Fleur de Sel's more casual sibling, The Salt Shaker Deli, is fantastic.
http://saltshakerdeli.com/

I've also enjoyed meals at Magnolia's, also in Lunenburg.

I ate at Leo's Cafe, in Annapolis Royal, a long time ago, but remember it as quite pleasant (very casual soup and sandwich place, with healthy and satisfying offerings)
http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_...

I've had Cheese Curds - which was almost overwhelming when I had to choose what went on my burger - I generally prefer a little more guidance from the creator. The food was good and I'd say worth the wait in the long line. If I was in Dartmouth, and if I was craving something greasy, I'd make the effort to get to Cheese Curds.

Relish, on Quinpool, was disappointing. There was nothing bad about anything that I, or my dining companions, ate, but despite the varied burgers ordered, most tasted very similar. Found the price would have been ok for something outstanding, but WAY overpriced for the boring food that I got. Also don't like the way that staff have to yell at you when you arrive - too gimicky. Won't go back.

I've always enjoyed Darrell's (both frozen and the new "fresh"). I don't crave the burgers, but if I'm in the area and feeling like a safe bet, Darrell's is definitely a contender.

Love Ace Burger. The atmosphere at Gus' doesn't bother me, but I know people that are turned off by the bar and its inhabitants (somehow inhabitant seems more fitting than customer in this case). I love that the choices aren't overwhelming and every single one of them is good. Even the veggie burger - not only is it better than other veggie burgers, but I'd say it certainly gives some standard burgers a run for their money. I would, and do, go back for more.

Yes - I would agree with the tasting tour, Fid (and I've taken advantage of backdoor pad thai many times now), and Sugah!

Probably a great overview in a limited time.

A two day itinerary would add http://www.morriseast.com/ for pizza - save room for salted caramel tart for desert and either http://janesonthecommon.com/ or http://www.chives.ca/

Cheese on Quinpool Road: could be Leicesters Deli and Cheese Emporium? I haven't been yet, but it's on my list...

Ratinaud is better for pates and french-ish stuff. For straight up meats, I'd say that the new storefront in the Hydrostone area, Highland Drive Storehouse, is great for meat. I've had a few great barbeque experiences inspired by the offerings this summer.

I have to agree with the other wine stores that CanadaGirl listed above - I often choose them over Port of Wines. There's also Premiere Wine and Spirits, just off Dresden Row in City Centre Atlantic. I'll usually choose Bishop's first, as I find the staff there great.

Small grocery store with local food is Local Source on Charles St., just off Agricola. It's small and you can't go with a shopping list expecting to fulfil everything you're looking for, but carries a good variety of locally produced food.

http://highlanddrive.ca/
http://www.premierwineandspirits.ca/
http://www.localsourcemarket.com/

Since they make most everything, I would hope they would be knowledgeable

absolutely... gonna start the day with a morning-burger from the Brooklyn Warehouse pop-up and then wander around downtown.

Try not to be put off by the decidedly bare-bones retail space... the goodies are head and shoulders above the unfortunate physical space.

Ha! Right?

Try calling:
http://www.yelp.ca/biz/as-you-like-it...

I've been for brunch now, and had a good experience.

The table split some hors d'oeuvres:
-fois gras mousse with rhubarb and orange marmalade. These were served with toasted baguette. I'm not sure what ratio of baguette to fois gras they expected, but we were served a terribly inadequate (about 30% of what we'd eventually need) supply of bread. The server was happy to get us more. The rhubarb and orange marmalade really did the trick in cutting through the richness of the mousse, and everyone really enjoyed this.
-Duck confit salad. The duck was great. The end.

We ordered a bunch of drinks too... all were quite pleasant, I would suggest that you try whatever sounds appealing to you.

So yeah... brunch with drinks and appetizers...

Lobster Benny - fine... apparently really nice if you like lobster. I don't, so there you go. My dad really liked his - except for the potato rosti that accompanied it.

Crepe du jour (I think it was a ham and asparagus with some veggies in it, and a chardonnay cream sauce) - really nicely put together - great flavours and great texture. My mum ordered this (and we all tried a bit of everyone's food... passing side plates around... gauche? mayber... but that's the way we roll) and she enjoyed it... except for her rosti.

Eggs Benedict on duck prosciutto - the duck prosciutto was a nice touch. Eggs were cooked perfectly, and this had just the right amount of sauce. She didn't enjoy her rosti.

There seems to be an anti-rosti sentiment running at our table. I didn't try any of anyone else's, and my meal didn't have one, so I can't say what the real issue was... murmers of "Not tasty"... "soggy"... "cold"... abounded at our table. Given the option again, I think it was unanimous, that everyone would have preferred the salad accompaniment.

Steak sandwich was my brunch, it was served with frites, no rosti. The steak was cooked perfectly... the sauce was perfect... the toast was perfect.. the egg it was topped with oozed goodness all over when I cut into it... pretty much excellent. I didn't have much room for the frites - they were good, but not amazing. I saw on the menu that you can order them with parmesan and a truffle mayo as a side... I think either the seasoning was muted by the flavours from my sandwich, or I just got regular ole' frites cooked in duck fat. I have heard great things about the frites here, and I have no complaints... just wasn't blown away by the duck fat factor - I guess I was expecting more.

My boyfriend, in a break from the savoury experiences abounding at the table, broke from the mould and ordered the apple pancakes. These were fluffy and delicious... spiced just right, and served with local bacon. He was pretty hungry... I guess his food was less filling than everyone else's.

After a round of coffees, groupspeak ordered deserts. Maybe it was the cocktails talking. Who has dessert with brunch?

My dad had a selection of their house made ice creams. All were good, but the mocha was outstanding. I had creme brule, which was delicious... just the right balance of creme and brule. My boyfriend and mother both had the illes flotantes - the islands were poached (without hazlenuts) and they were served surrounded by creme anglais - so really, according to my research, a combination of illes flotantes and oeufs a la neige. They were pretty good, and the custard was delicious. I'm sure my sister had kirsch buchette, which was also good and decadent, and called for more coffee.

The atmosphere was nice... great space (though I felt the tin ceiling was a little too shiny given its close proximity. I've been to bistros before that tend to be long narrow spaces with high ceilings and small tables packed together - usually they're crammed with people enjoying themselves and the boisterous atmosphere is part of the charm. Bistro le Coq was a little more subdued, with fewer tables. So go with your friends and fill this place up. Enjoy some cocktails and great food.

The last time I was at Superstore, only 4 of the 5 employees I asked knew what phyllo pastry was, let alone where to find it. There's usually one person around who knows what products are... the trick is to find them.

Thanks for the review... I'll have to check it out sometime.

Funny enough, I was just reading a french cookbook that was explaining the difference between iles flottantes and oeufs a la neige:

The meringue for iles flottantes is supposed to be baked in a mold and is supposed to include hazelnuts. The instructions say to serve it with the meringue on the plate, spooning the creme anglaise around it to make it appear as though it's an island.

The meringue for oeufs a la neige is not molded, but poached in sugar water, no hazelnuts. To serve this one, you're supposed to pour the creme anglaise onto the serving platter first... floating the meringue on top.

LOL - glad I got to use some trivia that I thought I'd never get the opportunity to spout. I do have to say that anytime I've had floating islands as a desert, they've come floating on the creme anglaise. May not be the traditional way, but is probably a bastardized North American version of the desert that is accepted in its own right now.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/f...

Anyone been to Bistro Le Coq, the new RCR joint on Argyle? I walked past the other day, and it looks inviting. Plan on checking it out sometime soon and was wondering if there were any recommendations...

Whoah - no need to get so defensive Patriciahahn.

Work on your restaurant (or your friend's) and take constructive criticism as a way to improve. Unless it isn't a restaurant you're connected with, and it's only coincidence that the only posts that you or jaymacleod have made on the Atlantic Canada forum have to do with Dhaba Express.

If it is only coincidence, chill out a little - no one's attacking you, and everyone's experience at a restaurant is different.

I've had good luck finding lemongrass in Sobeys (Windsor Street), Superstore (Young St., Joseph Howe Dr., Wuinpool), and at Pete's Frootique (downtown).

There are a number of Asian Grocery stores that may have good curry pastes, but they're easy enough to make yourself if you have a food processor. If you don't have a food processor, or you'd rather let someone else press the button to mash up your herbs and spices, check around - I couldn't tell you which brands are superior... maybe someone else on here could shed some light

Being from Atlantic Canada and having traveled to/through Maine many many times, I have to say that our local food traditions are surprisingly different. Sure, there's lots of lobster on both sides of the border, but local canned clams are not that common. From my experience, there is not much of a tradition of canned baked beans - sure, growing up, pretty much all the households I knew had one night a week dedicated to baked beans in molasses with brown/oat bread, but these were not the types of meals that could find their ways easily into some sort of mail order arrangement. Not without a lot of mess.

I would suggest that you stick to the stuff you know, and engage in a bit of cross-border shopping. I don't think you'll find anything that satisfies your nostalgic urges in Atlantic Canada.

There's a place on Chebucto Road called the European Pantry. I've driven past, but haven't been in, so don't know what they have... it's worth at least calling to check them out.

depends on when you're going... at lunch, the pad thai is excellent... dinner, the fid cakes. Other than that, the menu is tight and fairly easy to navigate... it changes a lot (except for a few standbys like the pad thai and fid cakes), so go with an open mind and ask your server.

yeah... "people" in New York.

The trend has yet to rise (to be followed by the inevitable backlash) here. At least we can preview the trajectory.

I went for dinner with family the other day

Our server was great - very personable with good suggestions and just the right amount of interaction with our table

The menu didn't seem overly large, but it was a little odd: the appetizers all looked to be fairly heavy, leaving me feeling like if I ordered one, I wouldn't have room for a main.

We decided to split appetizers amongst the table:
Chicken Mango Nachos - not much to elevate these past regular nacho fare. Lamb Poutine - a nice combination of fat and salt, a step above street food, but nothing amazing. When Pigs Fly (a plate of chicken wings and ribs.... I'm not a wing or rib person, so went along with the table's wishes a little reluctantly. The chicken was decent enough I guess - nothing I'd ever order anyway. The ribs though? Amazing! These things deserve their own dish. They were smokey and tender on the inside with a crispy well-seasoned coating. Amazing.

For my main I got a thai beef salad that was ok - the dressing on the greens overpowered the beef. Not totally balanced. I ended up wishing I had the macaroni and cheese with bacon - it just seems like the sort of thing that the kitchen would have done well.

I tried some of other people's food. There was a chicken curry pasta that was sweeter than I go for in a curry. A mushroom pasta that wasn't anything special, and a burger that was outstanding.

Deserts were split as well - the vanilla creme brule was very well done - everything just right. Bread pudding was good, but, again, not amazing. Apple tart was phenominal.

Overall, it was pleasant - not as adventurous as I had hoped going into the experience. I'll likely try again in a few months and see what's changed

Several of my family members (but not me directly) have had good luck with Pete's
http://www.petesfrootique.com/

I understand Whet at Fred is open for dinner a few nights a week now. Anyone been?

Tried to go today for lunch, but it was closed for a special function. Boo-urns.

Was planning on checking out the size of the menu to see if it was, indeed, scandalous.

Janes on the Common - a casual neighbourhood spot that's supposed to be a hip take on diner food. Always have had good experiences there (except for dry pork... once... out of many trips) http://www.janesonthecommon.com/

Fid as mentioned above... used to be higher-end, but they've done away with the linens and adjusted prices while maintaining high quality food. Local market produce prepared with a french style. http://fidresto.ca/

Morris East - wood-fired pizza. Eat-in only. Usually have decent wines. They try to source things seasonally. http://www.morriseast.com/

Everyone goes to the Economy Shoe Shop on Argyle St. It's not gonna blow your tastebuds away, but is an interesting atmosphere. Safest to stick to beer and nachos if you're looking to enjoy it for what it is: a local institution.

Coastal Cafe is a great breakfast spot with good lunches. Good chef using high-quality ingredients in a small room. No reservations, and lineups for breakfast on the weekend http://www.thecoastal.ca/

There is a steak place that is pretty overpriced much of the time, called Cut (I must say that I do enjoy their tartare though)... it has a sister restaurant, called Cut Urban Grill, in the same building that did pretty good tapas the last time I was there - best for sharing with friends http://www.cutsteakhouse.ca/

-----
Morris East
5212 Morris St, Halifax, NS B3J, CA

I think that the other restaurant you're talking about, on Barrington, is Chives.

I've been to Durty Nelly's twice - both times were last summer. First, let me say that the way they approached the exterior makes my skin crawl - trying to create a faux olde-fashioned building out of cheaply painted plywood panels. It's in what I consider to be an historic building in its own rights: the first curtain wall building in Atlantic Canada. They've tried to create old world charm on the interior as well, with much more success. I still find it incongruous with the rest of the building, but they've used nice authentic materials, and it feels quite cozy.

Anyway - on to the food.

I can't remember specifics at this point two years later. I do remember that the food was good.... pretty standard pub fare that felt high-quality... but nothing spectacular. If I were to pick a spot on Argyle for good pub food, first I would pick the Foggy Goggle, then Durty Nelly's, the the good ole Shoe Shop. Our server two years ago was nice enough to remain as my strongest memory of the place.

I would go to check it out if I were you... I find that going somewhere where your imagination has been stoked by a television program or something else brings another dimension to your meal. Go, but don't expect to have your mind blown.

Found this article on-line...
http://passable.ca/2010/08/23/the-mar...

Nova Scotia wines I purchased at the 2009 Port of Wines Festival:
Gaspereau Vineyards 2008 Seyval Blanc, which was the top scoring NS table wine at the show
L'Acadie Vineyards L'Acadie Brut, which is produced using the traditional Champagne method

from 2008's Festival, I took home Jost Vineyard's 2007 Vidal Cayuga, which was that year's top scoring NS table wine, and won a silver medal from Tasters Guild International

I would say that the best Gaspereau wines are not to be found in the regular NSLC stores, but in the private stores (Bishop's Cellar, in Bishop's Landing on the waterfront, or Premier Wine and Spirits in Dresden Market - same place as the downtown Pete's), or at the vineyard, where you can actually walk through the vines (tasted some of the raw materials while there last year).

The wine industry is really just starting to take off, so while there are some really good wines (only whites, in my experience), there are also plenty of mediocre or disappointing wines. If you want recommendations on specific wines, I have always found the staff at Bishop's Cellar particularly helpful

Never experienced Cheelin's food, but have heard before from others that it is good.

Silver Dragon is the same kind of ambience as Robie foods (situated a couple bloks from each other on Robie St., between Young St. and North St.). Reasonable prices and acceptible fare, but if you found China Town grubby, I wouldn't recommend you eat in.

I usually enjoy the food from Great Wall, on Bedford Row. King's Palace on Quinpool is OK - I mostly like to go there for the over-the-top ceiling tiles and weird low-rise international-style building.