sit like a rock in my stomach. I left there full but not stuffed, and perfectly able to function during the one lap of the oval I was able to complete before they shut 'er down due to poor ice conditions.

Sunday, March 24
No burger today, though I'll admit that I was seriously tempted!

Monday, March 25
Burger #5: Couldn't resist the urge to try another $5 special, so I called Ace Burger on my way out of work and placed a take-out order. Their Deluxe featured grass-fed beef, back bacon, cheddar cheese, frizzled onions and dijonaise, and I could barely get in the door before taking a bite. Again, I was far from disappointed. The quality of the meat was excellent, and totally made the burger. There really isn't much else to say - there's a reason why Ace ran out of meat numerous times over the span of Burger Week!

Tuesday, March 26
Burger #6: Being the last day of Burger Week, I was sure that I had consumed my last special, but my wife needed to run an errand on the way home, and by the time we were done, we were both pretty hungry. We eyed the canteen at Costco, but a simple "Flip Burger?" was all I needed to ask to change our course. This was the first non-$5 special that I tried, but in actuality, their Crunch special was only $6 burger, with $1 going to the aforementioned Feed Nova Scotia. The Crunch was comparable to the Deluxe at Ace, but with Oulton's beef, grilled tomato, lettuce, horseradish mayo and a couple of their signature "flip chips" - and we asked them to add pickles, too. It was very good, but would have become great had it featured a little avocado.

Wednesday, March 27
Burger #7: Wait a minute, you mean there's one more day of Burger Week? For some reason, I had it in my head that it was only six days, not seven. Nope. My wife had an event after work, leaving me on my own. "I probably won't have another burger tonight,"  I said. "I'm going to try not to." "Yeah, right, that's EXACTLY what you're going to do and you know it!" She knows me too well - my willpower it no match for the temptation of a good burger. After work, I placed a quick call to The Argyle and sped down to pick up their Southwest Burger - also $6, with a $1 donation to Feed Nova Scotia. And am I ever glad I did! Oulton's beef, guacamole, smoked bacon, jalapenos, crispy onions, lettuce, tomato and spicy Monterey Jack cheese. In a way, it was like a compilation of every other burger I'd tried over the course of Burger Week, with guacamole. It was huge. It was messy. It was awesome.

Final Rankings:
#1: The Argyle
#2: Bearly's
#3: Darrell's
#4: Ace Burger
#5: Flip Burger
#6: The Chickenburger
#7: Your Father's Moustache

So, yeah, I ate seven burgers in the past seven days. And I don't regret a single one. Here's hoping that Burger Week comes back again next year, so that I can give'r all over again! Thanks to all of this year's Burger Week participants, and to The Coast and Hop City for putting it on. If I may make a humble suggestion: As much as $5 burger deals ruled, I'd like to see $10 combos next year (burger, fries and a pop) with a small donation to Feed Nova Scotia.

Anyway, before I sign off, I'd like to send some serious props to the near-100 people who have started following @hfxfoodreviews on Twitter during the course of Burger Week, and to our 900+ existing Followers. Thanks to all of you, we're on the cusp of surpassing the 1,000 Follower mark, which is far more than I ever expected from our little review site! After our snub in The Coast's Best of Food poll, approaching this milestone really means a lot to us. As a way of expressing our gratitude, we'll be announcing a special giveaway contest to our Twitter followers as soon as we cross the magic threshold...stay tuned!