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I don't think either of those places would be a good choice. Parking is atrocious at either and a corporate event implies people arriving by car. Also, the entire place would need to be shut down for the event. I would suggest Bish or one of the hotels -- the Marriott Harbourfront has a nice section that is elevated and separate from the rest of their restaurant that might be a god choice.
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The unfortunate thing about staying at the Marriott Harbourfront is that except for a few places, all good restaurants are steeply uphill from your room. I would echo most of these recommendations with a couple of caveats -- the Great Wall is a bit of a dive in terms of atmosphere, though the food is excellent and I have dined alone there several times without feeling uncomfortable. Jane's may or may not be worth the trip, but they do not take reservations and the place is almost always jammed, so prepare to be disappointed. I have never been a fan of Fid but have not been there in their current incarnation. Gio is very, very good indeed. One other place I would not hesitate to recommend is Fiasco, just off Spring garden on Brenton. High-end and elegant.
I would add Il Mercato on Spring garden for Italian bistro food done very well indeed, and Estia, just down the street, for good Greek cuisine. I was at Ryan Duffy's for lunch not long ago (across the street from the Great Wall) and was surprised by how good it was.
Places to avoid: close to your hotel, Salty's and any of the Murphy's on the Water enterprises, both of which are tourist traps. Same goes for the Waterfront Warehouse.
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Their food is generally pretty good. I used to like the place a lot, but I no longer will go there because the attitude of the owners/managers is pretty horrible. The customer is never right.
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Haven't you just contradicted yourself? If the Rossmount does seafood wonderfully, then isn't your theory shot full of holes?
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No, because then you'll say you disagree, and we aren't any further ahead. Besides, that wasn't what you stated. Your post indicated that you could not get good seafood in the Maritimes, not just that there weren't any good seafood restaurants. That is absurd.
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Nonsense. While I have never had a decent meal anywhere in that valley of despair called New Brunswick, there are numerous good places in PEI and NS can and do produce an outstanding seafood dish on a consistent basis.
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Yes, for a while. The building is being redeveloped -- essentially being torn down and the existing facade replicated in a new structure -- and then O'Carroll's is scheduled to return.
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That is an incorrect and outdated link. The two places used to share common ownership but one of the partners left several years ago and took the O'Carroll's operation with him. The Split Crow is not about food; it is about pouring as much Molson Canadian down the gullets of college kids and young singles as possible. Do NOT go to the Split Crow for food, trust me.
The proper link to O'Carrolls is: http://www.ocarrolls.com/
Their Dublin Lawyer lobster, while considerably more than $14.99, is worth whatever they charge. Yum.
Better hurry though, they are closing at the end of September as the building is being redeveloped.
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No, you're thinking of the former Sebastien's, which has been reborn as Estia (sp?).
I also must correct myself in that I just learned today that Piccolo Mondo is no more. I walked past there tonight and it is being reconstructed.
During the same walk I discovered that the former Bondi, which then became Fizz, is now yet another incarnation, a Scottish bar called the Loose Cannon.
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I'm assuming you are arriving at 11AM? That may be a bit of an issue as most lunch places don't get going for another half-hour. I would call ahead in all cases.
I've enjoyed several similar sessions at Gio. If you are making reservations get the table at the elevated far end for some privacy.
Another very good choice and usually not too busy is O'Carroll's.
Saege or Piccolo Mondo might also be good options.
I don't think places like Onyx, Seven or Fid are open at lunch.
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The report says it's now owned by Ron Marks and his wife Julie. He had previously worked in a variety of places, including Cara Operations, Wolfgang Puck's Bar & Grill, and the Omni Saigon Hotel.,
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It was in allnovascotia.com (subscription required, otherwise I would post a link).
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Just read this week that he sold out to someone so he will no longer be involved in that business either.
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Probably $5000-$6000 a month for a space that size.
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In Halifax, while Turkish Delight and Mexixo Lindo have good food, it isn't that good that I would send a visitor from 2500 miles away to either place, both of which are not that impressive otherwise. I would, however, send someone to Mezza for good middle eastern food in a beautiful atmosphere, or to Da Maurizio for fine dining in Italian style, or to Gio for a simply wonderful overall dining experience, or to ChaBaa for great Thai food in a clean, pleasant place for a not too expensive meal.
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I guess I have had my last bowl of their Thai chicken soup, which was the best soup I had ever tasted. A shame.
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If you do have a car while you're here, a trip to Eastern Passage is probably worthwhile anyway -- certainly , you won't find a spot like that in K.C.
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After living in the neighborhood for 15 years I still crave Peter's from time to time. The pizza of my past... just love it, especially from the fridge the next morning. I now make a special trip over once a year and get one to take away as a special treat.
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In Yarmouth, try Rudder's, on the waterfront. Outstanding food, nice atmosphere, and they brew their own beer. They also offer the creamed lobster dish being discussed elsewhere on the board. Just a very good place.
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I had the lobster roll at Fredie's today. They do use a top-split bun (thumbs up!) but sadly, it wasn't toasted and buttered (thumbs down!). That last step was all that it lacked, because otherwise it was incredible. A leaf of butter lettuce, then what must have been a half-pound of lobster meat and just a hint of mayo. I would have given it a trace of salt and pepper, and the buttered toasted bun would have made it perfect, but even lacking that it was fabulous, as it should be for $13.50. But worth it, and the people there are great.
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As others have said, the atmosphere is usually bustling and somewhat noisy. It is a bistro, not a fine dining place, though the food is very good.
Recommendations: for appetizers I like the risotto cakes, the cream of wild mushroom soup (rich though), and interestingly for me, the shredded cabbage salad. I think the best pasta is the roasted chicken ravioli. I can't say I've ever tried the mains.
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Have not been to Nectar so I cannot help there. In that area you have Celtic Corner for pub food, and Duckys and MacAskills in Alderney, which are both sort of just OK. Does La Perla serve lunch? Sadly, there isn't much in Dartmouth, though I was pleasantly surprised to see that It's All Greek To Me is opening a new location in the Russell Lake area.
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I can second the recommendation for the Rossmount. Normally my advice to people asking for recommendations in New Brunswick is to keep going to Nova Scotia, but the Rossmount is an exception. Truly excellent.
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I've only been there once since the move but it was awful. Terrible, uncaring and slow service, and the food seemed to consist mostly of raw red onions regardless of what was ordered. Just terrible, and very disappointing.
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In Antigonish, go to Gabrieau's downtown. Great food.
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I've been there numerous times and have somewhat mixed feelings about it. I loved the original Cellar on Brenton St downtown but this one doesn't have the same feeling for me. Not sure why.
The food is usualy pretty good. They have a varied menu with lots of choices: pizza, pastas and mains along with a good selection of salads and appies. The most memorable thing I've had there are the risotto croquettes. I think the best bets on the main plates are the pastas. I dunno how to put my finger on my lack of excitement about the place; there just seems to be something missing. Menu is here:
http://www.halifaxdining.ca/images/st...
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I haven't heard a firm date yet. The story at the time of the building sale was that they had a year to run the place before it closed. That would make it sometime this fall, I believe.
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I had the Pad Thai at ChaBaa a few weeks ago and it was good, though I didn't find it particularly spicy, which is unusual for there -- maybe that is optional. To be honest, the rest of their food is so good that I would never order Pad Thai there again, not because it is bad, but because the rest of their things are so good and I am not a huge fan of noodles.
I cannot speak to their hot and sour but their cucumber soup is outstanding. And their spring rolls are very good as well.
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I went in there this AM and it was really hopping with customers. Seems like I can never spend more than $10-$15 in the place no matter how hard I try, but given the number of people I see coming and going the last few times I've been there I think they are going to make it.
Funny thing -- the customers always seem to have smiles on their faces when I'm there. I think it's the music.
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I made it to Morris East a few weeks ago and thought it was very good. It is a restaurant that specializes in pizza, not a pizza joint, so don't expect to get out of there cheap.
