Well folks, it took all of the above! I was lucky enough to be asked to participate in the Shop Fashionably Late At Bishop’s Landing along with four other bloggers extraordinaire from the Halifax area (#1, #2, #3 & #4). We converged at Cafe Ristretto to meet one another and to pick our Secret Santa names. Now, having done a lil’ research on all four, I was in for a daunting task! I, a measly “cook” would have to perhaps shop for an artist, some fashionable peeps, or even a dapper young man. Taking a very deep breath and letting my liquid courage from my earlier tasting at Bishop’s Cellar help me out, I picked that one name…it was Laura aka: Pixies In A Glass House. Oh my, this would be difficult.

Laura writes about fashionable things and fashionable people, so me, a Converse and jean wearing mama who always has baby vomit stuck on me somewhere, was probably the worst person to have picked her. Feeling a little discouraged, I dragged my sorry ass outta the cafe and hit up the only place in Bishop’s Landing that I thought might have something for this young and hip chicky. Turbine, a local store that carries Nova Scotia’s own Lisa Drader-Murphy’s designs, was the perfect place for me to find something. With the help of my friend, Shannon, and the owner & designer herself, I  managed to come across a few things that I thought Laura might like, but just as I was about to decided, in she walked and the owner gave me a wink and told me to come back later, in hopes that she would catch Laura looking at something in particular. Off I went, and hit up a few more stores in Bishop’s Landing.

A stop at Sugah! and Rum Runners and One Stop Wood Shop were in order just in case I could find something else, before hitting up Ristorante a Mano for a quick glass of wine courtesy of their fabulous and lovely manager, Kelly Neil. Now back to Turbine to see if Laura had hovered over any one item.

It seems Laura had coveted a few items, and with the help of those around me, I decided to get her the signature “Obi” belt and crossed my fingers that she would like it! Back to the cafe to see what everyone got and to check out who my Secret Santa was!

Well, Shelagh from the blog “Alice Loves Art And Tea” ended up being my Secret Santa, and she knew exactly what to get this curmudgeon for Christmas; a bottle of Chilean red from Bishop’s Cellar (she couldn’t believe that they had me on file for likes/dislikes!)  and a gorgeous cutting board from the One Stop Wood Shop.

With gifts in hand, my friend and I walked back into the dark and rainy night feeling like we had accomplished a great deal at the Fashionably Late At Bishop’s Landing and are planning on returning this coming weekend to take in some more of the fabulous shopping during the extended evening hours! Grab your friends, stop by many of the stores that have amazing and knowledgeable staff, buy lots o gifts then grab something to eat and drink at one of the three restaurants. There is certainly something for everyone down at Bishop’s Landing and it sure beats hangin’ out at the mall on a Friday night!

Downtown Baby!

It is not very often that I get offered money to use for fun and frivolity. I was recently asked to spend $100 in downtown Halifax by the Downtown Halifax Business Commission; a task I thought would be a cake walk, but after agonizing over how and on what I would spend my big bucks, I realized that there is much more to our fair city than what meets the eye. But after putting some thought into what I would do, I decided to show you the places that are my favorites, and that put a smile on my face.

Having two kids under the age of two, and being a busy bee, I decided to stretch my big day into two; first a day of “adult” activities, and then a second day involving my brood.

It all began on a sunny Friday afternoon when my better half, Doug, met me down at the ferry terminal at Alderney Landing and we took a leisurely ride over to downtown Halifax on the ferry ($4.50 return) before we made our way to the Five Fishermen Grill for their Oyster Happy Hour.  Both of us are crazy for these slippery little suckers, so at a buck a piece (between 4;30-6:30pm daily), we each ate a dozen ($12 for me) and paired it with a glass of  Tideview Cider ($6.75). After eating our little hearts out, we made our way to Bishop’s Cellar for one of their “After Dinner Drinks” nights which happen on a regular basis (check out their website for dates, times & events). These events are a great opportunity to sample some wines or beers, not to mention the fact that they usually have nibblies to munch on just in case you’ve come from directly from work (admission is $10). With some wine and food in my belly, we walked the boardwalk and stopped periodically to check out the boats and to people watch, which one of my favorite activities! We then ventured up to The Carleton for another drink before heading back to the ferry terminal (add another $10 for drinks).  We finished the evening off with a sunset on the ferry ride back to the Darkside (sunset was free!) .

The next morning we were up and at ‘em early in eager anticipation of checking out the Seaport Farmers’ Market. Zoe, Philippe, Doug & I packed into the car and crossed the MacDonald bridge with fabulous farm fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and cheese in our sights. We entered the beautifully restored building to find it flooded with tons of natural light and hundreds of energetic market shoppers! Our first stop was Ted Hutten’s stand for zucchini blossoms ($8 for 2 pints) and teardrop tomatoes ($6 for 2 pints). After quick conversation with the man himself about a “brown” tomato that he wanted to show me in the coming weeks, we were off in search of Foxhill Cheese so that Zoe could get her gelato on. Rick Rand and his wife, Jeanita, run this family operated dairy farm in Port Williams, and have been a mandatory stop for us in the past few years. A market visit is not complete  without Zoe’s “kiddie cup” of gelato ($2.50). With a spoonful of strawberry gelato safely in her mouth, we were permitted to continue on our quest. Boulangerie La Vendeenne was next on the list. Their Honey and Apricot Sourdough Loaf ($4.75) is a must in our house and we cannot go without it under any circumstances. We braved the usual line up, as Jean-Marc’s bread is something that should never be missed. Next on the list was Roselane Farm where Manfred Bauer makes German deli delicacies. We always walk away with some sliced “grain loaf”, merguez sausage and even a few spicy pepperettes ($20).  We made a quick stop at Riverview Herbs for their 3 bags of herbs for $5 deal. Choices for this week were chervil tarragon and mint. We were able to squeeze in one more stop before the kids hit the point of no return, and that was at That Dutchman’s Farm stand for a piece of “Old Growler” ($8). Bags in hands, and kids ready for a nap, we headed home to enjoy the fruits of our morning and saw that we could spend $100 in downtown Halifax and have enough for two fun filled days!

After doing the big tally, I ended up spending about $98 on my “Big Days”. Not bad considering I managed to do tons of things – eat out, socialize and walk away with a weeks worth of groceries. Whether you spend $100, $5 or even less, there are many jewels and gems to be found in downtown Halifax. There is something for everyone!

Thanks Downtown Halifax Business Commission for including the Feisty Chef in your Big Day Downtown.
View My Big Day Downtown in a larger map

Click to see the full set.

I have been living in Halifax for almost four years, and you would think that I would’ve done the “tourist” thing by now, but alas, I have not. On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Doug, Zoe & I decided to take in Halifax, through the eyes of a “tourist”. Off we went to catch the ferry over to Halifax; a trip I usually take when I am on my way to work, not with my family in tow! We landed on solid ground and the first thing in my mind that I wanted to do was eat, but Doug suggested that we work up an appetite. We walked along the boardwalk and took in the Busker Festival; a fun thing to do with a 10 month old. We checked out the boats that were docked, and walked towards Bishop’s Landing. Once we got to Bishop’s Landing, I decided that we would hit up Bishop’s Cellar to grab a few bottles of wine for our dinner that night. Luckily for us, Alanna McIntyre was working. She is a local sommelier with whom I’ve done a couple of events. She suggested a few wines for us; Spanish, Italian & Nova Scotian. With the bottom of Zoe’s stroller full of wine, my constant hunger pangs started to get the best of me. Big decisions were ahead; where to eat? I was curious to try out the Grill At CUT (as I had been upstairs already), but the crisp white table clothes scared me a little as I had visions of Zoe and her famous “messes” getting us banned from the restaurant forever; so we decided to save it for a Zoe-free day. We made are way to Argyle Street and stopped in at The Carleton for their famous “frites and aioli”. I must admit, these crispy little critters are addictive and very good! Doug barely managed to get his hands on any, as he was too afraid of getting his fingers bitten off. I washed down my frites with a pint of beer. Seeing as Doug didn’t get anything to eat, it was his turn to pick a place; so off we went to Little Fish to get some much needed oysters. Seated on the patio at Little Fish, Doug quickly ordered his “usual” (a dozen oysters; preferably Black Points, Eel Lakes & St. Simon). I was amazed at how fast he managed to slurp these down and order another dozen! Well, I guess I deserved it for not being a willing participant with the frites. While Doug ate, I drank some Tideview Cider and people-watched. I find the Little Fish patio the perfect place to people-watch and do it at least once a week. Zoe sat quietly eating her Old Growler cheese and managed to entertain us when needed. Once Doug had gotten his fix, it was time to let the lil’ ham stretch her legs, so we strolled down the Grand Parade and sat on the grass while Zoe crawled around and roared at the passers-bys. With our bellies full, and visions of Halifax from a different view on this sunny Saturday, we hoped back on the ferry and headed home to relax and enjoy our wine purchases and put the lil’ ham to bed.